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"Of course it is," Joe agreed. "We let our emotions get involved. It's always a mess when we allow that. "
Amusement touched Joe's voice as Khalid watched him coldly. Beside him, he could feel the tension radiating from Shayne. Tempers were simmering, and Khalid had a feeling that holding his own in check wouldn't last much longer.
"Damn it, Joe," Zach cursed, his voice low. "She thinks we're all conspiring against her. "
"You are," Joe pointed out. "All of you have been, by not giving her the answers she's all but demanded of you. I didn't make that mistake. "
"You trained her too well, Zach, if you didn't want her poking her nose in places you didn't want her. " Shayne sat watching them, his arms crossed over his chest, a scowl on his face. "And Khalid could have saved us all the trouble if he'd simply given her details rather than an insignificant portion of the events. "
"I didn't ask for your opinion, you damned spook," Zach bit out angrily. "You only came back to the States to tell Khalid about his brothers, hoping that he would choose you as his third. And don't think we're not all aware of it. "
"Enough. " Khalid watched as Joe's gaze glittered with interest as he stared back at him. "It ends now. Once we reach the house I'll tell her what we must. " Not that he wanted to. Hell, one question was going to lead to another, and before he knew it, the truth of his own past would come out.
Joe's brow arched. "I'd say it's a little late for that. I'd suggest Kevlar, if I were you. She's ready to shoot us all. "
"If she doesn't, then I just might. " Khalid forced himself to keep his hands in place at his side, rather than around Zach's neck for demanding that meeting, even though he knew Marty was with Khalid and Shayne.
"I feel like I'm throwing my daughter to the fucking wolves. " Zach glowered at Khalid and Shayne.
That was exactly what he had done; it was what he had done years before, when he had allowed Marty the opportunity to join the FBI.
He had allowed his lover, Joe's wife, to convince him otherwise. He had given in to the woman and the child he had loved, and Khalid suspected he had regretted it every day since.
"She's your woman now," Shayne reminded him quietly. "Would you do anything differently? And while you're contemplating your answer, Khalid, tell me, did you ever get around to telling her about Abram and Lessa?"
"It's too late to consider what I would have done or what I have yet to do. " What he should have done. He never should have stayed away from her. He should have taken her when she was eighteen, when she was young enough to be convinced to be a lover rather than a warrior.
And Marty was exactly that. She was a warrior, and she had years of training in facing the war she had chosen. Pulling her out of the fire wasn't going to happen now.
"I wouldn't blame her if she shot all of us. " Joe wiped his hand tiredly over his face as the limo pulled into the driveway of his home. "God help us all. We're going to wish we were all dead now. Virginia's home. "
"Then get ready to start praying," Zach warned him.
"I started doing that weeks ago. " Joe stared back at his friend in irritation. "She'll kill you first, though. Think about that. She knows I would have never helped conspire in keeping anything from her. I've just never had the details. "
"Because you refused to read the files," Zach said angrily.
"For whatever reason. " Joe shrugged calmly. "Still, I covered my back. Let's hope you have as well. God help you if she asked you and you lied to her. "
"I've never lied to her," Zach snarled.
The limo rolled to a stop as Khalid leaned forward slowly, catching the attention of both men.
"Her protection is no longer your concern," he stated, his tone icy, filled with purpose.
"Khalid . . . " A frown line snapped between Zach's brows. He was a father first, Khalid had always known that, but in his efforts to protect his daughter he had done nothing but harm her.
"She is mine now," he stated, his voice harsh. "You will not interfere in that, nor will you interfere in her life any longer. And the next meeting you arrange, you will do so in a venue that she can attend. No more secrets, period. "
But he was guilty of his own secrets, and Khalid knew it.
Joe groaned. "Taking her out of it now will be impossible. "
"And now she could be facing a nightmare if my brothers manage to get their hands on her. " Rage ate inside Khalid like a corrosive acid at the thought of the evil his half brothers had focused toward him. "It is my past that endangers her, and I will ensure that it endangers her no longer. "
With an irritated flick of his wrist he jerked the door open, rather than wait on Abdul, and stepped from the car.
Pausing, Khalid watched as the other men exited the vehicle. Shayne was the last to step out. His gaze swept the area, eyes narrowed and piercing as he searched for any threats.
