The Spy (King’s Security #3)

Chapter 12

12

FIONA

I glanced around the table, confused as to why Kade and Ronan seemed to be so stunned. Wasn’t Zeke’s background in undercover work? If so, surely it shouldn’t be unusual for him to offer to go undercover with me. Obviously, it wasn’t something he did at King’s Security regularly, but that was just because his role as director was more about strategy and management, right?

“Are you sure?” Ronan said after a moment. “You know we’d never ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Zeke nodded. “I know.”

“When you came on board, you were pretty certain you never wanted to go out in the field again, and we agreed,” he continued.

I looked at Zeke, surprised. I’d had no idea about that, and as Ronan’s assistant, I was used to knowing everything about the company and its people.

“I can go on my own, or with someone from Kade’s team,” I said, not wanting him to feel pressured into anything.

But Zeke shook his head. “I’m going with you and that’s that.”

I searched his eyes, hoping to get a read on what was running through his mind, but they were impenetrable. His jaw set, and there was something steely in his expression that unnerved me. I wasn’t used to seeing him like this. He was usually the easygoing boss. The flirt. The man I was seeing now was someone else entirely.

That’s what you get when you make assumptions.

“Is this really the best idea we can come up with?” Kade asked. “Surely there’s a lower-risk alternative?”

“Sure, there is,” Zeke agreed. “But it’s also less likely to succeed.” He twisted one of the rings on his left hand. “Like I said, I bear more than a passing resemblance to Bergen Cole, and with Fiona’s help, we can close the gap so I look even more like him.”

I bit my lip. For some reason, the idea of dressing Zeke as my ex made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to do it. But I also knew that his suggestion made sense. Still…

“If Bergen is there in person, it won’t matter how similar you look,” I pointed out. “If there are two of him, it’s going to raise some red flags.”

Ronan grimaced. “That’s a good point.”

Zeke didn’t seem deterred. “So, we give me another alias, and I use that if anyone asks my name, so nobody thinks I’m actively trying to pass myself off as him, but if they happen to see me and make assumptions, then that’s a happy coincidence.”

“What about if he confronts us?” I asked. “He’ll recognize me in an instant.”

“We try to locate the Monet before he does, and have an exit plan in place in case we have to make a quick escape. ”

“It’s risky,” Kade warned.

“With so little prep time and such an isolated location, any option will be risky,” Zeke said. “At least, this way, the people most at risk are the ones who choose to be there knowing the full situation and potential consequences. If we were to send one of our employees, would that really be fair to them?”

Kade scowled, but he didn’t argue. We all knew Zeke was right.

“So, it’s settled,” Ronan said. “Zeke and Fiona, you’re welcome to use our supply room to choose your outfits for tonight. Meanwhile, Kade will work on an evacuation plan.”

We agreed—albeit reluctantly, on Kade’s part—and left Ronan’s office. Zeke and I detoured past his team so he could check in on how the search for more information about the auction was going. Once he was up-to-date, we went to the supply room. My heartbeat pulsed in my ears as we entered, and when I closed the door behind us, my hands were shaking. I’d never done anything like this before. The most daring thing I’d done was pitch my work to art galleries. I’d never put my safety on the line. What if I was a terrible actress and gave us away? I’d never forgive myself if I messed up and something happened to Zeke because of it.

To distract myself, I went to a clothing rack and sifted through the options.

“For an event like this, Bergen would wear something edgy but designer,” I said, my voice wobbly. “Maybe like this.” I pulled out a slim-cut white suit and passed it to him, then searched until I found a dark blue shirt to go with it. “Try it with an open collar. No tie.”

He smirked. “Yes, ma’am.”

I ignored the jibe and scanned the selection of shoes. Most were either brown or black, but there was a pair of navy shoes made of buttery leather that would complement the look well. I placed them on the floor by Zeke’s feet. “Those too.”

He shucked off his leather jacket and grabbed the hem of his shirt.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing?”

“Trying on the outfit.” He sounded amused. “Isn’t that what you told me to do?”

“Um… I…” My mouth dry, I couldn’t tear my gaze from the strip of firm stomach he’d exposed above the waistline of his jeans. “I thought you’d take them to the bathroom or something.”

He rolled his eyes. “If you don’t want to see me then turn around.”

He pulled the shirt over his head, revealing a toned torso with defined abs and an arrow of dark hair shooting downward. I swallowed. This man clearly didn’t sit behind a desk all day every day. He maintained this mouthwatering body somehow.

“Fi?”

I spun around, clapping my hands over my eyes. He chuckled, and my cheeks burned. He’d caught me staring. Damn him.

“I’m ready for inspection,” he said a few moments later.

I turned and gasped, the air punched from my lungs as surely as if he’d hit me. Without his signature leather jacket, he looked so much like Bergen it gave me chills. If he shaved and removed his facial piercings, they could be twins.

“It’s uncanny,” I whispered.

He looked uncomfortable, and I felt a flare of guilt.

I moistened my lips. “You know you don’t have to do this, right?”

“Obviously.”

“I mean it.” I didn’t want him brushing off the comment without really thinking this through. “I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret for my sake. I don’t know your history, but if you told Ronan and Kade you didn’t want to do field work again, there must be a reason for it, and that matters.” I drew in a deep breath and held his gaze. “What you want matters.”

He took my hands, his fingers surprisingly rough against mine considering he spent most of his time at his computer. “I want to do this, and I’m capable of it. You don’t need to worry.”

