Page 151 of The Defender

“I don’t doubt it.” He gave me an assessing stare. “This Vincent must be very special to you.”

My smile softened. “He really is.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Heathrow Airport.” The disembodied voice over the PA system was drowned out by the clatter of luggage and the chatter of a dozen different languages as I walked toward the exit two days after Haley’s regional championships.

I didn’t mind the chaos or the crowds of people walking at an insufferably slow pace because I wasback.

My feet practically floated off the ground as I stepped out onto the curb and breathed in the damp London air. The pavement was wet from recent rain, and despite the fact that it was early spring, a chill stole through my sweater and jeans.

The crisp accents, the gray skies, the ever-present drizzle…I’d never been happier.

I couldn’t stop grinning even as I climbed into the back of a cab and we got stuck in traffic. Judging by my driver’s side-eye, he clearly thought something was wrong with me, but I ignored his silent disapproval and soaked in the cityscape outside.

I was home for the week, and I couldn’t wait to walk around and revel in the sights. Although I’d been gone for only two months, it felt like two years. I wanted to get a pint at the Angry Boar, walk along the Thames, and dress up in my Blackcastle gear and cheer them on in person.

Most of all, I wanted to see my friends and family. I hadn’t told anyone I was coming except for Scarlett, Carina, and Spike. Since I didn’t have my flat anymore, Carina offered her place for luggage storage until I saw Vincent. They’d wanted to pick me up at the airport, but I insisted I’d see them after work instead. I didn’t want them to take a day off for me, and I was actually looking forward to some alone time first.

I needed to figure out what I was going to say to Vincent once I saw him. Should I prepare something heartfelt, or should I jump his bones and do the romantic stuff later? Maybe I’d just play it by ear and see what felt right in the moment.

Either way, we were going to be reunited in a few hours, after he finished training.

Euphoria bubbled inside me. I was so excited, I could barely sit still.

The driver glanced at me again and shook his head.

Forty-five minutes later, he pulled up in front of Carina’s place. She’d given me the building’s security code and left a spare key for me under her welcome mat. I used it to let myself in, drop off my luggage, and freshen up before I headed out again.

I didn’t want to waste a second of my time here rattling around an empty flat, so I took the Tube to Notting Hill.

God, I even missed theTube. That was how bad it was.

I had plenty of time before Vincent finished training, so I wandered through the neighborhood and popped into some of my favorite boutiques. It was a perfect, leisurely afternoon, but I couldn’t concentrate on any of the shops’ items, so I left Notting Hill for the Blackcastle area.

There were plenty of cafés around the stadium. I went into a quiet one, my mind consumed with thoughts of my impending reunion with Vincent.

The taste of his kiss. The feel of his touch. The sound of his voice next to my ear and the comfort of his scent in my lungs.

My chest tightened. How could I have gone so long without those things when the nexthourfelt like an eternity?

I wrapped my hands around my mug. I’d stopped for a drink and a bite, but it was so cozy here that I considered staying until it was time to head to Vincent’s house.

I’d been coordinating with Spike to pull off this surprise visit. The taciturn bodyguard had been surprisingly helpful, though he’d made me send him five different videos holding that day’s newspaper before he agreed to help me. He said it was to prove I was really me and that I wasn’t being held hostage by some obsessed fan with nefarious intentions.

He was supposed to text me when Vincent was about to leave training, and he’d given me instructions on how to get into the house without tripping any of the alarms.

“Brooklyn!”

I looked up from my tea. My eyes widened when a familiar face stopped next to my table. “Mason?”

“Hey! Long time no see.” His hair had grown out since our last run in, and his posture seemed looser, more at ease. “What are the odds? We keep running into each other. How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good.” I smiled even as a prickle of suspicion crept down my spine. First Covent Garden, now a random café. Twice wasn’t a lot, but itwasweird that we kept bumping into each other in the oddest of places. “How about you?” Then, because he kept hovering like he was waiting for an invitation, I added, “Do you want to sit?”

“Sure.” Mason slid into the seat opposite me. “I won’t stay long. I’m on my lunch break, so I gotta head back to the office soon, but I saw you and had to say hi. Anyway, I’ve been good too. You know, I started dating someone. Her name’s Lindsey…” He rambled on.

The more he talked, the more I could understand why Vincent didn’t like him. He was nice enough, but he was a little too chatty even for me. It was a good thing we’d never gone on a date, or I might’ve stabbed myself with a fork just to get out of the conversation.

Halfway through his detailed explanation of Lindsey’s allergies, I caught a flash of movement in the corner of my eye. I turned my head on instinct, but I didn’t see anyone outside the window of the café. It was tucked in a side street, which was empty save for a stray cat and passing cab.