“Why do we keep having this conversation?” I snarled, my grip tightening on the blade. “I’m sick to death of talking about it. I’ve made my choice, and if you can’t deal with it, go the fuck away! It has nothing to do with you!”
“Choice,” he snorted. “You think you have been given a choice?”
“Enough.” Lea stormed past me and grabbed his arm. Dragging him backward, she said, “We need to chat about boundaries.”
“Nice knowing you, Antonio,” I called after him, surprised he wasn’t giving Lea more resistance.
“Why do you hate him so much?” Ivan asked from the darkness, moving slowly toward me. He was still limping, but it didn’t look so bad considering he’d had a broken femur an hour before.
I squatted and stuffed my blade into my boot. “Jesus, Ivan. I don’t have superhuman sight or hearing like you and Lea. A little warning would be nice.”
“Sorry, but you evaded the question.”
I shook my head and groaned. “I refuse to discuss my feelings for that asshole.”
“Your feelings could get us all killed.”
That pissed me off, and my exhaustion sure didn’t help. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. “Don’t you ever suggest I would do something to intentionally hurt any of us.”
“I didn’t mean you’d do it intentionally. All I meant was that you need to face why you hate him so much. And this—” his eyes shifted to my hand, “—looks pretty damn intentional.”
I shoved him away, cursing under my breath. He was right. Antonio threw me off balance. “I hate him because he represents everything I ran away from growing up. The kind of men who always told me I wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t strong enough. Wasn’t good enough. That I was weak because my chromosomes were different than theirs.
“I’ve busted my ass to prove them wrong—in everything I’ve done. When I was a reporter here, I had to be tougher and stronger and braver than all the men just to prove myself their equal. I’ve proven myself over and over, and I’m done. So if that asshole finds me lacking, he can go fuck himself.”
What I didn’t add was that I’d let men use me and trick me, and I was officially done. Men were good for two things: opening jars and a good fuck. As far as I was concerned, Lea could open all the jars I needed and my vibrator would take care of the second.
He gave me a short nod. “I understand. I’m sorry.”
That caught me by surprise, and a smile curved my lips as I put my hands on my hips. “Imagine that. A man who apologizes. Lea should snatch you up.” Still, he was a reminder that all men might not fit into my very narrow lens. But now was not the time to get philosophical.
He grinned and started to say something, then paused abruptly. I knew he’d just been alerted to something.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Vehicles. Coming this way.”
“How far?”
“Outside of town but approaching fast.”
“It could be Baran’s transport. He was trying to put a rush on it. The more road we put between us and the village before daylight, the better.” I could hear the low rumble, but without binoculars or night vision goggles, I couldn’t do anything. “Where’s Lea?”
He nodded to my right. “She’s on the hill with the thorn in your side.”
“We need to get her. Now. If it’s Baran, we won’t have much time.” Without giving him a chance to answer, I jogged over to a Humvee that had stopped at the corner of a nearby building. A man got out and looked around before his gaze settled on me. It only took a few seconds for me to recognize my friend.
“Baran,” I said softly as I started toward him.
He pulled me into a hug, thumping me on the back. “I never expected to see you again.” His gaze shifted and I realized Lea was standing behind me.
“Have you heard of a facility that is conducting experiments? Human experiments?”
“We are always hearing rumors.”
“Anything I can count on?”
“What kind of story are you pursuing?” he asked.
“It’s better you don’t know. And hopefully I can get it shut down before you ever do. Did you get everything I needed?”
“Yes.” He led me to the truck and showed me a bag on the passenger seat. “Laptop, tools, weapons, explosives, GPS locator, maps, and satellite phone. Food and water in the back, a few extra goodies just in case.”
“You are amazing to get this together in such a short time,” I murmured. “Now you and I are even.”
But he scowled. “After everything you did to help my family, we will never be even as long as you draw breath.”