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“I’m happy to be home. Going home, anyway. We stopped here first.”
“I’m glad you did. I’ve been worried.”
She turned her back to me and put her hands in the pockets of jeans I’d never seen her wear. In fact, I wondered where she got them.
“I want to thank you for everything you did to keep me safe, Rile. I’ve already spoken with the Queen and have given you an excellent report.” She turned to me with a ridiculously fake smile pasted on her face.
I now knew where she’d gotten permission to leave Mallorca. I would have to tread lightly with the Queen if I chose to address it at all. Her use of my code name, though, rankled. “Kensington…stop this.”
“Look, I only came to say goodbye. So, again, thanks.” She stuck her hand out as if I would consider shaking it. I didn’t.
“We need to talk, my darling.”
The look on her face changed to a scowl that better conveyed her current mood. “Don’t call me that.”
“Can I get you a drink? A glass of wine perhaps?”
“No, thank you. I won’t be staying.”
When I took a step forward, she took a step back and then turned away from me a second time. “You could have at least had the decency to end it, Cortez. Not just pretend that nothing ever happened between us.”
I walked closer and put my hands on her shoulders. I wouldn’t tell her she was jumping to the wrong conclusion. I wouldn’t tell her she was wrong about things ending between us, because she wasn’t. “I had every intention that we’d talk.”
“When?”
“When I returned to Mallorca.”
“And when was that to be?”
“Once I was certain that Konstantine was under lock and key.”
“You left without a word.”
“It was very early. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
She jerked out from under my hands that were still on her shoulders, and walked to the other side of the room. “That’s bloody bullshit, and you know it. You left our bed without a word. You left Mallorca without a word. You left me, Cortez, without a word.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Kensington, you and I both know—”
“Don’t!” she shouted. “Don’t say that I know anything. If you want to speak, speak for yourself, but don’t you dare speak for me.”
Everything I considered saying sounded trite, even to myself. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I wish we were at the same place in life, but we are not.”
“Is this how it goes with all of them? Do you seduce all the women under your protection? Pretend that what the two of you have is something special? Get them to fall in love with you? And then, when the job is finished, you walk away before they know what hit them.”
You know none of that is true.
I saw her flinch and then close her eyes. She felt my words. What would she do? Would she acknowledge them?
She rolled her shoulders and folded her arms. “I’ve got to hand it to you, you’ve got it down to a science.”
I watched as she walked over and picked up a bag. I’d been too overjoyed to see her that I hadn’t noticed it when she set it on the chair.
“I’m returning this to you, Cortez.”
“What is it?” I asked when she tried to hand me the bag, even though I didn’t need to know.
“The Miró. I can’t keep it.”
