Dirty Dealers

Kass moves away, dropping her hand and walking ahead of us. Beneath the black sweater, she’s wearing a beige dress Ava must have loaned her. It has a long, flowing skirt that whips around her sexy legs. The wind blows hard, and I can see the shape of her breasts beneath the thin material of the top. Her pale hair flies around her in the breeze, and my fingers curl. I want to thread them in her hair. I want to slide them down her body and love her.

Fuck that. I shake away my residual desire when I notice the queen’s eyes are fixed on me. Clearing my throat, I pass a hand over my mouth. “The king asked us to be extra vigilant.”

She smiles and narrows her eyes. “Is Rowan the only reason you’re staying so close?”

She’s onto me, but I’m not playing into any romantic notions. “My job is to keep you safe. As long as the threat level is high, I’m afraid I have to stay with you. I’ll try not to make you uncomfortable.”

“You never make me uncomfortable.” Her hand is still on my forearm, and she starts to walk. I stay with her, and we follow in Kass’s footsteps on the sand.

Looking up, I watch Kass go toward the breakers then step out of them when they rush in deep around her ankles. The hem of her dress is wet, but it still moves up and around in the breeze.

“I like her,” Ava says, her voice thoughtful.

“We’re treating her like a suspect until we’re sure she’s no longer a threat. It would be careless to do otherwise.”

Ava exhales a short laugh. “She’s not a threat. She tried to kill Blix herself.”

“So she says.” I can’t shake how easily she lied to me before—and how easily I believed her.

“I believe her,” Ava argues. “I’d like to stay here while we have her in custody. She makes me feel less… lonely.”

&nb

sp; “Are you lonely?” I hadn’t considered the possibility, but it makes sense. She’s an outsider here, and her sister is far away.

She doesn’t answer immediately. Her hand leaves my arm and she walks toward the line of water racing in and out with the wind.

“I have Rowan, and you or Freddie is always nearby.” Her nose wrinkles with her smile. “Sometimes it’s nice to have another woman to talk to.”

I shrug. “I see no reason why we can’t stay here. It’s a secure location, and it’s not hard to get to the palace quickly if needed.”

Her eyes move over my shoulder, and her expression changes. Pink touches her cheeks and she smiles. “It’s Rowan,” she says, passing me and jogging up the beach toward the house.

I watch her go, and wait until she’s folded in the king’s arms before I turn back to see Kass still playing at the edge of the water. She drops to a squat right where flat, wet sand meets the softer, drier part. Her fingers lightly touch the dunes, and she rocks back to sit. She’s a safe enough distance that she won’t get wet, and I continue walking to where she sits. We can’t leave her out here, and I’m confident Ava is safe with her husband.

Walking toward her, I watch as she bends her knees and places her cheek on top of them. Her eyes close against the wind, and she’s so different than she was only twenty-four hours ago. It was clear she was happy with me those few days, even if it was a lie. Her choice, I think, steeling myself as I get closer.

“Rowan’s here,” I say, and she does a little jump, lifting her head. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“The king is here?” Her legs drop and she starts to stand. “Does he want to… hurt me?”

“Ava likes you, so there’s little chance anything bad will happen to you.”

She’s standing beside me, and the wind swirls jasmine all around us. Her hair flies forward, and she catches it, pushing it back, but not before it touches my cheek. Every little touch, every scent is another twist of the knife still buried in my stomach.

“She’s too nice to me. I don’t deserve it.”

I can’t argue with her there. “You remind her of her sister.”

“Zelda,” she nods. “You helped rescue her from Blix.”

“It was a scary time. A lot of bad things happened to her while we searched.”

Kass’s slim brows pull together, and she almost seems like she’ll cry. “I hate to be the cause of her pain. I hate that I’m a part of this. I thought I could get free of him, but I never will.”

“You could have talked to me about it. I would have helped you.”

“Now it’s too late.” A frown tugs at the side of her mouth, and she starts to move past me, turning her face to the ocean to hide her sadness.