His gaze stayed locked on mine, but it was strange seeing him uncertain. He had never once hesitated, even when we were ambushed. He always seemed to know what he wanted to do next. Like yesterday, when he’d gone to see the man who’d sent him to kill me, even though I’d asked him not to go. Now his uncertainty left me uncertain as well.
I still didn’t speak. He’d made the gulf between us clear enough last night. I didn’t have anything else to say.
He pulled something from his pocket and crossed the few steps between us. He held out his hand. The USB drive sat in his palm.
“Take it. It’s yours.”
“It’s not mine,” I replied, not taking it.
He frowned at me. “You wanted it yesterday.”
He was right. But I’d wanted to give it to my father so he wouldn’t come after Leon. If my father was so greedy that he’d involve me in one of his heists without even asking, putting my future and my life at risk, I figured he would let sleeping dogs lie once he had had all that money back. And even though I was through with Leon and he was done with me, I didn’t want him killed.
Reluctantly, I took the thumb drive. It was strange to think that such a tiny piece of plastic and metal could hold so much money and be worth killing over. Then again, people had killed for far less.
I put the drive in a pocket and zipped the pocket shut. Touching the thumb drive made me feel uneasy. The sooner I was done with it, the better.
While my attention was distracted, Leon reached out and took my hand. I started to draw it back, but he began talking, and I stopped, distracted by what he said.
“I can’t let you go, Sofia.”
The words were simple. He held my hand, looked into my eyes, and somehow expected me to understand what he was saying.
I stiffened, my heart pounding. “What do you mean?”
My voice came out raspy and weaker than I’d wanted. My demand for an answer sounded more like a weak plea.
“I don’t want to lose you, Sofia. I was up all night and couldn’t stop thinking about you. I said all the wrong things when you deserved to hear the right things. I can’t blame you if you don’t want to listen, but I hope you will. One last time.”
I blew out a long breath that clouded between us in white mist. I didn’t want to hear this. It would only make things harder. I didn’t want to break down in tears. After keeping myself together this morning and keeping my pride so far, I didn’t want to lose it all now.
I raised my chin defiantly. “When did what I wanted ever matter to you?”
“It does now.”
His eyes were as intense as ever, but there was a yearning there, a desire, maybe even pain or regret. Or maybe I was projecting everything I was feeling onto him. It wouldn’t have been the first time.
I took another deep breath, feeling the icy cold settle in my lungs. I had to be logical about this, even if he refused to be. “We’re too different—”
“Leave with me,” he said, cutting my protest off at the knees. He pointed at the pocket where I’d put the thumb drive. “We’ll take that and leave all this shit behind. You and me. A new start. A new life together.”
His words left me reeling. I couldn’t believe he was making me that offer after what had happened last night—how mercilessly he’d broken us apart. Did he even understand the seriousness of what he suggested? His expression, his eyes, his demeanor implied that he did.
But I found it hard to believe a leopard changed its spots easily. I didn’t want to be pushed away only to be suddenly embraced again. Leon had given me that damn USB drive, but now he wanted us to take it and…what? Run away? Leave the country? I couldn’t tell if he had given me the drive to tempt me or because he wanted to give me the full power of the choice. No blackmail. Nothing but my decision…whatever I chose.
When I was silent, torn by conflicting emotions and uncertainty, he spoke again. “You don’t believe I can.”
“I don’t believe you love me enough to leave everything behind forever. Even if you did, you’d hate me for it.”
His eyes narrowed. “I love a challenge. And you’re wrong.”
Leon was no Casanova. He’d managed to aggravate me by saying I was wrong at the same time he was insisting he loved me. Only a man could be that vexing, exasperating, and idiotic, and only Leon could elevate that to an art form.
“I’m going to be a doctor. Nothing is going to stop me.”Not even you.
One side of his mouth curved in a wry smile. “I know. I want you to be a doctor.” He glanced at his left arm and the tear in his overcoat from the bullet that had grazed him. “You’ll be a great one.”
I ignored the compliment. I didn’t want it to cloud my thinking, even though my heart warmed to hear him say it with such utter certainty as if the odds were one hundred percent in my favor.
