Cate shook her head. “As much as I could use a glass, I want a clear head when I meet with him.” She stared at the time displayed on the phone’s screen. Eight forty-five. No text. No call. Nothing. She began to think Draco had been right.
Her cell phone chirped with an incoming text.
Cate reached for the cell phone, almost knocking it off the table. She opened her text messages and stared down at the screen. “It’s him,” she breathed.
Chapter 6
“He dropped a pin at the location where he wants to meet.” Cate opened the map app and pulled up directions to that location from where they were sitting. “Shit,” she said, pushing to her feet. “It’s a fifteen-minute walk from here. We only have thirteen minutes to get there.”
“You up for a late-night jog?” he asked, tossing enough euros onto the table to cover their tab.
“I have to be. I don’t want to be late and miss this opportunity.” Cate stared down at her cell phone, orienting the map to match the direction they were facing, then turned until she was moving toward the pin on the map. She took off at an easy jog, determined not to run out of steam halfway there. She focused on the map, glad Draco was with her and able to keep an eye out for their safety. For all she knew, this could be a setup.
After several blocks and multiple turns, Cate slowed, knowing that when they turned onto the next street, they should be close enough to see the spot Brunner had chosen, maybe even see the man himself. She stopped at that corner and glanced toward Draco. “Are we good?”
He nodded. “No tail. Let me see the map.”
She held it up for him. “We shaved four minutes off the time to destination.” She was breathing hard, but it was manageable and already returning to normal.
“Let me go first,” Draco said. “Follow, but a little behind me so we don’t look like we’re together. Brunner knows I’ll be with you, but we can’t be sure he isn’t setting you up for another kidnapping.” He captured her cheeks between his palms. “Don’t wait too long. I don’t want you out of my sight for more than a second.” Then he bent and kissed her.
Cate’s heart fluttered.
When he pulled away, she stared up at him. “What was that for?”
“I couldn’t resist,” he said. “One second and you follow, got it?”
She nodded. Before he could round the corner, she grabbed his hand and yanked him back to her.
He frowned. “Did I forget something?”
“Yes. This.” She leaned up on her toes, wrapped her hand behind his head, and pressed her lips to his in a quick, hard kiss. Then she stepped back, her hand falling to her side.
He gave her a crooked smile. “What was that for?”
“I couldn’t resist.” Cate reached out, physically turned him toward the corner and gave him a firm push. “Don’t make this weird.”
He chuckled and winked over his shoulder at her. “Too late.” Then he was gone.
Cate didn’t wait the full second. As soon as he was out of sight, she missed him and the way he made her feel.
He made her feel safe.
And so much more.
Cate rounded the corner, her gaze automatically seeking Draco’s tall form. He stood several yards away with his cell phone pressed to his ear. Cate couldn’t tell whether he was actually talking to someone or using the phone as a prop to stop walking and wait for Cate to emerge.
Knowing Draco had her back, Cate scanned what appeared to be a city square that might have been a marketplace in the past with a cathedral at the far end and busy restaurants on three sides. The pinpoint on the map indicated she should cross to the restaurant at the far side of the square.
People sat around outdoor tables, enjoying their meals and conversations by candlelight and soft overhead strings of light woven between the slats of pergolas. The outdoor seating extended each restaurant’s capacity, allowing for more people than the interior spaces could accommodate.
Cate walked across the open space, not liking being exposed to whoever might be watching her approach. She tried to blend in with groups of folks, weaving their way through the tables spilling out onto the square, all the while keeping Draco in her peripheral vision and scanning faces for Brunner.
As she approached the pin’s exact location, Brunner was nowhere to be seen. Though she was far too jumpy to sit, she found an empty table and perched on the edge of the chair, ready to spring up at any sign of danger. Her gaze swept the crowds and the shadows cast by the buildings. Draco had moved closer, taking a seat at the far end of the restaurant adjacent to where Cate waited.
A glance at the clock on her cell phone showed that she’d arrived two minutes early for her assignation. Cate’s leg bounced, every nerve stretched tight.
A waiter stopped at her table, stood between her and her view of Draco and spoke in German.
