The Spy (King’s Security #3)

Chapter 20

20

FIONA

“Have a seat,” Ronan said.

I sank onto a chair, wishing he had a sofa or armchair I could collapse into instead. I was mentally exhausted. The police had flung questions at me about the photograph of myself with Claudette Laurent and the fingerprint of mine they’d found within the Windy City Gallery. They wouldn’t say which room they’d found it in or when, so I couldn’t be sure if it was a print I’d left behind after our visit on Saturday or if Bergen had somehow planted one. I didn’t imagine that would be easy to do, but he was clever and creative. If anyone could pull it off, he could.

“Are you okay?” Kade asked, his expression sympathetic.

“I just want this to be over,” I replied.

“We’ll do our best to make that happen soon,” Ronan said.

Zeke pulled his chair closer to mine and draped his arm over my shoulders. I appreciated the comfort, although I didn’t love the raised eyebrows from my boss .

“King and I have been strategizing,” Kade said. “We think Zeke and I should be the ones to check out the commercial storefront that Cole visited yesterday. We’ll have a backup team positioned around the corner. I’ve already chosen a location. They can’t get too close or they might draw too much attention, but they should be close enough to assist if we run into trouble.”

“Wait.” I forced myself to straighten despite my weariness. “Haven’t you considered that if you go in without me, you run the same risk as on the yacht? If the painting is there, you won’t be able to tell if it’s the original or a forgery.”

Kade and Ronan exchanged glances.

“We can take a photograph,” Kade said. “We’re just scouting it out at this point. We’re not going to snatch it.”

“A photograph may not be enough for me to make a judgment call from.” I wasn’t trying to be difficult, but I doubted they planned to turn on any lights while they were in there, and a photo illuminated by a flashlight beam might not be very helpful. If they were using night vision goggles and no flashlight, the quality of a photograph could be even worse. “I need to see it in person.”

“I’ll go in with Fi,” Zeke said, his fingertips brushing my shoulder. “We’ll be in and out in a few minutes. Purely reconnaissance. Right, Fi?” He gave me a look that said agreeing with him was the only way I’d get anywhere near that painting.

“Right,” I said. “I won’t try anything. I don’t want to cause problems; I just want to be sure.”

Plus my stomach fizzed at the idea of setting my eyes on a Monet that I hadn’t seen before. They didn’t need to know that though.

Kade looked uncertain. He turned to Ronan. “What do you think? ”

Ronan shrugged. “You’re the expert. I’ll support whatever you think is best.”

Kade’s dark eyes studied me. It felt as if he was trying to look into my soul. I bit my lip, nerves rolling through me. Eventually, he nodded.

“Okay,” he said. “But if you’re inside for longer than ten minutes, we’re coming in for retrieval. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Zeke replied.

I nodded. “Yes.”

That was more than fair. I was well aware I was pushing my luck by insisting on being part of the operation. I just couldn’t stand being sidelined and having to hope that nothing went wrong. This way, I could actively influence the outcome.

“As soon as we confirm whether or not Daisies is being stored at the site, we’ll get the hell out of there,” Zeke said. “We’ll retreat to a safe distance and make a call to the police with an anonymous eyewitness account. Whether or not they believe it, they’ll have to follow up.”

Relief flowed through me at the thought that tonight I might be able to sleep in my own bed again, with no fear of being thrown in a holding cell. I had no desire to ever spend time in one of those again. I was too soft.

“It’s still a few hours until dark,” Ronan said. “Why don’t you sort out clothes and equipment, touch base with the backup team, and see if any of your people have found anything useful, Zeke?”

“Sounds good.” Zeke rose from the chair and offered me his hand. I took it, my cheeks flushing.

Ronan waved a hand between us. “Is this something we need to talk about?”

I snuck a look at Zeke, unsure what he thought. We’d agreed to try to work through our issues together, and I wanted to continue being able to kiss him and luxuriate in the sensation of being held by him, but we hadn’t agreed to a label, so I couldn’t be sure what he had in mind.

“Fiona and I are seeing each other,” he said, sending me a soft smile that hit me right in the feels. I smiled back, a little giddy. “We’ll fill out whatever paperwork we need to make it above board with the company as soon as this is over.”

“Good.” Ronan cleared his throat as we continued to gaze into each other’s eyes. “That’s all I ask.” His tone softened. “I’m happy for you both.”

“Thanks.” My face heated, and I finally tore my gaze from Zeke’s. He threaded his fingers through mine and tugged on my hand. Together, we left the room.

Zeke checked in with various people. I listened and didn’t interrupt. There hadn’t been any new developments from his team, and Kade’s backup team seemed to be on top of the situation. A few of them smiled at me and wished us the best. Even though I didn’t know them well, they seemed genuine, and their care warmed me.

Finally, it was time to prepare.

“So, do I get to wear a cool super-spy outfit?” I asked as he led me toward the supply room. He laughed. When I asked why, he didn’t reply.

Ten minutes later, I had my answer. Apparently, my badass ninja outfit consisted of black yoga pants and a loose black hoodie. I scowled at myself in the mirror. So much for looking tough. I was more likely to be mistaken for a mom on the way to pick up my kid from school. At least the bulletproof vest he’d given me to wear beneath the hoodie added something to the look.

