Page 78 of Veiled

He finally glances back at me, “No thanks, but you should get inside. It’s cold out here, and you don’t have a sweatshirt on.”

“Alright. If you’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back inside in a little bit. Try to get some more sleep. We have a big day ahead of us.”

Chapter twenty-nine

Annalise

When our alarms go off at 6:00 am, I’m feeling more like myself.

There’s movement from the other side of the bed, and a sense of relief washes over me from seeing Aiden waking up, too. I was worried the anticipation of the day was going to keep him up the rest of the night.

“Good morning,” I mumble.

“Good morning.” His voice is stern, not the sweet lilt that I got yesterday, but calm, focused. “I’ll go make our coffees if you want to get ready and finish packing your stuff.”

I nod, trying to push away the little flutter of uncertainty in my stomach. “Yeah, I’m going to rinse off too. Should be ready in ten.”

“That’s fine,” he says, barely looking at me as he gets up. “No need to rush. We’ve got thirty minutes before we need to leave.”

I head into the bathroom, washing away the lingering sweat of my nightmare and trying to scrub the dark memories off my skin so they don’t cling to me today.

When I finish, I slip into leggings, a sports bra, and running shoes, my movements automatic. I pull my hair into a high ponytail and keep my makeup minimal—a little concealer to cover up the dark circles under my eyes, a swipe of mascara, and clear lip gloss to give a neutral, but pretty finish.

Once everything is packed up, I drop my bag by the door and join Aiden in the kitchen.

He spits his coffee back into his mug when I walk in. “That’s what you’re wearing for our mission?”

“Yes? I need to look the part to get us in, and then it’ll be easy for me to move around in once we’re inside.”

Aiden’s brows furrow slightly as he takes another sip, then lets out a quiet ‘hmmm’ but doesn’t say anything else.

I shrug and decide to take full advantage of the last few minutes of downtime we have before the hard part of the mission starts. After thanking him for my coffee, I walk out to the porch and settle into a chair, letting the salty breeze hit my skin. The sound of waves crashing against the shore fills the silence, and for a brief moment, I let myself relax.

Aiden doesn’t say another word to me after he tells me our bags are packed, and he’s ready to go whenever I am.

His lingering tension is evident in his posture the entire drive. Rather than trying to force him to talk to me, I let him process whatever is bothering him in silence while I focus on what I need to do today.

Mentally, I run through the plan again before instinctively pulling my hair tight in its ponytail.

“I’ll run from here,” I announce, the first sound other than his turn signals since we got into the car.

Aiden glances at me, then at the GPS on the dashboard. “We’re still another two miles away from his office.”

“Exactly." I bite back a smile. “If I’m going to sell that I’ve been out for a run, I should probably have the sweat to back it up. It’s been a few days since I’ve run, and it’s hotter here, so the sweat should come a little easier.”

He looks at me, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes, but he doesn’t argue. “Fine,” he mutters, slowing down and pulling over to the curb. “I’ll be waiting on the side of his building for your signal.”

“Sounds good,” I say as I climb out, “See you soon, Ace.”

I do a quick stretch on the sidewalk and pop in my headphones, drowning out the world as High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco sets my pace.

I thank yesterday’s mimosas for how quickly I break a sweat, perfectly glistening by the time I reach the high-rise where Greg works.

This is it. No time for nerves.

After putting my phone and headphones in my pocket, I sprint into the building, pretending to be more out of breath than I am.