The Truth by Karin Tabke

act?”
    “I have broken my General Orders twice today because of you. I’m not breaking any more.”
    “I told you once, trust goes both ways, Simon. Trust me now.”
    He backed away shaking his head. “No can do. Your safety is more important to me than your trust.”
    That hit home. Hard.
    “I can take care of myself.”
    “No, you can’t. Look at the mess you’ve gotten yourself in. Hell, you even hide from life, Kat. Who spends all of their time between a lab, the gym, and their apartment?”
    “I don’t,” she lied, to him and to herself.
    “Yeah, you do. Go live a little before the shit really starts to hit the fan.”
    “I did that with you and you broke my heart!” She didn’t mean to say that but she did. And she meant it because it was true.
    “I bared my heart and soul to you and you crapped on it.” He remained silent and let her purge herself. “I should have kept walking the first time I saw you. You’ve brought me nothing but heartache and pain, two things my lab, gym, and apartment have never brought me!” She pushed past him, then whirled around and faced him again. “How can you tell me you’re not the enemy, when everything you do hurts me?”
    “Everything, Cinderella?” he asked, moving into her space. She backed up and he continued forward until she was up against a wall. “The first time I touched you, you closed your eyes and sighed. Hoping, wishing,
praying
I would touch you again. That doesn’t sound like pain to me.” He dipped his head and inhaled the scent of her. “You came in my mouth, Kat. Did that hurt?”
    “No,” she whispered. Thankful they were in a public place, even if they were off to the side.
    “When I entered you that night, you were so hot and turned on you couldn’t stop moaning your pleasure. Even when I got a little rough in my excitement, you loved it.” He traced his finger along her shoulder, down her arm, along the outside swell of her breast. “Didn’t you?”
    “Yes,” she croaked, losing the battle to control the rise of her body temperature.
    “Then don’t tell me that everything I do to you hurts.”
    “I meant, inside. Emotionally,” she managed to squeak.
    “I make you laugh; did Evan make you laugh?”
    She looked up into his deep emerald gaze. “No.”
    “I want to take you in my arms right now and remind you how much you love what I do to you.” He stepped back. “But we’re in the Federal Building and there are eyes and ears everywhere.”
    With shaky hands, Katy smoothed her palms down her skirt. “We’re … whatever
we
were is over, Simon. I’m not going to be with a man, even as his booty call, who won’t tell me the significance of an insignificant ringtone.” She shook her head. “Please, I appreciate your help with my situation. I
want
your help, but I’m afraid I can’t right now. Not when I’m feeling so vulnerable and wary of you.”
    She turned and walked away. As much as she wanted to turn around and run into his strong, protective arms, for him to soothe her with his words and soft caresses, she couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Not until he trusted her enough to open up and talk to her.
    Before she went home, she stopped at a convenience store and paid cash for an upgraded burner phone. Less than a half hour later, she arrived to a shambles of an apartment. Angrily she stared at the carnage. It’s how she felt inside. Wrecked. And she was too drained to try and put her apartment back together much less the pieces of her heart.
    Exhaling loudly, at least she didn’t have to look far for her clothes. She packed quickly, and without so much as a backward glance, she exited her apartment and walked down to Rosie’s.
    “What the hell’s going on? Your place was crawling with feds.”
    “Evan is an even bigger douche bag than I thought he was.” Tears stung her eyes. “I was arrested today, Rosie.”
    “Whaaat? On what charges?”
    “Conspiracy this, conspiracy that. You name a conspiracy, I conspired