Mission: Marriage. Karen Whiddon

I didn’t want him to know.”

      “Or me?” She straightened her shoulders.

      “Or you,” he agreed, feeling as if he’d hammered another nail in his own coffin. “I’m sorry, Nat. But there’s something else I have to tell you.”

       Chapter 9

      “I’ve had enough of your secrets.” She hadn’t meant to raise her voice, yet here she was, shouting like a fishwife. Still, yelling felt damn good. Maybe it was about time she screamed at him. He’d certainly earned it.

      Despite this, she took a deep breath and deliberately lowered her voice. “You keep pulling them out of your hat like rabbits, one right after the other, until I wonder if you even know where they begin and end.”

      God, she hadn’t thought it would still hurt, hadn’t even thought that she could hurt this much. Yet, watching the wary expression on his face, she wondered if she’d ever even known the real Sean.

      “I told you some of the truth yesterday. And you didn’t want to hear the rest so I held back to protect you.”

      “I’m not a child, Sean.” Her voice rose again. “I’m your wife. Or was your wife. There weren’t supposed to be secrets between us. I can only take so much.”

      She shook her head, the anger leaching out of her as rapidly as it had come, replaced by a deep, deep sadness. “Is there anything you’ve ever told me that wasn’t false?”

      This time when he looked at her, she saw her own sorrow reflected in his eyes. “As I matter of fact, there is. When I said I love you and that everything I did was for you, I told the truth.”

      Though she wanted to run and put some distance between them, she didn’t move, but knew he’d seen the disbelief in her face. “And now?”

      “Are you sure you can handle this?”

      Clenching her teeth, she nodded. “What could be worse than learning your own husband pretended to be dead for two years?”

      Hurt flashed across his face, but he let her barb go.

      “I tried to tell you this before,” he reminded her. “But you said you’d had enough truth for one day.”

      “I’m ready now. I wasn’t then.”

      “There is another reason the Hungarian wants me dead,” Sean said slowly. “You know the story of how Corbett found me?”

      “I swear if you tell me that was a lie, I’ll—”

      “It was partial truth. I had just graduated from university, and I fell in with a bad crowd. I spent a lot of time partying and living in the streets. When I did work, I worked as a dishwasher or a busboy. Corbett used to come into this restaurant all the time. He’d talk to me, ask me questions and listen to me. He made me see I could do better. Finally, he offered me a job.”

      She inhaled. “Yes, I know. That’s the same thing you and Corbett always told me. What part’s untrue?”

      “Corbett did find me, but someone else found me first.”

      Not comprehending, Natalie waited. “Who?”

      “The Hungarian.”

      Despite herself, she took a step back. This was Sean. Sean. Who apparently had always been a master at hiding the truth. Could he have sunk any lower?

      “You’re a double agent? You’re the mole inside the Lazlo Group. Oh my God.” She couldn’t catch her breath. “You not only lied to me, but you lied to Corbett, too? You’ve double-crossed everyone.”

      After a moment of stunned silence, Sean laughed. This shocked her even further, though it was a hollow sound. “Come on, Nat. Be realistic. You know better.”

      “Do I?” She resisted the urge to rub her stinging eyes. “Apparently I don’t know you at all.”

      The guarded expression of mirth that he’d affected vanished. Hurt darkened his eyes. “I know I hurt you, but I did what I thought was best. For you. So you could live. Now, I might have done things differently, but—”

      “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” she cut him off. “Answer the question, Sean. Are you the mole?”

      “Of course not. I can’t believe you would think such a thing.”

      “Can’t you?” Again her anger, always close to the surface, bubbled up. “Nothing you’ve told me is true. Why should this be any different?”

      He sighed. “I worked for the Hungarian briefly, a long time ago, before I knew any better.”

      She felt as though she’d been zapped by a Taser. “You … worked for him? Then you know who he is.”

      “Not really. I told you—I’ve seen his face. But his real name—no one knows that. We all called him Big V. That was before he became known as the Hungarian.”

      She had to ask. “What did you do for him? What kind of work?” Praying he wouldn’t tell her he’d been the assassin for an organization that bordered on terrorism.

      “I did very little work.” Brows lowered, he looked annoyed. “Like I keep trying to tell you, I didn’t work for him that long. He’s the one who arranged the meeting with Corbett. He was aware Corbett liked that restaurant, so he got me a job there and made sure I got Corbett’s section. I guess he must have known Corbett would be a sucker for someone like me—a young man with a good education but no direction.”

      She gaped at him. “You’re telling me the Hungarian—”

      “Sent me in to take down Corbett. Yes. But I couldn’t. Once I got to know him and saw what he was like …”

      His voice broke. “So I pretended to be waiting for the right opportunity, which of course never came. Eventually, Big V began to question me, and I broke off all contact.”

      Now the vendetta made more sense.

      “You double-crossed the Hungarian? One of the most powerful underworld bosses in the world?”

      He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I barely knew him. I worked for him while I was at university. After I graduated, Corbett took me in, taught me the ropes. Helped me believe in myself. I couldn’t do what I’d been sent to do.”

      “Why’d he want to kill Corbett?”

      “No clue.” Shaking his head, his expression was grim. “But he’s hated him for years. Corbett can tell you the exact number of attempts that have been made to kill him over the years.”

      “And the e-mails? Are they from him, too?”

      “I don’t think so. I’ve tried to trace them, but the trail leads right back to the Lazlo Group’s server.”

      She took a deep breath. “All right, so you never told me. I’ll try to deal with that. But why didn’t you tell Corbett the truth? He was your mentor.”

      “Tell him? How could I?” Expression anguished, he took a step toward her, then stopped. “I was afraid. Afraid he’d stop trusting me. Afraid he’d send me back into the streets where I’d be at the complete mercy of the man I betrayed.” He sighed. “Then I met you and fell in love. I couldn’t go back. I didn’t want to go back.”

      “Didn’t you realize if the Hungarian could hate Corbett for years, he could surely want to make you pay, no matter how long it took?”

      “At first I didn’t. I was young and green. I didn’t fully understand how much power Big V had at his disposal. He gave me no warning, nothing. He simply sent his people in and obliterated my entire family. I knew you were next.”

      “So you ‘died.’” Even remembering hurt.

      “I