need to talk." Marian paused in the middle of the room, as if waiting for his permission to come closer.
He glared at her. He wanted to shout, "Stay the hell away from me. You lied to me. You betrayed me. You're willing to let my brother die if that's what it takes to accomplish your mission!" But he said nothing. And couldn't if he tried, not with the gag in his mouth.
Mariah took several tentative steps toward him, then stopped by the side of his bed. It was a good thing his wrists were cuffed, otherwise he'd grab her and shake her until her teeth rattled. When she reached out and untied the handkerchief Burgess had used to gag him, a dozen different accusations came to mind. He'd thought he would bellow his condemnation of her the minute he could speak, but he didn't. Looking at her, seeing the stricken expression on her face, he realized two things. One: How he felt and what he thought truly mattered to her. Two: If she didn't mean so damn much to him, he wouldn't be this outraged over her betrayal.
"Jake, please, listen to me," Marian said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Gideon. I was wrong. I should have told you. But..." She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her hands up and down from elbows to shoulders in a nervous gesture. "My orders were to keep you safe, at any cost. I knew if I told you Gideon had been captured, you wouldn't escape with me, wouldn't go where you'd be safe— not until you found a way to free your brother."
"So you lied to me," he said. "You betrayed me. You would have taken me into custody and kept me under lock and key in order to protect me from the Coalition. It didn't matter to you that my brother's life is on the line." He narrowed his gaze and looked her light in the eye. "Do you have any idea how it makes me feel to know that my brother's life doesn't mean a damn thing to you?"
"That's not true." She held out her hands beseechingly, but made no attempt to touch him. "Gideon does matter to me, but not... not as much as you do. Your safety comes first with me."
"Don't you mean my safety comes first with the bureau?"
"Yes, keeping you out of Coalition hands is more important to the U.S. government than protecting Gideon. To them, you're the more valuable of the two. But wanting to keep you safe has become a personal issue with me. Can't you understand how important it is to me to protect you, to save you?"
"Why?" he asked, his gaze pensive, his voice hard.
"Why? Because I care about you."
"If you really cared, you wouldn't have lied to me."
"I've already apologized. I know I should have been honest with you."
"From here on out, it will be difficult for me to believe you," he told her. "Once trust has been broken, it's never easy to rebuild."
"Tell me what I have to do in order for you to trust me again."
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial v ersion, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
"And if I tell you, no matter what it is, you'll agree?"
Mariah inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Yes."
He heard the reluctance in her voice and knew it hadn't been easy for her to acquiesce. "First, I want you to find out where they're holding Gideon. Then I want you to contact your superiors at the bureau and see what they're doing to find my brother."
"Agreed," she replied quickly.
"That's not all."
She nodded.
"We are not going to escape. Not yet. Not until we know where Gideon is." Jake glanced at the closed door. "We'll fake another hypnosis session and this time you'll report to your Coalition contact that you've made progress breaking down my defenses, that my knowing they have Gideon has made me more cooperative. We have to buy time until either you or the Feds can discover Gideon's location."
Marian didn't respond immediately. He could tell she was digesting everything, running it through her logical mind.
She could take his offer or leave it— he didn't care. He would never allow her to take him to a safe haven and leave behind his brother and the proof needed to stop
He glared at her. He wanted to shout, "Stay the hell away from me. You lied to me. You betrayed me. You're willing to let my brother die if that's what it takes to accomplish your mission!" But he said nothing. And couldn't if he tried, not with the gag in his mouth.
Mariah took several tentative steps toward him, then stopped by the side of his bed. It was a good thing his wrists were cuffed, otherwise he'd grab her and shake her until her teeth rattled. When she reached out and untied the handkerchief Burgess had used to gag him, a dozen different accusations came to mind. He'd thought he would bellow his condemnation of her the minute he could speak, but he didn't. Looking at her, seeing the stricken expression on her face, he realized two things. One: How he felt and what he thought truly mattered to her. Two: If she didn't mean so damn much to him, he wouldn't be this outraged over her betrayal.
"Jake, please, listen to me," Marian said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Gideon. I was wrong. I should have told you. But..." She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her hands up and down from elbows to shoulders in a nervous gesture. "My orders were to keep you safe, at any cost. I knew if I told you Gideon had been captured, you wouldn't escape with me, wouldn't go where you'd be safe— not until you found a way to free your brother."
"So you lied to me," he said. "You betrayed me. You would have taken me into custody and kept me under lock and key in order to protect me from the Coalition. It didn't matter to you that my brother's life is on the line." He narrowed his gaze and looked her light in the eye. "Do you have any idea how it makes me feel to know that my brother's life doesn't mean a damn thing to you?"
"That's not true." She held out her hands beseechingly, but made no attempt to touch him. "Gideon does matter to me, but not... not as much as you do. Your safety comes first with me."
"Don't you mean my safety comes first with the bureau?"
"Yes, keeping you out of Coalition hands is more important to the U.S. government than protecting Gideon. To them, you're the more valuable of the two. But wanting to keep you safe has become a personal issue with me. Can't you understand how important it is to me to protect you, to save you?"
"Why?" he asked, his gaze pensive, his voice hard.
"Why? Because I care about you."
"If you really cared, you wouldn't have lied to me."
"I've already apologized. I know I should have been honest with you."
"From here on out, it will be difficult for me to believe you," he told her. "Once trust has been broken, it's never easy to rebuild."
"Tell me what I have to do in order for you to trust me again."
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial v ersion, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
"And if I tell you, no matter what it is, you'll agree?"
Mariah inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Yes."
He heard the reluctance in her voice and knew it hadn't been easy for her to acquiesce. "First, I want you to find out where they're holding Gideon. Then I want you to contact your superiors at the bureau and see what they're doing to find my brother."
"Agreed," she replied quickly.
"That's not all."
She nodded.
"We are not going to escape. Not yet. Not until we know where Gideon is." Jake glanced at the closed door. "We'll fake another hypnosis session and this time you'll report to your Coalition contact that you've made progress breaking down my defenses, that my knowing they have Gideon has made me more cooperative. We have to buy time until either you or the Feds can discover Gideon's location."
Marian didn't respond immediately. He could tell she was digesting everything, running it through her logical mind.
She could take his offer or leave it— he didn't care. He would never allow her to take him to a safe haven and leave behind his brother and the proof needed to stop
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