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“Lachlan.” The way she said his name, as if he meant something to her, twisted the knife she’d already embedded in his chest. “I miss you, too. I’ll be there.”
He turned to find Nathan leaning against the wall, heavy arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
“What are you planning?”
“I’m going to go see about a girl.” Instead of being humorous, the words fell bitterly off his tongue.
“I’m going with you.”
“No, I need to do this alone. Can I borrow your bike? It’ll be faster and less noticeable than your truck.”
Nathan’s scowl deepened. “I’ll drive. If you don’t want me in the room, fine, but I can monitor the building and warn you if the police arrive.”
Lachlan gave up. He wasn’t going to change the stubborn SEAL’s mind, and they were wasting time he didn’t have.
“You need to hear her out, amigo. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’m no gonnae hurt her.” Rage deepened his voice to a guttural snarl. He might have been willing to shoot Nadia to save Ryder’s life, but he couldn’t bring himself to harm Sophia, no matter what she’d done.
Maybe, when he was sitting in his prison cell, he’d eventually learn to hate her.
Nathan got in his face. The big man lowered his head, anger glazing his eyes and curling his lip. “I know you won’t, asshole. You killed Nadia to save Ryder, not because you wanted to.”
“I wanted to.” The confession burst out of him. He let Nathan see the truth in his eyes.
Nathan’s eyes flashed with remembered pain. “We all wanted to, but you wouldn’t have pulled the trigger if she’d surrendered. You’re not that kind of guy.”
His heavy hand landed on Lachlan’s shoulder. “Sophia matters to you. I think you should trust her. If she’s the one who gave the files to Admiral Dane, she did it for the right reasons.”
Sophia’s betrayal paled compared to Nadia’s, yet it had his heart in a vise, squeezing the air from his lungs, inflicting a pain worse than the bullet that had ripped through his leg.
Hehadtrusted her. She’d cracked open the dark place in his soul and let in the light.
And the whole time, she’d been handing over information that could end his career and his freedom. Even now, his heart refused to accept his brain’s conclusion.
Lachlan stepped back to let Nathan’s hand fall, breaking their connection. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Thepolishedbrassandmahogany paneling in the elevator at Lachlan’s apartment complex reminded Sophia of the country club her parents belonged to—sophisticated, masculine, and timeless. A modulated feminine voice announced her arrival on the eleventh floor.
The corridor curved in a gentle slope along the architectural lines of the building. She followed the numbers, stopping in front of the door marked 1118, and pressed the doorbell. A muted chime came from inside, and she strained to hear the muffled voice telling her to enter.
Lachlan?She twisted the doorknob, heart tripping.
Something had been off in his voice when he’d called her earlier. Until he told her he missed her. Then his voice filled with a longing she felt deep in her soul.
“Hello?” She glanced at the galley kitchen to her right with its dark cabinets and granite countertops. To her left sat a round wooden table with four chairs. The pale cream walls were bare. She took a few more steps, letting the door close behind her.
No mail, magazines, or personal clutter anywhere. Her heart ached for everything the space didn’t say about the man who lived there.
“Lachlan?”
Where was he?
Her shoulders twitched. The energy in the room felt off, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. She passed by a hallway into the living room and halted, transfixed.
Lachlan’s walls weren’t completely bare. Highlanders charged into battle over a brown leather sofa. She moved closer, admiring the painting that still took her breath away. The Highlander leading the charge could have been Lachlan’s ancestor. Fierce. A leader. A protector of all he held dear.