Chapter Seventeen
For the first time in weeks, when Amelia asked herself what on Earth was happening, the possible answers weren’t terrifying.
No one was trying to kill or arrest her.
She wasn’t talking to spies or big scary bosses.
She was simply going out on a date with a man who could make her hum by just turning his smolder her way.
That wasn’t actually fair. He could convince her to do anything with those eyes and that mouth, but she had been the one trying to convince him.
She should thank him. He was leaving as soon as the grumpy Boss Man said so, and she was probably using Camden to distract herself from reality.
She didn’t exactly mind him as a distraction, though.
Her clothing options were limited to what she had packed haphazardly from her condo and the gray sweatpants and oversized T-shirt Camden had let her wear.
“We can’t go anywhere fancy,” she called down the stairs.
“Oh no,” he deadpanned. “You’re breaking my heart.”
She snort-laughed and tugged on jeans and a sweater.
Her hair had mostly finished drying while Camden kissed her into a million glittery pieces.
She couldn’t do much about its chaos other than to wrangle it into what she hoped passed for a messy bun.
After a quick swipe of lipstick, she headed downstairs.
He waited on the couch, football in hand, sexier than she remembered him being fifteen minutes prior.
How was that possible? His smile crooked, and she knew the football was about to fly her way.
Amelia caught his easy loft with more confidence than she could have imagined possible.
A lot had changed in a short amount of time.
“Ready?” He grabbed his wallet and the keys off the hook by the door.
It struck her that this was how married couples did date nights.
After all, they lived in the same place.
No one picked up or dropped off. They didn’t say “Good night” or “Give me a call.” They just went back into their home and repeated the whole thing whenever they wanted to.
On the weekends. On vacations. After work.
A pang of guilt needled her. Amelia had been ignoring work. She’d had plenty of reasons to, but since she was out of prison, she didn’t have the same excuse as before. “Can I check in with Veronica before we head out?”
He shrugged. “Of course.”
“I don’t have my phone or laptop. Can I call her from your phone?
” The last time she’d called Veronica, it had been to drop a bomb: She’d needed a lawyer in prison and for Veronica to run the business solo while she was out of touch.
They had so much to catch up on, but at the very least, she needed to explain she wasn’t in custody anymore.
Camden held out his phone. “I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”
Veronica picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Amelia? Oh my God. How are you? Where are you?”
“I—” She caught herself. How could she explain the situation with a special operations babysitter and meeting with the CIA? “Considering everything, I’m fine. What about you?”
“Fine. But who cares how I am? I’ve been so worried about you.”
“Honestly, I’m okay. I’m going to stay offline for a while and wanted to make sure that you’re good with that.” Veronica could handle the business part of Events and Occasions in her sleep, but dropping everything on her without warning hadn’t been fair.
“Of course I am.”
“Everything with work is—”
“Amelia. Who cares about work? I’m worried about you.”
“I’m in the process of straightening everything out.”
“These scary people came and talked to me about you, what you knew, what you and Hailey talked about. I didn’t think they’d ever leave me alone.”
Amelia’s stomach sank. The CIA had been harassing her and probably everyone she knew.
“I’m sorry. They arrested me and then let me go. Big misunderstanding”—understatement of the century—“but it’s heartbreaking.” Her throat cracked. “I just want to find Hailey.”
“I know, hon. Anything I can do? Can I drop food off at your place? Run out and get your groceries? Anything at all? I don’t even have to knock on the door.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m not staying there right now.”
“Where are you?”
“Just keeping my head down.”
Veronica hummed. “Are you sure I can’t do anything for you?”
“No, but call this number if you need me. Okay?” She ended the call and hated how law enforcement was spending more time on Amelia’s social circle than on finding Hailey.
She returned to Camden and handed over the phone. “Here. Thanks.”
“Everything okay?” His eyes narrowed as though he were trying to read her thoughts.
She didn’t want that. Amelia had checked in and was ready to ignore her responsibilities once again. “Work’s fine. I’m not needed. Veronica has everything under control.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“I’m starving, Cam. Can we head out?”