ZEKE

I held Fiona’s gaze, hoping that whatever she saw in mine would convince her. It helped that I sounded more certain than I felt. Honestly, I didn’t know what I thought about this at all. Pretending to be someone else used to come as easily to me as breathing, but it had been a long time since I’d had to do it, and there was a good chance my skills were rusty. Not to mention there was a reason I’d sworn to never go undercover again. I’d just have to make sure Kade and I came up with a good strategy to get us the hell out of there if the need arose.

“If you’re sure,” she said, still scanning my face.

“I am.”

I dropped her hands and looked away as memories flashed through my mind. Ernesto’s sly grin as we passed each other in the halls of the building the cyber-terrorist cell we’d been embedded in used as its headquarters. It had been reassuring to know that we were both there and that we had each other’s backs. Until he’d thrown me to the wolves.

“So, will this outfit do?” I asked, eager to change the subject.

“Yes.” She smoothed her hands down my chest and heat flared in my gut. “If you shave, and take out the eyebrow piercing and the earring, then you should look as similar as possible.”

“Great.” I didn’t love the idea of removing my piercings. They symbolized the changes I’d made in my life. I’d gotten the eyebrow piercing less than a week after I’d been cut loose from the agency, and the tattoos and other piercings had come soon after. I hid a smirk. At least I wouldn’t have to remove all my piercings. There was one that Fiona hadn’t discovered yet.

I undressed and rehung the clothes, smiling to myself when Fiona huffed and turned away again. My smile widened when I saw her sneak a peek.

That’s right, beautiful. You can look all you like.

“Your turn,” I said as I put my leather jacket back on. I’d get someone to steam the suit before we left, so it would be in the best possible condition for our night out. “Let’s see what dresses we have for a glamorous yacht party.”

I ran through the options. We had plenty of gala-ready designer dresses because a good-sized chunk of our clientele were rich men who didn’t want to admit they needed protection, so they hired female bodyguards to accompany them to events. Of course, we’d had to make it very, very clear that our employees were security professionals and had our full authority to blacken the eye of any entitled bastards who thought they could get side benefits from the arrangement.

“What about this?” I held up a little green number that was slinky and figure-hugging .

“It’s short,” Fiona said, her nose crinkling. “I’ll try it though.”

Between us, we selected a few more options and an array of shoes.

“Let’s see them,” I said, not bothering to hide my enthusiasm. She was stunning, so of course I wanted her to model each of the outfits.

“Out.” She pointed at the door. “I’ll call you in once I’m dressed.”

I left and closed the door behind me, leaning against the wall beside it. Willow walked by, her expression curious, but she didn’t stop to talk. When Fiona tapped on the door and told me to come back in, I almost swallowed my tongue at the sight of her. The green dress was short, as she’d said. The hem rested midway down her slender thighs, and the neckline plunged deeper than I’d expected, giving me a tantalizing glimpse of the creamy skin of her cleavage.

“Too much?” she asked, worrying her lower lip.

I scanned her from head to toe, noting the sky-high stilettos she’d put on. “You look incredible, but we’re trying to blend in and not draw too much attention. In that dress, all eyes will be on you.”

She flushed, her eyes shining. She looked almost bashful. But she must know how gorgeous she was. “I’ll try another,” she said. “Shoo.”

I left, and returned when she summoned me. The next outfit was a better fit for the occasion. She was still beautiful—she was always beautiful—but the dress was black and drew less attention. It sat higher across her chest, with small sleeves that made it more demure, and a skirt that swished around her knees. She’d swapped out the stilettos for a pair of kitten heels. She looked classy, but less of a stand-out than she had in the green dress .

“Perfect,” I said. “We’ll need to get your hair and makeup done too.”

She took the shoes off and set them to the side. “I can do that myself.”

“You could,” I agreed. “But you shouldn’t. I’m willing to bet that every other woman there will have theirs done professionally, and they’ll be able to tell the difference. We need to look the part.”

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll arrange it as soon as we’re out of here.”

“Good.” I stepped closer and smoothed my thumb over the line between her brows. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to change your mind.”

To my surprise, she leaned into the touch.

“I’m nervous,” she said. “But I can do it.”

She held my gaze, and there was something so fierce about her that my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t help feeling like if I got too close to Fiona’s fire, I’d end up burned. But hell, what a way to go.

I cleared my throat and pulled my hand away. “Let’s get ready then.”

A few hours later, we were both dressed in our chosen outfits and sitting in the back of a luxury sedan on the way to Sears Bay Marina. Kade was on standby if we needed him, and I’d assured Fiona that we wouldn’t end up trapped if things went wrong. That said, she didn’t know the whole plan either. I didn’t want her to get into her head about it and for her worry to throw her off her game. I was confident we could pull it off, and she’d be safe. That was what mattered.

The marina was one of the smaller ones in the Chicago area, frequented only by those who could afford to pay the exorbitant mooring fees. I spotted the Claudette as soon as we arrived. It was one of the largest yachts present, and two men in dark suits with poorly concealed weapons stood on the dock in front of it. They must be security. According to our research, they weren’t Laurent’s personal employees but a local team he’d hired for the event. We’d decided it would be too risky to try to sneak past them so my team had been working on making sure we were on the guest list. Hopefully the hired security wouldn’t know enough about Laurent’s business or what was going on aboard the Claudette to be suspicious of us.

The car stopped and I turned to Fiona. “You ready?”

She was pale, but she nodded. I opened the door and got out while the driver held Fiona’s door for her. Then I took her arm and mentally crossed my fingers that my team had figured out a way to get us on that list.