Silence stretched between them.
Cate didn’t tell him she wouldn’t continue the mission without him. After what had happened that night, she’d be a fool to go it alone. So, she pulled up her big girl panties, lifted her chin, and met his gaze directly. “We have to have ground rules.”
“Name them,” he said, with a touch of relief.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down her nose at him—well, as much as she could, a foot shorter than the man. “This is my case. I’m the lead. I choose what doors to knock on, who we interview, and I conduct the interview. This is what I do. I’m good at it, and I don’t need anyone trying to manage me.”
Draco dipped his head. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to argue?”
“No argument here,” he said. “My turn.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re in charge of the investigation,” he repeated. “I’m in charge of safety. I decide where we sleep, how we move, if we need to walk away when something doesn’t feel right. When I say we’re leaving. We might not have time to argue. You can get mad at me, as long as you move out smartly. Yell at me later, but we leave first.”
“If I disagree?” Cate said, her chin rising.
“I’m fine with that, as long as we’re moving.”
Cate felt like they were in the middle of a standoff, each used to being in charge but neither wanting to give up that control.
“This idea seems problematic from the get-go,” she said.
“Most definitely.” His lips quirked on the corners. “You said rules. What else you got?”
She lowered her arms to her sides and curled her fingers into fists. “Don’t lie to me. Not about the case or about your thoughts. Don’t think you have to spare my feelings. And that includes lying by omission.” Her lips pressed together. “I’m a grown-ass woman. I can handle bad news.” It’s the not knowing that nearly killed me.
Draco remained silent for a moment and then nodded, his eyes softening. “Deal.”
Cate’s heart contracted when she realized he meant it.
“Any other rules?” he prompted.
She shook her head. “I only had two.”
“I have one more.” He crossed the room, grabbed the chair and carried it to the door. After setting it down to face the window, he sat, stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles, looking like he had every intention of being there until the sun came up.
“You take the bed.” He crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his head toward the single bed.
When Cate opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. “That’s nonnegotiable. I’m not being a gentleman or being noble. In the past two weeks you haven’t had much sleep. You need to be sharp, on your toes, ready for anything.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Besides, you snore.”
Cate let out a snort. “I don’t snore.”
“You did on the drive from Vienna, sacked out on the back seat of the van, like a chainsaw that needed oil.”
Cate grabbed a pillow from the bed and flung it at him. “Liar!”
He caught it and shoved it behind his head. “I promised not to lie.”
For a long moment, she stood, staring at the man who’d broken her heart more than she’d cared to admit. She wanted to throw more than a pillow at him to make him hurt like he’d hurt her.
That she wanted to throw her arms around him scared her even more than the attacks of earlier.
“Go to sleep, Marsh,” Draco murmured.
Cate flopped onto the bed, fully clothed, lying across the covers, staring up at the ceiling, absolutely certain she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Too much had happened. She was afraid that if she closed her eyes, images of the driver’s back or the attacker’s dark hulk would rush in and overwhelm her.