Page 49

Bishop

What exactly do you think you’re doing?

That voice—my conscience, maybe—whispered.

She had a major panic attack. I’m trying to settle her back down.

Sure, that’s what you’re doing.

I ignored it and patted the space beside me again.

“Stop looking at me like I’m about to murder you.” She was standing at the end of the bed, eyes wide as she stared at me.

“Aren’t you?”

“It’s not on my immediate to-do list, no.”

She took a step toward the bed. “What is ?”

“Is what?”

“On your to-do list?”

“Right now? A nap. Socializing with friends this evening. Bed, breakfast, and then back home to work on your new identity. A visit with my youngest brother on Tuesday to wrap up some final details, and then start thinking about the best place for you to relocate.”

She gaped at me. “You really do have a to-do list.”

“Did you think I was joking?” A third pat of my hand on the mattress changed the direction of her gaze. “Have you stopped trusting me?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then why are you still over there?”

“I don’t think I could sleep. It’s too light.”

“Close the curtains and turn off the light.”

She skirted around the bed and walked over to the window. Two silken ties held the curtains open. She pulled them loose and let the thick material fall closed, then changed direction and found the light switch. The room was plunged into darkness. I counted to five in my head. On four, the mattress dipped beside me.

I smiled in the dark and waited for my eyes to adjust to the change.

The only sound in the room for the next five minutes was her quiet breathing. I didn’t try to make conversation. I wanted her to relax, to find her way back to the comfortable headspace she’d been in for the past two days.

“How could I have forgotten so quickly?” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

“Forgotten what?” I had a good idea what she meant, but I didn’t want to voice it just in case I was wrong. This woman had surprised me several times already and I was hesitant to assume I knew where her mind was going.

“When we were in the mall, I had this overwhelming sense of fear … No, terror . It was too open. I felt like one wrong move, and I’d be discovered. How could I have forgotten that feeling? When I went shopping with Magdalena, other than a few moments where I thought the security guard was looking at me, I was fine. Why was today different?”

“That’s how trauma works. Maybe there was something about today that brought everything closer to the surface. Something that your subconscious picked up on.”

“I hid in the changing room like a scared little girl.”

“Your fight or flight instinct engaged, that’s all. It’s not a bad thing. it’s something that’s helped to keep you alive all this time.”

“Dana and the others must be wondering whether I’m crazy.” She gave a little laugh, one that ended in what suspiciously sounded like a choked sob.

“You’ve just spent the better part of a day with them. Do you really think that’s what they’re going to be talking about? Magdalena told them you were feeling unwell and that she was going to accompany you back to the house. There’s no reason to believe they’ll think it’s anything more than that.” I rolled onto my side, facing her. “In fact, I would put money on your slight wobble today being due to a mix of tiredness from the travel, your brain suddenly catching up to the fact that you’re no longer running, and your body deciding enough is enough.”

“Slight wobble?”

“Slight wobble.” I repeated the words firmly. “I’m surprised it hadn’t happened already. I’ve been expecting it for a couple of days.” I reached out and stroked a finger down one arm, following the line of it until I found her hand where it rested on her stomach. I squeezed her fingers. “My advice … take that nap. I promise, you’ll feel better for it.”

***

“You said an hour .” Eden glared at me through the reflection of the bathroom mirror as she applied a coat of lipstick.

I shrugged. “It was an estimate. You needed to rest and wouldn’t have agreed if I told you I wasn’t going to wake you until it was time to get ready.”

“But four hours , Bishop!” She snapped the lid back onto the lipstick and shoved it into her makeup bag.

“If you hadn’t been tired, you wouldn’t have slept that long. Now you’re all refreshed and ready for the evening ahead.”

“Refreshed,” she muttered, and I hid a smile at her eye roll.

“You’re going to need to be on point. Everyone’s in a party mood. Drinking, dancing. You have a part to play and tonight you really need to sell it.”

Because I was confident that David had his suspicions about me and Susannah, and I needed Eden to convince him we were madly in love and that I was no threat to his marriage.

She straightened, turned, and walked toward me. A smile softened her lips, her hands were outstretched toward me, and her hips swayed from side to side. My gaze slid over the form-fitting A-line black dress, noting the way it clung to every curve. With every step forward, the split gave a quick flash of bare leg.

When she reached me, she lifted one hand and curved it over my jaw, rested her other hand against my hip and leaned up. Her breasts brushed against the front of my shirt, and then her lips pressed a warm kiss to mine.

“I think I can convince them, don’t you?” she whispered, drawing back to look at me through her lashes.

I held myself still, an unfamiliar tension zipping through my frame. The hand on my arm toyed with my sleeve and I had to squash the urge to wrap one hand into her hair and bring her back toward me for another kiss … one that wasn’t quite … so … sweet.

Clearing my throat, I summoned a smile. “That should do it.” I crooked my arm. “Ready to go?”

“I just need my shoes.”

“You could go barefoot. I doubt anyone will complain.” I looked down at the pink-tipped toes curling into the carpet.

“I think I need the height boost my shoes will give me.”

She tightened her hold on my arm as she slipped first one foot, then the other, into black shoes. The heels gave her an added two, maybe three inches, to her height, bringing her up to the perfect level to kiss without having to lower my head too far.

The stray thought caught me by surprise.

Stop thinking about kissing her. She’s a client. This is a job . In three weeks, you’ll drop her off in a new location and never see her again.