Page 56 of Ballrooms & Blackmail

I shift, carefully sliding one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, and stand. Her eyes flutter open, staring drowsily at me.

“Bedtime,” I say softly.

“Sleepy,” she mutters.

My mouth hitches up. “Then let’s get you into bed.”

She nods lazily, burrows deeper into my chest while I carry her down the hallway. “You know,” she murmurs, “if you keep carrying me places, eventually I’m going to stop pretending I can walk.”

I chuckle. “That’s okay, little hen.”

Sleepy blue eyes on mine. “Why?”

“Because I like holding you.” Because I’d carry you until my legs gave out.

“Good.” She smiles. Then her lids slide closed. “Because I like it too.”

Violet pads alongside us as I carry River into the guest bedroom, as I lower her carefully onto the mattress and tuck the blankets around her. Once she’s fully covered, my little cat jumps up and curls into River’s side.

Shaking my head, my heart feeling oddly vulnerable, I start to straighten?—

River’s fingers wrap around mine. “Will you stay?”

Always.

God, I want to promise I’ll always stay.

Instead, I brush a strand of hair back from her face and say, “I need to take this call.”

“Then you’ll come back?”

Christ. She’s killing me.

But I just gently slip her hand free, lift it to my mouth, and kiss her palm. “Then I’ll come back,” I promise.

Her expression softens, her eyes slide closed. “Don’t work too hard.” A yawn. “And don’t stay up too late.”

Another lance of emotion though my middle. “I won’t,” I rasp.

I step out into the hall, snag my phone, and call Pascal. “What’s happened?”

He exhales roughly. “Attie’s here with an update.”

Damn. The FBI is involved. Which means this is bad.

I turn toward the windows, stare out at the dark city and focus.

“Ats,” Attie automatically corrects (she hates the nickname Attie, but it’s stuck no matter how hard she fights it). “We had movement tonight.”

My instincts prickle. “Sergio?”

“No. It was Angela who showed up on surveillance.”

I freeze.

“And she dropped something.”

“By accident or on purpose?”