Page 50 of The Saint

“It’s freezing outside.” The corners of Beth’s eyes tightened. “And I think it’s supposed to pour again soon.”

He glanced out the living room window and noted the much darker skies. Beth wasn’t wrong.

“I’m not going to melt.” Amelia’s eyes bore into Camden. “Will you?”

He laughed. “Nope.”

Beth moved ahead of them and opened a closet door in the foyer. “I’m sure we have an umbrella around here somewhere.”

“Stop. I don’t want anything from you.”

That wasn’t entirely true. If Camden hadn’t known better, that edge of paranoia in Amelia’s words would have caught him off guard, but she was well within her rights to not trust Beth.

“Don’t worry about an umbrella. We’ll be fine.” He took a backward step and bypassed Beth as she had the audacity to look offended. “Let’s roll.”

Beth laid her hands on her hips. “That’s ridiculous.”

Amelia made him proud by suppressing what had to be a monumental eye roll, though as she passed, she tacked on, “You’d be shocked to hear all of the ridiculousness I’ve put up with lately.”

Camden had a good idea how done Amelia was with Beth and the CIA. That didn’t bode well for her hopes of working together to find Hailey. They walked out the front door as the first fat raindrops fell again. He was exhausted by the weather and wished for Abu Dhabi’s warmth. Camden eyed Amelia’s shirt and shoes. Neither would do well in the rain. “I’ll grab your coat.” He headed toward the SUV.

“I don’t want it.” She trudged over the lawn. “I just want to clear my mind.”

“Guess the wind and rain will do that.” He jogged to catch up. His arm itched to wrap around her, as though protecting her from raindrops would make everything better. “What’s the matter?”

Amelia didn’t seem to notice the rain.

“Are you concerned she was wearing a wire? That the house is bugged?”

She stopped abruptly. “No. That never occurred to me. Why would she—” Amelia shook her head. “God, why am I dealing with this insanity?”

The rain rolled over them. “But you won’t stay inside or take Beth’s umbrella?”

“I just wanted to leave. I didn’t want to touch anything from her orthe CIA. It couldn’t be any clearer that she thinks Hailey is dead, and it felt stupid to ask about helping find her. I mean, Jonathan is dead, and I can’t process that yet.” She balled her hand into a fist and looked like she might scream or cry—either one would work for the situation. “I miss them both so much. All while Beth is buying the perfect pastry, talking about how great they are. I wanted to strangle the smile off her face.”

“Beth isn’t the enemy.” Though he agreed she could have taken her picture-perfect persona down several notches. The CIA’s involvement wasn’t making Amelia’s grief any easier. “She’s a tool in your arsenal. You can use her to get what you need.”

Then again, maybe he shouldn’t have been giving Amelia hope. Camden ran a hand into his wet hair as rain soaked his shoulders and his clothes clung to his back.

“I need to keep walking.”

He nodded and kept by her side. The rain poured over them. They reached the top of the cul-de-sac.

Her head dipped back, and she stared at the clouds. “Cam, when will this get easier?”

He’d never lost a loved one. He’d never had to deal with the unknown. “I’m not sure, sweetheart.” Not having the answers made him feel helpless. The only thing he could do was help her regain her composure and get her out of the rain. Little droplets ran down her cheeks and caught on her eyelashes.

“Do you want to keep walking or head back?”

Amelia wiped rain from her face and headed down the cul-de-sac toward the main road. “I want to find my sister.”

Ifher sister was still alive. Given the amount of time that had passed, what had happened to Jonathan, and the crazy way Amelia ended up in prison, he didn’t think Hailey’s survival was possible. “I know.”

“No, you don’t.” She yanked him to face her. “Iwant to find her. As in physically.” She released him and gestured blankly toward the rain-slicked street. “I want to search for her. Look at places they think she could have gone.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Even ignoring the level of danger she was asking for, no evidence existed that Hailey was alive. “I don’t think it works like that.”

“Tell me what to say to Beth to make it happen.”

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