“You too, Gillian. What a gorgeous young lady you are,” Annette exclaimed. Garrett couldn’t argue with her there. “Well, I’ll leave you two young people. It’s almost time for Good Day New York.” She touched his face. “You’re such a sweet boy, just like my Henry.” His neighbor turned to Gillian and smiled. “You should stop by for a cup of tea.”
“I’d love to. I bet you’ve got some great dirt on this one.” Gillian flicked her thumb to Garrett, and he got the feeling she was enjoying the hell out of this.
“Don’t let him fool you with his tough-guy act. This is a first, me picking up groceries for him. He takes care of all the seniors on the block. He checks in on me every day in fact—”
“We should let you get back to your show,” Garrett interjected. “I’m sorry, but we’ve both got to get to work.” He tried to escort her out the door without being rude.
“Sure. See you later. Have a great day, you two.” Annette waved and walked out of his apartment.
Garrett shut the door and exhaled, not sure how Gillian would react. He did have a bad cop persona to uphold. “We should probably eat before the food gets cold.” Garrett motioned to the breakfast bar. They walked back to the island and sat down. “Look, about those things Annette said, you can’t believe everything you hear.”
“Right, of course not,” she nodded in agreement, and that damnable mouth of hers slanted into a smirk. “But I do like the nickname ‘sweet boy’. It suits you, and you shouldn’t be embarrassed about helping the people you care about.”
After that, neither of them said a word. He broke the awkward silence by heaping some food on his plate. He wouldn’t let her eat alone. “Getting back to our discussion, there’s no one else that can protect you, but me. You’ll have to make the best of a bad situation. It’s the only way to keep you safe. Sunlight negatively impacts a vampire’s speed so we should be okay during the day. I’ll give you a key as well as the password to my security system.”
“There must be some kind of mage witness protection program. If so, I’m all in aslong as it doesn’t involve driving a minivan.”
He laughed. “I can assure you, that's not an option. For now, we stick to the plan. You will stay here with me.”
“I can’t keep this from my friends. Why not tell them the whole truth?”
He shook his head. “And have history repeat itself? I don’t think so. The last time the ladies from your coven got involved in a police investigation it only complicated matters. They got in the way of authority. We need to keep them out of this for everyone’s safety.”
After she wiped her mouth on a napkin, she gazed over at him with an expectant look on her face. “For how long?”
“Hard to say at this point.” Garrett wanted to be as upfront with her as he could. After he took a bite of his breakfast, he chewed and swallowed. “It could be a week, maybe more.”
The pleading look in her eyes gutted him. “A week? There has to be another way. I can’t take not knowing what’s happening to her.”
“You have to trust us. I can assure you, we’re doing everything in our power to find her.” He only wished they had more to go on. “Getting back to you, I should be aware of your schedule,” he said, trying to redirect the conversation. “Do you have any prior engagements or appointments I should know about? If nothing’s urgent, you might want to cancel everything.”
“The shop’s participating in a festival on Halloween at the Weehawken Waterfront Park. I’m not going to cancel. It’s also a fundraiser for my charity. The proceeds go to kids with cancer. Is there any chance you can go with me?”
He nodded, taking a sip from his mug. “I’m familiar with the festival. It’s for a great cause. I’ll personally make sure we find a way to get you there.” The more he got to know her, the more it became clear how much her charity work meant to her.
Relief and gratitude flashed in her eyes in equal measure. “Thanks. I appreciate it.” She sat back in her chair, holding up her mug. “You were about to fill me in on anything that might lead you to Brooke.”
“I made some inquiries and found a link to Lawrence’s dating site. Of course, it was taken down, but from what I’ve researched, they prey on young, attractive women.”
“What can I do? I can’t just sit here and do nothing while Brooke is out there.” She pushed her plate away.
“You have to act natural and stick to your routine. I’ll drop you off at the shop and pick you up. It will help draw him out. From now on, I’ll be taking the day shift until the case is wrapped. Can you switch your schedule so you work during the day?”
“I’ll have to talk to the girls.” She tilted her head. “It’s going to be a challenge without telling them the truth.”
“We’ve already discussed this.” He met her gaze. “The last time they got in the way of authority, and it put all your lives in danger. No. It’s too risky.”
“How about a compromise?” she asked in a tentative voice.
“Fine, if you must tell one person, let it be someone who can keep a secret.”
“Thank you. But what am I supposed to tell my friends as to the reason I decided to move in here with you, someone they think I dislike?” Her lips parted. “Sorry if that came out wrong.”
“Not to worry. I’ve given this cover some thought, although I don’t think you’re going to like it very much.”
“What does this cover entail?” Gillian crossed her arms over her chest, and her robe peaked open. He followed the movement with his eyes, not able to keep from gazing at her creamy skin.
He’d always been of the mindset to rip the band-aid off clean. “It’s simple; we tell everyone that we’ve been secretly seeing each other. We tell them we’re a couple.”
