Page 13 of Rescuing Micah (Prey Security: Cyber Team #3)

“You ready to leave?”

Teresa tensed at Micah’s question, wishing she had something that could delay their departure, an excuse as to why they had to stay a little longer, so she didn't have to face being alone with him again.

But there was nothing she could think of, and if she said no just to say no, then she’d be the one who looked like the silly, petulant child.

If she let herself look like the crazy one and Micah the sensible, calm, rational one, then she would let on that she didn't just have a past with Micah but that it was a dark and painful one.

While she’d told Ava and Chelsea about her history with Micah, and they already knew about what her brother had organized to happen to her, and they knew that the two of them broke up after her assault, she hadn't told them that Micah just straight-up abandoned her.

It felt wrong to cover for the man who had let her down so badly, but Micah worked with Nathaniel, their lives depended on trusting one another, and she didn't want Ava to hate Micah, cause trouble between her boyfriend and his friend, and someone get hurt because of it.

Ava deserved happiness, and so did Nathaniel. Micah … well, he didn't deserve to die because he hadn't been able to handle supporting her through trauma when he was only nineteen.

If she didn't want the truth to come out, she had to watch how she acted around him.

To that end, she gave a nod, shut down her computers, and pushed back her chair.

Pain pounded between her temples, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the blows to her head she’d taken the day before, or because of all the stress she was under.

Having Micah there really was the absolute last thing she needed.

The fact that he was pretending to be interested in taking care of her when she knew that absolutely wasn't the case only made it worse.

Maybe she should just agree to stay at Prey. Then there would be no need for a babysitter, and Micah could fly back home and get out of her hair. Perhaps then she could finally relax and begin to process all that had happened.

But she didn't mention anything about staying there.

Just moved away from her desk and pushed her chair back in, scanning the space beside the keyboard and screens to make sure she hadn't left anything behind.

“Here, you should take these. I don’t think you took anything since lunch, and I can see you're hurting,” Micah told her, holding out his hand with two small white pills nestled in his palm.

Why was he being so insistent on looking out for her?

Helping her clean up last night, making her breakfast this morning, ensuring she kept hydrated and fed throughout the day, and offering her painkillers when she would have just powered through without them.

It all felt like it meant something, but she had no idea what that could possibly be.

She did know she didn't want it to mean anything, though.

What she wanted was for him to get out of her life again as quickly as he’d entered it.

Only, when her fingertips brushed across Micah’s warm skin as she took the pills, and she caught sight of the almost tender expression on his face as she popped them in her mouth and took the bottle of water he offered, she found herself feeling almost …

bereft at the idea of him being gone again.

Which was crazy since she didn't even like Micah Hart anymore.

Still, she watched him with more interest than she should have as he scooped up her bag before she could pick it up and started across the room.

Josiah was the only one still in it. Tobias and Isabella had already left for the night and so had Ava and Nathaniel. Chelsea had made it halfway through the afternoon before she was coughing and sneezing and obviously feeling like garbage, so they’d all ganged up on her and sent her off to bed.

Neither she nor Micah spoke as they walked down the hall, got into the elevator, and traveled all the way down to the underground parking garage.

She had no idea what she should say to him, she wanted to beg for an explanation that made sense as to why he had abandoned her, but this didn't feel like the time or place to have that conversation.

It wouldn't go well because there was no explanation that would make sense as to why he would tell her he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and then bail when she was at her most vulnerable.

So she said nothing and had no idea why he seemed content with the silence as well.

At his rental car, he opened the door for her, and she had to force herself not to snap that she could do it herself. It was just a door, and she was pretty sure he would open it for anyone he was protecting and that it had nothing to do with their shared past.

He placed her bag on her lap, and as he pulled his hands away, they brushed against her. Even through the layers of clothes, the brief touch seemed to sear her skin, branding it in a way she hated.

How could her body still respond to him when her heart and brain knew better?

Traitorous thing.

