Page 17

The next day, Sloane and Callum walked through one of the open-air marketplaces of Chi?in?u. She knew they couldn’t be there long—it was too dangerous—but she couldn’t deny how much she loved it.

She tilted her face up toward the sun, letting the warmth soak into her skin as they ambled along the cobblestone street. It felt good to be outside, breathing fresh air.

Callum walked close beside her, his solid presence both comforting and exhilarating. More than once, his hand came to rest lightly on her lower back as he guided her around clusters of people or across the street. Each casual touch sent a spark through her.

They were picking up groceries to make for dinner before heading to the internet café to contact Lincoln. Soon, they’d be back inside their little safe house.

Honestly, it was more like a safe haven for Sloane. Yesterday, despite how hard it had been to talk about everything—the pain, the memories—opening up had brought an unexpected sense of relief, leaving her feeling lighter than she had in a long time.

They’d spent the rest of the day just reading and giving their systems much-needed downtime. She’d shown him different things in the art history book, cross-referencing that info with stuff she’d already known. A man like Callum—rooted as he was in the gritty world of law enforcement and violence—didn’t seem like the type to care about color theory or the intricacies of visual weight in the composition of a painting. But if he wasn’t genuinely interested, he’d done an excellent job pretending otherwise.

She liked talking to him. Liked how he listened and asked questions. Liked how he told her things about himself and more about the people and places in Oak Creek.

And she definitely liked how he made her feel.

His hand once again touched her waist as they crossed to a stall of fresh produce. He kept her next to him as he blended in seamlessly, chatting with vendors and bartering for necessities in broken Romanian.

She found herself watching him, studying the lines of his profile, liking the way he moved through the world with an understated confidence. He was a protector by nature, a guardian. And even though she knew he was like this around everyone, not just her, it made her feel cared for in a way she never had before.

Staring at him here in the Moldovan market, it hit her.

She wanted Callum to be her first.

She didn’t deceive herself into any happily-ever-after delusions with him. Even if he was looking for a permanent relationship, her family was never going to let her go while she was still technically a criminal and owed them money.

Plus, Sloane was never going to be Amelia.

But still, she wanted him to be her first. Wanted to have something come out of all of this that was good. A memory she could take with her and cherish when she was back home and things returned to normal.

And Sloane was once again completely alone.

“What?” he asked, studying her.

She couldn’t stop her flush. She definitely wasn’t going to mention her plans right now. “Just thinking that this is what I’d been hoping for when I came to Europe.”

“It’s not exactly the Louvre.”

She smiled, looking around. “No, but the shops and butchers and cafés… How everyone is outdoors… There’s an old-world charm to it that we just don’t have back home.”

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m certainly charmed.”

He was probably talking about the market, but she liked to believe maybe he meant charmed by her . She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him and even stepped closer.

But then, ever the warrior he was, he returned his attention to operational security— op sec , as he called it—and the moment was broken. He gazed around to make sure they were still safe.

“I think we’ve got everything I need for dinner. Let’s get to an internet café so we can contact Lincoln.”

Sloane nodded, tamping down her disappointment. She cherished these small intimacies between them, as fleeting as they were. “Okay. Back to our internet café?”

His hand was at the small of her back as he led her out once more. It was all she could do not to lean into him.

“No. Going anywhere more than once increases our chances of being remembered and ultimately caught by the Kozaks. We’ll find a different one.”

Once they found the internet café he deemed acceptable, they circled it twice to make sure nothing made Callum feel hinky .

What?

“Excuse me, did you just say hinky ? Uh, is that Boomer talk for nervous?” She popped a hand over her mouth, not able to believe she’d just said that, even though she’d meant it as a joke. Oh God, he was going to be so offended. All the rapport that had been built between them gone.

But to her surprise and delight, Callum laughed.

Outright belly-laughed.

“Woman, you are going to get us both killed. But what a way to go.” He wrapped an arm around her and led them into the internet café, shaking his head. “ Boomer . Can’t believe you said that, toddler .”

She loved that even as he dropped back into serious protector mode there was still a hint of a smile pulling at his mouth. She loved how a smile changed his whole expression from rugged and gruff to…

Rugged and irresistible.

