Sadly, I shook my head. “I wish I could . . . but this comes first. I’m sorry.” For half a second, I remembered Maddie in the office, so sad and heartbroken. I even thought about Dante and his compulsive spending. If I had any scrap of morality left in my damned soul, I’d tell Seth that we needed to end this, right now. But like every other time I’d told myself that, I never listened. “Maybe . . . maybe tonight, though . . .”

Roman and I would be done searching. Dante might be around, but well . . . I’d deal with that later. I felt confident I could dodge any plans he might want to make. Details like that didn’t matter. Only being alone with Seth again did. How could being around him affect me like this?

He nodded, as eager as me. “Call me when you’re free.”

I started to joke that I’d never be free, but that wasn’t what he’d meant. Standing up, I hoped I looked like I was leaving a platonic conversation and that I wasn’t actually struggling with the temptation to kiss him good-bye. We stared at each other for a few heavy moments, and with his eyes, Seth said a million things, both sweet and indecent. Walking away, I was certain that anyone who’d seen us would instantly realize what was going on—but no one seemed to be paying attention to us.

My shift wound down rapidly after that, and as I walked home afterward, I heard invisible footsteps walking along with me. “I know you’re there,” I said under my breath. I didn’t want anyone thinking I was crazy. “Glad to see your voyeur ways haven’t changed.”

My car was parked behind my building today, and as I rounded the corner onto a quiet block, Roman materialized beside me. He looked gorgeous, smug, and dangerous. The usual.

“I hope you had an entertaining time following me around.” I took my keys out.

“You should be a reality show,” he said. “It’s that good. And you know, I might be a totally unstable former assassin, but man. You manage to shock even me.”

“Oh, be quiet,” I snapped. I unlocked the car doors and slid into the driver’s side. “Your snarky commentary is neither wanted nor appreciated.”

“It’s not commentary. It’s me thinking aloud. It has nothing to do with you, really, nor does it require any response on your part.”

“This is it, isn’t it?” I asked, pulling out of the parking spot. “This is why you aren’t going to kill me. You’re going to just torture me for the rest of eternity. Long suffering, right?”

He grinned, flashing perfect white teeth against his tanned skin. It triggered a memory in me, how I’d once found that so attractive. Now, though, my fear and unease blocked any sort of desire.