I sag, my palm pressing into my chest as I exhale my held breath and watch him disappear back into the lift.
‘Nothing.’ Miller appears, pacing towards me, looking no less angry than when he left. He takes my nape, guiding me into his apartment, and I hear the door slam, making me wince. He’s buzzing with anger. ‘Sit,’ he instructs, releasing me and indicating the couch.
‘I saw someone this time,’ I say, lowering myself to the sofa.
‘This time?’ He recoils. ‘Why haven’t you said anything? You should have said something!’
My hands meet in my lap, my gaze dropping to them as I thumb my ring. ‘I thought I was being silly,’ I confess, now realising that my inner alarm bells are working and they’re working well.
Miller is standing above me, twitching. I can’t look at him. I know he’s right, and now I’m feeling more foolish than ever.
Firm hands land on my thighs and I force my eyes to lift a fraction in an attempt to gauge his expression. He’s crouched before me, his hands have begun a soothing caress, and he’s reinstated his impassive demeanour. All of these things restore my lost comfort. ‘Tell me when,’ he encourages me with an easy, gentle tone.
‘On my way to work the other day when you dropped me off. In the club.’ I’m watching Miller, and I’m not liking what I’m seeing. ‘Do you know who it could be?’
‘I’m not sure,’ he replies, replacing my returned comfort with a little disbelief.
‘You must have some idea. Who would want to follow me, Miller?’
His eyes drop, hiding from my questioning glare.
‘Miller, who?’ I’m not letting this drop. ‘Am I in danger?’ When fear should be slicing me, I find anger brimming instead. If I’m at risk, then I should know about it. Be prepared.
‘You’re in no danger when you’re with me, Olivia.’ He keeps his eyes down, refusing to face me.
‘But I’m not always with you.’
‘I’ve told you’ – he grates the words slowly – ‘you’re probably the safest woman in London.’
‘I beg to differ!’ I blurt, shocked. ‘I’m mixed up with you and William Anderson. I think I’m intelligent enough to figure out that that probably places me in the high-risk category.’ Good God, I dread to think of the enemies these two men have between them.
‘You’re wrong,’ Miller says quietly but insistently. ‘Anderson and I may not like each other, but we have one key interest.’
‘Me,’ I answer for him, but I don’t see how that makes me safe.
‘Yes, you, and with Anderson and me being on, let’s say, rival teams, it places you in safe hands.’
‘Then who the hell has been following me?’ I yell, yanking Miller’s startled face up. ‘I don’t feel safe. I feel very unsafe!’
‘You don’t need to worry.’
I can see the strength it’s taking for him to remain calm. I’m past that. I’m pissed off and annoyed that he’s attempting to brush off my warranted fear with excuses of being in safe hands.
I stand abruptly, forcing Miller back on his heels. His steel-blue gaze regards me closely as I try to pull a valid claim together, something to put his claim to shame. It’s quite easy. ‘I didn’t feel very safe when I was being chased down out there,’ I yell, throwing my arm out to the side to point at the door.
‘You shouldn’t have left without me.’ He stands and holds my hips, keeping me in place, then hunkers down, unleashing his curl and sinking into my angry eyes with worried blue ones. ‘Promise you’ll never go anywhere alone.’
‘Why?’
‘Just promise me, Olivia. Please don’t hit me with your sass.’
My sass is the only thing holding me up right now. I’m angry but frightened. I feel safe but exposed. ‘Please tell me why.’
His eyes close, clearly trying to gather some patience. ‘An interferer,’ he whispers on a sigh, his whole body deflating but his grip of my h*ps firming up to steady me when I wobble on a gulp. ‘Now promise.’
My eyes are wide and I’m frightened, no words coming to me.
‘Olivia, please, I beg you.’
‘Why? Who’s the interferer and why are they following me?’
He holds my eyes, speaking to me through the intensity of his gaze as well as his words. ‘I don’t know, but whoever it is can obviously predict my next move.’
His next move? Realisation sucker-punches me in the gut. ‘You haven’t stopped?’ I gasp.
It’s not as easy as just quitting.
His clients. They’ve all had him at the drop of a hat and a few thousand quid. Not any more, and it’s obvious that some won’t give him up easily. Everyone wants what they can’t have and now, because of me, he’s even more unobtainable.
‘I’ve not officially quit, Olivia. I know the upset this will cause. I need to do this right.’