Staff inside work in a synchronized frenzy, polishing cutlery in an open-plan area previously filled with tables and chairs.
I watch for a long time as guests arrive, the number of people growing by the hour until the entire restaurant is full of mingling criminals drinking alcohol and eating canapés.
Nobody is hiding from Robert. If anything, they’re being blatant with their lack of fear.
Especially Cole, who constantly parades the room, suave and sophisticated in his tailored suit, his hair styled, his smile sly yet welcoming. He makes some of the women blush through mere conversation, and I’m sure if I were in there I’d hear their flirtatious giggles.
It seems two can play the jealous game.
Bitterness eats away at me as I sit in silence, nothing but damaging thoughts to keep me company.
Decker, my previous informant turned criminal, talks to an older couple with Cole’s sister, Keira, close at his side. Hunter and Sara mingle. Benji and Layla speak with relatives of the Torian empire.
Everyone is in attendance except for Penny and Luca—the other man who was complicit in my abduction to Greece. I can’t find them as I skim the crowd slower through my binoculars, concerned for the welfare of the woman once held as a sex slave under the same roof as Robert.
She must be petrified.
I’m seated on the edge of my seat, leaning forward, eager for a better view, when a light rap at my driver’s-side window scares the ever-loving crap out of me.
I reach for my gun, yank it from the Velcro as I drop my binoculars to find Easton peering down at me.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath.
He glowers as he rounds the hood to the passenger side, waiting impatiently until I unlock the car.
“Want to know how long I spent driving around trying to find you?” He drops into the seat beside me, slamming the door behind him.
“Not really.” I shove my weapon back in place and stare out the window, unable to withstand his visual criticism.
“Don’t worry; it didn’t take long. This is the first place I looked. And surprise, surprise, you’re here.”
“Please don’t start this again. You’ve got no idea what’s going on.”
“Then tell me.” He turns to face me. “Fucking clue me in so I understand why you’re risking your career and your fucking life by hanging around this asshole.”
I clench my teeth, forcing myself not to respond.
“Jesus Christ, Fox.” He scoffs. “I don’t understand you anymore.”
That makes two of us.
I can’t figure out where I went wrong. I shouldn’t have set my sights on taking Cole down—that much is clear. But when did my need for justice become smothered by my obsession for the man himself?
“I wish I could explain…”
“No, you don’t,” he grates. “If you wanted me to know, I’d know. But instead, you choose to keep me in the dark and I have no idea why. Especially when I’m one of the only people who has never judged you.”
“You’re judging me now.”
He falls silent, allowing an uncomfortable awkwardness to settle between us.
I wouldn’t even have a clue where to start if I did tell him all the wrong turns I’ve taken to get to this point. I’d have to admit I’m no longer worthy of holding an FBI badge. I’d be forced to confess the feelings I’d had for a manipulative murderer.
The feelings I still have.
“Easton…” I sigh, unable to continue. There are no words to explain this mess.
“At least talk to me about that kiss.” His gaze bores into the side of my head. “Was it a mistake or did it mean something?”
My stomach flips. Not in a good way.
I don’t want to make things worse between us. I can’t lose the only person who has been kind enough to see through my flaws and not hold me accountable for my father’s mistakes.
“I don’t know.” It’s such a weak, pathetic response. The old me would spit in the face of the woman I’ve become, but I can’t explain something I don’t understand.
I can’t illustrate how I hoped the kiss would mean something and how, even after the fact, I’m still not sure if it did.
“Did you sleep with him?” He huffs out a derisive breath of a chuckle. “I don’t even know why I’m asking. He set you up. He fucking played you. But I can’t shake the sex vibes I’m getting between you two.”
“He had information on my father.” It’s not a lie. It’s barely a glimpse of the truth, but still, not a lie. Just enough of a fact to hopefully push him away from exposing the worst of my decisions where Cole is concerned.
“What information?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it fucking matters. What did he tell you? And why didn’t you fill me in sooner?”
“Because it’s nobody’s business.” Easton knows how I feel about my father’s disappearance. It’s the easiest escape from this conversation. “The Bureau labeled my father a turncoat. Anyone he worked with has already drawn their own damning conclusions, and I’m not going to waste my energy proving them wrong. I want to move on with my life.”
“I’m not asking for them. You used to trust me. What changed?”
I wince, hating how he thinks this is about him. “Nothing changed. I still trust you. You know you’re all I’ve got.” I meet his gaze, my wince remaining in apology. “I just didn’t want to reopen old wounds.”
He reaches out, his palm sliding over my wrist, back and forth. “I’m sorry.”
I tense, not appreciating the contact. “Forget it. Can we pretend this conversation never happened?”
“I can…” His hand stops its gentle movement. “But what about the kiss? Do I forget that, too?”
To hell with that kiss.
And to hell with the man who drove me to commit the insanity in the first place.
“Don’t worry, Fox.” His touch retreats. “I’ll put it to the back of my mind. Temporarily. But sometime soon, I’m gonna want to figure out where that affection came from and if there’s any hope for a repeat.”
I nod, cringing on the inside. I owe him an explanation. Stupidity and shame be damned.
“What are you doing here anyway?” He shifts his attention to the restaurant. “What’s with the underworld festivities?”
“I don’t know.” I follow his line of sight, my gaze immediately seeking Cole only to come up empty. I can’t spy him among the crowd. I can no longer see Hunter or Sarah either. In fact, Decker, Benji, and Layla are all gone, too.
I sit taller, scanning the guests once more.
“Is Cole even in there?” Easton asks.
“He was. They all were. I can’t find any of them now.” I reach for my binoculars.
“Are they up to something?”
“Aren’t they always? We both know they live to hatch new schemes. That’s not going to change anytime soon.” I itch to get out of the car. My skin literally crawls with the inability to find my target. “I’m going to take a closer look.”
I unfasten my belt and open my door, only to have Easton grab my wrist again.