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Silence and then the faint sound of more footsteps. Was he pacing?
“Doesn’t that put your girl in danger?”
I swallowed hard, taking a right turn, leaving enough space between Lily and me.
“Yeah, but she’ll be safe until I can get everything to fall into place.”
“Sounds really risky to me. Don’t you think she’d be better protected if you had people that had your back? My men would.”
Fuck, he was making this impossible. No wonder he was good at what he did.
“Let me think on it.”
“You have three weeks to contact me with the status of where you’re at in your head. If I have to track you down again, so help me, I’m going to be pissed. That’s never a good thing, Zane Collins.”
“Three weeks. Fine.”
“Good. Oh…and Zane. Good luck with your family. I hope you’re around to make things work, for your girl’s sake.”
The line cut out and I pushed the phone back in my pocket. I sure hoped for her sake it worked out, too. If I could remind her of what we shared, open her eyes to the fact that I was still the Master who loved her, she’d wait for me to come back from Afghanistan. And she’d be safe doing that back here with Slade. But then what? Would I be able to convince her brother that we were meant to be? Would he try to keep me away for good? No.
Lily was the one for me, regardless of how we met. I’d fight for her. Kill for her. And I’d be damned if her brother was going to take her away from me again. I’d like to see him try. Slade may have been powerful, but it wouldn’t compare to the wrath I’d bring if he tried to separate us for good. With Lily on my side, I found it hard to believe he would. It all came down to me convincing her.
Chapter 6
Lily
What was I doing? The restaurant doors loomed before me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get myself to walk through them. Had that been my Master? From the small distance between the buildings, I was sure it was. But, then…I couldn’t be certain. He wasn’t standing there for long. It had to be someone who resembled him. Zain never wore suits. He had always been dressed in dark clothing when he returned from his missions. It was nerves that were causing me to see things. It had to be.
“You okay?”
Brace’s voice had my heart rate slowing. I turned, giving him the fake smile I’d become used to. “Great. I was just thinking.”
“You sure? We can take you home if you’re not feeling up for this.”
I took a step backwards toward the door. “No, I’m fine, really. I shouldn’t be too long.”
At his nod, I turned and forced myself to continue. My skin tingled and I couldn’t get over the fact that I was being watched by more than my guards. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I shivered as I headed through the entrance.
“Lily Roberts here for Alec Brighton.”
The hostess threw me a wide smile. “Right this way, Ms. Roberts.”
My fists clenched repeatedly as I glided past the tables to one in the very back. It sat right next to a window and I couldn’t help but think my brother had something to do with that. No doubt he wanted my guards to see every little move made toward me.
“Lily.” Alec stood, walking over behind my chair as I approached.
“Alec.” This time, the smile was genuine. I let him take my hand as he helped me to sit down. As he rounded back to the chair directly across from me, I tried my best to keep calm. This was just a date. That was it. I didn’t have to go on another if I didn’t want to. And it was only dinner. It wasn’t like we’d be heading back to his place or mine afterward. There’d be no stolen kiss outside my door. My bodyguards would destroy him if he even tried.
The hostess was replaced by a waiter taking our drink orders. I stuck to what I knew, what had rubbed off on me from my brother. “Scotch, please.”
Alec’s eyes flashed to mine, but he smiled. “I’ll have the same.”
At the departure, he turned, giving me his full attention.
“You really surprise me. I expected something different. Maybe a martini. But, no, Scotch. I like that.”
“I’m glad. I won’t pretend to be something I’m not.”
