The twins love it.
Eventually, Arron commandeers total control of the seed packet and runs away with it, Solenne right at his side.
Simon laughs and leans back on the grass, resting his weight on his elbows as he looks up at the sky.
“It’s such a gorgeous day,” he observes, then glances at me. His eyes trace over me, taking in my white summer dress, drifting more slowly as he looks at my legs. Self-consciously, I pull the dress lower, and he looks away.
“You used to wear a lot more color than you do now,” he says casually. “Pink, blue, red…”
I smile. “I still love color. But… I guess…”I have to stay hidden. I have to blend in and not be seen. I can’t risk being colorful and attraction attention.
“Do you want to go shopping?” he asks. “You can get whatever you want?”
“Oh, um, I really don’t need anything,” I answer quickly.
He chuckles and shakes his head. “I didn’t sayneed. I saidwant. There is a big difference.”
I can’t help the smile that spreads over my lips. My cheeks flush pink when I glance at him and catch sight of his expression. Amusement and kindness.
I hate the way my heart flutters all the time when I’m around him. I have to start being more careful. If I don’t get my emotions under control, I’ll end up with heartache and depression because he might never be able to see past his idea that I was a spy… and I might never be anything more than a prisoner to him.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, keeping the topic vaguely open. I would love to go shopping. I can’t even remember the last time I went shopping and just had fun with it. It might have been with my mother.
Simon looks towards the twins, the same smile on his face.
I let my eyes roam the park, over the ducks, the water, the green grass… and suddenly my heart stops.
The man with the scar on his face. The same man who was at the playground when Simon first found me. He’s standing near the tree line with another man I recognize.My father’s men.I never told Simon before. He thought they were stalking him, but they weren’t. They were stalking me.
My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach, and I sit up straight, tense.
“Simon, do you see the man. By the tree line?”
He doesn’t look right away, not wanting to alert them to our knowledge of their presence.
“Scar on his face. The same man who attacked my warehouse. Same man from the park,” he mutters.
“He’s one of my father’s men,” I whisper quietly, knowing it will upset him that I never told him this before.
“He’swhat?” he hisses under his breath.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, pushing myself up as casually as I can. “I need to get the twins.”
Simon nods, his jaw clenched.
He forces a smile onto his face.
“Who wants burgers?” he asks loudly.
The twins spin to face him. “Meee!” they both shout excitedly.
“Come on then, let’s go home, we can order takeout! I want a giant cheeseburger,” he muses as he scoops Solenne into his arms. I take hold of Arron, and we start heading out of the park. Behind us the men move.
I clear my throat, alerting Simon, who steals a glance.
“Selene, I’ll race you to the car,” he says playfully, lifting Solenne higher and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack. My daughter, laughing happily, shouts, “Run, Daddy! Mommy is fast!”
Arron is in on the game instantly, yelping for me to hurry before they get away.