It was like Micah felt it, too, at least that’s what his expression said as he nodded at her seatbelt. “Don’t forget to buckle in.”

“I never forget to put my seatbelt on,” she snapped, the moment broken. “Why would I?”

While he didn't give a response, he smiled at her as he closed her door and rounded the car. She could tell from the way his head turned that his gaze was roaming the garage, looking for anything out of place, even though it would be next to impossible to break into Prey.

Still, it brought her back to reality, and Teresa once again reminded herself that there were more serious matters to think about than her hurt feelings from twelve years ago.

So she checked her annoyance with Micah and boxed it away.

Before he left, she’d confront him about the past, but for now, she needed to stay sharp, aware of her surroundings, and not be a hindrance to Micah protecting her.

The last thing she wanted was to wind up a victim of the trafficking ring.

Especially if it was because she’d been prioritizing her hurt feelings over safety.

Micah got into the car, turned it on, and drove them out of the garage and onto the street. They’d been driving for maybe five minutes before he spoke.

“We can pick something up on the way back to your place, order something when we get there, or I can cook you dinner, but you’re eating something tonight before you go to bed.”

Something about his matter-of-fact tone made her see red. He was speaking like he’d already decided, and it wasn't up for discussion. Treating her like a child who needed an adult to take care of them.

She was no child, and she’d been the one taking care of others for most of her life.

“I’m not hungry,” she snapped, even though she was in fact hungry.

“You need to eat.”

“You don’t get to decide what I do and don’t need.”

“Someone has to, otherwise, you won't take care of yourself at all.”

The fact there was no heat to his words had her drawing up.

He didn't sound like he was angry with her, he sounded almost sad.

But he didn't sound repentant, and that hurt. When they were teens, he always told her it was his job to take care of her because she took care of everyone else. Only then, he’d left her when she most needed taking care of.

Realizing there was no way she could hold off any longer on having this conversation, she shifted in her seat and fixed Micah with a glare.

“Why? Why are you pretending to care now, one way or the other if I'm taking care of myself, when you didn't care enough back then to stay? If you had even called or checked in just once I …” Teresa trailed off, but not because she was overcome with anger or even sadness.

She trailed off because the vehicle that had pulled up beside them at a red light had someone climbing out of it.

That was weird enough as it was, and would have drawn her attention, but it was the mask covering the man’s face that told her this wasn't just strange, it was dangerous.

“Micah!” she screamed.

He was already drawing his weapon.

But the man in the mask held something in his hands. It wasn't a gun, but when he pointed it at them, a mist began to seep into the vehicle.

The man wasn't wearing a mask to cover his identity, he was wearing it to protect himself.

Whatever the gas was, it was fast-acting. She began to feel dizzy, sleepy, and although she fumbled with her seatbelt, it was no good.

Already she was weakening.

The world faded away.

Darkness descended, and with it the knowledge that she was going to die at the hands of the organ traffickers.

April 30 th

10:01 P.M.

There was no worse feeling in the world than waking up and not knowing where you were and what had happened to you.

Yet that was exactly how Micah felt when he regained consciousness.

His body felt heavy, like his limbs had been encased in concrete, and although he tried to move them, he found that he couldn’t.

His head also felt heavy, only in a different way.

More like it had been stuffed with cotton wool and it was clogging up his thoughts so he couldn’t quite get them to focus.

Even his eyelids felt heavy as he attempted to pry them open.

Despite feeling so odd, he had no memory of what caused it.

One minute he’d been …

Flying out with his teammate Nathaniel to visit his friend’s new girlfriend. No, that wasn't right.

He’d bumped into the only girl he’d ever loved in the doorway to the Prey office building. No, that wasn't right either.

Teresa had been attacked, and he’d stopped the men from taking her. One had been killed, and the other had acknowledged that there was a bounty out on Teresa’s head and that he’d tried to collect on it, but he didn't know the name of the person who wanted her.

Their rocky history had seemed like nothing in comparison to losing her.

So he’d agreed to play bodyguard.