A muscle in my jaw ticks, my chest deflating. “Goodnight, Rose”
She hugs her body in the rain as she rushes to the front door of her small semi-detached house on the outskirts of the city.
Was she so desperate to get away from me she forgot all about her umbrella and her case?
I reach into the footwell of her seat and grab her umbrella, then climb out of the car and open the back door, reaching for her case.
She’s still fumbling with her keys when I reach her door. A shiver wracks her bones, but the air isn’t cold.
“Here. Let me help you.” I take the key from her hand and slide it into the lock.
She opens the door and taps the keypad in the hall to kill the alarm. 0606.
I make a mental note of the number, save me from having to hack the system. The date 06/06 somewhat familiar but I can’t think why. “You forgot your things.” I slide the case into her hall, but my feet remain outside. Reaching in, I place her umbrella on her console table, knocking a photograph of her with a boy.
My chest tightens as I stare at the photograph. “Is that your son?” I nod to the console table.
She stands in front of it, preventing me from looking. “Thank you for the ride.”
“Wait.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a business card. “This is my number. Put it in your phone and if you need me for anything, call me.”
She nods, takes the card and closes the door.
Rain beats down on my face as I jog back to the car. I turn on the heaters and call Dom because with a matter as sensitive as this, he’s the only person I trust.
“You made it, then? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He chuckles on the other end of the phone.
“I’m glad to be back. Put it that way. Did you get the cameras set up?”
“Yeah. You want to log in?”
I set the car going and pull off the curb. She’ll be safetonight. Magnus is still in Rome. “Change of plan. I’m coming back to the house.”
He chuckles again. “She wouldn’t let you in, would she?”
“No.” I tighten my jaw, grinding my back teeth.
“You’re losing your touch, brother.”
“She’s not the same person she was. She’s more wary now.” The girl I knew was a hopeless romantic, wearing her heart on her sleeve. One compliment and she was head over heels in love with me, like putty in my hands. I have my work cut out if I’m ever gonna be close to her again. And my smile ain’t gonna cut it anymore.
I turn off her estate. “Are you at the house or the cabin?”
“I’m coming to the house. I’ll meet you there.”
I pullthe car into the garage next to Dom’s Range Rover.
Dom limps slightly as he climbs the stairs from the garage to the apartment on the first floor. He punches in the security code on the keypad and opens the steel door to my place. It’s probably overkill, but I like to keep my stuff secure.
I follow his limp into the kitchen and drop my holdall onto the floor. “Your leg still playing up?”
“I’ll live.” He slides a key across the worktop. “Her neighbour has a spare. Older lady lets herself in and looks after her cat while she’s at work.”
I nod. “Did she see you?”
“I hid in the wardrobe.” His lips lift in the corner.
“What were you doing in her bedroom?” My back muscles tense, annoyed that my brother’s been in her bedroom before me. But I want more than to scope out her home. I want her here in my bed.
