‘If you tell her, you put her in jeopardy and if you do that to her, you’ll despise yourself for it.’
He reverses the car into a space on the road outside Lincoln’s Inn, then kills the engine, but neither one of us moves.
‘Are we still talking about Sandy?’ I ask.
He leans back in his seat and turns his head to look at me. He’s so astonishingly beautiful, it makes my stomach ache. Reaching down, he releases my seat belt, then his own. We literally climb out of the car and I move to his side, taking hold of his hand.
‘Come here first,’ I say, tugging gently, leading us into Lincoln’s Inn Field, a small, green sanctuary in the heart of the city. We walk the gravel path, past couples strolling with dogs and resting on benches holding hot drinks to take the chill from their cold hands. ‘I could never hate you or despise you and I need you to remember that, no matter what happens.’
Gregory stops us and tucks my hair behind my ear that way he does. ‘I’m sorry for everything I’ve brought on you. I wish I’d killed him so you wouldn’t have to keep overthinking this whole thing. I thought I’d killed him and that’s how it should’ve been. I don’t want to put you through this any more.’
I swear my heart stops beating in my chest. His words come back to me:she can move on. ‘Do you want me to move out?’
He hesitates and scrunches his brow. I hold my breath to concentrate on not falling apart.
‘Why would I want you to move out?’
‘It was only ever temporary. You asked me to move in so you could protect me but that was before. Now there’s nothing to protect me from.’
He grasps the sides of my face in his hands and shakes me gently. ‘Do you remember what I said to you when I asked you to move in? I told you that I wanted to protect you.’
I nod.
‘But I also told you that I never wanted to let you go in case you realised what I was and never came back. Part of me wishes you did want to move out, Scarlett, because getting away from me would be the best thing for you. My life, it’s… I’m not the man you deserve. You should have someone who can give you everything you need, someone who can protect you and doesn’t operate in the grey.’
I shake my head in his palms and close my eyes.
‘I’ll never ask you to go. I wish I had the strength to do what’s right by you.’ He bends slightly and presses his forehead against mine. ‘But I just can’t let you go.’
‘I’ll never be sorry I met you. And I’ll never hate or despise you. The only thing that scares me is the lengths I’d go to keep you.’
‘Jesus, Scarlett, if only you knew…’
‘Shh, kiss me.’
His warm, sweet breath caresses my lips before he gives me want I want. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest. When he eventually frees me of his hold, I fumble with his checkered scarf, arranging it around his neck just so.
‘Ready?’ he asks.
‘Yes.’ I slide my hand back into his and we interlace ourfingers. ‘Gregory, when we meet KC Harrison, you can’t tell him anything that he can’t defend, okay?’
‘You mean that my girlfriend’s an assassin?’
As he does so frequently, he takes the air out of my lungs.
He cocks his head to one side and fights a coy smile. ‘Too soon?’
‘Girlfriend?’
He flashes the most dashing smile I’ve ever seen and continues his long strides towards Lincoln’s Inn. I eventually find my legs and jog, a woman-in-heels-type jog, to catch him up.
‘I’m serious. John Harrison’s under a duty not to put himself in contempt of court so if you tell him something that would make him lie, he won’t be able to defend you.’
The enormous, red-brick building is the epitome of elegance. Gregory holds open the hefty wood door and we make our way through the grand old corridors adorned with paintings of Lincoln’s Inn alumni, judges and King’s Counsel.
We follow the gold plaques forHarrison Chambersuntil we arrive at a door with a similar plaque readingKC Harrison. Gregory raps twice.
‘Come in! Scarlett, nice to see you again.’ John extends his hand. I’ve referred clients to him in the past, but never a boyfriend, funnily enough. ‘I dare say it would have been preferable to meet under better circumstances.’
