“What do you mean? What’s to set up? We’re just hiking.”

“Nothing’s ever that simple around here. Come on.” Instead of heading up the stairs, she continued down the hallway to the kitchen, where she found Harrison playing cards with some of the other staff. “Hey, can I talk to you a second?”

“Of course.” Her bodyguard’s chair scraped on the stone floor. “What’s up?”

She slipped her arm through Brodie’s. “We’d like to hike up to the cirque lake.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, if that’s all right.”

“Absolutely. Give me an hour to take care of it.”

“Great, thank you. We’ll go change.” Excited, she led Brodie up the back stairs. Once in her bedroom, she shut the door and turned her back to him. “Can you please unzip me?”

“Sure.” His voice sounded normal, but he didn’t know she could see his face in the mirror across the room. His strained expression worried her. “What does he mean by ‘take care of it?’ We’re just hiking up the mountain.”

“I know, but he has to send a team out ahead of us to clear the trail.”

“Clear the trail? You mean everyone has to leave the area?”

She nodded. “I know it sounds awful, but it’s the way our security works. And, at this hour, there probably won’t be many people out there.”

He shook his head. “Forget it. We can hike another day. I’m not making people leave just so I can take a walk.”

Of course, she understood. She quickly shot off a text to Harrison. Change of plans. Thanks anyhow. “What would you like to do instead?”

He yanked off his bow tie. “I’m going to hit the gym.” He reached for the buttons on his starched, white shirt.

Pulling his arm towards her, she unfastened the cuff link. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He sounded a little curt, and he definitely avoided looking her in the eye.

Finished with the other sleeve, she dropped the cuff links into a small porcelain bowl on her dresser. Watching him step out of his pants and into a pair of gym shorts made her unbearably sad. She handed him a clean T-shirt. “I know you hate working out in a gym.”

“It’s fine.” He jammed his feet into running shoes and headed for the door. “Won’t be long.”

“Brodie?”

His muscles spasmed, and it looked like he’d used up all his restraint to stop and wait for her to continue.

“I hate this. I hate how unhappy you are here, and I don’t know what to do about it.”