Page 35 of Texas Kissing
I crossed my arms. “Of course notanyone.I check my clients out. Personal recommendations. No one I think is a terrorist. I’ve even tipped off the FBI a few times. Anonymously, of course. And that German asshole today was selling women.” I shuddered. “That’s why I said ‘no’.”
Bull shook his head again. “Jesus, Lily….”
“What?” I could hear the defensive note creep into my voice.
“I just can’t believe you’re mixed up in all this.”
“Mixed upin it? What, you think I fell into it by accident? I didn’t getmixed upin it. This is what I do.” I held my chin up high.
“Why?I mean...you’re smart”—he gestured at the converted bus—”you work your ass off. Why dothis?”
I stiffened. “I found I was uniquely qualified. Most criminals aren’t too smart.” I considered. “Well, Luka’s pretty smart. But most of them aren’t. I’m good at it, okay? And I can do it quietly. I can stay hidden.”
He frowned.“Why do you need to stay hidden?”
Shit.I didn’t answer. Instead, I pointed towards my computers. “Most people think it’s just about the physical stuff—the passport, the driver’s license. But these days, those are the easy parts. As soon as they’re scanned, the online records are checked. If they don’t match up, you end up in a very small room at the airport, talking to some guys from Homeland Security.”
“So you’re a hacker, as well.”
I shrugged. “By now, it’s pretty much routine. Ihave ways into anywhere I need to get to.” It was the first time I’d ever been able to tell someone and I was surprised at how proud I felt. “If I don’t know, I know who to ask and who to pay. Some of it’s hacking, some of it’s favors for the right clerk at the DMV.”
He shook his head again. That stung—I’d been almost glowing with pride as I laid out my whole little empire. “Will you stop shaking your head at me? You wanted the truth.”
He stared at me, eyes blazing. Because he disapproved, or because I’d been keeping it from him? Neither alternative was good. At last, he slumped down on my couch. “Why do you need to stay hidden?” he asked again.
Shit.I’d been hoping I’d distracted him from that one. I tried to come up with an answer that was both truthful—because I was sick of lying—and that would close down this line of questioning. “Things got complicated in New York. I had to leave.”
He stared at me. “You’re gonna have to do better than that,” he rumbled.
26
Bull
She shook her head. The way all that silky hair tossed around took the edge off my anger—damn it, I was mad as hell at her, but all I wanted to do was run over there and kiss her. Didn’t she realize what she was messing with? Mexican drug cartels? And a Russian goddamn arms dealer? I didn’t want a guy like that anywhere near my Lily.Luka Malakov?I imagined a pale blob of a man with thinning, greasy hair, his stomach straining at his suit. Probably leering at her as he tried to get her price down, and she’d feel she had to flirt with him to keep him happy….
Hell, no!
I just wanted to take her away from it all, rescue her...couldn’t she see that? Yet for some reason, she seemed to be getting mad atme.
“I’ve told you more than I should have,” she said. “More than anyone else knows. I have some secrets. Get used to it.”
I glared stubbornly back at her. I had to know whyshe’d left New York if I was going to help her. Why would she have to stay hidden? Some crime she’d committed? She’d told me the other stuff—why not this? “If you never trust anyone, you’re going to be mighty lonely.”
She glanced around the bus. “I’ve been doing just fine on my own until now.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I thought that, if I could make her see what her secrecy had done to her, she’d see sense. I didn’t stop to think how it would sound. I nodded at the single bed. “How’s that working out for you?”
I saw her face redden, almost as if I’d slapped her.Shit.I hadn’t meant to upset her. “How about you get off my bus?” she whispered.
Damn it! I hesitated for a moment, trying to think of how to apologize. “Goddamn it, Lily,” I said, which probably wasn’t the best way to start. “Listen—”
“Just get out!”
I sighed and grabbed my hat, shoving it on my head. I was still mad as hell at her for putting herself in this kind of danger. “You know where I am when you’re ready to talk,” I told her. And I stalked out.Goddamn that woman!
27
Lily