“This is my fault,” I said, the words coming out strangled. “I should’ve told Steve what to say. I should’ve warned him?—”
“No.” Eamon’s voice was sharp. “This is not your fault. We both know Steve wouldn’t have been able to lie convincingly. It was only a matter of time before Carlo discovered the truth.”
“But Steve’s in danger now too, isn’t he? If Carlo thinks he might know something?—”
“Steve’s being watched. Protected. He’ll be fine.”
“By who?” I looked at him sharply. “You keep saying people are being protected, but you’re just one detective. How do you have the resources for all this surveillance?”
Something flickered across Eamon’s face—that same brief panic I’d noticed before when his cover story didn’t quite hold up. “I’ve got backup. Other officers.”
Another non-answer. Another deflection. But I was too terrified to push for details right now. “What happens next?” I asked instead.
Eamon was quiet for a long moment, staring down at his hands. “We have to leave. Tonight.”
“Leave?” The word came out as barely a whisper.
“I’ve got a safe house lined up. Remote, off the grid. Somewhere Carlo’s people will never find you.”
I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. “For how long?”
“A few days. Maybe a week. The NYPD is close to having enough evidence to arrest Carlo, but they need a little more time.”
“A week.” I felt numb, disconnected from my own voice. “I can’t disappear for a week, Eamon. I have a business. Employees. Customers who depend on me.”
“You have a life depending on you. Your life. Which won’t mean much if you’re dead.”
The bluntness of it hit me like a slap. He was right. Logically, I understood that staying here was essentially suicide. But the thought of abandoning everything I’d worked for, everyone who counted on me, made me feel sick. “What about Dani? She can’t run the bakery by herself for a week. And I’ve got three cakes due next weekend?—”
“Charles.” Eamon moved to the couch beside me, his large hands covering mine. “I know this is hard. I know it feels like you’re giving up everything you’ve built. But none of that matters if you’re not alive to enjoy it.”
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I blinked them back. I would not fall apart. Not when Eamon needed me to be strong, to be brave. “How remote are we talking?”
“A cabin in the Adirondacks. No cell service, no internet. Just you, me, and nature, which will be gorgeous this time of year.”
Despite everything, I almost smiled at that. “You really know how to sell a vacation destination.”
“It’s temporary. I swear to you, Charles, this is temporary. Once Carlo’s in custody, you can come home, and things can go back to normal.”
Normal. Right. Because after this week of hiding in the woods with my fake boyfriend, whom I was definitely falling for, everything would magically return to the way it was before.
“I need to pack,” I said, standing abruptly. “And call Dani. Figure out how to explain why I’m suddenly disappearing without actually explaining anything. And then I’ll have to call around and see who can make those wedding cakes for me because I’m not canceling on those without offering a solution. It would destroy the reputation I’ve worked so hard to build.”
Eamon nodded. “I understand. We have a few hours, but we have to leave tonight.”
A few hours. A few hours to pack up my life and leave everything I cared about behind. Just enough time to finish the beef bourguignon, but not to eat it—a perfect metaphor for how this day had gone.
I started with Dani, my hands shaking as I dialed her number.
“Hey, boss,” she answered on the second ring. “What’s up?”
“I need you to listen carefully,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I have a family emergency, and I need to leave town tonight. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone—maybe a week, maybe longer.”
“Oh my god, Charles, what happened? Is everyone okay?”
The concern in her voice made my chest tight with guilt. “I can’t really explain right now, but I need you to handle the shop while I’m gone. Can you call Judith and see if she can work more hours?”
“Of course, but, Charles?—”
