Veiled Vows and Vendettas

Chapter 003 Trust and Betrayal

Chapter 003

Trust and Betrayal

Brittany’s POV

My first registration was for pain. Another reminder of how near I had been to death—again—a dull, pulsating aching in my shoulder. I opened my eyes to a room barely illuminated. The air felt weighty, and I could hear the faint buzz of motors. I was back in the safehouse, or some form of it. Cross was there, staring dark and stormy like a caged animal.

"Awake already?" Though low, his voice had an edge.

I tried to sit up, stifling a yuck. "You sound disappointed."

His eyes flicked to me, and for a minute I saw relief before it was buried under layers of something I could not understand. "I'm not.."

"Could have fooled me," I said, shifting uneasily. "Where are we right now??"

"One of the fallback sites." His posture stiff, he crossed his arms. "You have been out for a few hours."

"Hours?" I pushed a hand to my forehead. Feeling like a lifetime.

"You should appreciate that you're alive, almost bled out." Though his comments were sharp, there was an undercurrent of something I couldn't quite identify.

"Thanks?" Rich coming from you is it. I looked at him; the fire of my rage kept the agony away. "Maybe without you I wouldn't be in this mess."

"Believe me," he responded sharply, "I'm well aware."

"Then why?" asked. The query escaped before I could stop it. "Why did you bring me into this? Why act as though you care?

His jaw locked. "It wasn't pretend."

"Right," I laughed, the aridity seeping in. You expect me to think that following all of this? Once all the falsehoods are over?

Cross's gaze darkened, and he moved forward—his presence too strong. "Brachy, I have done horrible things. I won't try to dispute it. Still, keeping you alive wasn't a lie.

"Why?." I asked, my voice quivering. "Why are you so very interested?"

For a moment he was silent, and I assumed he wouldn't respond. Then he spoke, his voice low and austere. "Because I also wanted not to lose you."

His statements had a rawness that startled me. "Too?,"

His eyes dropped, and I saw something shatter in him for the first time. "Someone else existed. Someone I was unable to save.

Though I wanted to be outraged and toss his comments back in his face, I couldn't. "Who?,"

Amelia was her name. The name loomed large and awful between us. She was really significant to me. And they seized her.

The room seemed to have too thin air. "You imagine they would treat me the same?"

His voice sharpening, he continued, "They won't." "I'll let them go no more."

I gave my head a shake. "You cannot keep promising you cannot keep.”

He moved in closer, and I could sense the strain pulsing between us. "This one, I will."

The door opened before I could react, and Ethan entered. "We have a lead."

Cross turned to pay close attention. "Where"?

Ethan remarked, "North docks." "Intel advises a meeting tonight. highly valuable.

"Who's the aim?" Cross asked, his voice entirely business.

Ethan halted and looked at me. "It's her.."

My blood felt frigid. "What?," asked

"They're trading information," Ethan replied gently. "On you." And they are ready to shell out a fortune for it.

Looking at Cross, I sought solutions. "Who am I?"

"Because of what you represent," Cross remarked, his voice tight. "They believe you have clout over me. Over here.

Leverage? I laughed, with a hollow sound. "I just work as a waitress."

His eyes softening, he continued, "Not anymore." You are in this regardless of your inclination.

I stood, not feeling the shoulder hurt. "Then I shall go."

Cross's eyes went wider. definitely not.

"You don't get to decide for me," I shot back. "If they so desire me, great. Let us arrange on my terms.

"Your terms?," With a warm breath against my skin, he closed the distance between us in two steps. Brittany, this is not a game.

"No," I said, heart thumping in my mouth. But I'm worn out from concealing. Weary of being a pawn.

Then let me shield you, he continued, his voice unvarnished. Let me finish this.

"You cannot do it by yourself," I murmured, the words choking in my throat. And I refuse to let you attempt.

We neither spoke for a moment. Unspoken words abound in the air, the weight of our common past pushing down. Though I wanted to push him away and loathe him, I was unable. not when the stakes were this great.

I said at last, "I don't trust you." Nevertheless, I need you.

"I will take it," he murmured, something like hope flaring in his eyes. for now.

After that, we moved fast; our strategy formed between us. It was probably going to kill us both and was foolish and unsafe. Still, that was the only choice available. We were ready by the evening fall.

The air smelled strongly of salt and oil; it was cold and moist. Every nerve sharp, I stood next to Cross. I sensed we were watching; the shadows seemed alive.

Cross said, "Stay close," his hand caressing mine. The touch shocked me—a reminder of the brittle trust we had developed.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said softly back.

The interaction was brief. Men in suits, weapons at their sides, walked up. Cross moved forward, his voice menacing yet quiet. "I consider you to have something of mine."

Among the men, one sneered. "The lady? She is not yours to hang on to.

Cross's stiff posture said, "She's not yours to take."

The man laughed at a hollow, frigid sound. "You cannot shield her always, Donovan. She would be ours sooner or later.

Cross lunged, and anarchy sprang from there. I turned away, adrenaline pumping through me as bullets fired. I watched Cross, a whirl of movement battling with all he had. It wasn't sufficient, though. One of the guys seized me and pulled me toward the dock's edge.

"Let her depart!" Cross had a rough, frantic voice.

The man held a knife to my throat. "Say bye."

NO! Cross shifted faster than I could have imagined. The knife cut my flesh, a small line of agony, but Cross was there, dragging me back with his body sheltering mine. The man dropped, but the danger wasn't done.

With ragged breath, I hung to Cross. "This isn't over."

"No," he answered, his burning eyes Still, it's only starting.

We pivoted, poised for whatever was ahead. Deeply down, though, I knew this struggle was far from finished. And the truths we discovered were simply starting points.

Another man came from the shadows as we were leaving the tumult. Their eyes locked with mine, and I shivered down my spine. This was only one end. It was just getting started.