Page 31 of Ruthless

What Gideon had revealed to her today was not only mind-boggling but also filled with so many land mines, she could barely see straight. He had been there that day. At the site of her greatest embarrassment and biggest triumph.

As a shy, awkward child, she had hated bringing attention to herself. But it wasn’t until that day that she had learned she had a rebel’s heart beating beneath her cloak of meekness. She had learned that there were things bigger than herself that were worth fighting for.

Breaking into the dungeon and stealing the chains and handcuffs from a historical display had been both scary and exhilarating. The fun had stopped when she’d had to face down the men with chain saws and axes. She had been terrified but determined.

In the end, she had done more than save Homer’s life, she had found something inside her she hadn’t known existed. She had discovered a purpose and a knowledge of who and what she could become.

And Gideon had been there for it. He had, in fact, been with her during some of the most significant events in her life. He had been the one who’d rescued her. She hadn’t known his name. She had asked but had been told his name had to remain unknown for security reasons. She hadn’t pushed it.

There was more. She knew there was more for him to tell her. He had stormed out of her apartment more than three hours ago and had still not returned. He’d been angry at the question she’d thrown at him. That much was obvious. But she had a right to question him, question his motives. So why did she feel guilty?

Because even as much as she knew she had a right to her anger, this wasn’t who she and Gideon were. They didn’t deliberately hurt each other. And that’s exactly what she’d done when she’d questioned him about her father paying him. No matter what he’d done, she had questioned his integrity, and if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Gideon Wright was a man of great integrity.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt or that she forgave him. He had deceived her all these years. They lied for a living—that’s just what spies did. But they didn’t lie to each other. Or at least that’s what she had believed.

She glanced at the clock above the mantel. They still had a lot to talk about. Where was he?

* * *

Standing on the cobblestone walking bridge that separated one part of the town from the other and overlooked the city, Gideon worked to control his riotous emotions. He had known this would be difficult. Spilling truths that he’d kept to himself for so long should have felt cathartic and freeing. Instead, it was having the opposite effect. He didn’t question why. He knew. Because his truth gave Eve pain. And if there was one thing he never wanted to do, it was to hurt her.

She had been an important part of his life long before she’d even known he existed. Not because of any kind of shallow childhood crush or even a respect for her as a member of the royal family. She, by doing something terrifying and behaving in complete antithesis to what people expected of her, had changed his entire outlook on life. That kind of impact you didn’t just shrug away and forget.

He should have known he wouldn’t be able to explain in such a way that she would completely understand why he’d kept these things to himself. No one liked having pertinent information kept from them, especially when it was so deeply personal. And to Eve, who trusted so few, it would feel like the ultimate betrayal.

Understanding her questions didn’t diminish his pain, though. He couldn’t deny that he had wanted her to get angry and then get over it. When they’d had disagreements in the past, that’s what they had done. And even though he knew this was so much more monumental than a disagreement, the desire for her to treat it the same was still there.

She still didn’t know everything. The timing of the physical therapists’ visit had been unfortunate. Now that she knew some of the truth, he wanted to get it all out in the open. Once everything was said, then perhaps they could find a way forward.

His cellphone vibrated. He didn’t have to look at the display to know Eve was texting him. She was probably finished with her PT and ready for round two. That would have to wait. He had a few errands he needed to finish up, including finding another place to stay. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe their issues would clear up after a few more conversations. It was going to take some time for her to trust him again. And as much as he wanted to be with her, he needed his own space.

Her questions about his salary had been a blow he hadn’t seen coming. Stupid, he knew, but it had been such a negligible item over the years, he rarely considered it anymore. Having her ask that question had blown up his defenses, and he’d let his anger seep through.

Turning away from the view, Gideon headed to finish up his tasks, and then he would return and give her all the answers she needed. Question was, what would be left of their relationship when he finished?

He had to admit a part of him wanted to find Jeremy Clement and have a fist-to-face meeting. Even knowing that the man would lose his job didn’t dim Gideon’s anger at the man for what he’d done. The only reason he hadn’t sought him out and gotten his pound of flesh was because that wasn’t who he was. No, he didn’t mind getting his fists bloodied or pummeling an asshole into the ground. But neither was he one to lower himself to Clement’s level. When he was less furious, he’d look the man up and give him a few home truths. Until then, he’d just be happy that the imbecile wouldn’t be coming back to the palace to work.

When word got out that he’d been fired after angering the royal family, the guy would have a hard time getting another job. He liked the idea of Clement having to leave the city, maybe even the country.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

His heart thudding like he’d just run a four-minute mile, Jeremy Clement stuffed clothes into a large duffel bag. Since he wouldn’t be coming back here, he would take what he could and replace what he needed later. He knew he had only a limited amount of time before Wright came looking for him. After seeing what he’d done to the guards, Jeremy was certain he wouldn’t survive the confrontation.

Did it infuriate him that he was having to run? Absolutely! He had an important job here. It had taken him a long time to build up to his position at the castle, and now, because of that low-class slug Gideon Wright, he was having to throw it all away. But he would be monitoring things from his safe house, and when the time was right, he would come back and wreak havoc on everyone who had screwed him over.

At least he’d got in one last bit of fun before he’d had to leave. Putting Wright behind bars had brought more joy than he’d had in a long time. Having his men beat the hell out of him beforehand had been a delight, too.

Taking one last look around his bedroom, he walked into his living room. A couple more items, and he would be gone. Five steps into the room, he jerked to a halt. A man he’d never thought to see again was sitting on his sofa, a smug smile on his face.

Swallowing hard, Jeremy asked shakily, “What are you doing here?”

“Really? That’s the best you can do? After all this time? After failing so spectacularly?”

“I did my job. No one can say otherwise.”

“Really?” He nodded to the chair across from him. “Why don’t you have a seat and describe to me what your job entailed?”

Straightening to his full height, he gathered as much arrogance as he could and asked, “Why should I?”