Being Emerald. Sylvia Ryan

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СКАЧАТЬ than him were out there. “There’s nowhere to run.” He came to a stop only a foot from her, and saw the moment her bravado collapsed.

      She hung her head. “If you have any compassion in you at all, you’ll kill me now,” she whispered, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. Tears ran down her face. “Do it. Just do it.”

      Rock grabbed Laila’s arm.

      She jumped and cried out, but didn’t struggle as he dragged her into the kitchen. The fact she wasn’t fighting to get away from a man she thought was going to kill her indicated how much work lay before them. She’d given up on her life already. He wanted to throw something, but picked her up roughly and set her on the kitchen counter instead.

      “Don’t you ever,” he bellowed, “ever give up on yourself, on your survival so easily again. Don’t admit your crime and definitely don’t ask for death! What the fuck, Laila!”

      Her eyebrows scrunched together. Then, she sagged. The crease between her brows smoothed and she released a long breath of relief. “What’s happening?”

      Rock nodded toward the speaker on the counter. Her gaze shifted from the speaker, to him, and then back to the speaker before she whispered, “You’re Resistance?”

      He nodded.

      “Oh.” She wiped her tears with the bottom of her blouse, looking as if she was trying hard not to meet his gaze. “Did you know about me before today?”

      “Do you think I’d let you do what you just did if I knew?”

      She lifted her chin. “I’m not going to report all my activities to you as if I were a child, and I’ll complete the tasks I’ve agreed to, Rock, without your knowledge or approval. Half of it’s done already.”

      “Half? Uh, no. Your part is done now. Who is your Resistance contact?”

      “I don’t know who you think you are—”

      “I’m the man who’s going to keep you alive.”

      “How could you let me think I was caught like that?” She placed both hands on his chest and attempted to push him away. “Asshole!”

      He wasn’t letting her go anywhere. “I want you to remember those sixty seconds forever. I want you to remember your terror when you thought you were caught. Maybe that will scare some sense into you. Now, who is your contact?” he asked with thinly veiled fury.

      “Stop trying to bully me,” she snapped. Her jaw was set.

      “God dammit, Laila. It’s my job to protect you, and that’s what I’m going to do.” He leaned in toward her, caging her even more. They were nose to nose. “Even if what I’m protecting you from is yourself.” He scowled over her as they squared off, his teeth grinding against each other.

      She still looked him right in the eye then whispered faintly, “I gave my word to Jordan. I will not renege, and I will not name my contact.”

      Then she put both hands on his chest and shoved hard. “Now, get away!”

      Rock stepped back, and she immediately hopped off the counter and headed for the door.

      “Fuck you!” she screamed over her shoulder as she left. The door slammed so hard, the house’s front windows rattled.

      “She did not just…” He took a step toward the door then forced himself to stop. The instinct to follow her and spank her ass was nearly overwhelming. His fists balled as he reined in the impulse and took a deep breath, calming himself.

      He needed to process.

      Chapter 7

      Laila stormed through her front door and slammed it shut. The quietness of her home slapped her in the face and her indignation fell away. For twenty-four hours, she’d been an optimist and thought Rock might fill some of the emptiness she carried around inside. He’d just crushed that hope to pieces. She knew better. Hope was a stupid notion in New Atlanta. She ran upstairs and collapsed on her bed.

      The part of her that needed filling would always be there. Huddled in a ball, she hugged her legs and cried until she was damp from the heat in the stuffy room, and her hair stuck to the back of her neck. She’d learned years ago sleep was the only relief from overwhelming solitude so Laila gratefully gave herself to the exhaustion gripping her.

      * * * *

      She’d fallen asleep around dinnertime. Now, she lay awake in the middle of the night. The rest had altered her perspective. She wasn’t angry anymore. Even though what Rock had done was cruel, it was a powerful lesson that would never fade from her memory.

      She tossed herself onto her back and released an exaggerated sigh into the darkness of her bedroom. She’d done it. A sense of pride in herself brought a small smile to her lips. She’d risked her life for freedom today. Laila pumped her fist in the air. She would never forget this day. Never. She’d run across a quote during her trip preparations. “Our country will remain the land of the free. Only so long as it is the home of the brave.” When she’d read it, she’d known bravery would be the only thing keeping her to her promise to help the Resistance instead of running in the opposite direction.

      Ironically, she’d forgotten the most important part of the day because of the blow up with Rock. Being an Emerald meant she was no longer required to submit to mandatory birth control. With the removal of her implant, she was free to have children.

      Plural.

      Her chest tightened, and she laughed at herself. From celebration to near tears in four point two seconds. New record. Then, her thoughts ran full circle, landing on Rock again. That beautiful bastard was the only man she’d ever known who took her breath away.

      Her reaction might have been an overreaction to the drama of the day. Rock was raised Amber, and had already been given the assignment of her protector. He expected to take care of her. To him, it didn’t matter that they weren’t actually on the mission yet.

      She pulled her hand-held out of her deep skirt pocket, depressing the button to activate the screen. She spoke Rock’s name and waited for the results of her search. The first was a news feed video, detailing his capture of the first serial killer in New Atlanta since the pandemic. He’d killed the woman and received his Emerald designation because of it. The events were high profile, but she wasn’t surprised she hadn’t heard the story. During the past year, she’d been too engrossed in the final planning stage of the Fine Art and Artifacts mission.

      She got out of bed, peeled a curtain back and peeked across the street. A low glow emanated from Rock’s front window.

      They would be training in earnest tomorrow and would spend the next few months of their lives pretty much attached at the hip. So, avoiding him was out.

      She slipped out of her skirt, let it fall in a pool at her feet, pulled on a lightweight pair of shorts and slid her toes into her flip-flops. She padded down the stairs and out the front door. Cricket sounds filled the night and her feet collected dew as she walked through the grass of his lawn. When she tried the knob to his front door, it turned, and she walked soundlessly into his home.

      He sat on the couch watching the vid screen, and his gaze darted to her.

      She СКАЧАТЬ