“Oh.” I didn’t have a home. “Well, I travel a lot.”
The blonde woman blinked. “Of course.”
Great. She probably thought I was the worst person. A woman who had no home, no friends, no family, who’d tried to kill Bastian.
God, his friends must really hate me. Under the table, I fiddled with my new bracelet.
“Georgie recently started working here at the Avernus,” Bastian interjected smoothly.
“Right.” That was a safe subject. “How’s that going?”
“Great.” Georgie’s beautiful face lit up. “I’m working with the Events team. It’s such a great group of people. We’re currently working on the opening of the new Isis and Osiris show.”
I resisted pulling a face. My hand resting on the table curled around the knife on the place setting. Without realizing, I pulled it under the table and imagined skewering that wannabe-Cleopatra in the eye. “I saw some of the set and actors today.”
Under the table, Bastian smoothly gripped my hand and confiscated the knife. Then his fingers grasped my thigh through the denim, squeezed. Goosebumps broke out on my skin.
“What did you think?”
I realized Georgie was talking to me. What the hell had we been talking about? “The show looks great.”
“Fabulous, right? Ticket presales are going through the roof. The Avernus only puts on the best shows.”
“Sounds like a dream job.”
“It is. I studied hospitality at college, but I hadn’t had a chance to put it to use. Did you go to college?”
The sense of not fitting in hit me again. “There are no degrees for assassins. It’s more on-the-job training.”
Georgie blushed. “Of course.”
Thankfully, the food arrived. I picked at my lobster. The flavors were excellent, but I suddenly realized I was…dysfunctional.
I’d never felt that before. I enjoyed my job. I liked the training and the travel. Someone had to do the work I did. I put down bad people, and I didn’t regret it.
But Bastian had gotten out. He’d built a business, he had friends, he gave money to charity.
He created things.
I ended things. I killed.
Why the hell was he even spending time with me? All I was doing was dragging him back into the life he’d left behind.
“Lark?”
Bastian’s voice made me look up. I realized he and the others were looking at me.
“Sorry. I was daydreaming. The lobster is awesome.”
He watched me like a hawk.
I forced a smile and stood. “I’m a little tired. I think I’m going to head out.”
He rose, placing his napkin on the table. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I could feel Georgie and Nash watching us. “Please, stay.”
“Please don’t go,” Georgie said, a worried look on her face.