He pocketed his phone and led her into the cool night. At least it wasn’t raining. Camden locked the house behind them and scanned the street before leading them on the same path as their breakfast trek had taken.
Her skin prickled as he searched for threats. “Who are you looking for?”
Camden looked down at her with a shrug. “No one. Everyone. Habit, I guess.”
She hadn’t noticed that before.
The sidewalks were more crowded as they merged onto Mount Vernon Avenue.
How many of these people worked everyday jobs only to cover up their real work?
How many spied for the United States? For other countries?
American spies wouldn’t be walking around the US, would they?
Well, Jonathan and Hailey had. They’d traveled extensively and lived within an easy drive of three airports, two of which were international.
The more Amelia stared at the surrounding crowds on the sidewalk, the more it felt like someone was staring at her as well. She checked over her shoulder. Had Camden always checked their surroundings before they left the house? She hadn’t noticed before.
“Burgers? Barbeque?” he asked.
She inched closer to his side and tried to ignore the lingering feeling that someone was tracking her.
“I have an idea.” Amelia did a quick mental calculation of their location and thought they were roughly two blocks and a straight shot from a great place she’d used for work.
It had limited seating where she could hide and ignore the paranoia that had been creeping up her spine since they stepped outside.
A few minutes later, they were seated on the second floor of a familiar restaurant that touted itself as upscale American.
Amelia had always found their catering menu trendy enough to meet the high expectation of bridal parties but reliable enough to earn high praise from corporate head honchos.
Right then, she appreciated their low lights and tight spaces where she—or better, Camden—could catalog every person who walked in.
Camden sat with his back to the wall. She almost asked if she could sit next to him so that they could watch their surroundings together. He scanned the room then scrutinized her.
He saw her as vulnerable and fragile.
She painted on an unbothered face. “Brussels sprouts with bacon jam. Yum.”
His eyes narrowed. “That’s not what you were thinking about.”
True, but she knew from experience the entire appetizer section could be devoured without leading him astray and was much better dinner conversation than sharing her new neurosis.
He didn’t look wowed by her Brussels-sprouts suggestion.
She would make a crappy spy. How was Hailey so good at this?
Amelia doubled down on her interest in the menu.
“Are you more a pork-chop or rib-eye kind of guy?”
“Amelia.”
“You said I get to ask all the questions I want.”
“Yeah, and I said that before you were jumping at your shadow. What’s up?”
First-date jitters? Paranoia? Both? “I don’t know,” she muttered under her breath knowing she didn’t get date jitters and had every reason to be paranoid.
He surveilled the room again then turned his full attention her way. “I’m not going to let anything hurt you. You know that, right?”
What did she know? He believed he could protect her.
He certainly was trying to keep her heart safe from him in the bedroom.
Out of the bedroom? There probably hadn’t been many times in Camden Brooks’s life when he didn’t get his way.
She also believed she would be dead if anyone else had answered her phone call that terrifying night.
Camden had kept her safe from a thousand miles away.
No doubt he could do that when they were close enough to touch. “I feel like someone’s watching me.”
He nodded without taking his eyes from her. “Starting when?”
He was taking her seriously. That alone made her feel safer. “Since we reached the main strip.”
Camden glanced over as the waitress returned and smiled at him as though she’d never seen a man before.
He didn’t seem to notice. If it had been an ordinary first date, that would have been a point in his favor.
Since it was their first date after she tried to pull him into her bed, Amelia didn’t bother with a tally.
She did, however, let a warm flush roll through her as she recalled the way he closed in on her and took her mouth with a mind-melting kiss.
“Ladies first,” Camden told the waitress.
Forced to acknowledge Amelia’s existence, the other woman asked what they wanted. They quickly ordered the smoked cream cheese with hot honey to start and two rib eyes for dinner. When they were alone again, Camden cut back to their previous conversation. “Tell me if you get that feeling again.”
“Do you think I’m crazy?”
The look he gave her might’ve said yes, but he said, “I know the bullshit you’ve been through.” He turned up a hand as though to say he rested his case. “See something. Say something. Get a weird vibe, read me in on it. Okay?”
She bit her lip and nodded. That was fair. “I’ve totally screwed up tonight, haven’t I?”