Arms settled around my waist and lips brushed the side of my neck. Zeke . I melted against him as his tattooed fingers interlaced over my abdomen. I loved having him this close. It had been so long since I’d allowed myself to indulge in intimacy with a man, and that it was Zeke, who—far from being the carefree guy I’d assumed him to be—had proved himself to be caring, honest, and worthy of my trust… it meant everything.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he murmured near my ear.

ZEKE

I waited for her response with bated breath. I hoped she didn’t think I’d asked the question because I thought she was weak or I didn’t trust her. I just wanted her to know that she didn’t have to. It would be more difficult, but we could do this without putting her in danger.

She pulled free of my hold and turned, resting her hands on my waist. “I need the closure. Wouldn’t you have wanted the chance to prove Ernesto guilty personally, and make him pay for what happened to you?”

“Yes.” I understood exactly what she meant. Even after the agency realized I wasn’t the traitor, I’d had a burning need to get revenge on Ernesto. I’d trusted him, and he’d betrayed me. I’d been tortured, partially drowned, beaten, deprived of food and water, and mentally scarred because of him. “I actually did go looking for him as soon as I’d healed enough,” I admitted. “But the agency had already gotten to him, and there was no trace of him anywhere. I think they did to him what they’d intended to do to me.”

My gut curdled at just how close to death I’d been.

“So, you get it.” She waited for me to nod. “I need to be there.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” I hadn’t expected her to change her mind, but at least I’d given her the option. Honestly, I respected her for knowing what she needed and for making it happen. Too many people didn’t have that level of self-awareness.

I cupped her face and kissed her softly. “You’re incredible.”

Her eyes skittered away from mine, and I frowned. Fiona always projected the image of self-confidence, but I was beginning to think a lot of that was a facade. The same way my persona had kept me safe, her prickly aloofness toward people she considered threats had protected her.

“I mean it,” I insisted. “Whatever happens tonight, and whatever comes of this, I want you to know that I won’t let you take the fall for something you didn’t do. Do you believe me?”

She gazed into my eyes, and it struck me for the first time how similar the color of hers were to mine. We were different in a lot of ways, but the deep, dark brown of our eyes matched almost perfectly.

“I believe you mean that,” she said after a moment. “But I don’t see how you can keep your promise.”

“Just trust that I will.” I’d do whatever it took. Kill whoever needed to be killed. Blackmail anyone that needed to be blackmailed. Fiona wouldn’t end up in prison. Although I couldn’t guarantee what my own future might look like. People in positions of power didn’t tend to take kindly to my tactics. The agency had left me alone so far, but if I created other enemies, I’d have to watch my back.

“I trust you,” she whispered.

My heart full, I captured her lips. Silently, I vowed that she wouldn’t regret her decision.

She stepped closer and tilted her head. I touched my tongue to hers and groaned at how goddamn good it felt. Her body pressed to mine and I skimmed my hands over the slight curve of her hips and around to her ass. She let out a breathy whimper, and my cock hardened. She rocked against me.

“Damn, woman,” I panted. “If you keep that up, we’re going to make a mess in here.”

She smiled mischievously. “I want to.”

I hoisted her into the air, my hands cupping her ass as she wrapped her legs around my waist. I backed her against the wall and trailed my lips up the side of her neck, nipping at her earlobe. She shivered.

“Hey, guys? Oh, shit.” The door, which had opened without us noticing, slammed shut.

I groaned and lowered Fiona to the ground, holding on to her for long enough to make sure her legs wouldn’t give out beneath her. “Was that Kade?”

Fiona’s face was bright red. “I think so.”

I smoothed her hair down and tidied my clothes, which were rumpled from her body and hands. “Come on. We’d better go see what he wants.”

As we exited the room, Kade turned toward us with his hands over his eyes.

“My eyes are scarred,” he teased. “I might never see again.”

Fiona swatted his shoulder. “Like you and Sage are any better.”

He colored and dropped his hands from his face. He seemed to want to protest, but he couldn’t when Fiona had spoken the truth.

“What do you need?” I asked, taking pity on him.

“The team is ready to go,” Kade said gruffly. “Are you two all set?”

I nodded. “Heading out now?”

“Two minutes.”

We assembled in the basement parking area. Kade’s backup squad had already prepared a vehicle. Fiona and I would be taking one of the sedans we used for undercover assignments. It was white, mid-range, and looked unremarkable, but it had been fitted out with top-quality technology and a speed booster. Hopefully, we wouldn’t need to make use of that.

Fiona became more and more quiet as we loaded into the cars and followed Kade’s team out of the building. They’d be getting into place before we went in, to make sure we were covered. I didn’t push her to talk, sensing that she needed the silence to work through something. I glanced at her a few times, noting her pale face and clenched fists, and considered reminding her that she could pull out if she wanted, but I doubted she’d appreciate my interference.

We pulled onto the side of the road while Kade’s team parked near a disused service station, and waited until Kade gave us the okay to move in. I checked to make sure Fiona had her night vision visor ready to go. We wouldn’t wear them until we were inside, in case there were security lights on the exterior. Thankfully, the dim light cast by the streetlights would be enough to get us where we needed to go.

I tensed as we traveled the last few hundred yards, then I shut off the engine and switched off the lights. Before either of us got out of the car, I reached over and took her hand.

“Just so you know,” I said quietly, “I’ve never had a better partner in crime than you.”