Spirit Bound - Christine Feehan [122]
“We were trained in different military camps and I’m not certain what work he did. I do know that, like me, he’s considered disposable and since Sorbacov can’t control him, he’s expendable—as I will be.”
Her heart jumped in protest. “The world thinks the Russian agent aboard the yacht that sank is dead. Levi isn’t known to be that same man. Sorbacov must know you’re Thomas Vincent.”
“Not necessarily. When I go undercover, I go off the grid for long periods. I spent a great deal of time and effort creating Thomas Vincent with the idea that I might use him when I disappeared. In my business you always have to have a contingency plan. Sorbacov knows I’m in Sea Haven, but not anything else. Ivanov isn’t going to bother telling him anything.”
“You came here with the idea you’d disappear like Levi did?”
He nodded. “If Ivanov is going after my brother, it’s because Sorbacov ordered him to do so. I won’t let that happen, which means I’m going directly against Sorbacov. That’s what my father did and he had him killed. I came here knowing I’d be next on the hit list if I came.”
“But you did.” Judith made it a statement. She could see the determination in his eyes. He would have come if there had been a firing squad waiting for him and back home, there just might be. Still . . . he had come.
“He’s my brother. Sorbacov killed my parents. That’s all the blood he’ll get from my family.”
Judith shivered. She might be the spirit element, amplifying her own emotions and that of those around her, but she felt his absolute resolve and deadly intent.
“I need a cup of tea, Thomas. Come into the kitchen with me and let’s talk in there.” If she was being entirely truthful, she didn’t trust herself to resist him, not when his loyalty to his brother threatened his life. Or the way he stood before her, revealing things about himself she knew he had never told another human being.
She tangled her fingers with his and gave a little tug, leading him toward the door. Her heart ached for him. She had been raised in Japan by a loving mother and father as a child. When her father had wanted to return to the United States, her mother hadn’t hesitated, moving with her father and making the trip fun and adventurous. Her mother had turned their home into a place of love and peace, surrounding them with her serenity and love of gardening. Her older brother had been loving and protective. She’d had a wonderful childhood. Even after her parents had been killed in an accident when she was in her teens, she still had Paul. He had stepped into the role of parent, watching over her and making her life stay as stable as possible.
What had Thomas’s life been like as a child? She’d seen her brother tortured and killed, and she’d been a grown woman. What would it be like to be a child and see both parents murdered and your brothers taken from you? Her heart stuttered a little and squeezed down tight, aching for that little boy. Looking at Thomas, she couldn’t imagine him as a child. Those violent brutal men “training” him had stamped the boy out quickly.
Stefan followed Judith down the hall into her kitchen. She hadn’t turned on the lights, but with all the windows, the stars and moon provided faint light to illuminate the room. Her long hair skimmed the center of her bottom, drawing his eye to the sway of her hips and the length of her slender legs.
He could barely stand the flash of pain in her eyes when he shared some of his memories with her. She was too compassionate, and he wasn’t compassionate enough without her. He shouldn’t need her so much. It was too much to put on one person, but he knew he could be good at this—at being with her.
“Judith.” His voice ached with the need to convince her. “I’m not going to pretend I’ve ever been a good man. Hell, I can’t claim to have been a man. I’m a tool and I’m a damned good one. I don’t know any other way of life, but I want to live differently. I know I could be good at being with you. I don’t see anyone else. I’d know when you needed something, when you were sad or happy. And I can shield you from other