Page 57 of An Eye For Illusion

“Your father what?” I ask when she trails off. I’m more curious than I should be to understand why she’s so hell bent on getting out of this marriage.

It’s understandable she doesn’t want to marry him, but why not just tell her father how she feels? I’ve tossed that question around more than I’d like to admit. I’m here to do a job, not untangle whatever the hell is going on here.

“It’s complicated, Colin,” she says with an exasperated sigh. She crosses her arms over her chest and turns slightly away from me. That’s a clear indicator she won’t tell me a damn thing.

We won’t get anywhere if she isn’t willing to tell me any more than she has. I can’t say I blame her. I’m not exactly telling her everything I know yet, either. Mainly because what I know doesn’t connect enough dots to mean much…yet.

“We need to get out of here. Lurking outside the door runs the risk of us getting caught,” I say in a hushed tone.

“I’m his fiancé. He’ll hardly think anything of us bumping into each other. I’ll tell him you’re a client. He won’t think anything of it.”

I cut my eyes away from her. This is a piece of the puzzle she doesn’t know about yet. Neither of us know what could be on the other side of that door. St James Place is dimly lit outside, and from what I can see through the small pane of glass on the door, it’s dimly lit inside as well.

“What’s that look for? Has he caught you following him? Dammit, Colin, you didn’t tell me.”

She doesn’t trust me yet, or she wouldn’t be following the man she’s paying me to follow. The shitty part is that I can’t trust her either, obviously, because she’s following the man she hired me to follow without evening talking to me first.

“Pfft, hell no, he didn’t catch me. And I don’t want him to tonight either. Let’s move.” I gently grasp her elbow and lead her away from the building toward my car.

She doesn’t resist but mutters something under her breath about a “demanding asshole,” who I have to assume is me.

I parked in the building’s shadow, so I won’t be seen easily. Jade pulled up and parked like she owns the place. I roll my eyes. She has a lot to learn if she plans to take over my job.

I open the passenger door of my car and wait for her to climb inside. I don’t look her in the eyes before closing the door. I’m sure if looks could kill, I’d be a dead man by now. I walk around the front of the car, turning back toward the building entrance to make sure no one followed us. I slide into the driver’s seat and close the door gently.

“I want to know what’s going on,” she says curtly.

“Me too, Jade. That’s why we’re here.” I know that isn’t what she’s referring to.

She crosses her arms and stares at the spot ahead where we just left. Her pursed lips are plump and distracting. She’s trying to cause tension with the silent treatment, and it’s working. However, not in the way she wants.

Jade is a beautiful woman, captivating even. Her attitude is so damn frustrating. My feelings war inside me whenever she’s near. She’s incredibly challenging to deal with, but there’s always a fire burning below the surface to know her better.

“Whats the plan here?” she asks, finally breaking the silence in the small front of the car. I’ve been watching the building entrance closely, waiting for any sign of Moore.

“Now, we wait.”

“Wait, that’s it?” She squirms in the seat, blowing out a frustrated breath. “I’m not very good at waiting, in case you haven’t noticed.”

I chuckle. “Oh, I’ve noticed. Trust me. If it wasn’t you incessantly calling for an update that gave it away, it would’ve been you calling my boss behind my back to get me in trouble that clued me in. You, Jade Foster, are not a very patient person.”

Her eyes narrow. “Figures he’d rat me out.”

I shrug. “He may be my boss, but he’s also a close friend.”

I take my eyes off the doors to look over at Jade. To my surprise, she isn’t looking at the building but at me instead. Her eyes linger, not straying when mine find hers.

“Do you enjoy your job?” she asks suddenly, breaking a different kind of tension that was bubbling to the surface.

My hands itch to reach over and touch her soft skin again, to run my fingertips over the plump swell of her breasts that I can see past the silk camisole she has on.

My fist clinches and my jaw flexes. Jade takes note of the movements but says nothing as she waits for my answer.

“Yes, I love what I do.”

“Why?”

Her curiosity has warmth spreading in my chest. It seems like she truly cares about my answer.

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