Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

wanted to reassure her, but she’d been courageous enough to be honest with him and he could do no less. “I’ll try for you, Judith, but in all honesty, I’ve never had this feeling for any woman.”
    She might believe it of Thomas, but not of Stefan. There was no Stefan. He wasn’t real, that man who seduced women out of their secrets and left their lives in ruins. No matter that the women were spies, or working for criminals, there was nothing easier for him, and yet now, he had no idea what to do with her.
    He wanted to run away with her and never look back at his past, shed the assassin and become her hero, the man who would fill her nights and days with nothing but happiness. Who the hell was he kidding? He didn’t know what happiness was until he’d walked down a dark street with a woman who was virtually a stranger.
    “I can be that man,” he said aloud. The words slipped out before he could stop them.
    For a moment her eyes went liquid. “I know you can,” she whispered. “But I can’t be that woman, Thomas. I want to be, but I can’t.”
    He heard the regret, the pain, in her soft murmur and his heart did a hard somersault. She was killing him as surely as Ivanov’s bullet would. Thomas. He detested Thomas. His biggest rival. The man would destroy any chance at all he had with the one woman who counted in his world.
    “We’ll see,” he said, uncaring that she heard him. It was a warning and he meant it.
    Walking along the wooden sidewalk with the wind blowing a fine mist across his face, and Judith’s hand tucked into the crook of his arm, he had the strangest feeling of peace. He allowed himself to indulge in fantasy for that last few feet before reaching her car.
    “This is mine,” she announced, putting her hand on the hood of her Mini Cooper. She sounded as regretful as he felt.
    Stefan stepped in front of her, effectively preventing her from walking around to the driver’s side. “I’m coming out to your farm tomorrow to drive the tractor and I’m bringing lunch.”
    She took a breath and pushed at the hair blowing over her shoulder into her face. “You know that could get us into trouble, don’t you?”
    He nodded slowly. “I’ll keep you safe.”
    She took a breath and nodded. “All right then. I’m counting on you.”
    His first step toward being that man and he already knew he was going to blow it. If the street hadn’t been filled with her friends and Ivanov hadn’t been lying in wait up in a tower, he would be kissing her senseless.
    Stefan forced himself out of her way, almost afraid to let her go, fearing she would slip away. Truthfully, he was even more afraid of himself—that the shadow man would come to his senses and simply disappear into thin air, leaving only Thomas behind.
    He went with Judith into the street, and opened the car door for her. She stood for a moment just looking at him and he realized she was every bit as afraid for their moment to end as he was.
    “Thank you for a strange but rather wonderful evening, Thomas,” Judith said and slipped into the car.
    “You’re very welcome,” he said as he closed her door and patted it before giving her a friendly wave and walking back to the wooden sidewalk, taking danger with him.

5
     
    STEFAN stood on the edge of the sidewalk watching until Judith’s car was safely down the street, lights disappearing as she rounded a corner before he turned back toward the gallery. He let his gaze sweep the rooftops without lifting his head. In the darkness, it would be impossible to spot Petr Ivanov. The exterminator didn’t make mistakes. He also wasn’t much of a long distant assassin. He liked up-close work, rather than a rifle.
    Keeping his steps unhurried and measured, shoulders straight, Stefan strolled down the main street, checking out the various storefronts of the shops he passed, as if he were simply acquiring knowledge of Sea Haven’s community. The ocean rolled and sprayed across from him, the windows of the stores reflecting the shimmering moon as it emerged from behind a veil of clouds. His years of experience gave him the discipline needed to take his time, to maintain an even pace.
    If Stefan didn’t believe his brother was dead, then neither did Petr. Ivanov had written the report on Lev’s death in an effort to make everyone believe the hunt for Lev was over. The exterminator had lost the trail here in Sea Haven. Stefan was certain now he was nothing more than bait for the assassin to