Page 83 of Dirty Dealer

“No.” She shakes her head, not even lifting her gaze.

“No?” It hurts worse than any punch. “You don’t think we deserve to talk this out. After everything? After—”I’ve fallen in love with you.

“I know what you did.” Her jaw locks, and she zips shut her duffle bag. “I can’t move past that.”

“The car? Jesus, Rachel. I’m sorry. I should have told you.” Frustration reverberates through my muscles. This isn’t going the way I imagined. She won’t even look at me. “I had my reasons, but I’m sorry. Just don’t leave. Don’t ruin what we have over a car.”

She whirls on me, her gaze sharp with indignation. “You think this is about Iron Maiden?”

Okay, that stops me. What else is there?Oh, shit.“Look, I’m sorry, but what was I supposed to do? Watch you struggle to make ends meet when I had perfectly good connections to get you that job. You love it, and you’re damn good.”

Her eyes widen and she takes a step back, her head shaking. “You got me the job.” She blinks as if she didn’t know.

Fuck.“Rachel, I—”

“No. Don’t you dare try to justify your actions. Don’t you dare.”

De’Shaun clears his throat at my back, wanting to get inside.

I could be a dick and not move, but I doubt that’d help my case. Instead, I take the opportunity to erase the space between me and Rachel. My fists clench as I fight the urge to pull her in my arms.

“This is everything,” she says to him, patting the foldable cart stacked high with her beauty supplies. Her eyes won’t meet mine, but I know she tracks my movements. Her jaw tightens with each of my steps closer.

“Rachel. Please. Don’t do this. We can talk it out.” My words pass though her, missing the mark.

She ignores me, picking up her duffle and resting the strap on her shoulder.

De’Shaun carts her supplies out the door.

She gives the room one last look and follows.

Fuck.No. No, no, no.She can’t go. Not like this. I stomp after them, making a sad little caboose to theRachel-leaves-Jude-forevertrain. I’m seconds from begging, not that it’d do any good.

She steps ahead, holding the door for De’Shaun. A few more paces and they’ll be at the elevator.

Panic surges at the reality. “Rachel, I love you.”

Her gaze snaps to mine. She drops her duffle where she stands, eyes wide and wild. “No.” She backs up.

I follow her into the hall. Cracking what’s left of my heart, I splay it wide open. “It’s true. Please, Rachel.”

“Stop lying!” Her shout echoes off the walls.

“I’m not.”

A simmering wrath settles in her gaze. Her eyes betray her resentment. “Did you ask the shop to keep my car from me after it was repaired?” Her words beg me to argue. She wants the truth. That, I can give.

“Yes.”

“How much did it cost?”

“Five.”

De’Shaun doesn’t say a word, standing by the elevator so silently I almost forget we have an audience. Not that I care what he thinks.

“Thousand?” Her chin nods, as if she suspects I lied to her before. Which I did. Doesn’t matter that my intentions were good, the tightness in her posture suggests she doesn’t want reasons. Not right now. “And you bragged about how you were going to fuck me at the gala? I was pretty easy, huh?”

Her question knocks me off balance.Who—?Understanding dawns, as I remember her friend, the one we ran into the morning after. She was the woman who overheard my conversation with Pierce. Rather part of it. “It’s not what you think.”