by Tara Brown
“Fitz?”
He pointed at me. “Judge me when you're my age and you’re still alive, Evie. I have done a lot of bad things to not die and I regret none of them. Your friends would be dead if I hadn’t had the jet. Someone in your organization is working hard at finding you and the Burrow.”
Behind us, Coop was pretending to sleep but undoubtedly listening to everything we were saying. Luce was reading on a Kindle and Jack was playing a video game. Technically, they were listening to it all. I climbed into the seat next to Fitz. “All right, let me see this code.”
We spent the rest of the ride going over it.
When we landed in Rome, my stomach was in my throat. I felt sick and couldn’t shake it. The fact I’d be seeing James made me feel homicidal emotions. The kind that weren’t healthy for anyone to feel. Not to mention the fact Servario had betrayed me.
Fitz waved as we left the plane. “I'll keep my eyes and ears glued in case you get into trouble. Remember, you’re being double-crossed by everyone on this one. Trust no one. Not even the Burrow.”
I nodded nervously.
Jack laughed. “He sounds like Mulder off X-Files.”
“Yeah, except he’s right.”
Jack gave me a look. “Dude, Mulder was always right.”
I laughed and tried not to cry as we left Fitz and the safety of the plane. We had fake IDs and all the right passports, but I sensed we were making a mistake. Steve had given me the location of the last place they were in Venice, and the back of the note from James had a hotel stamp on it. A hotel in Rome.
Coop nudged me. “You ready?”
“No.” I tensed. “I feel sick.”
“That’s ‘cause this is the big time.”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded, stretching and walking next to me. “That’s true. You and Servario dicking around on his plane probably felt dangerous, but it wasn’t. This is actually really dangerous.”
Luce swatted him. “Dude, not helping.”
“Oh God. I need a bathroom.” I lifted a hand to my mouth.
Luce wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “You just need to get in good and deep. The strength, training, and abilities will come back. Nothing like fear to bring back all your old skills.”
That was a huge gamble with my life.
I followed them to clear customs as Canadians and ignored the gnawing in the pit of my stomach.
We caught a cab outside the airport and ended up in the hotel district of Rome. It was beautiful. The stonework and architecture were stunning. It was hard to focus with James and Servario tugging at my ability to maintain my composure. I took in the courtyard as we stopped at a massive hotel with a stone facade. It was breathtaking. Coop leaned in. “You ready, Mrs. Rinaldi?”
“Yes, Jon. Let's do this.”
His eyes couldn’t contain the enjoyment he was having being Jon and Kim Rinaldi.
“This is bullshit,” I whispered back, “I look like a pervert being married to you.”
“No.” He kissed my cheek softly and whispered in my ear, “You're a hot cougar who was able to land a stud like me because clearly, you can suck a watermelon through a garden hose.” He pulled away, passed the driver cash, and jumped out before I could say anything. I sat there red-faced for a minute with a thousand comebacks floating through my brain. Damn him, none were good enough.
He opened my door. I stepped out and walked past him.
When we got to the front door of the hotel, the valet took our bags, eyeing me up with a grin. As we entered, Coop leaned in again. “See, he's thinking you’re a machine in the sack. It's a known thing about the older ladies—sex-addicted maniacs.
“Fuck this.” I shook my head. “I'm telling everyone you're my son.”
“You can’t.” He nudged me as we got to the desk. “Check your passport age.”
“Why?” I pulled it from my beautiful purse Fitz had given me when I was on board. I saw the birthday. “Twenty-nine, really?”
“What?” He shrugged. “You can pull it off easy.”
“Whatever.” I tried to resist the charming smile and ridiculous compliment. “This feels like a trap. How old are you?”
He ignored me and smiled at the front desk girl. “Hello there. How are you?” He was doing his over-the-top friendly Canadian thing. He sounded like he was from Wisconsin and the girl ate it up. She didn’t even notice I was in the room. Instead of listening to their stupid conversation, I glanced about, wishing I were in Rome for pleasure and not something so frightening.
He got our keys and a box that was waiting for him, and we walked to the elevators. “Luce and Jack will be in their hotel any minute. We should be able to see each other when we get to the rooms.”
“Fine.” I nodded, not paying much attention. I was focused on exits and how strong my legs felt.
In the elevator he leaned over, pressing his lips against my cheek. He paused there, sighing his hot breath onto my face. “Stop looking so scared, Evie.” His words were a whisper, I felt them more than I heard them. “You look stricken. People notice that.”
When the elevator opened, he took my hand in his and pulled me down the hall to our door. He let go of me as he flashed the keycard in front of the handle. I sighed when he opened the door to find our room was beautiful, not Servario beautiful, but far more than I would’ve stayed in with James. Of course, I never would’ve come to Rome with James. He was hoarding all his fucking money like a dragon—deep breaths.
James.
The name built a fire inside me.
I had to refrain from being the savagely angry girl he made me. That had to stay bottled up and only be released at the exact right moment.
In the room there were no more kisses or whispers. Coop went straight to the window. He was back-to-business Coop. I was beginning to think he simply loved toying with me. He would spend this time here leaning into my neck, kissing the side of my cheek. Pretending it was because he wanted our cover intact. But I knew—I knew.
He used his little games of hot and cold to keep me guessing. And I didn't have time to think about a twenty-eight-year-old agent. He was almost a little boy.
