Page 40 of Destroyed With You

“You think he got wind of who you are? Is that why he bailed?”

I glance at Winston. His head is tilted to one side, his eyes closed as he listens intently. “Highly unlikely,” I tell Collins. “He called the bar and left me a message. He’s running late and hoping I can join him for an after-dinner drink.”

“Which you will, of course.”

“With bells on.”

“And Hawthorne? This is his assignment. Have you checked in with him?”

“No, sir. You know his protocol.”

“You know you’re more to him than a hired gun. You need to build that relationship.”

“I’m aware of that, sir.”

Collins sighs. “I’m not trying to whore you out,” he says, and I watch as Winston’s brow rises. “But I want Hawthorne in a box. He’s putting the lives of our agents and our national security at risk.”

“I know, sir. This is just a change in timing, not an abort of the mission. I’ll report in as soon as the target is eliminated and the laptop secure.”

“All right then. And good luck, Moon. The men and women working undercover around the globe are relying on you.”

“Thank you, sir,” I say, then end the call. I wait a moment, then turn my phone off entirely, mostly because it’s in my job description to be paranoid. I look at Winston. “Your take?”

“If he’s a traitor, he’s a damn good actor.”

I nod. I appreciate the honesty, but he doesn’t look happy about it. “Your turn.”

“Right,” he says, then dials Anderson Seagrave’s secure line.

“Starr,” Seagrave says after the preliminaries. “I hope you’re telling me that you have Bartlett and Moon in custody and a laptop in evidence.”

“Not yet, sir. Just wanted to update you. The target’s meet was changed, but I’ve got eyes on Moon,” he adds as I curtsy, holding out the skirt of the dress and dipping like a debutante. I immediately regret it, as he almost laughs. “I’ll update you soon,” he says, his voice sounding only a little choked.

“I do have one question, though,” Winston continues. “If the SOC is that close to convincing him to testify, wouldn’t it be better to bring in an agent to negotiate those terms, get him secured, and transport him back to LA?”

“If he wasn’t a walking target, I’d agree with you. But Moon’s presence has made the situation more difficult. He’ll understand that he was brought in as a protective measure. And once he realizes he was only inches away from assassination—and we saved him—he’ll be even more likely to finalize his deal and testify.”

He glances at me, and I nod. It was a good question, but Seagrave’s response makes sense.

“A curtsy?” he says to me once he’s ended the call. “You’re going to get us in trouble.”

I try to look somber, but I can’t help it. The day’s been too damn stressful. I burst into laughter, and he joins me, taking my hand and pulling me close. For a moment, we stay like that, even though I know I should pull away. I was the one who said this was too confusing, after all.

Except I can’t seem to move. The moment is sweet, almost gentle, and I want to soak it up. I want to wrap myself in our shared memories. But then the tension shifts between us to something more intense. A crackling heat. A bold intensity. A sensual temptation that looms in front of me like a dark pool of warm water, beckoning me to dive in. And I want to. Oh, God, I really want to.

I don’t.

Instead, I clear my throat and step back, glancing at his face only long enough to see the flicker of disappointment quickly wiped away by a professional facade.

I know he doesn’t understand. I’m not sure I do. All I know is that despite the fact that the attraction still burns between us as bright as a supernova, giving in to it would be a mistake.

“I didn’t hear anything odd in Seagrave’s voice,” I say, as if the air wasn’t still thick with tension. “Did you?”

“No.” His voice is vague, but his gaze is intense, like he’s searching me for secrets. He clears his throat. “No. Nothing off at all.”

“Well, it was a long shot to think we’d be able to judge by their tone. And the odds of one of them telling us the mission needs to succeed so that they can continue to hide their dirty little secret were pretty damn low.”

“Especially when the house always wins.”