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He rose, towering over her, his horns angling forward. “I could say the same about you. That night in your apartment, I failed to see it wasn’t you, not in spirit.”
“That wasn’t your fault. I trust you.”
“And I trust you.”
She bit her lip.
“You do not believe me.”
“It’s hard. No one’s ever truly believed in me.”
Two large arms wrapped around her and held her against a strong chest. Being surrounded by a wall of muscle gave her a sense of safety she needed right now.
Zirkov always looked out for his marshals. Perhaps he saw her as one of his team, after all. Though she doubted he hugged Konnitch, Ri’Nom, or Skaggs.
As they resumed walking, he didn’t meet her eyes, but his pinkie hooked hers. Her heart sailed at the contact.
“Take my hand, Magdalena,” he said a few heartbeats later. Not an order, but a request, said with confidence… in her.
Maggie slid her hand into his. Warmth and security wrapped around her and for the first time in for as long as she could remember, she didn’t feel alone.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Z. You did everything right.”
“I ignored the suspicions of the other marshals who suspect you were leaking information. I made excuses for what they saw and refused to listen to them. I lost my objectivity.”
She hadn’t known any of this. She stared into his face, trying to understand him. “Why would you do that?”
“Because they suspectedyou.”
She’d always thought she was little more than a thorn in his side. With a backhanded slap against his chest, she brushed off his words. “You don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’m just Maggie Walsh, woman for hire.”
“Does that mean you will not work for me?”
She glanced at their hands locked together. How could she tell him she wanted him without him thinking she was using him again?
“That wouldn’t work. You need the DAA to trust you, and that won’t happen if I’m working for GI7. Maybe I should move East and start over there. With enough money, I can buy a new identity and a past to go with it.”
“You’re talking like a criminal.”
“I’m thinking out loud. Don’t misunderstand, Z. I want to clear my name, even if it’s the last thing I do. I worked hard to be a marshal, and those fucking slavers swooped in and… and used me.”
And then she’d used Zirkov.
Zirkov cupped the back of her head. “If you must blame yourself, Maggie, blame me as well. And we will move forward together to solve this. Is that acceptable?”
Damn, she couldn’t believe he was taking even partial responsibility forheractions. This had nothing to do with him, even if GI7 was the target.
“Yes, it’s acceptable. Under one condition.”
“Proceed.”
“You hold me a little longer…”
CHAPTERTWENTY
ZIRKOV
Zirkov’s eyes sprang open the moment his blanket lifted off him and a cool hand touched his ribs.
