Page 70 of Red King
“Famous last words, bro,” he smirks, but his stance is tight.
“I won’t! I’m still sticking to the original plan, just with a slight detour, that’s all.”
He looks at me long and hard before nodding. “I got your back, but it can’t go on for too long.”
“It won’t.”
“Good. When do you want to leave for her place?” he asks.
“Three hours? Or will you need more time to assemble a team?”
“I should be able to get a plan and a team together by then. I will need to do something about the CCTV cameras.” He lifts his eyes in thought and then gives his head a shake. “I’ll sort it out.”
“Thank you, my friend.” I clasp his forearm.
“Don’t make me regret this.”
“I won’t.” We both smile. I feel happy for the first time in so damned long that the emotion is foreign for a few beats. Then my smile widens, and so does his.
19
Paisley
I pace back and forth.
I look down at my outfit. It’s blue jeans and a T-shirt. Nothing fancy or sexy. I go over to my closet and open it. Maybe I should change. Is he expecting me to be waiting in my underwear? Or in a sexy outfit? Maybe I should get into my pajamas or wear a trench coat for the great reveal.
I shake my head and laugh to myself.
I’m not doing any of that. It’s not me.
I don’t have sexy underwear. I came to this island for work. I never expected this to happen. I mean, I hoped I’d get some action at some point, but not this soon and not with someone like Arctic.
My hands get clammy at the thought of him in my apartment. Of him coming over for sex.
What am I doing?
I’ve only ever been with one man. It’s been a long time. I can’t do this.
I must. Maggie is right; I don’t want to have regrets, and I’ll definitely end up with regrets if I turn him down.
His final message to me was to expect him sometime after ten. After ten could be anytime between one minute past ten and sunrise. That’s a whole lot of hours.
I may as well do something to keep my mind occupied.
After looking at myself in the mirror for the ten millionth time, I decide once and for all that I’m fine in what I have on. I’m not changing again. This will have to do. Then I sit down on my bed and try to distract myself by reading a book, but I can’t focus. I go through to the living room and switch on the television. It’s a romantic comedy, so I switch channels until I find an action movie. It’s one of the first “Alien” movies.
Now, this is more like it.
I don’t think I’ve watched more than ten minutes when I hear something. I sit up on the sofa, the remote clutched in my hand.
What was it?
I turn the volume down on the television and hear it again. Someone is knocking on my window. It’s barely audible, but definitely a knock. I’m not sure how I heard it over the movie. My phone dings.
It’s him.
It has to be.
