Page 60 of Protected from Reprisal
Shame stifles my voice, and I cover my face with my hand.
“Tink. Baby. It’s okay.” Ace strokes my hair. “It’s okay. Davis is fucked in the head. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not your fault that you were treated differently than some of the other captives. Shit, I’m glad you were. I’m so fucking glad, because it means you’re still here.”
“But Malik.” Exhaling a shaky breath, I admit something I’ve never told anyone else. “They tried to bribe me into helping them. Betraying my country. They… they said they’d let Malik go if I did. And… I almost agreed. But I thought… If I did, Malik would be so mad at me. So I didn’t. And… he died.”
Ace tenses beneath me.
My heart shrivels.
He thinks I made a mistake and killed my teammate in the process. He thinks Davis was right about me betraying my teammate.
I start to wriggle off Ace’s lap, but he holds me still. Then he kisses one cheek, then the other. “Yara,” he says solemnly. “Youdidnotdo anything wrong. That’s what those assholes do. They find your weak points and use them against you. And they would have kept doing it. If it worked once, they would have used Malik as leverage again. And again. They would have lied to you, possibly pretended he was alive to keep you under their control. You did what you were supposed to do. Protect our country.”
“But Malik,” I whisper. “He was like mybrother.”
“I know, baby.” Ace kisses me on the lips. “I know. But you didn’t do anything wrong. I swear.”
Sniffling, I raise my eyes to his. “I keep wondering, did Malik hate me, too? When they killed?—”
A bolt of memory hits me, stealing my breath.
In all the chaos, I forgot about it until now.
“Davis,” I gasp. “He said… Oh, God. He said… Malik defended me. Even after I was rescued.”
“Okay?” Ace looks confused. “But that makes sense. He knew you. He?—”
“No.” I shake my head vehemently. “Malik was supposed to be dead by then. They killed him two months after we were captured. And I was rescued after three. My captors… they told me he was dead. They showed me pictures of his body.”
“Davis was just fucking with you, Yara. That’s all.”
“The Army. They found a grave. There were bones. DNA evidence. They said Malik was one of the victims. But… what if they were wrong and Davis was right? Why would he even bring up Malik?”
“To hurt you,” Ace replies. “He knew talking about Malik would hurt you. And it did.”
“But… Ace. What if he wasn’t lying? I don’t know how they got the DNA evidence. What if Malik is alive?” A sob bursts out. “What if he’s still out there, and no one is looking for him because they think he’s dead?”
Ace stares at me, his features creasing as he thinks. Then he wipes the tears from my face and hugs me close. “Then we’ll look for him, okay? I’ll ask Tyler to look into it. And Matt and Leo with the other B and A teams, too. If there’s information about Malik, we’ll find it. I promise.”
When I don’t answer, he jostles me gently on his lap. “I promise, Tink. Maybe Davis was lying; maybe he was telling the truth. But either way, we’ll find out. And another promise I can make? You didn’t do anything wrong. Not one single thing.”
He gives me a long look, then wipes my face and nose with his sleeve. Which I’d normally be grossed out and embarrassed about, but right now, I’m actually touched by it. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” he continues. “I’ll call Tyler, first off. Then we’ll order food. Watch some TV. Take a nap. And tonight—” He kisses me softly on the lips. “Tonight, I’ll stay here with you. Or you can come home with me. Whichever you prefer. But either way, you won’t be alone. Not unless you want to be.”
This time, I don’t have to think about it. “Yes. To all of it.” I touch his bristly cheek as I kiss him back. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he replies gruffly. “I told you. Just tell me what you need. And I’ll make sure I get it for you.”
As I look into Ace’s eyes, my heart melts a little more.
Maybe I’m not in love with him yet.
But already, I can feel myself falling.
CHAPTER 12
ACE
The pain isn’t workinglike it usually does.
