Page 152 of The Defender

Huh.I must’ve imagined it.

“That’s wonderful.” I interrupted Mason when he segued into telling me about his new pet hamster. “I’m so sorry to cut this short, but I actually have to run. It was great seeing you though.”

“Yeah, of course. I need to leave too, or I’ll be late. Maybe we’ll run into each other again in another neighborhood,” he joked.

I hoped not. Once was cute, twice was weird, and three times was just plain creepy.

“Maybe.” I said goodbye and quickly left before he could draw me into conversation again.

My phone buzzed on my way out.

Spike:Leaving in five

My heart skipped.Finally.

I hailed another cab and took it to Vincent’s house, my good mood returning. Once I arrived, I followed Spike’s instructions and punched in the security code.

I’d been tempted to go straight to Blackcastle and greet him when he left training, but I’d wanted our first reunion to be a private one. It was selfish, but I’d waited too long to share him with anyone else.

I stepped inside, butterflies taking wing in my stomach. Because of the intruder situation, Vincent and I hadn’t spent much time at his house after we started dating, but I’d been here plenty of times before with Scarlett.

I took it all in, picking out the little pieces of him reflected in the decor—the display case with his medals and trophies, the well-worn leather sofa where he watched TV, the framed groupphoto he’d taken after last summer’s Sport For Hope charity match.

I wandered past the living room and into the kitchen, too restless to stay in one spot. It was always my favorite room in a house, and his was as beautiful as I remembered. It was all gleaming tile and copper cookware, with big windows that overlooked the back garden.

I dropped my bag on a kitchen stool and texted Spike to let him know I’d arrived.

He didn’t respond, but not long after, I heard footsteps coming from the front of the house.

I straightened, the butterflies taking flight again.This is it.

I double checked my reflection in the stainless steel fridge door. Hair, good. Makeup, intact. Outfit, casual but cute.

Perfect.

I turned right as the footsteps stopped.

My face broke out into an anticipatory smile, but it quickly died when I saw who was standing in the doorway. I blinked, certain I was seeing things. “What areyoudoing here?”

CHAPTER 44

BROOKLYN

“Hey, Brooklyn,” Seth said. “I didn’t realize you were back in London.”

“I flew back today. I took some time off work and was planning to surprise Vincent.” I recovered from my surprise and smiled again, but the hair on my nape prickled in warning.

That was ridiculous. This wasSeth. Sweet, earnest Seth, who was the first to comfort someone if they were feeling down and the last to leave the building every night. He wouldn’t hurt a fly…so why were my inner alarm bells ringing so loudly?

“I didn’t know you had a key to the house,” I said as casually as possible. “Are you meeting Vincent here?”

“Oh, yeah. He gave me a key so I can drop off some items for him when he needs them.” Seth smiled back. “Sometimes he leaves stuff at the club. It’s hard for him to drive all the way back, you know? He has more important stuff to do, so he entrusted me to do it for him. It’s an important job.”

“It is.” The alarm bells were deafening now. Chills skittered down my spine as I took a small step back.

Seth’s story didn’t add up. There was no way in hell Vincent would give his key to anyone except me and family afterthe intruder situation. Plus, he wouldn’t leave important items behind often enough to warrant giving thekit managerfree access to his home. That wasn’t part of Seth’s job.

“How’s Chicago?” Seth walked toward me.