Under any other circumstances, Mallory would have loved it. Today, it just made her queasy as she tried to plan her escape to the mountains.
Colorful stalls lined the courtyard walls with everything from handmade scarves, to jars of james, to baskets of pastries. Families wandered between booths while children laughed and chased each other through the snow.
Jakob tried hard to make it feel like an ordinary outing.
“Try this,” he said and handed her a sample of locally made cheese.
“It’s amazing,” she said. She proved that she meant it by reaching for another sample.
Even though he tried to hide it, Mallory couldn’t ignore the way Jakob scanned the crowd over and over again, how his posture stayed rigid, or how his smile never quite reached his eyes.
He was on edge. Watching. Guarding. Protecting her, without even knowing what from. Several times guilt almost made her confess about Meg. She hated to let him think that she was in danger, even though she couldn’t prove that she wasn’t.
His head turned sharply every time someone came too close, but Mallory pretended not to notice.
They were examining a display of hand-carved ornaments when Viggo approached. She watched the tall, broad-shouldered guard for any hint of trouble.
“Your Majesty,” the man said quietly.
Jakob straightened. “Viggo. Any update?”
“Yes, sir.” Viggo lowered his voice. “We were unable to trace the cell phone from last night. Messages were routed through multiple servers. Whoever sent them covered their tracks well.”
Mallory froze. His mention of cell phone messages made her blood run cold. Her stomach dropped as she tried not to be obvious with her eavesdropping. Surely they couldn’t be talking about the texts she had received.
“We also haven’t identified who the receiver was,” Viggo continued. “No name, no number we can follow.”
Jakob frowned. “Keep trying.”
“Yes, sir. We’ve begun checking the hotel staff as well to learn of anyone who might have reported that she was back in town.”
Mallory’s heart slammed to a stop.
She.
Back in town.
Theyweretalking about her and most likely about the people who had Meg.
Her fingers tightened around the ornament in her hand.
“Wait,” Mallory said, cutting in before she could stop herself. “What are you talking about?”
Both men turned to look at her.
Jakob’s expression shifted instantly. “Mallory, please.”
“No,” she said. Her voice rose despite her best efforts to stay calm. “I want to know. Who’s back in town? And why are you checking with the staff about it?”
A flicker of alarm crossed Jakob’s face.
“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” he said gently.
But Mallory was already shaking her head.
“No more secrets,” she said. “I’ve had enough of those.”
Viggo glanced uncertainly between them.
