Page 27 of Cast in Shadow
But on the surface, it looked as if it was.
“You sure about that?” he asked softly.
A chill ran down her spine. Maybe it was a coincidence. It wasn’t inconceivable that the bank president had gotten tired of handling other people’s money and decided to skim some for himself. That kind of thing happened all the time.
But... what if there was more to it than that? What if someone familiar with Robin Hood’s MO was sending a message?
The list of people who knew about Robin Hood was a short one. It included her brother—who would never betray her, the man currently sitting six feet away from her, and the person who’d hired him.
She could feel Zeke’s eyes on her, watching her intently. The tingly feelings of attraction she’d felt earlier now became anxious butterflies in her stomach. Was this whole thing a ploy? A flex to convince her it was in her best interests to work for some secret organization? A veiled threat of what could happen if she didn’t? And if so, was Zeke a willing participant, or was he simply a tool in the grand plan?
Aggie felt conflicted. Part of her wanted to believe Zeke was essentially a good guy. A mercenary, yes, but one with a code.
Another part—the part that had kept her alive in the shadows for the better part of a decade—knew it would be foolish to rest her safety and well-being on wishful thinking.
That stay-versus-go teeter-totter she was riding landed on the go side with a sudden, jarring thump.
The hard part was going to be pulling it off. The chances of getting out of this room without Zeke knowing were slim to none, which meant she was going to have to get creative.
She closed the lid of her laptop and slid it under her pillow. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to bed.”
She slipped under the covers and turned away from him. Her mind was racing, as was her heart. She set both to the task of finding a way out.
Chapter Eleven
Zeke
Zeke listened to Aggie’s steady, even breathing, but he didn’t believe for one minute she was asleep.
That news story about the mob hit had spooked her—and understandably so. Still, it was the first time he’d seen her noticeably shaken. Even her kidnapping and beating hadn’t affected her quite as deeply.
Which made him uncomfortable.
He slept lightly, balancing on the edge between full-on slumber and alertness. It would have to suffice. Only two more days, maybe three on the outside, before they reached the safe house. Then, he could return to his own shadows and sleep as long as he wanted.
The thought wasn’t as comforting as it should have been.
The original reservations he’d had about taking the job resurfaced with a vengeance, along with some new doubts. He’d convinced himself that delivering the skilled hacker-slash-social-justice warrior to Charley was in her best interests. Now that he’d met her and spent some time with her, he wasn’t so sure.
Everything about her was contradictory. Her quiet compliance and occasional sassiness. Her tiny, fairy-like form and her curvy, womanly features. Her inner toughness and simmering vulnerability. Her genius-level intellect and her casual ordinariness.
The most troubling thing was, the more he discovered, the more he wanted to know.
He could lie to himself all he wanted, but from the moment he’d looked into those haunted eyes, he’d wanted more.
That was some truly scary shit, especially since it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his distance. It had taken a substantial amount of willpower not to rip that curtain open earlier and follow the path of those water droplets with his tongue. To run his hands over her toned flesh and lave every bruise until the only pain she felt was the sweet ache of desire.
There was no reason he couldn’t, other than his own code of moral conduct—although, he’d consider suspending that if she expressed an interest. Several times, he’d felt her eyes on him when they were in the car, and when he’d stepped out of the bathroom, bare-chested, she’d seemed to like what she saw.
But she hadn’t initiated anything, and those surreptitious glances, no matter how hot, were not sufficient to justify a seduction, and that was a damn shame. He suspected the two of them could have a good time together before they parted ways.
A soft sigh carried through the stillness, followed by the sound of covers being cast aside. Apparently, she was having trouble sleeping too. She got up several times throughout the night. Each time she did, he rose to a sense of heightened awareness, certain she was going to try to slip away.
She didn’t. She visited the bathroom. Sat in the darkness by the window once or twice. Not once did she venture over to his side of the room or attempt to go near the door, so he remained where he was and said nothing.
Eventually, dawn began to lighten the edges around the windows. Zeke rose and moved toward the bathroom, where she had been for the last hour. He knocked slightly on the frame.
“Be out in a minute,” came a weak reply.
