THE WAITRESS APPEARED to take their order and Alfric waited until she’d left again to start explaining their situation. He deliberately avoided Pleasance’s gaze as he described the evening of Raia’s party, where everything had started. He told them that he and his men had been watching Raia, waiting for him to connect to someone who was instrumental to the man’s terrorist plot. But no one had shown up.
And then he’d seen Raia hand her something.
“So when Pleasance ran I thought she was Raia’s connection.”
Finally he looked over and saw what looked for all the world like genuine shock on her pretty face. “So tell me, Pleasance. Why did you run away from me?”
Her startling blue eyes had an edge of panic in them. She shook her head. After a moment, during which tears filled her eyes, Plea
