The girl cut the tag from the dress to ring it up while I rushed to the dressing room to slip it on. I discarded the hat, but kept the wig on.
They must have called a cab, too, because when I came out Mr. Douglas grasped my hand once again and we ran from the store, all but diving into the back seat.
“Aeropuerto,” Mr. Douglas told the cabbie.
He leaned down and scanned all around the taxi as it drove through the port town. He still hadn’t let go of my hand.
I stared up at him in confusion and wonder. His eyes skipped past my face and came skidding back, blue-gray eyes latching onto mine as his whole body seemed to relax a fraction.
The way he looked at me, searching deep, made my body feel like it was somersaulting. What was it about this man? My new master. I suddenly dropped my eyes, feeling like I’d taken liberties that could get me in trouble. His hand went beneath my chin and lifted my face to his again.
“I’ll explain everything soon, Angela,” he whispered.
My breath stuck in my lungs as he squeezed my hand in his, and went back to surveying our surroundings.
He’d called me Angela. Not Angel.
Angela…
Was he a good guy?
I was afraid to even think it. Afraid to jinx myself. Was it possible? Had this man been sent for me? Despite my inner urges not to jump to any conclusions, the wings of hope opened inside me and soared off a precarious edge.
Flying. Free.
But I had no idea how terrifying a free fall could be. I didn’t know how to land without crashing. My heart flailed, with no sense of direction, and suddenly I no longer wanted this flight of freedom. It was too scary. Oh, God…what was happening to me?
He didn’t know if he’d ever been more relieved in his life than he was when they boarded that small jet and it took to the sky for Scotland. His heart was still beating too hard, and he wished he’d shot Marco Ruiz in the head while he had the chance, to see the man die for himself. Colin was good at disappearing, but it was more than just his own self he had to keep hidden in case Marco’s men tried to find him. The Birch family was not his responsibility, and yet, as he looked down at Angela in the seat next to him, he knew he’d never be able to leave her or her parents vulnerable to those kind of powerful, evil men.
He’d make certain they found somewhere safe to rest their heads. He’d watch over them as long as they’d let him. A moment of guilt seized his gut when he thought of all he’d done to Angela at the villa. Colin wouldn’t blame the girl if she wanted nothing more to do with him. And if her parents found out, they’d probably want to kill him.
He was certain they wouldn’t want him around after he delivered her, and he’d have to respect that.
The problem was, he wanted to stay near her. In fact, the idea of her possible hatred toward him was fucking depressing.
He looked down at Angela again, at her perfectly manicured hands gripping the armrest. Her delicate chin pointed down to her chest. Her closed eyes. Without thought, Colin pulled the black wig from her head, causing her eyes to open wide and look up at him. Her blonde hair was a matted mess underneath, held up by bronze pins. He plucked one out. Angela reached up with trembling hands and helped him. Together they took out all the pins until her hair fell around her shoulders. Her cheeks were still pink from the excitement.
She was beautiful. Colin wanted to say so, but he didn’t feel he had the right. Instead he just stared. When her eyes dropped he realized he was probably making her uncomfortable. But fuck, he couldn’t seem to help himself. He wanted to say something, but the words were a right fucking jumble in his brain.
She saved him the trouble when she whispered down at her hands in her lap. “Maestro?”
She’d called him master. It made his abdomen tighten with a myriad of emotions because he loved and hated the sound of it.
“No, Angela. I’m not your master. You can look at me. And you may speak in English.”
Her head was slow to tilt up, a look of fear and confusion in her eyes.
“But…then, who is my master?”
God, she sounded lost. He reached out and touched her cheek, cupped it in his hand. She didn’t pull away as he feared she might.
“You are your own master now.”
“I…” She shook her head. “I don’t know how.”
“It will take time, but you’ll learn again.”
She didn’t seem so sure, but she dropped it and asked, “How do you know my name?”
This was where the shock would set in. For the past week she’d seen Colin as one of Marco’s patrons. And now she’d learn the truth. He prayed that someday she might find it in her heart to forgive him.
“I’m an undercover Agent for the MI-6. Your parents sought our help.”
“My parents.” Colin barely heard the whispered words, spoken through her quivering lips. Her whole body began to shake, and she brought her hands to cover her mouth as the first of the tears began to fall.