“You said you were rushing. Maybe you closed it without thinking.”
“No.” I put my hand on the lid, retracing my chaotic steps yesterday. I’d run into the room, torn my favorite jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt from their hangers, grabbed a pair of earrings, and dashed into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I’d hauled off clothes as I went, dropped an extra shirt that had come off the hanger with the one I wanted. “I was in such a hurry, but I remember I didn’t close it.”
A cold knot formed in my stomach.Hadsomeone been in here? Had they touched my things?
“Are you absolutely certain?”
The words sounded polite, but there was a heavy note of skepticism underneath them. Of course there was. I had stuff littered all over my apartment. How would a woman who couldn’t pick up after herself remember whether a jewelry box was open or closed? I remembered because I always left it open. Always.
Although I could have been rushing so fast I knocked into the dresser, and closed it by accident?
“Does anything else seem off?” He came closer, his deep voice putting my senses on full alert.
I turned in a circle, scanning every part of my bedroom. If someonehadbeen in here, they hadn’t left any trace.
Unless they’d known where to search.
Panic shot through me as I rushed for the closet, falling to my knees in front of the pile of laundry. I shoved clothes aside frantically, muttering, “Please be here, please be here.”
“What is it?”
My fingers landed on the cardboard box, and relief washed over me. I let out a long breath and leaned forward, touching my forehead to the box. It was still safe. I was imagining things. I must have closed the jewelry box yesterday.
Chapter 8
Galahad
Grace kneltin front of the closet, clothes scattered around her like fallout from an IED. Her shirt rode up at the back, revealing a strip of smooth skin.Not the time to be checking her out, Cruz.I averted my eyes, which landed on a black lace thong that had been flung aside in her frantic search.
Look at the wall.
I was here to ensure she was safe, not to wonder about her curves or notice the dimples at the base of her spine as she leaned forward.
Fucking focus, man.“Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” She stood and turned to face me, clutching a shoebox to her chest. “I just needed to make sure this was still here.”
I’d seen that look before. The barely contained panic, the desperation. My mother had frantically searched for our passports one night, while my father was passed out drunk in the next room. She’d worn that face when she found them. Fat lot of good it had done us in the end, because she’d chickened out, and we hadn’t gone anywhere.
“Can we go to the living room? There’s something I want to show you.”
I followed her, evaluating the apartment as a home instead of a CQB exercise. The open layout gave decent visibility, but the cheap locks on the balcony door—let alone the glass in the door—wouldn’t keep out anyone who was determined to get in. Anyone who wanted in would get in.
Grace gestured to the couch.
I sat, the soft cushions sinking under my weight as she knelt on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table, placing the box between us. Her ponytail had loosened at some point, and wisps of hair framed her face. She looked softer here than at the café, more vulnerable. The messy apartment might have been behind it. In her workplace, she was clearly in charge, following a rhythm she’d mastered. But here? Her defenses were lower.
And why was I evaluating her?
“I’m heading to London tomorrow,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m supposed to be there for a week.”
Tristan had mentioned it when he’d called me this morning.
“And this,” she continued, pulling the lid off the box, “is why I’m going.”
Inside was an old silk scarf in pinks and reds. Probably not what she was actually hiding in a box under a mountain of dirty clothes.
“My grandmother passed away last year.” Grace pulled the scarf out to reveal a small velvet bag, nestled comfortably on a bed of more scarves. “My dad’s been going through her things gradually, with my mom’s help. A month ago, they finally got to her jewelry collection. There were a few genuine pieces in a small drawer of her jewelry box, but it was mostly costume stuff.”
