"He's lucky he's still alive," he said firmly.
The strength of his words shocked her. It wasn't as if he seemed to like her. In fact, he'd pretty much acted like it was his duty to keep an eye on her.
Her mouth went dry as she realized how close Nigel had been to some serious trouble.
"Is that how you handle things?" she asked, not really sure where she was going with this, but she needed to know. She needed to know how this mysterious group of men operated.
"No," he said and gripped the wheel tighter. "But it's what he deserved."
She couldn't really say she disagreed. It was pretty clear that Nigel wasn't going to just stop at forcing her into his apartment. Not that it would have gone his way, but if she'd been a different woman, it might have had a different outcome. The sudden aggression was strange, but the guy was a creep, and maybe she should have expected it.
"You shouldn't put yourself in that position," he ground out.
Her mouth fell open.
"I shouldn't be in the hall?"
"You shouldn't even talk to someone like that."
She shook her head. "Sometimes there's no avoiding the bad things in life." She sighed. "We just deal with them as they come and move on."
His mood shifted. Darkness seemed to exude from him.
"If only it were that easy," he mumbled.
Their past was no secret, although his seemed to be more complex than she would have guessed.
Not for the first time, she stared at him. Whatever had happened to him didn't seem to hinder some things. He was easily one of the most attractive men she'd laid eyes on. His shoulders were broad, and strength radiated from him.
Without meaning to, her eyes wandered to his mouth. The kiss they had shared was beyond amazing. Everything in her responded to him, and, at the time, she'd wanted nothing more than to let him have his way with her.
A blush spread across her face as she thought about it.
His head whipped toward her, and he breathed in deeply. The act only made her more excited. Maybe he knew what she was thinking. Val had to think that wasn't the case, but she knew they all had special talents. It's not like she was totally unfamiliar with the possibility of knowing what people were feeling.
Something stirred in her as she imagined his special talents as his lust hung in the air around them.
"Let's just get something straight," Apollo said, cutting through the silence in the car. "At the elevator, that was just me doing you a favor. Don't get any ideas. I don't trust you, and I'm not about to get involved with someone I don't trust."
Her heart leapt in her throat, and she turned in her seat to look at him. If that smug prick thought he was getting in the last word, he had another thing coming. She'd never been known to take things lying down.
"Great," she said and crossed her arms over her chest. "While we're on it, let's just get this straight as well. I don't need your help," she said and punctuated every word. "And as for getting involved, that's not a problem. You aren't my type, Captain Sunshine."
She turned and glared out the window.
In the glass she could see his shocked face and relished that her words got to him as much as his did her. Val closed her eyes and ignored the cold shard that poked at her chest. The regret of others was never something a person should have to feel.
* * *
Apollo sat in the car and watched as the guard on duty made his rounds. Twenty minutes. That was too long. Anything could happen in that amount of time. This was exactly why he'd decided to stand watch there. Especially when you didn't trust the person.
He'd already argued with Titus about this the day before, but no one seemed to want to accept reason. Instead of putting a permanent guard on her, they placed Val in Jenna's house. The very idea still made him snort. He didn't care that Jenna could shoot. The only one qualified to deal with Val was himself.
He ground his teeth. Again they tossed his attitude at him. The bastards didn't seem to understand that he was just looking out for the rest of them. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, unless it was Horatius Group assholes.
The passenger door suddenly swung open, and he jumped for his gun. Rem slipped into the seat, and he relaxed a little. Just a little.
"You stalking my woman?" Rem said, his green eyes amused.
Apollo glared at him. "What do you mean your woman?"
His anger only seemed to amuse Rem more. "You're right. A woman like Jenna can hardly be tamed like that."
Apollo huffed and turned his head. He was sick of this guy. Always so sure of himself and constantly hitting on all the women. He had no boundaries and didn't care who he bothered.