Page 27 of To Keep

Chapter Seven

Galen didn’t want to end their date as he knew what would happen the moment they did. The men Skye told him about earlier would be waiting. He’d spotted them the moment he entered the restaurant, but he hadn’t been entirely clear about who they were. Within his world, anyone could truly be fucking anyone, and he didn’t want to unnecessarily start a war. Especially when Viko was being so fucking elusive. The guy had never been vocal, not in the true sense of the word, so his sudden complete silent treatment made for a rather uncomfortable mess. When Skye mentioned she recognized them, their identities all became clear to him.

Skye looked beautiful with the last of the sun setting in the sky. He loved the oranges and yellows that surrounded her. She looked so at peace, so calm, so … innocent. This had been his idea of a date, or the best he could come up with, but he knew the moment they left the sanctuary of the restaurant, they were fucked. Petrov’s men would be waiting for them.

He wasn’t afraid to deal with them. It was an easy enough kill, but that would lose the date status, and he’d have to deal with the cleanup as well. He didn’t want his lifestyle to ruin a perfectly good date.

“You certainly loved that chocolate tart,” he said.

“It’s chocolate. What crazy person doesn’t like chocolate?”

He chuckled. “True.”

She finished licking the spoon and placed it on her plate. For several seconds neither of them spoke.

“I know why you’re waiting,” she said.

“Yeah, and why is that?”

“Because when we leave here, reality will return and we’re not just two people enjoying a date, but two people who came together because of a kill contract,” she said.

He didn’t like to think about that. Galen didn’t say a word.

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

He stayed silent.

She looked around at the buildings along the waterfront. “Do you think they have a hotel room for us to stay at?” Skye asked.

“It wouldn’t matter. A hotel room is private and perfect for getting rid of loose ends.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Skye sighed. “Well, until the next one, I thought this was an amazing date.”

He shouldn’t care. Her opinion shouldn’t matter to him. He’d been nice and done the best he could, and yet, he did care.

Galen smiled.

“And there you go, you should totally do that more often.” She winked at him and he chuckled.

Skye entertained him. She loosened the tight grip around his heart and made the world a better place.

“I’m not afraid,” she said.

“You’re not?”

“No, I know you’ll protect me and I’ll do everything I can to have your back.”

He wanted to reach across the table and kiss her, hard. There would be time for that, as soon as he got rid of the two men. He signaled the waitress for the check, paid for their meal, leaving a generous tip, and then got to his feet. Putting his hand at Skye’s back, they stepped out of the restaurant. He already had his hand on a gun as he walked her back toward his car.

She didn’t argue with him, just followed his lead.

There was no sight of Petrov’s bodyguards, but he had that strange feeling traveling up his neck, which told him he was being watched. Gritting his teeth, he opened Skye’s car door, rounded the vehicle, and climbed inside.

“I must have been wrong,” Skye said.

“You’re not wrong. They’re around, they’re waiting, and will probably attempt to throw me off the road or follow us to my secure location.”

“You can’t let them do that,” she said.

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