I tensed, then darted a look at my forgotten breakfast. I heaved a sigh. "I’m sorry, Suzy, everything’s fine. I just lost my appetite."
"Would you like me to take it away?"
I winced at the waste, but I couldn’t eat it now. "Thanks."
"Would you like something else?"
While I appreciated her solicitousness, mostly I just wanted her to go. Quickly shaking my head, I murmured, "No. Everything’s great. Thank you."
"You’re a very bad liar, do you know that?" Aidan murmured the second she’d gone.
Gritting my teeth, I snapped, "I’ll have you know I’m a great liar." I winced at how loud that had been, and cast a quick glance around me to see if anyone was listening.
Great.
They were.
Receiving a few funny looks from the tables on either side of me, I muttered, "You did that on purpose."
"No, I didn’t actually. I’m just surprised at how poorly your old editors read you that’s all."
"You met with every one of them?"
"I told you. I’m thorough."
Shaking my head, I snapped, "None of this makes sense. Why would you investigate me this deeply? I’m nobody to you."
"Not to my father. You touched upon an old wound, remember? But I’ll admit, he didn’t want me to come to you. He just wanted me to deal with you."
I gulped.
"Yes. Pretty much like that," he confirmed. "However, the fact that you were researching Paddy’s death made me curious."
"Enough to go digging through my past, I can see."
"Well, you’ve been digging through mine, haven’t you?" His smile made another reappearance when I winced. Seeing he’d scored a hit, he murmured, "I don’t think you’re in a position to judge."
Because he wasn’t wrong, I just bowed my head in acceptance, but it didn’t stop me from muttering, "I would never have tried to hurt you or anything."
"Neither would I. I was curious, don’t forget. It was my father who meant you harm. I’m the one who’ll save your ass if you do as I say."
"You want me to stop what I’m doing even though I’m telling you, here and now, that your uncle wasn’t killed by the Albanians?"
My declaration had his jaw tightening. "I’d like to read the files you have on him."
"No ‘please’ or ‘thank you?’" I sniped.
"I don’t think they’re required in a life or death situation, Savannah."
He surprised me by getting to his feet. The chair scraped against the tiled floor, jolting my nerves, and I tipped my head back to look at him looming over me. Christ, he was impressive. I felt like a mere acolyte peering up at a god, pleading for his attention.
Which, after this conversation, was the last thing I wanted, but he was…
I didn’t know how to describe it.
Awe-inspiring made him sound like a piece of architecture.
Aidan was far too tactile for that. Far too close to hand to be anything that was cordoned off from the public reach.