“Then how did you know?”
The tips of his fingers move from my hair, trace my jaw, and then settle on my lips.
“You looked at me in the courtroom; you smirked at me with a mischievous smile, and then you winked.”
“I’m not following.”
“You did that as a child. That day.” He drops his finger from my mouth but replaces it with his lips.
We stay entwined in each other arms until it’s finally time to leave. Once we are in his car, he asks me where we are going, and I tell him Reddington.
Thirty minutes later, we are pulling up to the cemetery. I don’t have us park near my parents’ grave, instead, we park beside the tree. The old oak that I have been visiting for twenty years.
Silently, we get out of the car and walk up the small hill. When I stop at the small cross, Tobias moves to stand beside me.
We both look down at the makeshift grave site.
“Who’s buried here?” he asks, and I can’t help but laugh, and he places his hand on my shoulder to turn me to face him.
“You.”
His blue eyes widen. “Me?”
He looks at me like I’m nuts, but I guess from his point of view, I am.
“Yeah, so—This is awkward.”
“I’m dying to hear this story, apparently.” And at least he’s not disturbed to be looking at his own grave.
“After my parents died, and I was adopted, you know how I looked for you and was told . . .” I can’t say it. It still hurts too much. To repeat the lie. “I wanted—I used to come here and talk to you. This was the only place I could think. Where I felt calm. Every day I came here. Eventually, I decided to make a cross because it didn’t feel right to just talk to the air.”
“As opposed to the sky,” he deadpans playfully.
“Exactly, talking to the sky is weird,” I tease back.
“So . . .” He looks around the cemetery, his gaze settling back on the white cross. “This is where I was buried?”
“Yep.”
“And the penitents roses? Were those for me?”
“They were. They were my way to apologize for living when you didn’t.”
From beside me, I see Tobias grin, and then he starts to shake his head with a chuckle. “I stole from my own grave.”
“You what?”
“Nothing.”
I move until I’m standing in front of him and place my hand on my hip.
“Tobias Kosta,” I playfully scold. “Did you steal the flowers I placed for you on ‘your grave’?” I air quote. “Holy crap, you did.” My mouth drops open and then slams shut. “You decorated your office with them to mess with me?”
“Guilty.”
“You’re lucky I love you because you are one sick man.”
“I’ve been told that a time or two.”
“But you’re mine.”
It’s surreal to be back in my apartment. It’s been a few days since I camped out at Tobias’s, but it feels like that’s where I belong. Back in my own space, everything feels off.
From the limited information I have, Jaxson Price has taken the last day to fit my apartment with listening devices. Creepy? Yes. Necessary? Also, yes.
With the plan in motion, I need Felix to come to me. It’s the best way to lure him in. The problem is, since the truce was broken between him and Tobias, he hasn’t been seen in public. If we can convince him that Tobias is dead, missing, or on the run, we think he will resurface.
There isn’t much time to get ready. Taking a quick shower feels wrong. It’s like I’m washing off the memory of Tobias, but I do have to go to work, so I have no choice. With my hair wet and clinging to my skin, I stare at myself in the mirror. My reflection is blurry because of the condensation in the room. Will Felix be able to see through my act? Do I look different from the girl who went to the gala with him?
Do I look like a girl who found out the boy she missed was right in front of her face? That the man she was falling for was the same person?
I hope not because our lives are at stake. My ability to fool the snake is imperative to the plan. By the time I’m dressed, it’s eight o’clock. Monday morning sucks on a good day, but when you are doing what I am, it’s unbearable.
I walk into the office an hour later. Nervous energy courses through me. It feels like my stomach is empty, and my heart is beating so fast it might explode. My hands shake at my sides, but one touch to the spot on my wrist is enough to calm me. I stride through the lobby and into the elevator.
The whole time I ascend, my eyes are focused on my wrist. On the little airplane. I’m not sure what will happen today, but I know from the bottom of my heart that Tobias won’t let anything happen to me.
I called in sick last week. Then the weekend came, and now I need to show my face and pretend I’m scared for Tobias. I walk through the office, head held high, but I thin my lips to show no emotion. It’s exactly how I would have looked before, not allowing anyone to see past my icy façade.
When I get to my desk, I see a note from Mr. Williams’s assistant on my desk, saying he needs to see me in his office right away. I don’t bother placing my stuff down before I head in his direction. By the time I’m standing outside his door, it feels like I might pass out, but I take a deep breath and pull myself together.
Standing in the entrance, I see that Mr. Williams is waiting for me.
“Skye, come in here and take a seat,” my boss calls out to me.
I walk into his office, and Mr. Williams is standing with his arms crossed. He gestures for me to sit.
“Have you heard from Mr. Kosta?” he asks.
I school my features before I sit down and let out a sigh. “No.”
Acting has never been a problem for me, and right now, my life depends on it.
He moves to pull out his chair, and then he is sitting in front of me. “From what the police told me, the building came down.”
“D-Do they know what happened?” I drop my voice, making myself sound sad and concerned. He looks up from his desk and shakes his head.
Hook, line, and sinker. I can tell by the way his eyes soften that he’s buying my act.
“I know this will be hard on you, seeing as you have been working with Mr. Kosta, but I need you to get back into the swing of things.”
I’m torn on how to feel right now. On the one hand, I need this, but I still wish there was another way. Felix Bernard is the last person I want to work with.
“I’ll do what I have to,” I tell him.
Mr. Williams pulls open a drawer and grabs a folder. “I need you to work on this file.”
“No problem. I can get started right now.” Taking the file from his hand, I give him one last small smile before I turn and walk back to my desk. Once there, I place the papers down, put on my headphones, and open the file. The plan is coming into play.
Now, I just have to wait. Draw him in and make him think everything is safe. Tobias is impatient, so I hope we don’t have to wait long. If my assessment of Felix is correct, the cocky son of a bitch will take the bait.
The plan is simple. Go in to work and lure Felix out. But after the initial part is over is where it gets tricky.