Page 75 of The Saint

“I do,” Amelia said quietly.

The relief was instantaneous. Still, he gave her a quick look with as much humor as he could manage. “Took your time on that, didn’t you, sweetheart?”

Her quiet laugh released the tension in her shoulders.Good girl.That was a move in the right direction. He gave a quick wink that he hoped she interpreted as a pat on the back, as reinforcement. She could handle the conversation if she grounded herself.

Esme laser focused on him. “Do you think she should stay?”

No dice.Camden wasn’t going to convince her one way or the other and almost winked at Esme to keep his footing even with the Queen of the Barbs. “Amelia should do what she’s comfortable with.”

“Of course she should. But now that she’s here and we’ve started down this bumpy road, would she regret leaving?”

That was a slightly different question, but he liked the wording better. It wasn’t telling her what to do but rather looking out for Amelia’s well-being.

He nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Camden,” Esme continued. “Neither of you know enough to make an informed decision. I know that. You know that. The not-knowing aside, do you think Amelia can handle whatever she learns?”

Amelia could handle anything. From the first night they spoke, when he hadn’t been sure what threats were coming after her, he believed she’d been strong enough to survive. Amelia would’ve said he was wrong or that she’d been strong enough only because he’d been on the phone with her. That was total horseshit. She could’ve done it without him.

The same went for right then. Amelia could handle anything they would learn from Esme. Whether or not he was by her side didn’t matter—though he absolutely would be.

“Yeah. She can handle anything if it helps find out the truth.” Camden pinned Amelia with as earnest a look as he could. His insides hurt that she didn’t know that already. “You can do this.”

Esme tapped and steepled her fingers together again. “I don’t know where she is, but I can start you down the path to find answers.”

Amelia pressed her lips together. “Why hasn’t anyone else gone down that path? The cops? The CIA?”

“You don’t know that they haven’t.” Esme’s eyebrows arched. “I’ve talked plenty to Beth.”

Frustration boiled in Amelia’s expression. “Then why did Beth bring me here?”

“There are many ways to solve a problem.”

Her blush returned. “This wayfeels like I’m invading a part of them they had kept secret for certain reasons. Not just because they worked for the CIA.”

“It was ajob, Amelia.That’s it—though it was probably a very fun job.”

Amelia’s pink cheeks were back to their full color.

Esme shrugged. “My clientele are high-end. Hailey and Jonathan rubbed elbows—amongst other things—with the wealthy one percent.”

“I don’t think she’s ready for jokes yet,” Camden pointed out.

Esme’s lips quirked. “Between the three of us—and a select group of others—we traded in information. In secrets. This…” She gestured to the walls around them. “Shouldn’t be the reason you stay away.”

Amelia took a deep breath then let it out very slowly. She mimicked Esme’s gesture. “They worked in your sex club, and I don’t know how to handle that.”

Esme wrinkled her nose. “‘Sex club’ sounds so seedy. Hailey and Jonathan lived a complicated cover story and absolutely enjoyed themselves while fulfilling their mission objectives.” Esme looked between him and Amelia. “But sex is sex, my dear. It brings people closer. It can scratch an itch, uncover new needs, or fix long-buried trauma. It’s a wonder drug,” she breathed out as though imagining all the carnal possibilities.

Amen. Still, Camden’s skin flushed. Esme scrutinized him as though keenly aware of how they’d spent the previous night, as if she knew the way Amelia had asked him to take control and how he’d promised he would take care of her.

All right.They needed to finish the conversation and be on their way. “Now that we know the background information, what did you and Beth think we should do with that?”

Esme’s lips curled, and she dragged out her answer into a slow, sensual purr. “Make an appearance, and infiltrate.”

“As if it’s that simple,” he volleyed.

“It is with me on your side.”

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