The Beautiful Thief (Stolen Hearts #2)(33)

This whole thing would be taken care of in minutes. The problem was that it would be taken care of without her. They would see this fear she was experiencing as weakness. They would never let her tag along during something so important.

That was one of the strange benefits of working with Adam. He didn’t really care about her. Sure, he seemed to be going out of his way to keep her safe, but when all was said and done, he would leave her if it came down to her life or his. And she was okay with that. It wasn’t as if he’d promised her protection or loyalty.

He told her he was going to deliver her the opportunity for revenge. Of course, he’d had that ridiculous stipulation that if she didn’t take the shot, he’d get her. But that wasn’t even a possibility to Melody.

Maybe Adam thought she was some delicate flower or weak, but she wasn’t. This was the man she’d seen pull the trigger on Isobel. She’d seen her mother’s body go from alive and vibrant to... nothing. This was why she was here and not Jennifer or Toni. She needed this. She needed to do this on her own.

Would killing Forbes help her sleep at night? Probably not. But when she woke up from one of those nightmares, drenched in sweat and her heart racing, she could remember that she didn’t sit back and let Isobel’s killer go free. She’d gotten her revenge and that would at least give her comfort as she tossed and turned.

“I’m here,” said Adam, abruptly pulling Melody from her thoughts.

“What?”

The elevator doors opened and they went toward the lobby. Adam led the way without showing any emotions as he continued, “I’m here with you the entire time. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The comfort was so unexpected that Melody almost tripped as they reached the door. Adam didn’t try to flag down a cab. If they needed to make a run for it, having a car nearby would be best.

It was a short walk to the car and Melody was reasonably happy with her shoes. The ankle boots weren’t as high of a heel as she’d like, but she needed freedom of movement. If Adam and she were running, she needed to keep up with him without breaking an ankle.

The three-inch heel was thicker and gave her some purchase while still pushing her calves up a bit and making her legs seem longer.

“You have your cash with you?”

“Every last cent.” Melody clutched the small handbag closer. It was never fun to have this much cash on hand, but she had to remind herself that there was plenty more in the bank.

She remembered all the fights about money and spending she and Ben had. She’d been more than happy to adjust her lifestyle to the factory wages they were living on, but Ben had always had grander dreams. Grander dreams funded by an influx of credit cards he normally didn’t tell her about until the bills started to come.

What a difference this twelve thousand would make. And now here she was, ready to drop it all in one night if needed.

God, things had changed fast.

“You doing okay?” asked Adam as they reached the car.

“I’m fine,” she said curtly as they both got in, Adam in the driver’s seat and her in the passenger’s.

“If you’re having second thoughts, now is the time to tell me.”

“I’m not having second thoughts.”

“Well, your mind isn’t here and I need you to be present right now.”

Damn Adam and his perceptiveness. “I’ll be present when we’re there.”

“Where’s your mind now?”

She debated lying, but figured she’d just tell him. He should be happy she wasn’t freaking out about possibly killing a man. “I was thinking about my ex-husband.”

Sure enough, Adam stopped doing what he was doing for a brief second before he seemed to regain himself and moved the key to the ignition. “Your ex? What about him?”

Once again, this was personal information that she shouldn’t give out. Their small talk only rule was quickly becoming trashed. “I was thinking of all the ways he screwed me over. Thinking that I’m happy I got this money after the divorce. I might’ve tried to save our marriage if I had extra cash. At least now I know ahead of time that it’s not worth the hassle.”

Adam let out a little laugh. “Well, if you ever need someone to give your ex a talking to, you let me know.”

Melody raised a brow as she glanced over to Adam. That was the second time in maybe ten minutes that he had surprised her. First he’d promised not to let anything happen to her, and now he was offering to threaten Ben? This was so much easier when she hated Adam. The trust might be necessary for this relationship to function, but it was mucking up formerly clear waters.

When she’d rescued him, it had been simple. He was her enemy, but he was the lesser of three enemies. He was still one-third responsible for Isobel’s murder.

Now? Even though none of the past had changed, she couldn’t help but feel things were different. She didn’t feel anger or disgust when she looked at Adam.

She let out a sigh and let her head fall back against the seat. Hopefully she got her shot at Forbes tonight and she could leave Adam for good. Preferably before Toni found them and started to ask Melody questions she didn’t have a good answer for. “I think Ben is miserable enough alone, but thanks for offering,” she finally said. Last she heard, Ben was a regular at the bar. She didn’t know whether his life was miserable or anything, but considering the trajectory his life was on before she left, she had to imagine things had just gone downhill.