TWENTY-THREE
Erin strolled next to Nathan as they made their way along the brick sidewalk back to their hotel a couple of blocks away. Crossing the street at the corner, they passed a section of clothing boutiques that were now closed. A man whistled for a cab, while a group of women jumped into an Uber car.
Nathan glanced down at her and smiled, and that familiar warmth spread through her. If she didn’t already have a history with the man, would she so quickly feel such a strong bond with him? A longing need to press even closer?
They weren’t together anymore.
Her fault.
But it seemed that her heart hadn’t accepted that fact. She tried to listen only to her head—nothing had changed since she broke things off years ago. He’d known that she held back, refusing to open up completely. Well, she still couldn’t open up and let him in. Not all the way. Not until she somehow resolved what happened before, found answers and closure—for her heart and mind.
Next to her, Nathan tensed.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“Keep walking and act normal. The hotel is fifteen yards out.”
His tone struck fear in her. “We’re being followed?”
“Yes. And we could be in danger.”
“How are you going to meet the mystery man tonight if we’re being followed?”
“We’re going to lose the tail, that’s how. And I need you to walk right by the hotel. Don’t even attempt to go inside.”
“So I’m going with you to the meeting, then.”
“For now, it sure looks that way.” Nathan pulled her into an alley between restaurants.
Grabbing her hand, he ran and she kept pace. He tried a few doors along the redbrick walls. A twentysomething guy exited a door at the same time he pulled off his apron. Nathan pushed past him, dragging Erin inside to rush by commercial-grade refrigerators and storage closets through the kitchen. Food workers shouted and scolded them. Nathan apologized and exited to the front of the house and the dining room where patrons were seated.
He started to weave his way between the tables, then stopped. Erin ran into him.
Nathan turned around and led her down the hall toward the back of the house, through the kitchen door again, and barely sidestepped a waiter exiting with a loaded food tray. Tugging Erin out of the way, he pulled her over to a storage area. He found a door and urged her inside with him. The space wasn’t meant for two people to comfortably stand in.
Erin was pressed up against Nathan. The closet smelled like cleaning solution.
“Keep quiet while we wait,” he whispered so softly she could barely hear the words.
She pressed her forehead against his chest and felt his pounding heart. They couldn’t wait here forever. She couldn’t wait here so close to Nathan for much longer.
Oh, God, if only I could be with this man. If only I weren’t so broken and could be good enough for him.
Why was she thinking such crazy thoughts at a time like this?
But she knew why. Being next to Nathan scrambled her mind.
He palmed the weapon in his holster, slid it out, and held it toward the ceiling, ready to use.
She thought Nathan might hear her crazy-loud thumping heart. The door opened, and Erin almost yelped.
Angry Italian words spewed from one of the waitstaff, then, “This is no place for you to have a tryst.”
After apologizing, Nathan tugged Erin behind him again. Her fingers felt like they were welded to his.
She noticed he pressed his palm against the weapon he’d thrust back into his holster. He pulled her out of the restaurant and clung to the shadows under the awnings. “Let’s grab a cab.”
“What about the rental car?”