“Charming,” she said. “Dade’s decided to join us.”
Rylick frowned. “Very good. But for sun’s sake, can we eat now? A physique this amazing requires regular sustenance.”
Dade didn’t point out that he hadn’t decided any such thing. But then, gaining intel would be worth the price of having to endure Rylick’s presence. “Give me a moment to change.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Arden paced.
The church was empty at this time of night. She’d expected it to be locked up tight and was surprised to find the front doors open to visitors. A few stragglers had wandered in during the quarter hour she’d waited. One was in the prayer room and another had moved to the confessional box with Father Benedict.
She didn’t like feeling exposed on turf that wasn’t her own. Though she couldn’t fault Dade for wanting to meet here. The city cameras couldn’t reach inside church grounds, per numerous ordinances so wound into the infrastructure of their society that not even the government ignored them. Yet when she’d knocked on the back door and Father Benedict had ushered her in, she’d come to the realization that perhaps the priest was the real reason that Dade felt comfortable here.
Arden slid onto a stone pew near the front of the sanctuary as the confessional visitor left. She leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees and hung her head. Still, she couldn’t stop her foot from tapping with nervous energy.
This was ridiculous. He’d said midnight, and now it was going from the quarter hour to almost half past. Had he been discovered? Was their meeting compromised? Was he in trouble and needed help?
She checked her datapad to confirm the time. If he didn’t show in another ten minutes, she’d leave.
Arden hadn’t seen Dade in almost a week. She’d been far too busy dealing with the fallout from Mariah’s arrest. They hadn’t made any inroads into figuring out her location. Knowing that time was limited, Arden had sourced all of their contacts in case Dade didn’t come through. The hustling for leads had helped to keep her distance from Dade.
Because she’d been so focused on her work, she had been surprised and excited when she saw his signal. It made her realize how delicate her resolve actually was. The fluttering in her heart started the second she’d known she would see him again. It hadn’t lessened in the hours since. In fact, it had grown into a full-fledged storm.
Father Benedict stepped out of the far side of the confessional. She heard the soft clip of his shoes against the stone floor as he walked to the front of the church. He slipped into the pew next to her. He was dressed in drab brown robes, a yellow rope knotted about his generous middle. “You appear to be weighed down by your thoughts, my child.”
Arden considered him, sad for this man she didn’t know. Purple bruised his eyes. His nose was raw from continued leaking. Sores had started to creep up, at the base of his throat and spread over his hands. The sores would cover him soon, and then they’d break open, oozing pus. The later stages of Violet Death sucked.
She knew she couldn’t confide in Father Benedict, but there was no denying his assumption. “It’s just life, you know?”
Father Benedict had an aura of knowledge and calm peace about him. As if he understood more than what she was saying. He nodded and reached forward to pat her hand.
She relaxed into the bench a little more.
“He’ll be here shortly,” Father Benedict said. “Don’t worry. If he said he’d be here, I have every faith that he’ll show.”
“Is he usually late?” It didn’t seem like Dade. She would have expected him to be punctual.
“Not usually. But there have been times he’s run into trouble.”
That undid any calm she’d managed to achieve.
Father Benedict must have seen her shoulders tense, because he added kindly, “He’s never had a scrape he couldn’t get out of. He’ll be here.”
Arden frowned. Everyone had a final time when they didn’t make it. She considered Father Benedict’s words, though, and their intimacy spoke of a deep friendship with Dade, along with a softness akin to a familial bond. She’d also noticed that Father Benedict had never directly referred to Dade by name. To protect him, or for another reason, she wasn’t sure.
“Thank you for letting us meet here, Father.” Then curiosity made her ask, “Does he meet people here often?”
“You’re the first,” Father Benedict said. “He has spoken highly of you.”
She fought not to let the pleasure of that assurance show.
“He asked me to help, should you ever need anything,” Father Benedict continued. “Please don’t hesitate to find me. I’ll help you in any way that I can. And, of course, if you need to talk, I’m here to listen.” He sounded sincere, as if the love he felt for Dade somehow extended to her.
It was a tremendous offer that left her floundering. “Thank you.”
Father Benedict rose from the pew. He reached over to pat her shoulder. “There are a few things I must do now. I hope to see you again, my child.”
Arden nodded and watched him walk away.
Alone again, she found that her anxiety returned. It was another twitchy five minutes before Dade showed, alone. He entered the same way she had, through the back to avoid any surveillance that would link them together.
The minute she saw him, her restlessness melted away. Now that she knew he was safe, breathing felt easier. Arden rose from the bench and walked to him.
Dade, heart-stopping and gorgeous, grinned at her. Grabbing her hand, he towed her to one of the empty confessionals. Pushing her inside, he squeezed in with her, shutting the door behind them. It was dark in the tiny vestibule. The only light, shining through the hatched grid on the door, splotched light on his skin.
They stood close, pushed together, almost sharing a breath. Touching from shoulders to hips. Arden reached out to place her hands against his chest. Dade gripped her waist, anchoring her.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said, his words tickling the side of her head. Then he brushed his lips against her skin. “I had trouble getting out of the Tower. They posted more guards. Apparently someone dressed as a delivery girl tried to break in. It’s got everyone stirred up, trying to figure out what she was doing there.”
Arden chuckled, while making a mental note to retire that costume indefinitely. “I have no idea who would do such a thing.”
“Me either.”
She pulled back to look at him. “I didn’t think you’d signal.”
“I said I would try my best to get the information. It took some time, I’m sorry about that. But I’d always planned to see you again.”
She pretended to ignore the flirting. “It must have cost you.” A lot considering she’d been unable to pay off anyone for the same intelligence. She had no idea how she was going to tell Niall how she’d acquired it.