Page 131 of Risky Obsession

“Yes, see you soon,” I blurted before Kane ended the call.

As Kane shoved the phone into his pocket, he shot me a glare that could freeze lava. “You won’t be meeting Archer at that castle because we are no longer a team.”

He picked up his pops’ bag and strode away again.

I grabbed the handle of my case and chased after him. “That’s fine. I’ll go to the castle on my own.”

“Bullshit. When we get to Cuxhaven, I’ll buy you a ticket to Berlin.”

I nearly had to jog to keep up with him. “Fine, do that. But you’re not getting rid of me that easily. I know I’ve ruined everything between us, but the only thing I have left is my job. And whether you like it or not, I’m continuing this mission until I find the gold, with or without you, or until we end up in locked cells.”

In the moonlight, the conflict raging in his eyes looked painful, and with each step we took along the deserted road the air between us grew colder.

My heart raced as I increased my speed, trying to match his strides. He clenched his jaw so hard that the muscles along his jawline bulged, and I had the feeling he was fighting the urge to scream at me. I wanted him to yell and scream at me because his silence was like an unbearable burden after the days of fantastic banter we’d had.

I wanted to return to that, to our fun conversations, to learning all about him. The frigid air stung my lungs as I struggled to find the right words to bridge the gap between us.

But there were none. Not a single thing I could say would undo the damage I’d caused.

Yet there was no fucking way I was ending my time with him when we reached Cuxhaven.

So I decided on a different approach. Kane said he didn’t know who I was. I might as well tell him.

“My parents are still alive.” My breath clouded in the icy air like my words were tangible. “But I haven’t seen them since I ran away at seventeen. I tried to connect with them a few times, but my dad made it very clear that I was no longer a part of their life. So when I said my father was dead, in some ways he is. I don’t blame him. They had to mortgage their home toput me through the accelerated University degree, and Dad took a second job to make the payments. He wouldn’t even take money from me when I tried to pay him several years ago. I doubt he’ll ever forgive me for what I did.”

“History is repeating itself.” Kane’s chiseled features blazed with anger.

“When I handed myself in to the police, I was still seventeen, and as a juvenile, I was able to keep my crimes off my records. Hopefully, we can keep these latest crimes off our records too.”

“There is nowe, Tory. Fuck. Lacey.”

I huffed. “You can call me whatever you like.”

“How about bitch?”

“Sure, but it may be awkward in public.”

His lips drew into a thin line, and I had the impression he was trying not to smirk.

Progress.

“The operation to take down Axel and the rest of the drug gang took six months and during that time, I was both a criminal and working with the police. I knew Axel would kill me if he ever caught me, but I didn’t care. What I’d done was wrong and I would have done anything to put those ruthless bastards in jail.”

Kane didn’t comment, and I wished I could read his mind. Was he even listening to me?

“When the police raided the drug lab, Axel used me as a shield. I don’t know when he figured out it was me who betrayed him, but he did. He stabbed me in the back with a knife.”

Kane sucked air through his teeth. His gaze swept to me, and I had a rotten feeling he thought I was lying.

“The blade took a chunk out of my liver. I have a nasty scar. I can show you if you like.”

He yanked his gaze away.

“No? Okay, well, let me know if you change your mind.” I needed him to understand that I was telling the truth.

As the road stretched ahead, winding through the darkened countryside, I told him random things about me like my favorite chocolate bar, the movies I loved and those I hated, and how ridiculous most detective shows were. I talked about my pet fish, Squirt, who is probably the only thing in the world who was missing me right now. I mentioned Whisper and howshe’d rescued me from the ocean after that explosion on the island and how her CPR saved me.

“Do you know her? Whisper? She’s from border force and?—”