Page 58 of The Saint

She returned to Camden and handed over the phone. “Here. Thanks.”

“Everything okay?” His eyes narrowed as though he were trying to read her thoughts.

She didn’t want that. Amelia had checked in and was ready to ignore her responsibilities once again. “Work’s fine. I’m not needed. Veronica has everything under control.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“I’m starving, Cam. Can we head out?”

He pocketed his phone and led her into the cool night. At least it wasn’t raining. Camden locked the house behind themand scanned the street before leading them on the same path as their breakfast trek had taken.

Her skin prickled as he searched for threats. “Who are you looking for?”

Camden looked down at her with a shrug. “No one. Everyone. Habit, I guess.”

She hadn’t noticed that before.

The sidewalks were more crowded as they merged onto Mount Vernon Avenue. How many of these people worked everyday jobs only to cover up their real work? How many spied for the United States? For other countries? American spies wouldn’t be walking around the US, would they? Well, Jonathan and Hailey had. They’d traveled extensively and lived within an easy drive of three airports, two of which were international.

The more Amelia stared at the surrounding crowds on the sidewalk, the more it felt like someone was staring at her as well. She checked over her shoulder. Had Camden always checked their surroundings before they left the house? She hadn’t noticed before.

“Burgers? Barbeque?” he asked.

She inched closer to his side and tried to ignore the lingering feeling that someone was tracking her. “I have an idea.” Amelia did a quick mental calculation of their location and thought they were roughly two blocks and a straight shot from a great place she’d used for work. It had limited seating where she could hide and ignore the paranoia that had been creeping up her spine since they stepped outside.

A few minutes later, they were seated on the second floor of a familiar restaurant that touted itself as upscale American. Amelia had always found their catering menu trendy enough to meet the high expectation of bridal parties but reliable enough to earn high praise from corporate head honchos. Right then,she appreciated their low lights and tight spaces where she—or better, Camden—could catalog every person who walked in.

Camden sat with his back to the wall. She almost asked if she could sit next to him so that they could watch their surroundings together. He scanned the room then scrutinized her.

He saw her as vulnerable and fragile.

She painted on an unbothered face. “Brussels sprouts with bacon jam. Yum.”

His eyes narrowed. “That’s not what you were thinking about.”

True, but she knew from experience the entire appetizer section could be devoured without leading him astray and was much better dinner conversation than sharing her new neurosis. He didn’t look wowed by her Brussels-sprouts suggestion. She would make a crappy spy. How was Hailey so good at this? Amelia doubled down on her interest in the menu. “Are you more a pork-chop or rib-eye kind of guy?”

“Amelia.”

“You said I get to ask all the questions I want.”

“Yeah, and I said that before you were jumping at your shadow. What’s up?”

First-date jitters? Paranoia? Both?“I don’t know,” she muttered under her breath knowing she didn’t get date jitters and had every reason to be paranoid.

He surveilled the room again then turned his full attention her way. “I’m not going to let anything hurt you. You know that, right?”

What did she know? Hebelievedhe could protect her. He certainly was trying to keep her heart safe from him in the bedroom.Out of the bedroom?There probably hadn’t been many times in Camden Brooks’s life when he didn’t get his way. She also believed she would be dead if anyone else had answeredher phone call that terrifying night. Camden had kept her safe from a thousand miles away. No doubt he could do that when they were close enough to touch. “I feel like someone’s watching me.”

He nodded without taking his eyes from her. “Starting when?”

He was taking her seriously. That alone made her feel safer. “Since we reached the main strip.”

Camden glanced over as the waitress returned and smiled at him as though she’d never seen a man before. He didn’t seem to notice. If it had been an ordinary first date, that would have been a point in his favor. Since it was their first date after she tried to pull him into her bed, Amelia didn’t bother with a tally. She did, however, let a warm flush roll through her as she recalled the way he closed in on her and took her mouth with a mind-melting kiss.

“Ladies first,” Camden told the waitress.

Forced to acknowledge Amelia’s existence, the other woman asked what they wanted. They quickly ordered the smoked cream cheese with hot honey to start and two rib eyes for dinner. When they were alone again, Camden cut back to their previous conversation. “Tell me if you get that feeling again.”

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