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I nodded, taking in what he said. It sounded like a delicate balance, but it was clear that Sam was happy. That was all that mattered, even if I couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off.
”Sofia,” Sam said, reaching across the table to grab my hand. ”You know you can tell me anything, right? Are you in trouble? Do you need help with anything?”
I squeezed his hand and looked at him, grateful for his concern. ”No, kid,” I replied. ”I’m not in trouble. I just…wanted to catch up with you.”
”What about the article? Are you still working on that?”
I nodded. ”Here and there,” I lied. ”You know, when I have time. Teo keeps me busy.”
He forced a smile. ”Sof, you need to drop it,” he said, leaning close to me. ”Please. Promise me you'll drop it. You have something else to focus on now and that something else has money and looks. Enjoy this phase of your life and forget about this killer.”
I felt a pang of guilt in my chest at his words. He didn't know the truth, but if he did, I knew he would never ask me to drop it.
”I'll think about it,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. ”But I can't just let it go, Sam. You know me. I can't just sit back and do nothing while someone is out there hurting people.”
”I know,” he said, his voice softening. ”I just worry about you. You always get too deep into things.”
”I'll be careful,” I promised, even though I wasn't sure if I could keep that promise. There was something about this whole situation that had me feeling uneasy. Maybe it was Teo's secretive behavior or Archer's probing questions or maybe it was just my gut. But I knew that I couldn't ignore it.
Once again, before Teo came in, he asked me if I was sure I was okay.
I told him that I was.
He looked like he didn’t entirely believe me, but he didn’t press the issue. When he moved his arm away from me, I noticed that he held back a wince. It was strange, but I couldn’t really question him. I had no leg to stand on if I wasn’t going to be totally honest with him.
We chatted for a little while longer, about nothing in particular, until Teo and Archer returned. I could tell that Teo was on edge, but he did his best to hide it.
”Ready to go?” he asked, offering me his hand.
I took it, feeling a jolt of electricity run through me at his touch. I did my best to hide my reaction, not wanting to give anything away to Sam or Archer.
Teo led me out of the restaurant and into the cool night air. I shivered slightly, wishing that I’d brought a jacket.
”Are you cold?” Teo asked, noticing my shiver.
I shook my head. ”I’ll be fine,” I said.
Teo wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his side. I could feel the heat coming off of him and it made me feel warm all over.
”You didn’t say anything to your brother, did you?” Teo growled in my ear while the valet brought his car around.
”No,” I said. ”Not a word.”
Teo nodded, his grip on me tightening ever so slightly. ”Good,” he said. ”You need to keep this quiet for now. There’s too much at stake. What did you talk about?”
”Everything,” I said. ”Except this.”
I turned to look at him and he was so close to me I could smell the wine on his breath. ”This is probably stupid, but…” I trailed off. Teo didn’t have any interest in helping me and I needed to remember that this whole thing was just for show. ”Nevermind. Don’t worry about it.”
”It’s okay,” he replied, his voice low and throaty. ”You can talk to me, Sof.”
Sof. For the first time since we’d known each other, he called me by the nickname almost everyone did. The familiarity in which he addressed me sent another shiver down my spine. If this was a performance, he was nailing it. ”It’s Sam,” I said. ”His date…”
”Was older?” Teo offered.
”Yes, but not that. No, I’m just being stupid.”
”You’re not being stupid,” Teo said. ”You’re one of the smartest people I know. Don’t worry. I already asked Jace to look into him.”
