Page 23 of Run

“Guess I’m going toallthe shops, then,” Ryan grumbled as he let himself out of the house. “Good job I’ve still got super spy’s credit card.”

Making Elle smile for the first time since waking up.

* * *

Elle was backto her perky self by the time the meeting rolled around—despite being dressed top to toe in black. She headed straight for David, who stood by the window and had only lifted his chin to her by way of hello.

Like she’d put up with that crap. The man was talking to her. Whether he liked it or not.

“Look,” she told him. “I’ve got a spy uniform too.”

Although, she had to admit, he looked way better in black than she ever would. He also seemed to have an unlimited supply of soft, black sweaters that showed off his lean, muscular physique to perfection.

She cocked her head and considered him. “Do you keep a knitter on retainer to make those for you? Do you vet the wool before she starts? Are there some patterns you just won’t consider? Like jacquard, perhaps? Does she make you lightweight sweaters for the summer months?”

“Heard you were off your game this morning.” David didn’t smile, but his eyes were twinkling. “I see you’ve bounced back.”

“So,” Elle mused, “you aren’t talkingtome, but you’re still talkingaboutme. Interesting…”

“I didn’t say off her game,” Ryan called from the sofa, where he wasn’t eating for a change. “I said she was channeling Grumpy Smurf.”

“His name’s Grouchy Smurf,” Elle corrected.

“It is deeply disturbing how you know that,” Ryan said.

“Is it only me,” Megan said from the sofa, “or does your hair look even more luminous now you’re wearing black?”

Elle narrowed her eyes at David, just to make it clear she wasn’t finished with him, and then flopped onto the sofa beside Ryan. “It isn’t you. My hair is suddenly neon.”

Ryan snorted. “I hate to break it to you, but this is not sudden.”

“Where’s my Snickers?” she demanded because, really, there was no dealing with him.

He reached into the pocket of his gray hoodie and came out with half a dozen bars. “Knock yourself out.”

“Any energy drinks?”

“The junk-food police already got to those, but he didn’t pat me down. Otherwise, the chocolate would be gone too.”

Elle narrowed her eyes at an amused David as she bit into a chocolate-and-nut block of heaven. “What have you got against comfort food?” she demanded.

“An operative needs to eat well in order to function at his peak.”

“I’m not an operative. A hacker needs caffeine and sugar to stop from killing everyone around her.”

David cocked an eyebrow, as if her comment didn’t even deserve a full facial expression. It seemedhewas the main source of her grumpy mood.

“Okay,” Callum barked as he strode into the room, wearing yet another gray Henley. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Elle elbowed Ryan. “Where are his ‘disguise’ clothes?”

“Like I have a death wish.” With a disgusted shake of his head, he took back one of the Snickers bars and started eating.

“Julia,” Callum said as he stood beside the fireplace, arms folded, “you got everything you need to brief us?”

Julia nodded and got up from the sofa she shared with Joe, her new iPad—again, courtesy of David’s credit card—gripped in her hand. Elle couldn’t help but notice that David had done a marginally better job of choosing an iPad than he’d done when picking out her new laptop. While she was super grateful for the effort he’d gone to, and the expense, the guy was terrible at buying laptops. It was clear he didn’t do any programming because the machine he’d chosen was shiny and pretty but had very little going for it under the hood. The chances of her wearing it out by the weekend were high.

“Ryan picked up a data projector for me,” Julia said. “So, if someone will shut the blinds and pull the curtain, I can show you what I have on the back wall. We might need to bring through a couple of chairs from the dining table.”