Page 35 of Brooks

“You really don’t know anything about who you work for?” Thad inquired.

I wouldn’t say his tone was accusatory but more inquisitive.

“No. And from what Zane just told me, I’m beginning to question the sagacity of my decision. I took the job because I wanted to work alone. I needed time to put my life after James back together.”

“What happened when you were captured?” That was from Declan.

The whimper that followed was unintentional. I cut my eyes to Brooks, ready to lambast him for sharing something that was not his business to share. But I found he wasn’t looking at me, he was staring at Declan. And he was pissed.

“How much do you know?” I asked.

“Just what Zane told me. You were following a lead on some artifacts coming out of Iraq into Saudi Arabia. You were ambushed by some men who were with Lucre and they had you for two days.”

“Then you know everything,” I told him.

“Right.”

“What do you want, Declan? You wanna see what they left me with? It’s not pretty. Forty-eight hours they played with me. Two fucking days they whipped me, knifed me, tied me up, laughed at me. And when they were done, they walked out with four relics all under three inches. All four pieces could fit in your hand. That’s what they wanted. Toying with me? That was nothing but fun for them. So again, you know everything. There’s nothing more to the story. They found me, took me, scarred me, and nearly took my life.”

Four angry growls came from the men. I couldn’t handle anymore. Q and A was over.

“Tatiana—”

“Don’t, Declan. I get it. You’re protecting your team. I don’t have any motivation other that the mission at hand. My assignment was to win an auction, then move on to some ancient cones coming up for sale. My orders have shifted and I’m on board.”

“I just wanted to know if we get to a place where we’re hauling Al Issa’s ass in, if you’ll be okay.”

“Then I’ll tell you the same thing I told Zane. I see Al Issa, I’m puttin’ a bullet in his head. He owes me more than a pound of flesh for what his men did to me. I live every day in a body that is desecrated because of him. I’m taking my payment.”

“They violate you?” Brooks’ low growl had me rocking back on my heels.

“Violate?”

“Rape you?” he clarified.

“No. They were having too much fun carving me up. Making sure every time I saw what they left me, I’d be disgusted.”

“Nothing disgusting about you, Doll.”

“Right. Everyone loves to see skin that looks like a cheese grater’s been taken to it.”

“Those marks are a reminder of how strong you are. What you went through and came out even stronger.”

“I’d rather not have the reminder.”

“And I’d rather you didn’t as well. But you do, and they’re fucking beautiful.”

He was too close. I needed him to step back before I did something stupid like wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest. “Every line on your back a testament to your strength. Every scar a reminder you are breathing. You get that shot, take it. But, baby, it’s not going to make the scars disappear. Only you can do that. And you do it by embracing them. Not one fuckin’ thing disgusting about you.”

I wanted to argue with him, remind him of what he’d seen when he saw me with my shirt off. How gross my back looked, but I couldn’t. I was too fucking tired. Bone-deep tired. Emotionally drained from talking about the two worst topics in my life. Why didn’t they want to know the easy stuff like my family life, where I’d grown up, if I had siblings? Questions that wouldn’t put me on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. The scariest part was, I wanted Brooks curled behind me holding me tight. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea tagging along with the team. Maybe I needed a clean break.

Chapter 14

Tatiana had murmured her goodnights and went back into the bedroom. No one spoke until the door closed behind her.

“What the fuck?” I turned to Dec.