Page 30 of Hidden Shadows
CHAPTER11
Nixon remained close to Finley as they walked through the fair. It was evening. They’d arrived later today specifically so she could get some night footage. He’d thought there might be fewer people. There weren’t. If possible, it seemed busier. More people, less light…fuck, that put him on edge.
He inched closer to her.
They’d spent most of the evening so far eating hot dogs and exploring the Christmas lights, Finley recording and snapping photos as they went.
He’d begun following her channels closely. Her TikTok account in particular got a lot of traffic. So many goddamn eyes knowing exactly where she was. Exactly what she was doing. The bodyguard in him hated that.
“Thank you,” she said softly, hip nudging his.
He looked down at her soft smile. Things felt different today.Shefelt different. Softer. Like she didn’t need to fight him on every little thing. But maybe that was partly because he’d stopped fighting her too.
“For what?”
“For not being a total pain in my ass about coming here this evening.”
Oh, he’d wanted to be. “I’ve learned that it’s a losing battle. You know where I stand on the matter.”
“Well, all the same, I appreciate it.” She lifted a shoulder. “Plus, it’s kind of nice having someone come on a trip with me, even if you were an unwelcome guest at first.”
His lips twitched. “You saying you like having me here now?”
“Today, yes. Traveling from place to place can get a bit lonely. Some people take partners or friends, but I don’t have a partner, and my best friend is too busy saving lives.”
Something inside him twisted at the thought of this beautiful woman being lonely. It was so fucking strong that he almost wanted to stop them and cup her cheek. Tug her into his arms.
He just stopped himself. Because what would he say? That she hadhim, so it was all okay now? She didn’t. Not really. Nate had only hired him for this trip. After this, if they hadn’t caught the guy, he was hoping like hell she agreed to the safe house.
Another fucking twist of his gut.
He cleared his throat. “I’m glad I haven’t completely ruined the trip for you.”
She laughed. “There’s still time.”
They were just about to step onto the bridge when a voice sounded behind them.
“Finley.”
Nixon’s muscles tensed, his jaw ticking at the sound of that asshole’s voice. He turned to see Rad striding toward them. His gaze moved over Nixon for a moment, eyes narrowing before shifting to Finley. “I just wanted to check in on how everything’s going.”
Finley smiled, but the smile was tight and didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s been really good. Today I filmed the food and how this place looks in the evening. It’s all beautiful. My viewers will love it.”
“Great.” He cocked his head. “Have you had a horse and sleigh ride?”
A vein throbbed in Nixon’s temple.
Finley’s brows rose. “Not yet.”
It took too much goddamn strength to not ball his hands into fists. Because he knew what was coming next.
“Would you like to join me?”
Yep. Nixon was gonna hit the guy.
“I’ll have you back to your assistant safe and sound,” Rad said, stepping forward. “I promise.”
The prick.
