Once we got there, I headed straight for the cabinet with drinks and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Meg settled on one of the sofas, and, on my way to her, I picked up two glasses with my free hand. After setting the glasses on the small table in front of her, I tilted the bottle above them and poured, spilling some of the liquid on the table too. If anyone was watching or listening to us somehow, I wanted to make them believe I’d given up on everything.

I let the bottle thud against the table as I set it down and picked up my glass. Meg leaned forward to reach for hers, eyeing me with suspicion, but she didn’t say anything. After taking a gulp and letting it burn its way down my throat, I let out a frustrated grunt.

“I miss him,” I finally said, starting to pace up and down the room with my glass still in hand.

“I’m doing everything I can.” She clutched her glass and took a sip.

“I know. I’m not saying you’re not. It’s just...” I brought my glass to my lips again, going for the portable music player that was on one of the shelves. “You know what? I don’t want to talk about that anymore. Actually, I want to forget.”

I turned on the music player, upping the volume. If someone could still overhear us even with the loud music, then to hell with everything, but I didn’t think that was possible. I strolled back toward Meg, swaying my hips in rhythm with the upbeat melody of a song that was all the rage right now. I had to act normal—well, as if I were really trying to have fun.

When I reached Meg, she had a smile on her face, and I offered her my hand, which she took, so I pulled her to her feet. We danced for a few minutes, and then I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. As we made our way toward the sofa, I leaned forward so I could whisper into her ear, her hair hiding my mouth from view.

“I need a favor,” I said as quickly as I could. “I have to see James. Can you find a way to arrange that without anyone figuring it out? I need protection, so some of my men have to come with me. I won’t tell them where I’m going, but you must make sure they can’t contact anyone.” I pulled back with a smile on my face and started singing along to the song. If someone was watching us, there was no way for them to tell what I’d whispered to Meg.