Free Secret of Betrayal: Book Two of The Destroyer Trilogy by DelSheree Gladden Page B

motel—just as there has been since that night.”
    “Howe’s or Lazaro’s?”
    “I’m sure it’s both. Howe is making sure Lazaro
doesn’t try anything, and Lazaro is waiting for Howe’s men to slip up. Is that
really so surprising?”
    I don’t answer that one either. I tell myself I
can stand here all night refusing to speak to him at all, but my curiosity gets
the better of me. “I can understand Howe and Lazaro keeping tabs on me. It
would be stupid of them not to, but do they really hand out my home address to
anyone interested? Seems like that would only invite crazy, rogue Guardians
interested in advancing their careers to come and take a swing at me.”
    “For one thing, no one is getting past the
Guardians watching you. I’m only here because my captain gave me permission to
break in and make sure you aren’t hiding anything here. And I didn’t need
anyone to give me your address. All I had to do was follow you home that night
after the theater.”
    “Why would you do that?”
    “Because it was a chance to find out where the
most despised person in the whole world was hiding herself,” Braden says.
    It shouldn’t, but his answer disappoints me.
He’s not done yet. His voice softens, warming my skin like an embrace.
    “And, because you were hurt and alone, and I was
worried about you.”
    My pleasure that he wasn’t just scouting for
work is as invigorating and disturbing as the familiarity I seem to have with
his presence. Has he been keeping an eye on me ever since the theater? The idea
of Guardians patrolling my home right now is terrifying. Braden should only add
to that feeling, but for some reason I feel safer knowing he’s stalking me.
    “What are you really doing here, Braden?”
    “I told you I wouldn’t forget about the incident
with Casey, and since you won’t speak to me at school, I thought I’d stop by
and try talking to you here,” he says. “Snooping was just the excuse I gave my
captain. Nothing in your room has been disturbed.”
    I can barely see him in the pitch black room,
and I doubt his eyesight is much better, but my annoyance is clear in my
expression and stance, regardless. He had better be telling the truth, because
I am definitely going to check. “Braden, you breaking into my room and scaring
me half to death is not stopping by . It’s breaking and entering. How did
you know I wasn’t going to walk in with Milo? He almost came in! If he had
found you here, I don’t think anything I could have said would have stopped him
from attacking you.”
    “No offense to your boyfriend, but I’m not all
that worried about his newbie talents. He does more flailing around than
anything.”
    “He took out one of your strikers on his own, or
have you forgotten that night already?” I snap. Milo may not be as fluid as
Lance and Braden, but his raw power and determination more than make up for
where he lacks.
    Shockingly profound grief spills out of Braden.
The power of it sets me back a step.
    “No,” he says fiercely, “I haven’t forgotten
that night, Libby. I may not blame you for what you and your friends did, but
those were my men! I trained them, lived with them, and then watched them die.
I will remember every detail of that night for the rest of my life! Nine of my
strikers left that stage in body bags. You saved Milo, but you killed nine good
men to do it.”
    His anger filling the room doubles when I add
mine. “You never should have come after Milo in the first place! If you weren’t
out trying to arrest innocent people, your team never would have gotten hurt!
Don’t expect me to apologize for doing the right thing.”
    “I never said I expected you to apologize,”
Braden argues. “If I had been in your position, I would have done the same
thing, but those were human beings. Forgive me if I don’t think you should be
proud of your boyfriend for killing my men. They were following orders.”
    “Who said I was proud?” I jam my finger against
his