Kathleen sat on the edge of the berth, shoulders straight, jaw tight. She met Enzo’s gaze and held it.
“They’re still there,” she said quietly.
“I know.”
“Do we have any kind of a plan?”
Enzo ground his teeth. “Not so much a plan as an idea. We need an opportunity we can exploit.”
Kathleen studied him. “You’re saying we play it by ear.”
“I know it doesn’t sound like much, but we don’t have much to work with.” His stomach knotted. He wanted to do better by her. She deserved to be safe. Deserved to live a normal life. Deserved a hell of a lot more than this.
Her pretty red hair swayed as she shook her head. “I get it. We stay flexible and strike when the opening appears.” She offered him a small, steady smile. “I’m okay with that.”
Then her gaze shifted, just a flicker, to the compartment window. And she froze.
Enzo followed her line of sight.
On the platform outside, half-turned as if checking the departure board, stood a man who didn’t belong to the chaos. Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. A tailored coat that looked expensive without trying. The man glanced up.
Kathleen sucked in a breath.
“Oh my God,” she murmured. Then, louder, “Dragan.”
The man’s head snapped upward as if he heard the sound, although that was impossible in the cacophony that was ParisGare du Nord. His expression shifted instantly, from alert to focused to something warmer when his eyes locked on Kathleen.
He smiled. Not polite. Not casual.
Intimate.
Enzo’s instincts flared hard and fast.
Kathleen was already on her feet. “Enzo,” she said under her breath, excitement threading through the tension, “that’s Dragan. He works for the Callahans. Better yet, he’s fucking awesome at what he does.”
“How do you know he’s so awesome?” Enzo asked, not liking the sudden heat in his chest.
Before she could answer, Dragan lifted his chin in a subtle, deliberate nod. Then, barely perceptible, he tapped two fingers against his thigh and turned away, heading toward the stairs at the far end of the platform.
Enzo processed it instantly.
Kathleen grabbed his arm. “Because he helped get Connor back, and he was my bodyguard for a while. He’s here to help us.”
“You trust him?” Enzo asked. He wasn’t pleased at the tone of Kathleen’s voice when she spoke the other man’s name.
“Yes.” No hesitation. “Completely.”
The brakes screamed as the train shuddered to a halt. The doors unlocked with a heavy click. Enzo cursed softly, then cupped Kathleen’s face and dropped a hard kiss on her mouth. “I’ll protect you to the best of my ability. If I tell you to do something, do it. No arguing. Don’t look back. Don’t wait for me.”
She started to protest. “Enzo, we can do better if we stay?—”
“Please.” He didn’t want to have to explain everything. There wasn’t time.
She searched his face, then nodded. “Okay.”
Activity exploded in the corridor. Passengers surging, luggage banging, voices rising. The compartment door rattled as someone brushed past it. Then the handle turned. Not all the way. Just enough to test.
Enzo leaned close. “When that door opens, stay on my left. No matter what happens, don’t stop moving.”
