Free Tell Me No Spies by Diane Henders

husband two years ago,
and then you have the sheer fucking gall to pull that shit on me. I
can’t believe I was feeling bad because I thought you were hurt.
Asshole!”
    I jerked against his
hold again, glaring up at him.
    Kane let go and
stepped away suddenly, and I barely prevented myself from falling.
“Aydan, we need to talk.”
    “We have nothing to
talk about.” I spun on my heel and started down the hallway. I
couldn’t believe it when I felt his hand on my shoulder again.
    This time he was ready
for the fist I swung at him. He blocked it effortlessly, along with
the kick and punch that followed. His face was composed, his body
relaxed while he balanced lightly on the balls of his feet. Only
his eyes showed his agitation.
    Yeah, agitate this,
dickhead!
    I swung at him again,
and again he blocked me. Then I was crushed against the wall.
    “I can do this all day
long if you want,” he said. He blocked my knee. “You have a
choice.” He jerked his face out of range as I tried to head-butt
him. “We can talk, or I’ll talk and you’ll listen. But either way…”
He dodged as my teeth snapped together, barely missing his
shoulder. “We will deal with this. Now.”
    I roared and managed
to get one arm loose. In an instant, he had pinned both my arms by
the wrists above my head. I caught a movement in my peripheral
vision and jerked around to see Stemp’s bland face peer out of his
office. He and Kane exchanged a look, and Stemp nodded and withdrew
again.
    I fought harder,
humiliation adding to my fury.
    “Aydan,” Kane snapped.
“Stop. Give me a chance.”
    “A chance to what?
Screw me over again? I don’t think so,” I snarled.
    His large hand clamped
over my mouth and he leaned into me hard. “Shut up and listen. Your
husband was an agent. He went rogue. He was a threat to national
security. I had orders to eliminate him. I was doing my job. And
I’ve never lied to you.”
    Biting a chunk out of
his hand seemed like the right thing to do, but I couldn’t. My
strength drained so suddenly that the pressure of Kane’s body
against mine was the only thing holding me up.
    He looked down into my
eyes. “I’m sorry.”
    He released me and
stepped back. I sank into a huddled heap on the floor.
    My heart thudded in my
ears while I memorized the carpet. Gray, with little flecks of
blue, white, black and an odd kind of purplish colour. No green.
Funny. The ends of the fibres were fuzzy, except at regularly
spaced intervals where a loop made a shiny contrast to the
plush.
    Thud, thud, thud. How
could my heart still be beating?
    An irritating buzzing
gradually intruded. I tried to block it out, but it wouldn’t stop.
The buzz resolved itself into Kane’s voice, repeating my name over
and over. I dragged my head up to focus on him kneeling beside me.
He spoke again, and I failed to understand.
    “Wha…?”
    “Come and sit down for
a few minutes. I’ll help you if you’ll let me.” He reached out, and
I stared at his extended hand for a few moments before numbly
placing my hand in his.
    I tottered into my
office, his strong hand under my elbow, and he lowered me onto the
sofa.
    “I’ll be right back.”
He strode out.
    I stared blindly after
him, my mind still quivering on the threshold of comprehension.
    When he returned, he
placed a small box of orange juice in my hand. I sipped
mechanically. I had been so touched the first time he’d gotten
orange juice for me. I had felt so cared-for.
    Now I knew he’d just
been following orders. Nothing personal.
    After a few minutes
the juice did its work and I hauled my trembling body semi-upright.
Kane perched in the chair beside me and offered me another box of
juice.
    I took it from him and
sipped some more.
    “Tell me everything.”
My voice shook along with my hands, and I gulped some more
juice.
    Kane leaned back in
the chair, arms crossed, and sank his chin onto his chest. “I never
knew the details.” He stared straight ahead. “We never get