Beware Of Me(63)
The EMT pushed on Keith’s wound. The man howled.
“Better get used to pain,” Faith advised him. “Something tells me that you’ll have a whole lot more of it coming your way.”
Two weeks later…
Chapter Twelve
“I’m not the type of man who runs from anything or anyone.”
Carly glanced over at Ethan. They were at his home in D.C. The last two weeks had pretty much been a whirlwind. She’d gotten stitched up at the hospital, she’d found out that Agent Victor Monroe had survived, and then…
Then she’d had to deal with the fallout.
She’d given a full statement to the FBI, with Sophie at her side. She’d admitted to killing Quincy, even though Sophie had said that technically…Ethan had dealt the killing blow.
Ethan hadn’t given a statement, but he had gone through several closed-door meetings with FBI Brass. He hadn’t wound up in jail after those meetings, but she was still afraid.
Worried their enemies would keep coming.
“I don’t run,” he said. “Not usually. But for you, baby, I’d do anything.”
He eased down onto the couch beside her. “The FBI has offered to set us up with new identities. New names, a new place. And one hell of a lot less looking over our shoulders for our enemies to come calling.”
Her breath caught. “You’d…do that?”
“I told you before…I’m done. Done with risking you. Done with anything that will put you in harm’s way. You want a new life? I can give it to you. Just say the word, and it will happen.”
Her heart raced too fast. “I do want a new life.”
He nodded. “Then we’ll leave tonight. You won’t need to ever be afraid again and—”
“I want a life with you. I don’t really care where we are. I just want you with me.”
His gaze searched hers.
“You aren’t the type of man to run,” Carly said.
“I am if it means keeping you safe.”
She had to know this. “How many others will come after us?”
“That drug lord Hastings was the last ally that Quincy had. Despite the bullshit Nelson was spouting, there are no other threats from that end. Hastings and Curtis were it, and they’ve been eliminated. Curtis is in the ground, and as for Hastings, the Feds discovered enough evidence in his car and on his laptop—fool had it with him in the trunk—to lock him away for the next fifty years.” He shrugged. “Maybe…I helped a bit with that discovery. I might have known where Hastings had hidden some secrets.”
She’d just bet that he had.
His fingers slid over her shoulder. She had a scar there, one still bright red. It would fade over time, but the memory would always be there. Death, coming too close.
“The life I’ve built isn’t an easy one. It’s built on danger and death and too many lies.” He nodded. “Maybe it’s time to move on. Maybe it’s time to find more. I’m sick of the betrayal. I want something…better. I want you.”
“You have me.”
He was quiet a moment, then Ethan said, “You told me before that you didn’t want to give up your life in NY.” He drew in a ragged breath. His fingers slid down her arm and his hand caught hers. Held tight. “I can make that happen. I can make it so that you can stay here. I just need some time. I can apply the right pressure, I can make the right deals, and every enemy will go away.”
She actually believed he could do that. She knew exactly how powerful he truly was. But… “I think I’d like for us to both start fresh. A clean slate.” They’d both paid enough for the past. “Can we really do that? Will the FBI let us?”
His smile was grim. “Oh, yeah, baby. They will. I have something that Agent Monroe wants very badly. I’ll give it to him, and in return, he’ll give us what we need.”
Her breath came faster. “Are you really going to be able to walk away from it all? I know just how much pull you have in D.C.” And leaving that kind of empire…
“Baby, I’ll take plenty of money with me. I’ll make sure you always have everything you ever want.”
He was all that she wanted. “Ethan—
“And don’t worry. You’ll still get to contact your step-sister. I guarantee it. You won’t lose Julianna. I can make that work.”
“But everything is about me.” Her hair slid over the couch as she shook her head. “What about you? When do you get what you want?”
He leaned toward her and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “Carly, I already have what I want. Everything I want,” he whispered. “And as long as you’re with me, that’s all I need.”