What the hell am I thinking? Pushing aside her jealousy, she charged at Will’s back and shouted, “Now!”
Millie released her hold and rolled off to the side. Will turned his head and met her eyes right before she shot the Taser cartridge at his back. Even as his body shook, he managed, “Leyna?”
Two seconds later, he was unconscious on the ground.
Kneeling down, Petra lightly brushed Will’s forehead. He wouldn’t be out for long. As soon as he regained consciousness, Petra would have to act as if she didn’t care about him.
Yet as she touched his warm skin, a longing she’d buried deep inside broke free. Despite all of the time that had passed and the drastic changes in her life, Petra still wanted him. More than that, a small part of her wanted to drop the persona of Petra Brandt and become Leyna Grunwald again. That life had been so much simpler.
Her eyes fell on his lips. She wanted to kiss him more than anything she’d wanted in years. Surely she had enough time to give the good-bye kiss she’d never had a chance to give.
Before she could lean down more than an inch, Millie’s hushed voice stopped her. “I know he’s attractive and all, but you’ll have to save your snogging for later.”
Millie was right. Saving Will’s life was far more important than walking down memory lane. Petra leaned away from Will and ignored the pain in her heart. After all, the distance between them only existed to protect Will. “We’re going to have to adjust the plan.”
Millie shrugged. “Fine by me. Although, if you expect me to carry him, you’re going to be in for a surprise. That man is pure muscle.”
Petra growled. “Stop admiring his body.”
Her partner studied Petra a second before motioning toward Will. “Then what do you want to do? If we take his ID card, he’ll alert the guards and they’ll probably void it.”
Petra opened one of the pockets of her cargo pants and took out a small pad of paper and a mini-pencil. “I’ll leave him a note.”
“Right, because he’s just going to go along with what you say.”
Jotting down her message, Petra murmured, “He will.”
“Why?”
She folded the note and tucked it into Will’s palm. She met Millie’s eyes. “Because at one point, he was going to marry me.”
Chapter Two
Will groaned as his brain started to work again. Someone had tased him, but the details were fuzzy.
When he finally opened his eyes, he looked around at the empty exercise path and it all came back to him. Donna was gone, as was the ghost of his Leyna.
It had to have been his imagination. He’d attended Leyna’s funeral. Sure, she’d been cremated, but his sweet Leyna never would’ve tried to fake her own death.
Yet remembering the hard eyes and weapons strapped to Leyna’s ghost made him wonder if it really had been her.
Not that he had time to think about it. The sun’s position told him his volunteers would be arriving shortly.
Little by little, Will forced his muscles to work again. When he reached his hands, they closed on to something firm, yet malleable. With effort, he raised his hand and saw a piece of paper tucked in his palm.
A minute later, he sat up and unfolded the note. Inside was the handwriting of a dead woman:
Meet me at the local expat restaurant this evening. Come alone and I’ll explain everything.
~Leyna
PS—Proof that I am who I say: Derwentwater, push, love.
His heart skipped a beat. Derwentwater in the Lake District was the place where Leyna had not only accidentally pushed him into the lake, it had also been where he’d said he’d loved her for the first time.
Running a hand through his hair, he scanned the surroundings. While someone could’ve researched his past or talked to his brother to find out about the events at Derwentwater in Keswick, seeing Leyna’s face was too much of a coincidence. What if she were still alive? He could be angry with her for lying later. He needed to see the woman and determine her identity.
But he couldn’t do any of that if he missed welcoming his test subjects. Will’s freedom was controlled by Giovanni Sinclair. He couldn’t risk upsetting his boss.