Savage Secrets (Titan #6) (30 page)

“What?” she whispered, her lips making a little O.

“I don’t want to be here.” He was doing this all wrong. He looked at the ceiling then back to her. “With you, like this.” Deep breath. “I want to be home,
with
you. Like an
us
. If that makes sense.”

Flat lips and pinched brows. “No. It doesn’t.”

“Come home with me. Stay. With me.” Damn it, he sounded like a meth head trying to say the alphabet, all hitches and pauses and stutters. Another deep breath. “You and me, Kitten. Together.”

The corners of her lips ticked. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

“Well, it sounds like a teenager asking his girl to go steady when you say it like that.”

She tilted her head, laughing. “I’ll come home with you.”

“Thank fuck.” Pressing his palms to her cheek bones, he let his thumb slide lazily back and forth. His lips found hers, quickening across her damaged skin, scared he’d hurt her but dying for another kiss. “Glad that’s settled. All right. Let’s go. We have to go back to the war room eventually.”

She nodded. “All right.”

Hand in hand, they pushed out of the lavatory and headed down a narrow hall. A high pitched whistle brought them to a standstill.
Jared
.

In one of the backrooms of the flying behemoth of a battleship, Jared whistled again to get their attention and stepped into the hallway. His hand was up, holding them in place with a silent order. A phone perched on his shoulder, and he rubbed his eyes. The man didn’t look like he had slept in days. Probably hadn’t.

“You sure? Cause if you’re not, I need to know now.” Jared waved them back and then ducked back in the door.

It was a tiny office space, and he paced a tinier circle. Rocco held Caterina close, an arm around her waist.

Boss Man grumbled and exhaled loudly. “All right. Thanks, Sarah. See you soon.”

Damn, Jared would hear about that later. Calling Sugar Sarah? The names weren’t
that
similar. Caterina didn’t sound like any other name he could think of, so hopefully that problem would never come up. Not that he was married to Cat. Not that he wouldn’t marry her. What was he thinking about? He needed sleep too. The way his mind was tumbling through stuff tonight was enough to give him motion sickness. Moving her in, thinking about marriage…

Jared pocketed his phone. “Caterina, you doing okay?”

“
Si
.”

He bounced eyes to Rocco. “She doing okay?”

And
that
, ladies and gentlemen, was a strategic move. Boss Man wasn’t stupid, and Rocco shook his head. In the heartbeat of time it took for Rocco to realize she’d been baited, Cat laid into Jared, saying God only knew what. Sexy as it was, it was still a verbal ass whipping. Jared’s shiteating grin grew as wide as Rocco had ever seen it.

Cat stopped, damn near de-balling him with the razor edge of her stare.

Rocco threw up his hands. “I only said he was smart enough to figure out our next offensive attack.”

She flashed her glare from him to Jared, and thank God that laser beam of anger was focused on someone else. Taking a step toward him, she growled. “Do not test me, Jared Westin. I said I was okay, so I am okay.”

Jared’s lips fought another grin. “Needed to know how okay you were, and judging by those beauties spewing out your mouth, I’d say you’re pretty okay.” Jared turned his attention from Cat to him. “We have a situation, so listen up.”

Well, hell. That order was full of all kinds of shit-gone-wrong.

Jared paced again with furrowed brow. Something weighed on him. Whatever it was, Rocco was about to bear the brunt of it.

“Brock’s coming back as a team leader.”

Rocco’s blood turned to sludge, thickening in his veins to the point that he couldn’t breathe. His head dropped back, scanning the ceiling, until he righted it again. He focused on Jared and the job that was about to be stripped from him.

“Right. Brock… Right.” His hands went clammy in Cat’s, and she squeezed, empathizing with him. His chest caved in on itself. And this was in front of Caterina. Nothing like getting booted out of a job in front of the lady he loved. “Cat, why don’t you give us a second.”

“Of course.”

Soon as she’d slipped away, Rocco crossed his arms, pissed at himself, at Jared, at Brock, and at the whole world. Brock, he had no reason to be pissed at. Things happened, and Rocco understood that the guy had his balls in a trap. But fuck, man.

“What?” Jared scowled. “Not the right move? You’re a smart guy. You know the players, the situation. Not exactly what I want to do, but with circumstances the way they are, he’s the guy.”

Rocco worked his jaw, gnashing his teeth. “Yeah, he’s the guy.”

This was because Jared thought his mind was still weak? That he could trip out at any moment? Or was this punishment? Rocco hated his psychedelic episodes, hated that he still had poison in him. Hated everything about losing control.

“What the hell is your problem, Roc? Tell me another solution.”

Shut up, Jared
. Stop antagonizing. Stop pushing.

Zip
.
Zap
. Fuck, no. Not now. Not now. The pull of a wicked hallucination tickled his consciousness. This was the reason he was losing his job and probably losing his place on the team. All he’d ever wanted was to rise in the ranks, to lead a Titan team, and before Boss Man’s freakin’ eyes, Rocco was giving him the picture perfect proof that he was unfit for the job.

“I need a minute.” Did he say it out loud? Did it even matter? He had to at least save face with the guys. Rocco powered to the lavatory, planning to lock himself in there and break the handle so he couldn’t get out or make an ass out of himself. He reached the bathroom, opened the door, and barricaded himself within. He waited with his eyes shut for hell to strike.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Heavy footsteps pounded behind Caterina. Fear curled up her spine. Knowing she was in the safe confines of Titan’s jet was one thing, feeling that she could be attacked at any moment was another. She turned too fast, making every bone and bruise call out a reminder of her injuries. Jared’s stern face was more serious than it’d been when she’d walked away from what seemed to be a very uncomfortable conversation.

“Caterina, your boy’s got an attitude problem. So you and me, let’s rehash what you know.”

