Page 5 of Freed By Fire
Mason uses his thumb and forefinger to tilt my chin back. “I will keep you safe, London. You have nothing to worry about.”
“And who will keepyousafe?”
Mason tucks me into his side and kisses the side of my head. “That’s not something you need to worry about.”
“Of course, I worry about you.” I look at the smooth, angular lines of his face and the stubble on his cheeks. “I want to help.”
Mason opens his mouth to say something and is interrupted by a knock on the door.
Olivia pokes her head in and raises an eyebrow. “You two could at least be decent.”
“Go away,” Mason tells her. “We’re busy.”
Olivia pushes the door the rest of the way open and leans against it. “I wish I could, but I wanted to see if London wanted to go to the club with me.”
I avoid Mason’s gaze. “Uh, yeah, sure.”
“Carlisle will be accompanying you.”
Olivia laughs and holds up a hand. “Sure, the old grump can come along. Don’t worry; I’ll bring her back in one piece. Besides, we’ll keep our heads down, won’t we, London?”
My stomach twists into tight knots, but I nod along anyway.
“Maybe put London in one of your disguises. Don’t give me that look. I know you still have them.”
Olivia sighs. “You’re so paranoid, but fine.”
I still have no idea how I got roped into all of this, only that I feel like I have to see it through.
If only to ensure Olivia doesn’t get into trouble.
Mason gives me a peck on the lips before Olivia drags me out of the room. At the foot of the stairs, she loops her arm through mine and leans close. “You’re doing the right thing. He’ll thank you for this someday.”
We cross the lawn, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise when I spot a few of the men on patrol. Their eyes sweep over us without stopping, and Olivia waves at them. Carlisle is waiting by the back door, and when it clicks open, my heart misses a beat. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dark, but when they do, I realize Carlisle is leading us down an unfamiliar corridor with dim lights.
Music pulses through the speakers in the background.
Carlisle stops in front of a door and pushes it open.
Olivia brushes past him, pulling me behind her.
As we come out of the room, Carlisle offers me a once-over and gives Olivia a quick nod. “Remember all you have to do is pass the message along.”
“How do you know you can trust the messenger?”
Olivia’s hand darts out, and she slips something into my pocket. Then she brushes imaginary lint off my sleeves. “You’ll know when you see them.”
I shift from one foot to the other. “You’re putting an awful lot of faith in these messages. It’s a code, right?”
“Yes.”
“Olivia—”
“It’ll be fine,” Olivia repeats, in a tighter voice. “Deliver the message, and then if things go according to plan, we’ll go tophase two. Keep your head down and don’t draw attention to yourself.”
Without waiting for a response, she squeezes my hand and disappears into the shadows. A heartbeat later, Carlisle reappears and leads me back to the club. I scan the dimly lit room and do a double take when I spot Olivia talking to a dark-haired man in the corner. When she places a hand on the man’s leg, I frown. Then Carlisle is leading me to the bar. I spot Miss Deveroux and breathe a sigh of relief. Slowly, I turn back to Carlisle, but he’s vanished. I glance around the room again and nearly jump out of my skin when a hand touches mine.
Miss Deveroux is looking at me intently. “She did a good job. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
