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Ben loosened her feet and reached up to untie her arms.
“They were already planning this,” he said darkly. “There was no way you could have known.”
She squirmed to free her hands, and he swept her up in his arms, holding her waist and back of her head tightly against him. They breathed heavily as his eyes began to water. He shoved the emotions out of his chest and breathed in her scent.
His muscles loosened. She was safe and back with him. He pulled away and looked down at her. Her eyes were bloodshot. He pulled her back in and put his head on top of hers.
“I should have never gotten you into this,” he said, choking back tears.
“This isn’t your fault,” she said, pulling away from him. “You told me not to come here.”
“Yes, it is. Don’t youdareblame yourself,” he said, holding her shoulders tightly.
She broke down into tears and leaned against him. He held her, and guilt swarmed in his chest. He pulled away and looked at her face. Her right cheekbone was starting to swell and was already turning a deep purple.
“Here,” he said, walking to the sink and warming a cloth with water. He turned, and she flinched away from him.
“Okay,” he said, placing the cloth down. “Not now.”
“I’m sorry, I ...”
“No, no.” He sat her back in the chair gently. He knelt and looked up at her, taking her hands in his.
“Never apologize to me. I should have saved you sooner.”
“I didn’t ...”
“Shh,” Ben said, running her hands with his thumbs. “You shouldneverhave to protect me.”
She looked at him, defeated. She was tired and traumatized. He looked down at the floor, then back up at her.
“I’ll take care of this.”
“How?” she asked, her eyes swelling with tears. “They know the plan now. They saw you.”
“They don’t know who the tiger shifter is,” he said confidently.
“Vito might,” she confessed. “He saw you just now, and he knows you were the one to come after me. He might figure out the only reason I’m alive is if I’m helping you, and therefore, you are either the shifter or know the shifter that was saving me.”
She was right. Vito would tell the rest of them his secret. The word was out now, and that meant her mission was over. Thoughts of a plane ride to South America crossed his mind.
Because it had failed, she had been caught. The Don would order her away as soon as possible. He closed his eyes, racking his brain for a solution. He had fallen in love with her and knew he had to make a sacrifice.
He looked up at her. “We have to get you out of here.”
“Why?” she asked fearfully.
“You’re not safe with me anymore.”
“I’m not going anywhere without you,” she said, pulling his hands in closer.
“Liz, this is not a debate. This is an order.”
“Fuck your orders! I have done all of this for you, worked at a fucking strip club, had my family threatened, got fucking waterboarded,” she said, letting go of his hands. “You owe me this.”
Ben shook his head and looked around the kitchen. Her stubbornness has always been her downfall. He thought of every possibility and pieced together the one scenario that might just work. A glimmer of hope rose in his chest. Even if he faced the consequences of this situation, she might not have to.
“I can’t come with you,” he said, looking back at her with sadness.
