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Thomas Cartier had wanted no part of it.
Maybe there was an underlying reason that I hadn’t been told. I was no fool. There was a personal reason there was such hatred between my father and Arman. I could sense it a mile away. What would happen if I placed some trust in my captor? I remained in a fog, uncertain how I was supposed to feel.
Here I was, positioned in the passenger seat of a two-hundred-thousand-dollar sports car with bulletproof glass after being involved in a shooting, a chase, and a fire. I was being taken away from the comfort zone of my fabulous little life. Or maybe I’d been living in a bubble for far too long. I still couldn’t believe this was happening. All because of the worst decision I’d made in my life.
Or had the fates brought us together for some ungodly reason? The craziest aspect about what was happening was the connection we shared, brilliantly bright and amazing, which had already snagged a portion of my heart. God. How was that possible? Maybe I was fooling myself, but it seemed I brought out a softer side to Arman, one that confused the hell out of him as well.
I could sense in the very depth of my being that he was keeping something from me, an ugly truth about my world, although for the life of me I had no clue what that could possibly be. Maybe I didn’t want to know.
For a few precious seconds, I closed my eyes, involuntarily brushing my fingers across my lips. The kiss lingered like a stray strand of hair whisked back and forth across my cheek, a constant reminder. His scent remained as well. I’d been right before. His touch had permanently stained my skin.
Here I was because of a dare I’d accepted, a task that most intelligent women wouldn’t have agreed to.
I hated the sorority and would make it my life’s mission to shut it down. Hell, I should be able to do that with ten million dollars in my bank account. A payoff for… sleeping with and marrying the sexiest enemy alive. Wasn’t there a movie of that name from the distant past? I could remember a famous actress playing the heroine’s part, facing her terror of swimming to be able to get away from an abusive monster.
Ha. I could swim but I had no doubt if I tried, whatever waters I selected would be shark, piranha, and crocodile infested. I rolled my eyes, realizing he was slowing down as he drove through the gorgeous tree-lined streets. That left altering my name and stealing his fabulous car. The thought almost brought a smile to my face. It was obvious I was still in shock.
“Would you really have walked through fire to save me?” I asked out of the blue.
“Without hesitation.”
“Wow. We were brought together on purpose. Weren’t we?” I asked absently, uncertain an answer mattered.
“There are no such things as coincidences.”
“The girls at the sorority. That’s why they left me there.”
He threw a look in my direction and there wasn’t a molecule in my system that didn’t shake from the heat sparking behind his eyes. “That infuriates me. They put you in harm’s way.”
“Isn’t that what you are doing?”
His exhale was long and ragged. “You’re right. I am. However, I have the ability to keep you safe.”
“From yourself as well?”
The way he half laughed had such a bitter sound. “That I can’t answer.”
“Who are you really, Arman? I mean it’s obvious you’re dangerous, very capable of using whatever weapon you have. I doubt you have a conscience given you seem to have no remorse for taking two lives.”
“Remorse had no place in my world.”
“I don’t know how you take it.”
I studied him as he thought about my question, the uncertainty in his eyes easy to see even from where I was sitting. It was as if he’d asked himself the same things countless times, concerned that his answer was as contrived as what it appeared his life had become. Who was I to try to fit the pieces together? I didn’t know him. I’d told myself I wouldn’t care if I did.
“Because I have no other choice. And who I am might scare you.”
“Try me. Right now, I’m not certain anything else can terrify more than what just happened.” God, the stench of smoke lingered, strong enough I felt nauseous.
“Fine. I’m someone who no longer believes in myths or legends, that our lives are planned prior to our births, fate laughing at us while we attempt to pull away.”
“I don’t know what that means.” What I did know was that it was perhaps one of the most haunting things anyone had ever said.
He took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds. “It means life is what you can wrestle from the ashes.”
I had no idea what to say and concentrated on the view out the passenger window instead. “I never believed in fairytales or fantasies. Maybe that’s because my father refused to allow me to read them as a child. I had plenty of books, stories about creatures and dinosaurs, but never once did I own one about knights in shining armor or princesses locked in a castle, rescued by their handsome prince. Isn’t that crazy?” What was crazy was that the memory was so private there wasn’t a single person I’d ever told. Why him? Maybe because I’d almost died. Maybe because he’d killed two people in order to save me.
And because I felt closer to him than I had to anyone in my life. Wasn’t that warped, toxic?
