Surrender

“What was the point?”

“I’m always going to be yours. I’m not leaving. I’m not working with Blackwing behind your back. I’m yours.” I stopped when my finger hit the bottom of his cheek. “But we have to do something.”

“I know.”

I studied him. How were we going to break through this impasse? I knew he was a thief. I knew his work was dangerous. I knew fleeing the country with him had cost me everything. His eyes closed and I stroked his dark hair.

Maybe I could learn how to handle working with Blackwing, but Vaughn couldn’t. Maybe this time the client wanted a secret formula to cheat and make money in sports, but what if next time it was assassinations? Was I really going to be able to roast chickens, hang custom drapes and pretend I didn’t know I was helping murderers? Could I shake hands and spend time with smugglers and thieves? People who planted seeds of chaos in the world? Help orchestrate coupes and political upheaval?

“Vaughn?” I whispered.

His side rose with a heavy breath. He was asleep.

I didn’t have the answer, but we had to find it. Together.

Chapter Ten

The next morning, I pushed the covers away and opened my eyes. The crystals swayed delicately overhead on the chandelier. God, I spent hours choosing the right one. Just like the drapes hanging above the floor to ceiling windows and the duvet we slept beneath. Every part of this room had been a careful selection. I rolled to my side and propped myself up. The small piece of coral Vaughn had brought from the Bahamian ocean rested next to the clock. It was the one gift from him that meant more than all the others. I loved the simplicity of it. I loved the memory of when he gave it to me.

There was a cup of Marie’s coffee on the bedside table in front of a white paper bag. I smiled, knowing one of her fresh-baked pastries was inside. Taped to the front of the bag was a note from Vaughn. I plucked it from the paper.

I love you.

That was all it said. I turned it over, but the other side was blank. I placed it on the nightstand before piling pillows behind my back. I took the coffee in my hands. It was still warm through the thick cardboard sleeve.

I wondered if he had made it to work on time. I tried to picture him poking around Paul’s lab, but I shook my head. I either didn’t want to imagine him deceiving our new neighbors, or didn’t like the idea of how dangerous the new assignment was. He hadn’t been wrong. There was bliss in ignorance. In fact, even my imagination wasn’t worse than reality. Vaughn dealt in a world that was dark and gritty. Where money and power meant everything. The hair along my arm vibrated. I touched the coffee to my lips. For the first time, he had told me everything. I knew the target. I knew the mission. I knew the payout.

I had slept later than usual, but I knew after the kind of night we had that was going to happen. I wasn’t sure what time it had been when I finally fell asleep. Vaughn had drifted off long before I did.

I placed the coffee next to me and walked to the bathroom. A few minutes later, I was wrapped in a robe and facing a day that had no to-do list.

Even if I did have something to do for the apartment, I wasn’t sure I wanted to venture out. The idea of running into Eloise again wasn’t pleasant. I wasn’t sure I could face Aubrey either. Everything was muddled and confusing. Maybe that was why Vaughn had brought the coffee. He didn’t want me to leave the apartment either.

I wandered into the living room and noticed the remaining dishes from last night had been washed. How had Vaughn done all of that without waking me? I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it. I toasted a bagel, dropped it on a place, and walked back to the living room.

I curled on the couch and picked up the remote. French morning TV it was.

I awakened from a catnap and saw the rain droplets sliding down the windows. I shook off the blanket and rubbed my arms as I walked toward the glass. The courtyard looked especially dreary today. I imagined it would be beautiful in spring when the flowers bloomed. I didn’t know if we would be here long enough to see the garden come to life. Today it looked like a scene out of a Bronte novel. Gothic and chilling.

I turned and spotted my phone on the counter. It was a burner. All my phones were. Every couple days Vaughn would switch it out with a new one. The only number I had saved in my contacts was his. I knew that was how it would always be.

As long as we had this life. As long as we were living in the shadows from Agent Kenneth.

I picked up the phone. I didn’t need a contact button to remember Garret’s number.

I dialed it from hypnotic memory, pressing lightly on the screen. My fingers twitched as if I didn’t have complete control over them.

I held my breath when it started to ring after several seconds of agonizing silence. It would be evening by now in North Carolina. After dinner, but maybe he was out with Morgan. Maybe he had left his phone at home. I almost hung up. I shouldn’t call. I knew it with every logical thought I had, but I was dying for a shred of my old life. For something to connect me to home.

“Hello?” My heart stopped when he answered.

“Hi, Garrett.” It came out almost as a whisper. I cleared my throat. “Hey, it’s me.”

“Emily? What the hell? Where are you?” Was he angry or worried. Maybe both. “Are you back? Where are you?”

I shook my head, and perched on the edge of the couch. “No. I just wanted to say hi. I wanted to see how you’re doing.”

“What’s this number? I almost didn’t pick up.”