and now and haul her out into the rain? At least then the situation would be out of her hands.
He took a step back. His eyes drifted shut as he held a breath in his lungs. On the exhale, he raked his fingers through his hair and when his eyes finally opened, there was an unmistakable fire burning in his gaze. “For once , can you please not behave like a spoiled child? You’re going to go to federal prison, Emma. You think the gossips are up your ass now? They’ll have a field day once you’re taken into custody!”
Wow. Flag on the play! Personal foul. For someone keeping his voice to a seething whisper, McCabe sure projected his insult well. Did he think this was easy for her? Some kind of game? Let’s see how far the spoiled Emma Ruiz can push the U.S. Marshals before they crack?
“Do you think any of that matters to me?” McCabe wasn’t the only one who could pack a punch while talking like a girl at a slumber party after lights out. She poked a finger into his chest to accentuate her words. “You don’t have any idea what I’m dealing with! And don’t you dare call me spoiled. You know nothing about me.”
With the last poke at his broad chest, McCabe caught her wrist in his grip, firm but not tight enough to hurt her. He hauled her against him, and she bucked her chin in the air, meeting him glare for angry glare. “I’m putting my job on the line for you, Emma. If anyone finds out I’m here, alerting you to the fact that you’re about to be arrested, I could be fired.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that. Go. Away.”
McCabe had no idea the sort of people Emma was dealing with. Cesar would kill them both and not even bat a lash. The only thing keeping her alive at this point was the information she’d gathered over the past six years and the money she’d stolen a few weeks ago. Once Cesar and his boss got their hands on it, she was as good as dead. Didn’t it count for something that she was trying to keep McCabe out of this mess? But if he refused to butt out, there wasn’t much she could do to protect him.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.”
There was no escaping McCabe’s tenacity. She had no doubt that he’d park his ass on her couch until the sun rose and his buddies showed up to take her away. And likewise, Emma was no shrinking violet. No way was he going to coerce information out of her. So if she couldn’t get rid of him without coming clean, maybe she could misdirect him. Just long enough for her to put his information to good use and get the hell out of there before the marshals screwed everything up.
But what could she tell him that he’d believe? This was why she was way over her head. Emma wasn’t a good liar, and aside from the few pranks she’d played on the marshals when she was younger, she didn’t exactly do underhanded like a boss. “If I tell you what you want to hear, will you get the hell out of here and leave me alone?” Truth be told, his presence was a safety net she didn’t want to let go of, but Emma refused to put anyone else in danger. Even bossypants McCabe.
“If you tell me what I want to hear, I’m going to assume it’s a lie,” he remarked. The way his blue eyes bored into her, she swore he could see right into her soul. “So whatever you tell me, you’d better make it good.”
“Then what in the hell do you expect from me, McCabe?” The man was exasperating. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to sock him in the face or kiss him. “Because at this point, I really don’t know.”
“What I want is for you to quit playing games. What I want is for you to grow up and take this situation seriously.” With every second, he grew more agitated, every word forced from between clenched teeth. “What I want is for you to stop looking at me like that because if you don’t, I’m going to flush my career down the toilet and kiss you again. And I won’t stop there, Emma. You can believe that.”
Talk about a yo-yo.
He took a step back. His eyes drifted shut as he held a breath in his lungs. On the exhale, he raked his fingers through his hair and when his eyes finally opened, there was an unmistakable fire burning in his gaze. “For once , can you please not behave like a spoiled child? You’re going to go to federal prison, Emma. You think the gossips are up your ass now? They’ll have a field day once you’re taken into custody!”
Wow. Flag on the play! Personal foul. For someone keeping his voice to a seething whisper, McCabe sure projected his insult well. Did he think this was easy for her? Some kind of game? Let’s see how far the spoiled Emma Ruiz can push the U.S. Marshals before they crack?
“Do you think any of that matters to me?” McCabe wasn’t the only one who could pack a punch while talking like a girl at a slumber party after lights out. She poked a finger into his chest to accentuate her words. “You don’t have any idea what I’m dealing with! And don’t you dare call me spoiled. You know nothing about me.”
With the last poke at his broad chest, McCabe caught her wrist in his grip, firm but not tight enough to hurt her. He hauled her against him, and she bucked her chin in the air, meeting him glare for angry glare. “I’m putting my job on the line for you, Emma. If anyone finds out I’m here, alerting you to the fact that you’re about to be arrested, I could be fired.”
“I didn’t ask you to do that. Go. Away.”
McCabe had no idea the sort of people Emma was dealing with. Cesar would kill them both and not even bat a lash. The only thing keeping her alive at this point was the information she’d gathered over the past six years and the money she’d stolen a few weeks ago. Once Cesar and his boss got their hands on it, she was as good as dead. Didn’t it count for something that she was trying to keep McCabe out of this mess? But if he refused to butt out, there wasn’t much she could do to protect him.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.”
There was no escaping McCabe’s tenacity. She had no doubt that he’d park his ass on her couch until the sun rose and his buddies showed up to take her away. And likewise, Emma was no shrinking violet. No way was he going to coerce information out of her. So if she couldn’t get rid of him without coming clean, maybe she could misdirect him. Just long enough for her to put his information to good use and get the hell out of there before the marshals screwed everything up.
But what could she tell him that he’d believe? This was why she was way over her head. Emma wasn’t a good liar, and aside from the few pranks she’d played on the marshals when she was younger, she didn’t exactly do underhanded like a boss. “If I tell you what you want to hear, will you get the hell out of here and leave me alone?” Truth be told, his presence was a safety net she didn’t want to let go of, but Emma refused to put anyone else in danger. Even bossypants McCabe.
“If you tell me what I want to hear, I’m going to assume it’s a lie,” he remarked. The way his blue eyes bored into her, she swore he could see right into her soul. “So whatever you tell me, you’d better make it good.”
“Then what in the hell do you expect from me, McCabe?” The man was exasperating. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to sock him in the face or kiss him. “Because at this point, I really don’t know.”
“What I want is for you to quit playing games. What I want is for you to grow up and take this situation seriously.” With every second, he grew more agitated, every word forced from between clenched teeth. “What I want is for you to stop looking at me like that because if you don’t, I’m going to flush my career down the toilet and kiss you again. And I won’t stop there, Emma. You can believe that.”
Talk about a yo-yo.
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