I needed a nap. But first, I had to unpack.
The first thing I pulled from my bag was my oversized sleep shirt—a faded Arctic Monkeys concert tee from 2013. I held it up, anxiety swirling through me. The neckline was too low to hide my scars, especially with Scarlett so close. I’d have to change in the bathroom, keep my hair down…
No. What was the point in hiding?
Scarlett would see eventually. Better to get it over with, rip off the bandage rather than prolong the inevitable. Maybe she’d even choose to sleep somewhere else and give me the entire bed.
There was a light knock before the door opened, and Scarlett entered with a grace that made me intensely self-conscious. Even after a long travel day, she looked impeccable—her chestnut hair perfectly styled, her outfit unwrinkled. She carried herself with the kind of easy confidence that beautiful women often possessed, the kind I’d lost forever the moment Owen had recoiled from me.
“The view is spectacular,” she said, nodding toward the balcony doors.
“It is.” I continued transferring clothes into the dresser as she set her bag on the bed. “I hope you don’t mind sharing. I can take the floor if?—”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She waved a dismissive hand and carried a few outfits to the wardrobe. “We’re adults. Besides, the floor would wreck your back.”
I nodded while pulling out my toiletry bag. “Why is everyone so afraid of you being near Noah?”
“He’s tried recruiting me a few times.” She paused before taking the next item from her suitcase. “And he’s kidnapped a few of us in the past.”
“A few?” I thought back to the meetings at Reynolds yesterday, and something Malcolm had said about someone being taken in Monaco. But that hadn’t been one of their teammates, had it?
“Emmett, Malcolm, a vault designer working with us, and then my best friend, Jenn.” She counted them off on her fingers. “He’s been trying to lure me to Fenix since we found out he’d faked his death.”
“Sounds like a red-flag kind of guy.”
“You think?” She let out a small laugh. “And yet, here we are, planning to meet him tomorrow morning.”
“You’re either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.”
“Probably both.” She pulled a silk pajama set from her bag. “Rav says I’m stubborn.”
The mention of his name caused my stomach to clench. “He seems protective of you.”
“He’s always been a protective guy, fiercely loyal to those he cares about,” she said, her voice softening. “We’ve known each other since we were twelve.”
“I didn’t realize that.” The revelation shifted something in my understanding of their relationship.
“He’s one of my best friends,” she said simply. “Has been for almost twenty years.”
I turned away, suddenly needing to busy my hands. I pulled my sleep shirt from the bag and gathered my toiletries. “I’m going to change and wash up.”
“Smart thinking. It’s still early in Halifax, so Brie’s team is running through some analysis with Drew, but things are winding down, so the bathrooms will be in high demand soon.”
When I returned fifteen minutes later, wearing my concert tee, Scarlett was sitting on the edge of the bed scrolling through her phone. She glanced up as I entered.
“Bathroom’s all yours,” I said, setting my toiletry bag back on the dresser.
“Thanks.” She stood, gathering her own supplies. At the door, she paused. “I’m sure you’d rather be with your team, but this is the smart call.”
“I know.”
“And since we’ll be rooming together…” She blinked a few times, as though trying to choose the right words. “We can either pretend I know nothing about you, or we can both admit Rav’s told me about you.”
I stiffened, my hand automatically rising toward my neck before I forced it back down. When had Rav discussed me with her? How much had he told her? “I don’t like pretending.”
“Good.” She tapped the side of her neck. “Rav told me you’d been injured in the Middle East. Is that what that is?”
“Yes,” I said cautiously. “Chemical burns.”
