Page 27 of Concerto of Crows and Cowards

She finished showering and dried off quickly, and then she walked with a towel wrapped around her into the bedroom. She still wasn’t used to the clothes that had been selected for the trip, and she stood staring into the closet, wondering what she should wear and why the dresses couldn’t leave any room for her weapons.

“Wear the red one,” Max said from behind her.

She gasped and reached for her weapon out of habit, and then let out a breath of relief when she saw him lounging against the doorframe.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” she said, putting her weapon down on the bed.

“I’m definitely willing to play whatever hand you’re dealing,” he said, arching a brow.

Jade rolled her eyes and then pulled the red strapless dress from the hanger. It had enough elastic in it so she wouldn’t have to pull it up every five seconds, but there wasn’t a lot of room for error if she bent or sat the wrong way. And there was no way she would be able to wear a bra.

“With that kind of talk I’m going to let you buy me a steak dinner.” Her hair was mostly dry and she combed it down with her fingers so it wasn’t sticking up every which way, and she slipped on a pair of flat gold sandals.

He’d already dressed for dinner while she’d been in the shower. He’d changed so much since his injury. The suave and debonair playboy was still there somewhere. You could see it in the way he wore the expensive slacks and shirt, the way his demeanor became almost haughty the more expensive the clothes he wore. But there was a roughness to him now—a wildness that wasn’t easily contained—and she wondered if he’d have been the same kind of lover two years ago as he was now.

She was caught up by the sight of him. He was so handsome. So strong and steady. And she loved him. The realization caught her off balance and she had to steady herself. And then the pang to her heart came at what could never be.

“Max,” she said. “I want you to know that whatever happens I don’t regret anything.” She saw his lips tighten and knew she wasn’t getting the words out right. That she was messing it up. “I just mean that I’m glad it was you. And that you wanted me.”

He came up to where she stood and held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. “I want you like I want to breathe. Never doubt that for a second.”

For as long as it lasted, she thought to herself.

Chapter Twelve

It always amazed her how easily she and Max fell into a rhythm outside of work. They knew each other better than most spouses did—quirks and likes and dislikes—because you had to know the person who was watching your six, and you had to trust that they could anticipate your every move.

Dinner was a relaxed affair, and Max delivered on the steak—medium rare and juicy for both of them. They talked about books, because that was one of the biggest things they had in common. It was a love she hadn’t been able to share with Donovan because he’d pick a movie any day over a book.

They also talked about their childhoods and how similar Max’s was to her own once she’d gone into the foster system—the disinterest and lack of love his parents had shown—even though he’d grown up in a house with everything at his fingertips. It just went to show that you could be neglected inside the home as much as outside, and from what she could tell, he had no desire to try and mend the rift between them. He’d told her some people just weren’t capable of love, and then he’d changed the subject.

Jade could admit she was grateful he didn’t try to talk about their future again, or bring up their fight from the day before. He hadn’t questioned her again or tried to convince her that he loved her, and she wondered if maybe he regretted the words now, because he was acting like they’d never been said to begin with. She told herself that was a good thing. That the sooner he moved on, the better it would be for both of them, because it was getting harder and harder to convince herself they shouldn’t be together—that she shouldn’t come clean and take her chances.

Max wasn’t a man who would go long without a woman. He was too—primal. Even now, sitting in a public restaurant and obviously with his current lover, he drew the attention of other women like moths to a flame. They gave him long looks and flirtatious smiles, but he acted as if there was no other woman in the room but her. She still didn’t understand why he wanted her, but it was very easy for her to understand his appeal.

“Do you think he’ll call?” she asked after the dessert dishes had been cleared. It was five minutes until the first delivery was supposed to be made.

“He’ll call. He’s trying to gain the upper hand again by manipulating my instructions.”

They stood and left the restaurant, passing by the expensive shops and the tunnel where an aquarium of sea life swam overhead. The hotel was loud and boisterous, richly gaudy with bright colors and hanging crystal chandeliers. Everyone moved at a frantic pace, as if they’d never get to experience all the delights one hotel could offer them.

Max’s hand was a warm comfort on her back as they headed into the casino. The carpets and walls were rich and red, trimmed with gold amplified by the flashing lights of the machines. The clanging of bells, the rush of voices, and the yells of the victorious made her head throb with the need for quiet.

She definitely wasn’t a Vegas kind of girl. She liked the quiet, the solitude of her life. Her circle of friends wasn’t large, mostly those who worked at the agency, because no one outside understood what it was like to take a life to save countless others. But she was okay with the path she’d chosen because she knew it was a job that had to be done for everyone’s sake. And she was good at it.

She caught sight of Nate dressed in cargo shorts and a T-shirt sitting at one of the machines nearby, a bottle of beer at his side as he pushed buttons on the machine. Max led her over to one of the high-stakes blackjack tables and put down enough cash to cover several months of her bills. They were the only ones at the table besides the dealer, and she caught sight of Atticus at one of the poker tables on the opposite side of the room with a big stack of chips in front of him. He was dressed in a tuxedo with the top button unbuttoned and his tie draped around the collar like he’d been on an all-night bender.

She didn’t see Eden but she knew she was around somewhere, and Cal and Evangeline were at the blackjack table to the left of theirs. Evangeline was wearing a white linen sundress and a wedding veil, and every time they were dealt a winning hand Cal pulled her close and kissed her.

At one minute until the deadline, Max’s phone vibrated against the green felt of the table.

“You’re late,” he said into the phone. “You’ve got one minute to find me in the casino. Otherwise I’m on the next plane out of here to go meet Jarron Sikes.”

He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply and finished his hand of cards. Jade watched the second hand click on Max’s watch as the minute passed, and then another, and then twenty more. He handed her a stack of chips so she could play too, and he was relaxed beside her, making jokes as her pile grew smaller and his grew larger, but she could tell he was worried that Vassin hadn’t taken the bait.

“I’m out of chips,” she said almost an hour after Vassin had called.

“Don’t worry, you can have more of mine.” He gave her one of those slow, lazy smiles that made her heart flip in her chest, and he pushed his chips toward the dealer to cash in. “I guess we should go find something else to occupy our time.”

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