Page 6

Eden

“I’m doing what ?” I must have misheard. Had he just said I was getting married?

“You don’t have the money to pay for all the things I need to do in order to put together a new life for you. So, as a one-time deal, I can offer you this solution. We’ll take a detour once you’ve picked up what you need in New York.”

“A … detour?”

“Vegas, for a quick wedding, then we’ll continue on to my intended destination.”

“A wedding … Intended destination ? ” My voice rose with each word.

His sigh was noticeably irritable. “It’ll be temporary. Long enough to send a message, then we can annul it. Until then, this is the only way I can ensure your safety … which is what you’ll be paying me to do. You’ll come with me for a trip I need to take. That way I can keep you safe while I work on your new identity.”

“Wait … who are you marrying me off to?”

His eyebrows drew together into a v above dark eyes. “I thought I’d made that clear already.”

“Pretend you haven’t!” There was a hint of hysteria in my voice.

He ran a finger around the rim of his glass. “When we land in New York, I’ll get someone to arrange another flight. We’ll detour to Vegas, say our vows, then—”

“I’m marrying you ?”

He ignored me. “Once that’s done, we’ll travel to Glenville, where I have a place. It’s secluded and secure. Your ex will not be able to reach you there. No matter how many friends he has.”

“Why do we need to be married?”

“Because if your ex catches up with you before we get there, it gives me a valid reason to get between you. Legally, you will be my wife and under my protection. That might send him the message that you’re no longer available. It might not.” He delivered the words clinically, as though he was describing a job position to a potential new employee.

“But don’t you think marriage is a little drastic?” I whispered.

“It’s the quickest way to change your name. Sadly, it’ll leave a paper trail that can be followed. But you’ll be safer with me than you would be staying in a motel room somewhere while you wait for me to arrange things for you. And since you only have fifty thousand, that means I’m also working on a small budget, far less than I usually work for.”

“But marriage !”

“In name only. It’s just a means to an end.” He pulled out his cell and tapped on the screen, then lifted it to his ear. “Davis, I need you to do something for me.” He rose to his feet and strode away without another glance in my direction.

I stared after him.

Marriage? To him? He wasn’t serious, surely.

I grabbed the glass he’d placed in front of me, took a large mouthful, and swallowed. It burned the back of my throat, and I coughed, tears springing to my eyes. That had been stronger than I expected.

He was back by the time I’d finished spluttering, frowning at me. “You said you don’t have a car, so you’d need to use public transport to … you said you were staying in a motel?”

I nodded. “I paid in advance for a week. I have another two days. I put a Do Not Disturb sign on the door so housekeeping wouldn’t go inside.”

“How far from JFK is it?”

“A forty-minute bus ride.” My fingers returned to the label on the water bottle, picking at it.

“Are you serious about the marriage thing?”

His expression didn’t change. “What part of it sounded like a joke to you?”

“But—”

“It’s just another contract. People sign contracts for things all the time, without questioning it. Why should this be any different?” He drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “I’ve arranged for a prenup, which you’ll need to sign, detailing the terms of our arrangement. We don’t really have time for you to find a lawyer of your own to check the fine print, so I’ll get one of my team to explain it all to you. But we’re on a time schedule, you’ll have to do that while we travel.”

“And …” I licked my lips. “What if I don’t like the terms?”

“There won’t be anything in it that will cause you problems. It’s more to protect my interests and businesses. You need to understand that I have more to risk by doing this than you do.”

“Then why suggest it?”

His head tilted, as though it was a question he hadn’t expected.

“Buckle up.” His friend came out of a door at the far end of the plane. “We’re about to land.”

Bishop Chambers stared at me for a second longer, then lowered his eyes and secured his seatbelt in place without answering my question.

He didn’t speak again until we’d landed and made our way to the exit.

“Watch your step.” A hand touching my elbow joined the words as I stepped off the boarding stairs and onto the runway.

We were whisked through a private check-in area away from the main part of the airport and stepped outside less than twenty minutes after landing. Habit made me check up and down, looking for police cars, or familiar faces.

“I’ll drive you to your motel. It’ll be faster than waiting for you to use public transport. My car is just over here.” Bishop’s voice drew my attention to him, and I followed as he led the way to a low, sleek sports car.

“Did you leave the car parked here while you were in Dallas?”

He shook his head. “No, I had someone drop it off.” He pushed a button on the keys in his hand and the lights on the car flashed. He opened the passenger door. “Hop in.”

I took another glance up and down the road, then climbed in.

“What’s the motel you were staying at?”

I gave him the name, and he pulled into traffic. I gazed out of the window. The man beside me didn’t speak, didn’t try to fill the silence, and I was left to my own thoughts.

I was doing this then? In return for this man hiding me, I was going to marry him … temporarily? This was really happening.