Page 24 of To Keep

“Maybe not today.”

“No, not ever.” He moved closer, resting his forearms on the table.

“But Viko…”

“I said I won’t kill you.”

“Why not? What’s changed?”

What could he tell her? That he was falling in love with a girl he barely knew? An innocent breath of fresh air that he couldn’t imagine living a day without? She was changing him, one hour and day at a time. But all these feelings were useless because nothing could become real between them. His world was only smoke and mirrors.

“I’ve changed,” he admitted. “I don’t know, Skye. You’ve changed me.”

She stopped smiling and fidgeted, staring at him directly in the eyes. The tips of their fingers touched across the small table.

“What does that mean?” she whispered.

“Maybe in another life, another time, things could have been different. But it’s not as simple as boy meets girl.”

“Why not?”

He swallowed hard. Could she feel the same fierce attraction and connection for him that he felt for her? It didn’t seem possible. Women usually wanted him for his body or his status in the Circle of Monsters. They didn’t want the man, didn’t want to know what broke him. Skye asked all the hard questions, even though he rarely gave answers.

Galen grabbed her hands in his. “You know what I am, what I do. You’re better than me, not to mention how dangerous this lifestyle is.”

“Shouldn’t that be my choice?”

“You want to risk your life?” he asked.

“I want to be with you.”

He pulled his hands away as if burned. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it? She must be fucking with his head, toying with his emotions. Skye was everything, and what was he? Some reject foster kid with nothing and no one in this world. She couldn’t be serious.

Galen left the table. He needed to think, to breathe, maybe splash some water onto his face. She was making him deal his real feelings for her and they were no joke. It terrified him that he’d allowed himself to fall this deep, this fast. Part of him wanted to embrace it, the other part was used to running from everything. It was safer. Easier.

****

Skye felt a unique attraction to Galen. She kept reminding herself she was his captive, but she still refused to listen to her conscience. He was different. She didn’t feel like a prisoner in his house. It was hard because of all the unknowns and the things she wished could happen between them. Now, he’d basically stated he felt the same way. He couldn’t just throw that out there and then deny their connection. They may have met in the most unorthodox of ways, but it could have been fate all along. No one became a hit man by choice. They were created in the dark corners of trauma and abuse. She wanted to heal him, to create something beautiful together. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to belong to Galen, she knew he’d push her away.

The waiter brought a couple glasses of water and menus while Galen was in the bathroom. Hopefully he hadn’t ditched her here. He was taking longer than expected, but he’d been coiled tight when he rushed off. Why did he have to fight their attraction? It wasn’t fair.

Skye focused on the waves in the distance and breathed in the fresh ocean air. This could be the perfect date. That’s when she noticed someone staring at her. She immediately stiffened up, feeling awkward. There were two guys at a table at the other end of the patio. Why was one staring at her? The other man turned to look at her briefly. She vaguely recognized one of them but wasn’t sure from where.

Maybe they just thought she’d been stood up. She probably looked like a spectacle sitting there all alone surrounded mostly by happy couples. When she glanced over again, the dreadful wash of realization stole her breath. It was one of Petrov’s bodyguards. She’d never spoken with any of them, just passed them in the hallways or saw them when they’d open a car door for their boss and his kids.

Panic set in. He obviously recognized her. What did it mean?

Galen said her old boss wanted her dead. She was the witness he paid to snuff out, but instead she was sitting on the same patio about to order lunch. Would they do something stupid with such a large public crowd? No. The thought calmed her to a degree, but this still wasn’t good. And where was Galen? If he disappeared now, those goons would follow her out of the restaurant and kill her as soon as they could.

She began tapping her foot nervously, constantly checking the hallway in search of Galen. Skye was going to take a sip of water to try and appear normal, but her hand was shaking too much.Where are you, Galen?

Time seemed to stand still. Maybe they didn’t know Petrov wanted her dead. Not everyone on his payroll knew his private business. She certainly never knew about the crimes he was responsible for before witnessing him murder two people.

She couldn’t take it any longer. Galen wasn’t coming back. This was probably his gift to her—ridding her of a potential criminal boyfriend and setting her free at the same time. That wasn’t what she wanted, though. The thought of never seeing Galen again made her feel physically ill, and she equally panicked from the fear he’d really abandoned her and she’d be killed by one of those men.

After she couldn’t wait another minute, she stood up and adjusted her dress before heading in the direction of the public washrooms. She was too terrified to look behind her to see if they were following, plus she wanted to appear unaffected and not draw attention to herself.

There was no sign of Galen. She stepped into the men’s bathroom and whispered his name. She continued, slowly raising the volume of her whispered plea. The room was definitely empty. He’d left her.

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