She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You looked upset. I was worried I did something to do that.”
Ugh, why was he being sweet to her? Normally, he was antagonistic. She didn’t blame him for that reaction. She’d embarrassed him more times than she could count, but she had made that damned promise to her grandmother all those years ago.
“Just thinking about a promise I need to keep.”
“If it makes you think dark thoughts, maybe you should let it go. Not every promise can be kept.”
Lila would laugh if she could. The fact that the promise she was thinking about had to deal with keeping him safe, and he just argued for her to drop the idea, was just too absurd for words.
“This is one of those things I can’t let go.”
He frowned and, dammit, he looked sexy frowning. She crossed her arms over her breasts because her nipples had gone hard. What the hell was wrong with her? Yes, Ian Smith was hot. Like he could be a movie star with his thick black hair and deep blue eyes. It didn’t hurt that he had a strong jaw and, well…he was put together nicely.
“Katya,” the woman behind the counter bellowed.
“That is me. Have a good day.”
She grabbed her food and ignored the irritated glare from the woman, then hurried out of the place. The fact that she’d run into Ian there was not a good sign. She had to make sure that she never ran into him again. It was hard in such a small area, but she would definitely need to come up with another way to find food. She had been splurging a little lately because she was so damned tired.
Before he could follow her out of the restaurant and therefore see where she was going, she grabbed her bike and rode off. The less contact with him, the less chance there was that he would get caught up in her insane life.
It didn’t take her even ten minutes to make it to the house that she had rented. It was off the beaten path with lots of land and a kick ass security system. She could see anyone coming for miles. After stowing the bike behind the house, she slipped inside, shutting the door quickly. She entered the security code, then sighed as soon as it disengaged. She removed the sunglasses, hat, and itchy wig, dropping them on the way to her kitchen.
It was a small house with only one bedroom, a smallish kitchen, and small living area. It was perfect for her purposes.
As she inhaled her burger, she thought of what her grandmother would think of it. Yes, they had lived in a massive house, but she had told Lila about her active days where she lived in huts, tents, and various other shelters. Lila wasn’t sure she would be able to live in a big house again. In the last few years, she had lived in mostly small spaces, except when she had to make do in the elements. The idea of a house with too many bedrooms and what not, well that made her itchy.
That was one thing about Ian that had surprised her. The house he bought here in Kauai was on the small side. She was sure he planned on expanding at some point when he got married and had children.
A pang hit her hard when she thought about that, but there was no doubt in her mind that Ian would want some kind of life like that. Not that it was anything she ever wanted. Loving people made you vulnerable. She had learned that lesson when she was twelve and watched the three people that meant the most to her die. And how would she even have kids? The target on her back would always be there, or it felt like it. It had been years since her grandmother had left her, but there was still a bounty on Lila’s head. There was no way she would ever bring a child into something like that.
With a sigh, she took a hit off her water bottle, then munched on her fries. Wishing for things that would never happen wasn’t a usual pastime for her. Truth was, Lila rarely had time to worry about things she couldn’t have. Staying alive, that was what was important.
But at what cost? That thought had been hitting her more and more since she had gotten to know the Task Force Hawai’i folks. They were all pairing off…finding love and having babies. Even Ian’s half-sister had found out she was pregnant just a few months ago.
Envy is a useless emotion.
How many times did she hear her grandmother say that? It was one of her many mantras. But…Lila felt it. It slithered into her thoughts late at night. She had never been a normal girl, one who went on dates. Even after she started working at the CIA, she found herself avoiding the very thing she yearned for.
Normalcy.
She sighed and looked around the rental house. There were notes everywhere, a sign that she had gone around the bend. This was what her father was like right before their house had been targeted. She remembered sticky notes all over their house. It was the only way she could get her thoughts in order, but she knew what it looked like.
Closing her eyes, she fought against the tears. They were useless, just like the envy she had been feeling. But sometimes, it was so damned hard. So much sat on her shoulders, weighing her down. At times, she felt like she was drowning.
Then…she heard something that sounded a lot like feet shuffling along the wooden floor. Adrenaline flooded her system and she fought against it. She couldn’t let the bastard know that she had heard him in her house.
She heard birds outside and nothing else. Well, not at first. The longer she listened she heard more shuffling. Jesus. Whoever they were, they were not good. If it was an assassin, they should move through the house without making any noise at all. The shuffling through her house was tantamount to elephants stampeding.
There…whoever it was in her house, was coming from the back. Which made sense. What didn’t make sense was the fact that none of her alarms had gone off. Had he put her alarm back on? He didn’t seem to be that good, and it was definitely a man from the sounds.
For a fast second or two, she thought that it might be Ian. Normally, she was sure the former MI-6 agent would probably slip into the house undetected. She’d watched enough video of him in the last few years to know that he could probably get into any secure building without anyone knowing.
Lila had a feeling he wouldn’t use those skills to get into her house. No, he’d bang on the front door and probably yell at her. Yeah, he would definitely yell at her.
Pushing those thoughts aside because she had an intruder and maybe she shouldn’t be daydreaming about a man who hated her, she concentrated on that intruder.