Ignoring the irrational flight or fight response from Jared coming up on her from behind, she shot him a kiss-my-ass look. Cat knew she shouldn’t be like that toward him. No one on this plane would ever harm her, even if they blamed her for the Delta team deaths. On the other hand, Jared had gone out of his way most of her life to make sure she could be where she was today. He should expect her attitude to be tripwire sensitive.

After he hurt Rocco, the mama bear in her wanted to attack. That was the part of her Jared had best cultivated from afar, so maybe it was okay to let him have it. “What more do you want?”

“A ton. Move. Let’s go.” He spun and back tracked. “My office. Now.”

“No.”

He spun back, stunned. Obviously, he didn’t hear no too often. “We’ve got a problem. I’m not asking. I’m telling. Now move your ass, Caterina.”

“No.” She turned back toward where she was going, which was a room of men who hated her. If she had anything that would help save lives in London, she’d already said it. Jared and Rocco could ask her all the questions they wanted, phrase them in a million different ways, but it didn’t change her answers.

No, he didn’t
. His hand grasped her shoulder and stopped her, somehow without aggravating the pain from her injuries. Jared would never hurt her. No one but the Dog Killer would. Still, she roared on the inside. She would’ve jumped him, hit him, strangled and kicked him, but it wouldn’t have done a thing to make her feel better. Molars steeled together, she tried to keep her cool and focus on the Rocco-Brock issue. “Why’d you fire him? That’s so far past poor timing and bad form. You, Jared flipping Westin, are an asshole.”

Two little lines appeared above the bridge of his nose as if he couldn’t quite understand her accusations. “What?”

This wasn’t a translation problem, and she wouldn’t let him get away with playing dumb. “Demoting Roc. Firing him, whatever you just did—”

“Stop.” Jared’s eyes narrowed, and his head angled. His gaze flitted from her then down the hall. “What are you talking about?”

She sneered. “Brock.”

His hand went to his forehead. “Well, shit.”

Well, shit
? What did that mean? It didn’t matter. “I’ve known your reputation most of my life. Hardass. Can accomplish the impossible. Hell, you saved me, offering a solution to my problem that no one else would ever have dreamed up. But failing Rocco when he probably has never been more committed to you and Titan…” She shook her head, devastatingly disappointed in the man she’d all but idolized.

Jared crossed his muscled arms over his broad chest. “Brock’s taking over Delta team. I lost a team leader tonight. You don’t know Brock, or our history, but he’s coming back, leading a different team. Rocco’s staying as is.”

“As is?”

“Christ. As is. Yes.”

She faltered for an apology. It was the second time tonight she wanted to offer that and the second time the simple phrase wouldn’t adequately convey how she felt. “I don’t think either of us thought that’s what you meant.”

His phone rang. “I have to take this. Find Rocco. Report back to the war room. And for God’s sake, tell the man what I meant.” He grumbled before taking off and snapping a greeting to the caller.

Where was Rocco anyway? Retracing her steps, she passed empty areas. The lavatory was the last place to check.
Knock
.
Knock
. The light didn’t show there was an occupant, but there was nowhere else he could be. “Roc?”

Silence.

Knock
.
Knock
. “Rocco, you in there?”

The door opened with an easy pull. Rocco leaned against the wall, near where she had been earlier. His fingertips massaged his temples. She stepped in, closing the door behind her and shutting out the rest of the world. “
Galán
.”

His smile was exhausted but triumphant. “I win.”

“What?”

“I win. I win, goddamn it. I’m stronger than this mind fuck. I refuse to let it happen again.”

She didn’t think it worked like that, but what did she know? “It…?” Not knowing what to call his reaction to the last bits of poison in his system,
it
seemed as good as any faux technical term she could make up. “It was happening again?”

“Yup. But I pinched it out. Forced it to stop.”

She was really not sure he could stop a chemical reaction within his body but it had stopped, and that was important. “So it’s leaving your system?”

He scowled at her. “Whatever you want to call it, this time I win. I stopped it. I willed all the zips and zaps and lightning strikes in my brain to shut up and go away. I am the goddamn winner of this round.”

He was so serious, so cute, and she couldn’t help it. Her lips upturned. “You… sound a little crazy. Just so you know.”

The harsh lines on his brow softened, and amusement flickered in his gaze. “We dig crazy. I thought that was our thing.”

She smiled and laughed quietly, resting her palms on his flat stomach. “I dig crazy.”

“Two peas in a pod, or something like that.”

Caterina leaned against the wall, and Rocco lugged an arm over her. Anxiety blasted through her veins at the sudden movement. Hiding her reaction from him, she focused on the good. Rocco was so warm and so safe… Then she remembered why she’d come back to find her missing white knight. “I was wrong, Roc. You were too.”

Rocco squeezed her close. “What about?”

“Brock.”

His muscles tensed around her. Claustrophobia struck. “How so?”

She swallowed away the irrational feelings and concentrated on their conversation. “He’s replacing your fallen Delta leader.”

Rocco’s hand stilled, fingers locked in place. “No shit?”

That made her grin. “No shit.”

“Huh.” His hand dropped, and he slowly began to relax. “How about that.”

“Who’s Brock?”

“Someone whose wife is never going to let him—” Rocco’s head dropped back against the wall with a thud. “Sarah. Brock’s wife is named Sarah.”

“Okay…”

“Jared was on the phone with
Sarah Gamble
not Sugar.” He went back to rubbing his head. “Long story short, Boss Man and Brock butted heads. Brock’s a good dude who’s been through hell. Way complicated.”

“Complicated is not my thing.”

“Yeah. Me either. But look, there’s something you need to know.”

“About complicated?”

His head dropped down even while he kept his arm slung around her. “Yeah, I guess.”