I want to stay just like this forever.
With Sera leaning against the railing in front of Bowen, wind lifting her hair off her shoulders, carrying her scent up to his nose. If only he weren’t shielding her back with his body on the off chance someone decided to take a shot at her, it would be perfect. An ache sprang to life behind his eyes at the thought of her being hit, falling to the ground, while he stood there helpless. It was fast becoming his worst nightmare, one replaying itself over and over since this morning.
Connor hadn’t followed them, he’d made sure of it. But he still didn’t plan on taking any chances with Sera’s life.
What conclusions had the guy drawn from what he’d seen? If Bowen had judged Connor correctly, he didn’t miss a thing. His other judgment, that Connor wouldn’t do anything to harm Sera after she’d saved his life…he wasn’t so sure about that anymore. Working for a man like Hogan, hell, being related to him, would harden a man over time. To go from the military to street muscle meant he’d done something to fall far. Despite his good gut feeling about the guy, Bowen had never trusted him. He didn’t trust anybody. But now, after that look Connor had given him as he drove past, he’d graduated to a direct threat.
He’d been frantic to get her out of his neighborhood. Then as they drove down the parkway, he’d experienced the pressing urge to keep driving. Past Coney Island, out of Brooklyn. If he thought she wouldn’t object, he might have actually done it. After seeing Connor this morning, he’d almost called Troy back and begged him to come get Sera out. To put her in a safe house somewhere no one could find her; screw the precious ledger the commissioner wanted. Then he’d realized what that meant. It meant they’d take her away from him. Forever. When it came down to it, would he keep her in jeopardy just to keep her in Brooklyn a little longer?
God, he didn’t know. The thought of not having her within reach caused nausea to rise in his throat. She was heaven propped against his chest, such a contrast to the cold metal of the gun at the small of his back. Two sides of the same coin. Good and evil. Which was he?
When Bowen heard the food stands and amusement park rides open behind them, he took her hand and walked her toward a warehouse-size building in the center of the attractions. With the beach getting busier, he wanted to get her indoors.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Don’t you trust me?”
“Yes.”
He squeezed her hand in thanks, trying not to think about what would happen to that trust when she found out he was keeping such a huge secret from her. As soon as the four walls of the massive video arcade surrounded them, a little bit of his tension faded. “How do you feel about air hockey?”
A mischievous smile played around her lips, making him want to kiss the breath out of her. “Oh, I feel pretty good about it.”
Twenty minutes later, they were tied at two games apiece. He could not wipe the stupid grin off his face. She’d turned out to be a little competitor, his Sera.
Having ditched school as a kid in favor of the arcade countless times, he’d played more than his fair share of air hockey. Fighting had kicked his reflexes up
another
notch,
making
him
unbeatable. Sera was giving him a legitimate run for his money, and he wasn’t taking it easy on her.
“Who taught you how to play? Don’t tell me the nuns, I won’t believe you.”
Her smile was so gorgeous it made his stomach ache. “My brother and I used to play. When my…family came to visit us at school. They’d take us to lunch and the arcade. Had to drag us away from the table.”
“Visit you?” He dropped two quarters into the slot. “How far away was college?”
She didn’t answer right away.
“Massachusetts. From third grade up, actually. At least for me. My brother was older.”
“What?” When his fingers started to hurt, he realized he was squeezing the mallet in his hand. “Why would they send you that far away?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She put on a brave smile. “Anyway, I can just tell you’re stalling to delay your inevitable loss.”
All this time, he’d pictured her childhood filled with barbecues and pet kittens. Knowing it wasn’t, knowing she’d been sent away and left on her own, reminded him he didn’t know enough about her. And if he asked, all he would get was her cover story, which he’d already memorized. She wouldn’t tell him anything about her parents, her upbringing. Suddenly it felt unacceptable that he didn’t know every single detail about her.
She tapped her mallet against her thigh, those big brown eyes practically begging him for a distraction from the subject. “Bowen?”
“You’re right.” He cleared the rust out of his throat. “I’m shaking in my boots, Ladybug.”
“Are you patronizing me now? That’s not a good strategy with me.”