God, she was in trouble.

She didn’t say anything else as Callum got them a computer and jumped into a server. She expected Lincoln’s face to pop up again, but instead, a few minutes later, Callum was closing down the computer.

“Is everything okay?”

He nodded, voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “Lincoln sent info by encoded message this time. He gave us a location and a code for a locker at the train station. There will be a bag there.”

“Where is the station?”

“Not far from here,” he replied, already standing and gesturing for her to follow him. “Let’s go.”

They hurried out of the café and retraced their steps through town, weaving through the bustling streets filled with locals going about their daily lives. The sights and sounds actually invigorated Sloane; it felt good to be alive amid all this chaos.

The train station was just as busy. Once again, they circled, doing their best to make sure no one was watching the locker or looking for them.

“How’s the hinky-ometer?”

“Brat.” A smile once again pulled at his mouth. “I think we’re secure.”

They approached the locker. He quickly punched in the code and swung it open. Inside sat a small satchel—dark and worn. He grabbed it, then led her away quickly.

“Don’t you want to take a look at what’s inside? Aren’t you curious?”

“Once we get back to the safe house. Plus, I already know what’s inside, even without looking: weapon, cash, and a burner phone. We won’t have to go to an internet café in order to talk to Lincoln anymore.”

They made their way back to the safe house with no problem. When they removed the contents of the drop bag Lincoln had provided, sure enough, it contained exactly what Callum had said it would. Plus a small bag of gummy bears.

“It’s well-known around Oak Creek that I like these.” Callum rolled his eyes, but she could tell he appreciated the personal touch. He broke into the bag then offered her one.

She took it but was more enamored with the fact that he liked these silly candies than she was with the sweet itself.

“Okay, let’s get dinner ready,” he said after finishing the pack. “I want to make you something better than spaghetti.”

“Is that what we were shopping for today?”

“Yep. I’m not the best cook, but let’s try for a lot more tasty than bland. Lemon herb chicken and sautéed vegetables.”

“My mouth is already watering.”

Callum moved efficiently around the kitchen as he prepped dinner. The rich scents of herbs and garlic filled the small space as he cooked.

Sloane perched on the counter nearby, watching him work with a soft smile tugging at her lips. She snuck pieces of vegetables from the cutting board, giggling at his playful protests.

“Hey! I need those,” he laughed, feigning exasperation as he swatted at her hand playfully.

With every shared laugh and casual touch—like when he brushed against her as he passed to get to the refrigerator—Sloane knew she was making the right choice by asking Callum to be her first.

All she had to do was convince him of the same.

Should she try to seduce him? Honestly, she had no idea how to do that. It wasn’t like she had any lingerie or fancy moves she could use. She didn’t even have any makeup or hair products to make herself look less like a kidnap victim on the run for her life.

But somehow she had to get the nerve up to do something if she wanted this to happen.

Dinner was delicious, truly better than anything she could remember eating in months. Callum was a little embarrassed when she gushed over it, but she could tell he was proud.

She offered to clean up since he’d cooked, but they did it together with the same easy camaraderie they’d had between them the whole day. Given that, it should’ve been easy for her to communicate what she wanted, but instead, once they were done with the dishes, she found herself folding and refolding the kitchen towel, trying to find the words.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“You’re folding that towel to within an inch of its life.”

He was right. She was letting her nervousness get the better of her. She replaced the towel on its rack and turned toward him.

It was now or never. She had no idea how to seduce him, no fancy products to help her. So she walked over to where he was casually—and way too sexily—leaning against the counter, forcing herself not to stop.

She kissed him.

He froze as her lips brushed his, featherlight and questioning, her courage trembling on the edge of retreat. When he didn’t immediately respond, she started to pull back, unsure what to do. It wasn’t like she had the most experience kissing.

But then he took over. His hand found her waist, steadying her, grounding them both, and then he slid his other hand to her cheek, tilting her face upward. He claimed her lips with an intensity that made her toes curl.

She pulled back and found all her courage. She wanted more than just a kiss, and he needed to know that.

“I want you, Callum. Take me to bed.”