Edge of Betrayal Read Free Page A

lure him in.” She smacked his chest with the lab report, wishing she had the nerve to hit him with her fists instead. “Did you ever stop to think what my father was going to do with me once he had what he wanted? Did you ever think about what he’d do to Clay once he had him?”
    “He was your father. I believed him when he said he wasn’t going to hurt you.”
    “Shows how much you know. I meant no more to him than a lab rat. He would have used me and dissected me with as much concern, too. If Leigh hadn’t come in to save me, I’d probably be dead by now and no more than a brief note in the margins of his lab reports.”
    “I never would have let him hurt you. It’s why I stayed. Why I refused to let you out of my sight after I realized the true nature of the situation.”
    “Which would have been all heroic if not for the fact that I was only there
because of you
.”
    His eyes closed briefly with regret. “I’m sorry for the pain I caused you, Mira. I always will be.”
    “Be sorry all you want. It doesn’t change anything.”
    He took the report and tucked it into her jacket pocket. “I’m sure you’ll want to verify that the information is true. If you have any questions, I gave Dr. Vaughn permission to speak to you about my medical records. Anything you want to know.”
    “All I want is for you to leave. Preferably out of state. Thanks to my father, there are all kinds of people in those files we found who are in need of help. Go find one of them, do your job, and leave me the hell alone.”
    He stared at her for a long moment. The heat of his body flooded over her skin, bringing with it his scent—one that brought back memories of another candlelit dinner when there had been no fear between them, only a shivering kind of excitement she could barely believe was real. “I’ll respect your wishes and stay away. Whatever you need, Mira. It’s yours.”

Chapter Two
    A dam was waiting for Bella Bayne when she unlocked her office door the next morning. “What’s up?” she asked, juggling a full mug of coffee and her keys.
    Bella was tall, with the kind of self-confidence that commanded respect. She didn’t wear the typical tailored suit one would expect of a CEO, but rather preferred jeans, combat boots, several weapons, and an air of capability that warned others not to cross her. With her glossy black hair pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail, she almost seemed like a normal woman. Adam knew that in her case, looks were definitely deceiving.
    “I need to speak to you.”
    “Sounds serious. Come on in.”
    Adam followed his new boss into her office and shut the door behind him.
    Light filled the space, highlighting a massive glass desk and minimalistic, modern chairs gleaming with chrome. There was no clutter here, only a laptop, phone, notepad, pair of pens, and neat stack of folders.
    “Hit me,” said Bella as she settled in her chair.
    Adam was uncertain how to start—a feeling so unusual he wasn’t sure quite how to handle it.
    Walking away from Mira last night had been harderthan he would have thought possible. All he’d wanted to do was beg her for forgiveness, but that would have been its own kind of selfishness, and he’d already caused her enough pain for one lifetime.
    He shouldn’t have cared—not that his presence upset her or that he’d once felt
something
for her. Still felt something. It lay hot and vibrant in his chest, urging him to act. But feelings didn’t matter in his world. Only results.
    Which was why he was following through on his promise to give Mira the space she needed.
    Bella glanced up at him, her eyebrows raised in impatience and expectation.
    Adam cleared his throat. “I think my usefulness here has come to an end.”
    “Mira’s idea?” asked Bella.
    “You’ve talked to her, I see.”
    Bella shrugged. “She talked to me. Loudly. Told me what you did. All of it. If not for the part where you saved her life, I would have shot you