Chapter 14 #2
No one would recognize her. In fact, her parents could walk past and not recognize her.
Rome had changed into jeans. When she’d first seen him, her mouth had watered. He looked so fine. The denim cupped his muscular ass. He also wore a black polo shirt, with a battered leather jacket on top.
Yum .
“Here.” He stopped beside a nondescript, white sedan and unlocked it.
Their surveillance vehicle.
“You bring a book?” he asked as he settled into the driver’s seat.
“No. I’m planning to use those big binoculars you brought.”
He grinned at her.
She rolled her eyes. “That did sound a bit naughty, but I really do want to use those binoculars.”
He handed them to her.
He started the engine and pulled out. “Lockwood’s staying at the St. Regis Hotel.”
They reached the hotel and circled the block a few times. Finally, he got a parking spot a few doors down from the front entrance.
Sofie rubbed her hands together. This was so cool. She lifted the binoculars and zoomed in on the front doors. It was busy, with crowds of people coming and going.
“If Chantal is involved…” Sofie shook her head. “I just don’t understand being part of something illegal, something that destroys lives.”
“Not everyone is good, Sofie. And sometimes good people do bad things.” His gaze turned inward.
“Rome?” His dark mood throbbed off him.
“Sorry. When I was in the military, the last two years I was part of a covert special operations team.”
“It was hard?”
“We had some rough missions. I saw some desperate people forced to do bad things, bad people who were rotten to the core, and some good people, too. Those good people gave me hope.”
Sofie nodded. “You’re right. I can’t just focus on the bad.”
Rome ran a finger down her nose. “Chantal just exited the hotel.”
“What?” Sofie looked out the window and lifted the binoculars. Sure enough, Chantal—stylishly dressed in black slacks and a blue blouse—was talking to a uniformed concierge.
“How did you see her? You were looking at me.”
“I’m good at my job,” he said.
He sure was.
A big, silver SUV pulled up and Chantal slid into the backseat.
Rome waited for the SUV to pass them, then pulled out.
They trailed behind it. For a while, Sofie was sure they’d lose them, as Rome didn’t get too close. But he doggedly stayed on their tail. He made it look easy.
They headed north.
She glanced out at the greenery of the Presidio. The waters of the Bay lay to their right.
The Golden Gate Bridge stretched ahead. Soon they were driving onto the bridge and Sofie took a second to absorb the stunning view.
“Looks like she’s going to Sausalito,” Rome said.
The SUV drove into the pocket of houses set on the hill looking over to the Bay toward San Francisco. It stopped in front of a modern, white house with a curved roof. The place would have wonderful views back toward the city.
Rome parked several houses away.
Sofie watched Chantal climb out and the SUV drove off. The woman jogged to the front of the house and knocked. Like she didn’t have a care in the world.
A part of Sofie really hoped Chantal was innocent.
The door opened, and Chantal smiled and walked inside. Sofie couldn’t see who’d opened the door.
“Now what?” she asked.
“We wait.”
She stared at the house. Rome started texting and she raised a brow.
“I’m getting Ace to check whose house this is,” Rome said.
“Good idea.”
They waited.
And waited.
After two hours, Sofie was dying of boredom. “Surveillance is boring.”
“I warned you.”
She sighed.
His phone pinged and she watched him read the message.
God, he was so purely masculine. She could happily sit here and watch him for hours. She’d prefer to do other things with him, if she had the choice. Her belly coiled. Being with Rome was just easy. There was no pretense; she didn’t have to be anything special to him.
“Anything?” she asked.
His brow creased. “Ace said the house is being rented by a company called Antiquarian. It’s European. Heard of it?”
The name tickled something in the back of her head, but nothing came to mind. “No.”
“Ace is going to keep digging.”
She flopped back in the seat.
“He said the Black Fox gang is planning another theft. He found info on the Dark Web.”
She gritted her teeth. “They’re so greedy.”
Suddenly, the front door of the house opened.
“ Rome .”
They watched Chantal skip down the steps. Her hair was no longer up in a ponytail but mussed and loose. Her face was flushed and she was smiling.
“Three guesses what she’s been up to,” Sofie muttered. “She’s married, with two kids, and her husband and family are back in England.”
The woman started down the sidewalk in their direction.
“Shit.” Rome turned his head.
Sofie followed suit and saw the silver SUV driving down the street toward them. Chantal was walking to meet it. She was going to see them.
Rome grabbed Sofie, yanked her across the center console, and kissed her.
Oh . This was much better. She kissed him back.
He cupped the back of her head and she leaned farther over the console, ready to crawl into his lap.
Then he bit her lip and smiled at her. “She’s gone past.”
She blinked. “Who?”
“Chantal. The person we’re surveilling.”
“Oh, right.” Sofie sat back in her seat. “I really suck at this private investigator stuff.”
Ahead, Chantal got into the silver SUV.
“Luckily you’re better at jewel thiefing.” Rome pulled the car out to follow.
“Thiefing isn’t a word.” Sofie paused. “I’d stop if the Black Fox gang was brought down.”
“You know it won’t bring Victoria back.”
“I know that.” Sofie sighed. “I guess I hoped that it would lessen the pain.”
“Time does that, Sofie.” There was so much understanding in his voice and she knew he was thinking of Lola.
She touched his thigh.
“I read once that grief is like a box with a ball inside it,” he said. “Inside the box is a button, and when the ball hits the button, you feel the pain of your loved one’s loss.”
She nodded.
“At first, the ball is huge and hits the button all the time.” His hands flexed on the wheel. “But over time, the ball shrinks. It doesn’t hit the button as often.”
He stopped at some lights and looked at her. “But every now and then, it still manages to hit that button, and it still hurts.”
“I like that analogy,” she said.
“We’ll always miss them, Sofie, but we still need to live.”
“And accept that there was nothing more we could have done to save them,” she added.
He watched her for a beat, then set the car in motion. He held her hand as they drove back to San Francisco.
They watched Chantal head back into her hotel.
“Surveillance is over,” Rome said.
“Thank God. It’s so boring.”
He smiled. “Come on, Princess, we’ll find you something more exciting to do.”