“Oh…”
I study her soft expression, but I don’t understand what it means.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just thought… never mind.” She smiles too brightly. “What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing. I just need you to pretend you are on a date with me and let me and my men do the rest.”
She nods.
“Can you do that?”
She nods again.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t let them take you. You’re mine.”
She melts against my side as we start walking the three blocks to the restaurant we picked out. I made reservations at the restaurant a couple of days ago under a fake name, but I know the owner likes to run his mouth, and he’s good friends with Clive. He would have told him that I was coming in and bringing a date. I’m positive Clive will take the bait once it’s confirmed that Eden is here with me.
He will try to steal her. And I’ll take him out when he does.
We walk into the restaurant, and we are guided toward a booth at the back that overlooks the river. This is one of the most upscale restaurants in town. And I’m the wealthiest sucker in this town, so I always get the best table. They bring over a bottle of my favorite wine without me even having to ask. They pour us both a glass, and I notice Eden drinking hers faster than usual.
I take her hand in mine and try to come up with something funny to say to distract her, but I can’t. I can’t even distract myself. Clive will give us one look, and he’ll know that this is fake. A setup.
I stand up and slide into her side of the booth draping my arm around her shoulder. I may not be able to make her laugh right now, but I can make her forget.
My hand slides up her jeans, and I silently wish that she had worn a skirt instead of pants. She shifts as her cheeks finally flush pink.
I tilt her head toward mine and kiss her firmly on the lips. She melts in my arms, instantly forgetting about everything. I continue making out with her in the booth, not caring that this is a fancy restaurant and this is simply not done. I want her calm. She doesn’t know that my men are all around, wait
ing for the signal to attack.
Food is set in front of us. The restaurant has a fixed menu so course after course will be brought to us.
The first is soup, bringing us both back to the night I fed her soup by holding the bowl up to her lips.
She laughs when I pick the bowl up to her lips, but it doesn’t stop her from drinking the liquid from it.
The rest of our meal is pretty uneventful. We talk, we laugh, we eat. Clive nor Erick have made an appearance, nor any of their men. We’ve been eating dinner for almost three hours now, well past the time that a normal dinner would take. They aren’t coming.
“I need to use the restroom before we go,” Eden says.
I nod, get out of the booth to let her out, and then take a seat again, watching her ass sway as she walks away in her jeans. Loving that we are both wearing jeans, despite this being a fancy restaurant where everyone in it is wearing dresses and suits. The staff hasn’t said anything to us. They know better.
I pay the waiter while I wait for Eden to return. But ten minutes pass and she still hasn’t returned.
I glance back at Dierk at one of the tables a few back. He has a concerned look on his face as well.
Shit.
We both dash up, drawing our guns, as we run toward the back exit.
I find Eden with a gun pointed at her head in Erick’s arms.
She doesn’t look afraid though. She looks mad. And I know that she has the skills to break free from Erick’s arms any moment she wants to. I don’t know what self-defense classes she took, but they were good. She’s taken out plenty of my men before. She won’t right now. She’s acting as bait. But she will when the time is right.
“Let her go,” I say, acting scared. Although it’s not an act. I am scared. I hate him touching her or having a gun pointed at her. Even if the plan is working.