‘Just coffee.’ Somehow he managed to make that instruction sound intimate. ‘I like your hair. The cut shows off your face.’
The compliment threw her and she lifted her hand to her newly cropped hair.
She’d cut it herself, with blunt scissors and nothing but a chipped mirror in which to view the results. With a few hacks of those scissors she’d become Lena. And when she’d finished hacking she’d scooped up the mounds of soft golden hair and added them to the rubbish where no one would find it. It was the first thing she’d done in her new life. The second was to get a job, and she knew she’d been lucky to get this one when so many were struggling.
‘What do you want, Stefan?’
‘You didn’t have to cut it. You don’t have to hide.’
Panic gripped her and she glanced over her shoulder to check no one was listening. ‘I’m not hiding. I’m working in a restaurant in full daylight. And I’d like to take your order.’
‘You’re trying not to draw attention to yourself. You’ve cut your hair. You’re nervous. I can protect you.’
There was a strange fluttering low in her belly. ‘Too late. I don’t believe in heroes any more.’
‘How about man’s ability to make a mistake. Do you believe in that?’
She didn’t dare listen. He was smooth, persuasive and a master negotiator. She knew he would probably be capable of convincing her of anything.
‘I’ll fetch your coffee.’
‘What time do you finish?’
‘It doesn’t matter. I don’t want you to come here again. You mustn’t come here again. You’re too—conspicuous.’ Her heart thudded hard against her ribs. The thought that her father might find her made her feel sick. She’d contemplated hiding away but that would have made it impossible for her to work, and if she couldn’t earn money she couldn’t be independent. And that wasn’t all, of course. She refused to live her life in hiding.
He read her mind and his gaze darkened. ‘I won’t let him hurt you.’
‘You were the reason he hurt me last time. If you come here, you’ll attract attention. I don’t want you here again.’
He reached out, those long, strong fingers trapping hers. ‘I repeat—he won’t hurt you.’
‘And how do you plan to stop him? I’d rather rely on myself, thank you.’
‘The police questioned him and then released him. You haven’t been out of our sight for the past three weeks.’
The shock was physical. She snatched her hand away from his. ‘Our sight?’
‘I had to ensure your safety. As you pointed out when we last met, my actions put you in danger. The least I could do was fix that. He won’t touch you again.’
‘You’ve had me followed?’
‘For your safety.’
The thought made her grow cold. He’d had her followed and she hadn’t noticed. She’d been alert, on the look-out, but she hadn’t noticed. How could that have happened?
She looked around but no one stood out. There were tourists. A group of Americans. An English couple. A bunch of local men. Two giggling teenage girls. ‘How? Who has been watching me?’
‘You wouldn’t have seen them so stop beating yourself up for being unobservant.’
‘I’ve been looking.’
‘Takis only employs the best in his team. If you’d spotted them they would have been out of a job.’
Takis. Selene remembered how kind he’d been to her mother that day. How kind he’d been to her. ‘He’s...’ She sighed. ‘I liked him.’
‘I only employ the best, too. As I said—you don’t need to be afraid.’
‘I’m not afraid. And I don’t appreciate you interfering.’
‘You accused me of putting you in danger. You have to allow me to put that right.’ His tone was conversational. Casual. No one watching them would have guessed they were talking about anything more significant than the menu.
‘If you don’t want to put me in danger the best thing you can do is stay away.’
‘We’ll talk about it over dinner, Selene.’