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Toth dropped into the seat next to her. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, and his eyes held the hint of a shadow. “Remind me to never let you drive again.”
Savannah laughed but didn’t slow as they left their pursuers behind.
CHAPTER 17
Savannah got comfortablein the passenger’s seat, more than willing to hand over the steering wheel. She’d driven for another half hour, while she and Toth had both come down from the crushing high of adrenaline. They’d stopped at a gas station to use the restroom, and now Toth filled their tank while she clicked her seatbelt into place.
He hung up the pump then got in the vehicle. His gaze searched her face. “You okay?” His question was soft and a little too caring. If he touched her, she might crumble into a million pieces.
She nodded once. “Fine. You?”
He brought his fingers to the keys dangling at the ignition but froze. She waited, holding her breath, but he just glanced outside as if the weight of the world had settled on his shoulders.
“Did something happen?” she asked.
He brought his attention back to her face. “What do you mean?”
“In the garage. You seemed... rattled. Scared, almost.” She didn’t want to emasculate him, but she couldn’t come up with better words to describe what she’d seen scrawled on his face.
He scratched his knuckles over his beard. The scruffy hair needed a trim, but it gave him a look of ruggedness and depth. “I guess I was scared.” He spoke slowly. “Funny, because I don’t remember ever having that kind of experience. Even in the Marines. I mean, yeah, shit was nuts, but there was a bit of... detachment, I guess. It wasn’t so”—he squinted, glancing out the window, and then brought his laser-focused stare back to her—“personal.”
A shiver of anticipation touched her neck. “What do you mean?” She shouldn’t ask questions. Shouldn’t take anything he said to heart in such an emotionally charged situation. But part of her needed to hear more.
He rested his arm on the console between them then entwined his fingers with hers. “You,” he said, his voice as smooth as glass. His gray-ember eyes glowed at her. “You made this whole thing personal, Savannah. All I could think about was that I wasn’t going to get to you in time.” He licked his lips as if to prevent the next words. “And I couldn’t fucking bear it.”
A lump formed in her throat. The world around them fell away and an ache of longing spread through her chest. Her whole life, no one besides Lach and her mother had shown they cared for her. Of course her father loved her, but his motives had always leaned in his favor.
Never had anyone but her mom put her first.
“I got another alert about an intruder on the property and all I could think was that I’d failed.”
Her heart expanded. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck, to reassure him that he’d done more for her in the last two days than her father or Jace had ever done. “You didn’t fail, Toth.”
He nodded and his mouth slanted into a smirk. “I know. Never ran so fucking fast in my life.”
She laughed, running her thumb over his. “Thank you.”
He snorted. “Don’t thank me. You just about got killed in my hideout. I should have taken you farther.”
She sat forward. “You saved my life,” she said breathlessly. “I trust you completely.”
For a second, she expected him to negate what she’d said. Instead, his gaze warmed, and he lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles. “Good. But there’s someone we can’t trust. We need to figure out how they found us. That’ll point us to the mole.”
A thought struck her, and she was suddenly riddled with guilt. “It must have happened when I called my dad.” She shook her head. “Or Lach.”
“You called Lach?” His voice rose a notch.
She shrunk a bit in her seat. “Yeah. I mean, I was already allowed to call my dad. I didn’t see how calling Lach would make a difference.” A beat passed and she groaned. “Oh god. It’s my fault.”
He let out an exasperated breath. “No, no. It’s not your fault. It’s just that the more lines we open, the more chances there are of being traced.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “If someone was with Lach when I spoke to him, that could be the mole. Maybe he traced your number somehow.”
“Well, we can’t risk another call right now.”
“Did the men in the house say anything?” Surely he’d gotten some kind of information before he killed them.
Toth started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, his expression dark. His jaw was tight as he stared out the windshield. His left hand looped over the top of the steering wheel, the other stayed on the console between them. With his jean-clad legs bent, he appeared too large for the vehicle. His thick thighs strained the faded denim. Was there any area of his body that wasn’t stacked? God, he must be one of those gym rats or something.
