Deadly Testimony (Safeguard #2)(58)
She wanted him to testify. This was the first time she’d expressed her opinion of whether he should or shouldn’t. But this news, those dead people, mattered to her. If he didn’t testify, they’d have died with no one to take responsibility for their deaths.
So far, Lizzy hadn’t led him in the wrong direction.
“Best chance to make the trade and get all of you out safely.” She didn’t make him a promise. He was glad she didn’t try to give him hollow reassurances. “You can’t do this by yourself and I’m not enough to keep you safe and your family too.”
“I’ve seen you do some amazing things all by yourself.” He smiled and was rewarded by a small return smile from her.
“I can do a lot of things solo. I like it that way.” She huffed out a breath. “But this requires a team.”
They continued down the street, stopping in the shelter of a fountain to sit and watch people walk by.
After a moment, Lizzy spoke. “If I wanted to stick to the exact letter of my contract and only keep you safe, I’d have to tie you up or sedate you until the trial. It’d be for your own good.”
“I’d never forgive you.” Even the thought of it made his stomach clench and he considered running down the street, away from her. But worse than not knowing where he’d go, he wouldn’t know who to ask for help.
It would be stupid and he would end up dead.
“I wouldn’t forgive me either.” Lizzy leaned back as her gaze swept across the high buildings and rooftops. “So we step up our game and upgrade this to a team operation.”
He was grateful. So much so, he didn’t have the right words. Thank you seemed too simple. And it felt unlucky to say it yet.
*
Lizzy gave Kyle time to work through whatever was going on in his head. Apparently, he was good to go because he stood and tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, tugging her along a few feet. “Well, it looks like we’re headed back to Pike Place Market.”
“For what?” She lengthened her strides to match his, noting the pace of the tourists and businesspeople around them. It was the end of the workday and the streets were becoming much busier.
Good. Easier to get lost in the crowd. Though she was going to have to stash him someplace and go back for her gear at the other hotel.
“You wanted to slip into the private party tonight to talk to your teammates.” Kyle didn’t resist when she pulled him onto a side street to change their course.
“Yeah, there’s not a lot of time for me to figure out what catering company they have and get hold of a server’s uniform.” She wondered if she could be so lucky to have Maylin’s company catering the event. There was a chance. Maylin was one of the top caterers in the city.
“Ah, but that’s your usual approach.” Kyle made a tch,tch sound. “You said we needed to become harder to predict, blend in more. Be harder to find.”
“Yes.” For a man who’d almost died the other day, and been caught next to an explosion intended to flush him out today, he was sounding way too upbeat.
All right, she was being dramatic. Edict hadn’t found him yet, hadn’t realized he’d been so close.
Kyle nodded. “I’m done hiding and ducking for cover. From here on out, I want to outsmart our opponents. Walk right past their noses before they realize we’ve been there. Today, they threw a temper tantrum because they found where we were and didn’t find us, based on what you told me. I wish to drive them into insanity wondering where we are.”
“Don’t get full of yourself. Today was lucky. If we hadn’t been part of that tour group, you could’ve been spotted coming out of the store when the blast drove us all out into the street.” He needed caution and a healthy fear for his goddamned life. Hell, she was afraid for his life.
“That’s just it.” He tipped his head back and studied the sky. “It’s only a matter of time in a cat-and-mouse game. We need to change the rules because the longer we allow this to draw out, the more chance we have of losing. The game changer will be meeting up with your team and taking action.”
As they crossed the street and entered the market area, melding into the press of people shopping in the tight hallways lined with goods, he laughed. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll do this the way I do things.”
*
Lizzy stared at her reflection in the mirror.
“You’re beautiful.” Kyle was a dark shadow over her left shoulder. His words were simple, and when they first met a couple of days ago she’d shrugged his compliments off as meaningless. Candy offered by a man to sweeten her mood. She’d never believed it to be sincere.
But she knew Kyle a little better since their first, brief meeting. Even if the time had been short, it’d been intense. Or maybe she was willing to believe the words more. Either way, his comment brought heat to her cheeks and a pleasant warmth blossomed in her chest.
The tiny cocktail dress she was wearing had been his choice and was the epitome of the stylish “little black dress.” A simple black sheath covered by a sheer layer of chiffon cut to accentuate her figure and fall in a handkerchief hemline just short of her knees. It was sexy and elegant, daring and modest at the same time. There was even enough swing in the skirt to more or less hide the line of her handgun, holstered on her thigh. She’d never have chosen something so perfect herself. Hell, she hated trying on clothes. For her, it was all about the accessories.