Outlaw Derek (20 page)

“I’m the governor,” Franklin said, a last attempt at dignity and forcefulness.

“You’re nothing.” Derek sounded weary. “Leave office, resign in the morning. If you don’t, I’ll break the whole thing open before Yaltan gets the chance to.”

There was an instant’s silence, and then Franklin said constrictedly, “You’re letting me go?”

“For her sake.” His arm tightened around Shannon, and the gun never wavered. “Yaltan might get to you. He might not. But look over your shoulder for the rest of your life, William. One day, I’ll be there.”

“I sent her to you,” Franklin said dully.

“Yes. That’s the only reason you’re still alive. Now get out of my sight.”

With the jerky motion of a puppet with half its strings cut, Franklin turned and got into his car. A moment later, the dark car was rolling quietly out of the parking lot, and soon disappeared in the shadowy streets.

“Derek—”

“Shhh.” The gun fell to his side as Derek turned her, keeping his arm around her and guiding her back the way they’d come. “We’ll talk at the house, honey.”

The tone of his voice, deadened and hollow, frightened her. She walked beside him in silence, grappling with the knowledge that it had been William all along, William who had intended to see her dead. That fact didn’t feel quite real to her, and yet she believed it.

And she knew there was something else that had happened, something so vitally important that the knowledge of William’s perfidy had
been blunted in its impact on her. She had … what had she done?

She had chosen. With no idea of what was going on between the two men, she had been asked to trust only one of them. And she had done just that. Partly instinctively, but also consciously, she had chosen only one.

She should have chosen William over Derek. In her mind, he had been no threat, had been the good friend, undemanding, trustworthy. She had known him longer, trusted him longer. He hadn’t made her nervous or wary, hadn’t mixed up her emotions. Like the father she just barely remembered, he had represented stability and comfort and wisdom. The known quantity.

And Derek … a man who might well have done terrible things in the name of a greater good. A man who was adept in darkness and shadows. A man with old, sapphire-flecked eyes, and a hard, handsome face that had doubtless broken hearts. A man with scars, like her own. She had known him a matter of days, had been
bewildered and unnerved by him, had felt wariness and mistrust and wild passion because of him. He had stripped away her walls with deliberate thoroughness, leaving her achingly vulnerable. He had held up a mirror to her soul and shown her a reflection she’d never seen before and could hardly believe.

And she had chosen him.

“Trust your instincts. There are moments when you have to make choices, especially in this world. And it’s in those moments when your instincts will tell you the truth. Just listen to them.”

And her instincts had finally answered.

Not just trust. Not just need. Love
.

Shannon realized with a start that they had reached the house, that they were inside. She watched Derek turn on lights in the living room, and she felt light-headed and dizzy.

He looked down at the gun in his hand, and his mouth twisted. Flicking on the safety catch, he dropped the automatic into a chair with a weary gesture. “It’s almost dawn,” he said.

Shannon couldn’t take her eyes off him. “Yes.”

He avoided her gaze, rubbing the back of his neck as if it were tense. “It’ll be safe for you soon. The news will break in a few hours about William’s resignation,” he said flatly. “You’ll be able to leave then.”

“Will I?”

A muscle tightened in his jaw. “Yes.”

“Do you want me to?”

Derek turned away and went over to the window, staring out at a graying darkness. “It doesn’t matter what I want,” he said in a low voice. “You were leaving me. I’ve pushed you too hard, and I’m not going to do that again.”

After a moment, she said, “I think I said once that love was—an illusion.”

His shoulders tensed. “Mirrors and lights. I remember,” he said in a rough tone.

“I was wrong.”

Derek was still for a long minute, and then turned slowly to face her. He was a little pale, his
expression masklike in its immobility. “What’re you saying?” His voice was uneven.

“I shouldn’t have chosen you,” she said wonderingly. “By all rights, I shouldn’t have chosen you. It wasn’t because of trust; I trusted both of you. And I didn’t realize he’d done those—terrible things, so that wasn’t it. I chose you because … because …”

He crossed the space between them in three steps, his hands lifting to catch her shoulders. “Shannon …”

“Because I love you.” It was said on a sigh, astonishment and delight glowing in her eyes.

Derek pulled her against him suddenly, holding her possessively. “I hope you’re sure, sweetheart,” he said unsteadily, “because I love you too much to ever let you go.”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” she told him, and in the tender heat of his kiss, she finally found the truth.

It didn’t matter which world was real.

He was.