“Good answer.” She sighs and moves her finger over my chest as she says, “Today, I won’t see much of you, so thank you . . . for last night and for staying in my bed.”
I cup her cheek, her glittering eyes captivating me. “You don’t need to thank me.”
She leans her face into my hand and rubs against my palm just as there’s a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I call out.
Ottar appears at the door, his face neutral, but from the way he entered, I can tell he needs to tell me something. “Keller, can we have a moment?”
Lilly glances over her shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Ottar answers. “Just a change in the parade route that I want to confirm.”
“Oh.” She turns back to me and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Have lunch with me later?”
“Yes,” I answer as I slip out of bed, my mind fixated on what Ottar has to tell me. I grab my phone and head toward the door when Lilly calls after me.
“Are you going to kiss me goodbye?” she asks.
Fuck, right.
I move back over to the bed, lean forward, and give her a chaste kiss. When I pull away and she frowns, I smirk and grip the back of her head where I press my lips deeper against hers, parting her mouth with my tongue. She lightly moans, leaning into the connection, and even though Ottar waits, I take that moment to drive my tongue into her mouth. Her fingers dig into the back of my head, and before things can get carried away, I pull away.
Satisfied, she flops back down on the bed.
“Love you,” she says, looking far too fucking beautiful with her hair splayed across the pillow, dreamy eyes staring up at me.
“Love you, Lilly.”
I give her one more parting look before I head out the door with Ottar. We go straight to my bedroom where Ottar shuts the door and says, “We believe we’ve caught the person.”
“Really?” I ask, spinning around to face him. “Who?”
“One of the guards was at the Crowned Cod last night and overheard someone talking about planting a bomb on the parade route, on the way to Norse Temple, and setting it off right before the wedding. They called us right away and we arrested them. It was someone from Arkham. What we expected. They’re in holding right now and their apartment is being searched.”
I push my hand through my hair and blow out a deep breath. “Fuck, really?”
Ottar nods. “Yes. But we’re still holding steady with our original security plan, and the parade route is being swept for any explosives. This could be a decoy.”
“Is that what you’re leaning toward?” I ask.
“I think it’s best that we keep all our options open at the moment. I’m not entirely convinced that this is taken care of.” He glances away, and I can tell there’s something that he’s not saying.
“What?” I ask him. “What are you not telling me?”
He folds his arms at his chest and leans against the door. “Can I be candid?”
“Yes,” I answer.
“I don’t think the person we caught last night is the person sending the letters. I have this sick feeling something else is planned. I mean, why would this guy purposely go into the Crowned Cod, a place where numerous staff drink at the end of the night, and start spouting off about his plans? It feels too convenient.”
“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” I ask as I take a seat on my bed. “So what do you think it was all about?”
“I don’t know, but I think whatever they have planned isn’t about to be discussed in a public forum.”
“Do you think we should call off the wedding?” I ask. “Because I fucking will. I’ll call it off right now. I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to Lilly.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not sure it would look good for the country, for you.”
