Page 16 of The Stolen Princess
No, he didn’t. He was only there to check things out, not to hold a meet and greet. This wasn’t a one-man job. The operatives would all meet with Rommel together next month.
“I’ll catch them another time.” He pointed over his shoulder. “I have to get on the road.”
Mya turned back to the cupboard full of medicine. “Well, don’t let me keep you.”
There was the disappointment again, but instead of being in her eyes, this time it was in her voice.
He walked to her side and bent down, so his face was close to hers. Her body stiffened at his nearness, and her hands pressed against the counter in front of her like she needed it for support. “It was nice to meet you, Mya.” He glanced down over her face, noticing the faint pattern of freckles on her cheek. “Don’t shoot the next stranger you come in contact with.”
She lifted her chin slightly, keeping her focus straight ahead. “I thought we agreed that the shooting wasyourfault.”
Drake laughed. “Okay, Mya.”
She turned her chin toward him, eyeing him. The action put her lips inches from his. “Okay, Drake,” she whispered between them.
He pushed off the counter and turned to go, surprised by his self-control and his disappointment. If this mission wasn’t so important, he might have been tempted to stay with Mya all afternoon.
Myka
Twenty minutes later, the door to the cottage swung open. Rommel’s crooked smile landed on Myka, and his eyes lit up as he walked into the room.
“Sweet Myka,” he said. “Sorry we’re late.” He dropped a basket onto the kitchen table and pulled her into a hug, patting her shoulders.
“I was worried you forgot,” Myka said. Joett breezed through the door behind him. Her short red hair stood out against her gray working-class dress.
“How could we forget?” Joett said, wrapping her arms around both of them. She gave one big squeeze, then let go. “We had to run some medicine over to Benji and Gail’s house. Benji’s been having the worst headaches.”
Myka had heard about Benji and Gail before. They lived a mile up the road and were Rommel and Joett’s only neighbors.
“That’s fine. I’m just glad that I got to see you.”
Rommel pulled back resting his hands on her shoulders. His bald head and short white beard gave his age away. “I think you’ve gotten prettier since last month.”
Myka smiled. “Was I ugly last month?”
“No. That’s not what I meant.” He looked at Joett for some help.
Joett shook her head as she began unloading the basket in front of her. “She knew what you meant. Don’t take everything so seriously.”
Rommel pushed his glasses farther up onto the bridge of his nose and looked back at Myka. “How long have you been here waiting?”
She shrugged. “Almost an hour.”
Joett’s eyes went wide. “Oh, honey, I am so sorry!”
“It was fine. I actually met your friend.” She looked at Rommel.
He placed his hands on his hips. “My friend? Who would that be?”
“He said his name was Drake. At first I thought he was a thief because he was snooping around the place…” she wasn’t going to mention shooting him in the arm. There were too many details that would need to be explained. “…but then he said he was your friend.”
Rommel and Joett exchanged a worried glance, before he pushed a smile onto his lips. “Ah, yes. My friend Drake. Sad I missed him.”
Myka furrowed her brows. Something seemed off, but she couldn’t place what it was.
Rommel walked to his wife. His wrinkly hand patted Joett’s arm before he pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. Myka loved their sweet gestures of love—the simple ways they showed their feelings silently.
Her own parents’ relationship hadn’t been like that.An arranged marriage with no hope for love,was how her mother had explained it to her when she was a little girl. There had been separate bedrooms, separate dining times, and even now, separate houses. Myka had no idea where her mother was. She had left ten years ago and had never come back.
