Page 37 of Under Covers

The woman gave it a moment of thought, then nodded slowly. “I like it. Yeah, I actually like it a lot.”

So did I. It made me feel like there was hope for us. That even after all this was over, there could still be a way she could forgive me.

I handed the woman the credit card. “When will it be ready? I need it by tomorrow.”

She started typing into the register. “Tomorrow morning?” With a grin, she looked up at me and threw me a flirtatious wink. “I can do that for you, handsome.”

I nodded without saying a word and grabbed my card and the receipt from her.

“Is there anything else I can do for you? Maybe later today?” She was still grinning. Of course I knew what she was referring to. But despite never having committed to anything serious before, I also never fooled around with more than one woman at once, and God is my witness, I wouldn’t start that pathetic habit on the first girl that truly meant something to me.

“No, thank you.”

Then I left, only catching a glimpse of the lady’s frowning face.

I’d barely made it to my truck when I noticed the black SUV parked a few cars behind my truck. I opened my door as if nothing was the matter, but I’d already recognized the license plate. The same SUV had driven behind me for a few minutes this morning.

Andrei. He’d sent someone to follow me.

I started the truck and acted as if nothing was the matter. Rule number one when being followed: only drive to places you’d be expected to go. Sure, I had lied to Mila about working right now, but whoever was following me saw that I was gift shopping—which would only make me more believable.

Checking the rearview mirror once more, I pulled into a parking spot close to my garden and gathered some gardening gear. The SUV slowed down briefly then passed me and made a turn out of my sight.

This whole chase was incredibly good news for me. Whoever Andrei had sent was obviously horrible at what they did. Even a blind man would have noticed this car following him. Andrei clearly wanted to check me out but didn’t think I was a major threat, one important enough for using his best men. Maybe Andrei Kowitsch really believed me to be some guy chasing after his sister. Which didn’t necessarily mean I was safe. This guy was an assassin and probably wouldn’t react kindly to someone breaking his sister’s heart. But at this point, I had no choice but to move forward with the investigation and hope once Andrei was in jail, Mila could somehow find it in her heart to still love and forgive me.

Love me. Love me?

For the first time, standing in front of my garden’s gate, it dawned on me that she might be in love with me. I mean, she never said she was, so why did I even count on that in the first place? She’d compared me to fresh air breezing into the golden cage her brother kept her in. In other words, something new. Exciting. Different. And most of all...sexual. She was a virgin craving passion, was more sexually alive than any woman I’d met. And by God, she enjoyed my cock, begged for it. Maybe I was just a nice distraction, a toy to piss her brother off with while getting a good fuck out of the deal. None of that pointed to love.

The sun suddenly felt ice cold. The sound of the birds chirping in the garden was a droning, insistent racket.

Boy toy.

Why did the thought of being just that to her hurt so much? It would be the best thing for the investigation. Mila would be pissed when she found out who I was, or maybe even relieved to get rid of her brother, but in any case, her heart would remain intact.

So what was the damn problem here, Noah?

My heart.

I snatched my gloves and stomped into my garden. Only moments ago, I’d been excited to pick strawberries for Mila’s birthday, but now, it almost felt like a meaningless task. So did everything else. Like an idiot, I had bought her a golden bracelet and even had it engraved with something I thought beautiful an hour ago, but now it seemed cheesy and foolish.

Sighing, I sat down on one of the wooden boxes stacked next to my tomatoes. That aching feeling in my chest, that cold churn in my stomach...it felt awful. It really did. So was the fact that Mila meant something to me. No, not justmeantsomething. There was no point denying it any longer.

I was in love.

In love with Mila Kowitsch.

I loved her.

Even during the darkest night, the sun is still out there, I told myself, but it didn’t make me feel better. I kicked a rock close to my foot and watched it roll along the garden path until it came to a halt close to the entrance gate. That felt a little better, but only for a moment. Then I was back to that stinging pain in my chest.

“Damn it.”

The vibration of my phone in my pocket tore me out of my miserable thoughts. At first, I thought it might be her, but then I realized it was coming from my right pocket—the old flip phone.

I opened it and read the chief’s text.

3 PM. A stroll in the park. Use Sleeper St off Congress. Summer is jammed.

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