Deadly Testimony (Safeguard #2)(52)



It took a few minutes to acquire their drinks. He’d chosen a different flavor, not because hers didn’t sound interesting but because the idea of trading tastes appealed to him. She was a generous soul, whether she was conscious of it or not. There was no hesitation in her when it came to sharing and he was enjoying it.

After a moment, she led them back out of the store. “Too many windows there, no place to sit without being exposed. I’d risk it without you but having you out here with me is enough without adding to it.”

He didn’t argue. Wearing the Kevlar vest she’d given him gave him a sense of security but it was only a vest. They headed up the open street, blending in with a walking tour group led by a man in a utility kilt.

Kyle narrowed his eyes. “A chocolate-tasting tour. Did you time our walk to be here as they passed?”

She shrugged, keeping her voice low to match his. The tour mostly had personal headsets attached to small receivers so they could hear their tour guide. None of them was listening. “They’re a regular tour and I knew the schedule. I figured we might be able to stop in at a store or two with them before the tour guide tells us to move along or sign up for our own tour.”

He shook his head, then took a risk and wrapped his arm around her waist. Her body stiffened for a split second, then relaxed against him as she matched his stride for three steps. Then she pulled away, ostensibly to check her shoe, before straightening and slipping her hand into the bend of his arm. “Better for me to hold on to you so I can let go if necessary. If I need to react fast, I can’t afford the time it’d take me to untangle from you.”

A practical reason. Of course. He wondered if she knew how warm a balm to his ego her touch was. The momentary pang of rejection he’d experienced when she’d pulled away stabbed surprisingly deep considering the brevity of their involvement. He’d been overly sensitive not once, but twice now.

It was disturbing. And fascinating. In the middle of the most precarious time of his life, he was as bad as an adolescent boy trying to navigate his way through his first dating experience. The thought made him chuckle.

“Don’t get too relaxed.” Lizzy gave his arm a squeeze. “We’re out here doing this because I didn’t trust you to stay where you were supposed to if I left you alone.”

Ah. He should rectify the situation in regard to trust. It wouldn’t matter what he told her, so much as how he actioned on his stated intent. Things like trust, respect and integrity took a much higher priority when he held each of those for another person. And he did for her.

“I would be disingenuous if I tried to claim you were incorrect in your suspicions. The temptation to go out and attempt to take control of the course of events would’ve gotten to be too much if I’d had to wait long.” The admission cost him little to say out loud and he was still amused as he continued to walk at the pace she set. Ahead and around them, the tour group walked along overtaking other people on the street here and there.

“We need to know more.” It surprised him when she commented, but she kept to a conversational tone. “Coming after you is one thing, but investing in retrieving your family from Korea? The news coverage? That’s more exposure than I’d thought they’d be willing to risk. Knowing why is going to be key to making sure you all come out of this okay.”

The group stopped at a street corner, waiting for the traffic signals to turn.

Kyle started forward and had to gently tug Lizzy along. Her gaze was raised upward and she appeared to be a tourist enjoying the city skyline as they walked. Once the group reached the opposite corner, they paused again for a bit of history and a witty story from the tour guide. Lizzy’s attention seemed to have been caught by a storefront.

He leaned close and made sure to brush his lips ever so slightly over the shell of her ear. “Are you studying your reflection or the store?”

Her hand tightened on his arm as she huffed out a laugh. “The reflection and it’s not mine. I’m checking out the area around us for potential issues.”

“Is there anything I can do?” An itch developed between his shoulder blades. He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably.

Her gaze remained on the storefront. “Not really. If you spend time trying to spot dangerous people, you’ll look suspicious. It’s better if I keep an eye out. You keep your head down, turned toward me or looking at things in storefronts. Makes it harder to get a good look at your face.”

As much as he’d wanted to get out of the confined space of the hotel, she wasn’t making this outing enjoyable. Then again, he appreciated it. “I am very glad you don’t let me forget myself.”

“It’s what I do.” Her simple response was reassuring and unsettling at the same time.

Nervous, he studied the reflection in the glass pane and only saw buildings. Then he looked through the glass to the goods displayed. “Do spare a moment to admire the designer shoes too.”

Silence.

He glanced at her and butterflies tickled his throat. Dusky rose spread over her cheeks. He coughed to cover his laugh. “I’m partial to the nude pair with the dusting of crystals across the heel. I think it would lengthen your already very shapely legs.”

She bit her lip, then tugged him to continue forward with the tour group. “I liked those and the strappy red ones too.”

More and more fun. “Not the pink ones with the silk rose over the toe?”

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