Taken With Trouble (CAUGHT IN CHAOS #2)

36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Serena

He left me. Again. I know it was for my protection, but it still hurts. Therefore, I was compelled to find comfort with one of Liam’s most expensive guns I’ve named Javier.

Caleb practically had to force me into his rental car. It wasn’t like I could follow Liam. He never told me where he was going. He just went to be a sacrificial lamb. Because if they want the evidence, that means they want me, too. They won’t let him go.

“They’re going to kill him.” My words are barely above a whisper, but Caleb still hears.

His eyes drift from the road to me, but he doesn’t speak. He doesn’t have to. He knows I’ve been lying about my feelings for Liam, and he’s waiting me out.

“This is my fault. I’m the one who got in with a bad man and—”

Caleb slams on the brakes to avoid a collision with a tour bus. “Listen to me closely. What someone else did to you is not your fault .” His eyes bore into mine with meaning. “You deserve more than you were led to believe, more than a life in hiding. I might despise Liam, but I respect him for doing what he can to keep you out of this. ”

Tears burn the backs of my eyes, and I swallow. “But I loved his grandfather too.”

He sighs. “Look, let’s get this to S-A-C Ford and Hadley, and maybe we can convince them to help us find him.”

“Really?”

He nods. “Only because I know what it’s like when you fall for someone. How you’ll dive into gunfire to save them. But I won’t let you do it alone.”

I scoff. “I’m not falling for him.”

We’re way past that.

Caleb parks the car at the FBI safe house in London and gets out. I wait a beat before following him. What do I do when I see Agent Ford? What will I say? There’s a very real likelihood I’ll be fired, but the thought of it doesn’t terrify me like it once would have. I’ve overcome too much to be afraid of that. Being arrested, on the other hand… That thought gets my blood pumping faster.

Caleb types in a code to the safe house and pushes the door open, waiting for me.

My stomach is full of nerves and I can’t speak as I scoot by him.

The small entryway opens to a living space, and there, standing in the middle of it, is Special Agent Ford. There’s a familiar buzz in my chest at the sight of him, but I don’t lean into it, don’t relish its existence or him. It’s simply a reaction I’ve trained myself to experience because I thought I liked him. Agent Ford was the first man I laid eyes on after running from New York City. And I think that’s why my feelings and emotions latched onto him. I always fell for the wrong guys, but I had finally found a good one—one who would keep me safe. He was tall and charming and became my refuge. As I stand here now, I realize it was an immature kind of longing, superficial.

“Agent Cruz,” Ford says before stepping forward and wrapping me in a hug .

He must have been more worried than I realized. His broad shoulders and chest curve around me in a way that should be comforting. It should be elating . A week ago, I would have killed for this kind of embrace from him. But now it feels off, awkward. My arms hang awkwardly at my sides and I want to be in an entirely different man’s arms.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, I’ve been worried sick,” he murmurs into my hair.

“I’m okay,” I say.

He pulls back then looks at Caleb. “Thanks for finding her.”

Caleb stands straighter. “She’s my partner.”

Ford looks at me, concern in his hazel eyes. “Can I talk to you in private for a moment?”

“Private?” I squeak.

Caleb raises an eyebrow and chuckles before joining Hadley in the kitchen.

Agent Ford takes my hand and leads me out the back door, to a small stone path outside.

He doesn’t release my hand as we walk. I expect a rush of butterflies or something after pining for him for so long. But I feel nothing.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, coming to a stop near the garage.

I need to, but I can’t form the words. Where do I even begin? What if Liam doesn’t make it back? How can I get Agent Ford on my side and have him help me find Liam?

Ford runs a hand over his buzz cut. Not many men can pull off a buzz cut, but he can. Though now, I prefer a head of thick brown hair I can tangle my fingers in.

“I know this has been a difficult experience. You don’t have to tell me everything right now,” Agent Ford says. “So, I had an idea?”

“An idea?” Like saving Liam? I open my mouth to ask, but he speaks again.

“What if…” He draws closer, lifting our linked hands and placing them on his chest. I stare at my hand in his. Why is he still holding my hand? But before I can ask, he continues. “What if you and I stay here for a bit? I’ll send Harris and Hadley to the States, and we can”—his gaze drops to my lips—“debrief.”

I choke on the air in my lungs. Debrief? What is happening right now? Do I want it to happen? Last week I would have said yes. Now the only person I want to ‘debrief’ with is Liam.

“Uh, I…”

He senses my hesitation and brushes my knuckles against his lips. “We can relax, get a massage.”

I don’t want a massage. I want to run out there and find Liam, now.

I try to pull away, but he keeps my hand in his. How do I tell him the truth? “I’m sorry, but that’s not what I want. I need to—”

“You need to forget.” He cuts me off. “I can help with that.”

“I don’t want to forget.” I yank my hand free.

“I understand. It was a difficult situation he forced you into, manipulating you like he did.”

A chill sweeps over my skin. “He?”

“Liam.”

Caleb told him? He promised he wouldn’t. “I, um, I’m not ready to talk about it.”

He scoops up my hand again. “When you’re ready, I’m here.”

His insistence is grating on my nerves. Never has he shown so much interest in me, and now this ? Did he only realize his feelings for me when he thought I was gone? In that case, I can’t blame him for trying to be helpful, but it’s not the kind of help I want. I don’t want him like that anymore.

“Thanks, but I want to work through this on my own.” And I will. The second I get back in that house, I’ll convince Caleb to help me, and we will go after Liam. With or without Ford.

Ford gives me a soft smile. “You are good at being on your own, aren’t you?”

Something about the way he asks that makes my blood chill. What does he mean by that? “I think I’m going to go inside. I need to talk to Agent Harris.”

“Won’t you finish the path with me?” Ford asks.

“No, but thank you. It was very sweet of you to offer.”

He looks at me, his eyes searching. “I could have sworn you had feelings for me. ”

“I, uh…” What do I say to that? The truth. “No. I’m sorry.”

He sighs, dropping my hand to dig in his pocket. “That was the wrong answer.”

His hand attacks my face, covering my mouth with a cloth. I scream, fighting against Ford’s giant body, but my efforts are unsuccessful, and he gives me a pitying smile as I drift into a familiar unconsciousness.

One thing remains utterly clear: I trusted the wrong man.