Although, having seen him in very tight jeans, I had to agree with him. There was really nothing little about the boy.
I mentally slapped my whorish self. She’d already gotten us both into enough trouble.
The past couple months had been all her doing. Well, if I were being honest, the last decade was all her fault.
“They're in place.” He held the binoculars out for me. I walked to him, taking them from him. He stayed close to me and pointed. I glanced through the binoculars to see Jack and Luce looking around their room which was much nicer than ours. Jack turned to Luce for a moment, saying something, but I couldn’t read his lips from that distance. He crossed the room in several large steps, took her face in his hands and said something else. She blushed and he bent his face down to hers. My jaw dropped as an “aww” left my lips. Coop tried to take the binoculars from me, but I shoved him back. “No. That was the sweetest kiss I’ve ever seen.”
“I knew it!” He sounded less than impressed. In fact, he sounded downright angry.
“What?” I gave him a rotten smile. “Jealous?”
He scoffed and gave me a cruel glare. “Hardly. I always worry when one member of the team falls for the other. It never ends well. They should be able to joke around, like me and you. We can be around each and not develop feelings.”
Oh well, at least Luce was lucky in love.
“Right.” I cleared my throat and placed the binoculars on the table. “Let's give them a few moments.” Annoyed at his flirty but closed off act, I accidentally said the thing I was thinking, “What’s so wrong about falling in love?”
“Everything.” His eyes hardened. “It gets you killed, Evie. If I loved you, I would always save you. I would die saving you. I would do anything possible to keep you alive. See the theme? You. Not me. This job is about keeping me alive, not you.”
>
“I’d rather be like Jack and Luce a thousand times, than be like you for a second. I could never live with the fact I let someone die. I also couldn’t live without love.”
He scoffed. “Clearly. Look at your track record. Fall for guys at basic. Fall for guys on mission. Fall for guys who say hello to you too nicely. You would let me have you in a heartbeat. You fall for guys too easily and it's a weakness. You need to learn to detach your libido from your heart.” His words were cutting and venomous.
Words raced my mind but I had nothing witty to say back so I spat a flat, “Fuck you, Coop, you asshole.”
“That's fair." He nodded his head slowly. “But that’s why I'm actually good at this, as you so eloquently pointed out once.” He strode past me to the bedroom. I stood in the sitting room, hating him and wishing I’d been paired with Jack. Seeing the urgency of his kiss made me envious of Luce, not because I wanted to kiss Jack but because never in my life had anyone kissed me or looked at me that way. I couldn’t think of a single man who had ever needed to kiss me that way. He was desperate to hold her face, I’d seen it in his trembling hands. They had maintained their act of indifference for hours, and by the time they were alone he was bursting to touch her.
Coop was the opposite. He was sweet, funny, and sexy in front of other people, but the moment we were alone and in a situation where no one would ever know, he was a fucker.
Servario was worse with his constant death threats and whores.
I told myself it was for the best.
I had kids.
I had obligations.
And I hated them both.
He came out of the bedroom with the box. “Put this on. I had it all shipped here yesterday.”
He left it on the couch and went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. I opened the lid to the box, stunned to find a sexy black dress and a pair of killer shoes. Underneath that was a water bra. I sneered at it,
I undressed, not caring if he, or anyone else really, walked into the living room.
When I got it all on, I turned and inspected myself, shaking my head at how chesty I appeared with the water bra. The push-up of it made it seem I had far too much for my bra. Hardly the case.
Coop of course came out of the room in a tux, looking gorgeous. Gorgeous in the Dior ad sort of way. He was breathtakingly beautiful. Wide shoulders, thick arms, a solid chest, and a trim body were one thing, but the stunning face, kissable lips, and amazing eyes were the killer part. He was handsome in a tux, the way all men should be.
I still hated him.
It was easy at that moment after he'd shamed me.
“Why aren’t you done yet?” He eyed me. “Makeup is in the bathroom. Be snappy.”
“Fuck you.” I walked past him.
"Evie." He warned.
"Are you going to tell me what we’re doing here?” I changed the subject, having no desire to talk to him about anything personal ever again.
“Yeah, afterward. I want you relaxed, you stress too much.”
“I wonder why.” I remarked.
In the bathroom I found a blonde wig and a spread of makeup. I slipped my hair up into a small ponytail and pulled on the hair net. The wig was one of the ones that only the very rich had, what all CI agents used. Only the best for our undercover ops. I wondered how he’d managed to procure all this stuff if we were in deep cover.
I pulled on the wig and looked at myself. The wig had been styled with sweeping bangs across the forehead and soft curls. I looked like a Barbie. I put the bright-blue contacts into my eyes, hating the feel of touching my eyeballs, and dropped the eye whitener that moisturized into each eye. I blinked several times until they were positioned and comfortable. Then I put on the dark eye makeup and false lashes. Once I had on the bright-red lipstick, I didn’t recognize myself.
I was a different girl, completely. If James recognized me in this, he was a psychic. There was no way a single person would ever spot me.
When I came out of the bathroom Coop was at the window with the binoculars, staring at their room again. As he heard me, his back straightened and he put the binoculars down, turning as though he was about to yell at me. All the anger and weirdness melted away when he saw me. He stopped for a moment. “Fuck!”
“I know. I look like a whore. Whatever.”
“No. It's creepy—you look really different.” His eyes roamed up and down my body. He was stunned. I was angry. He seemed more interested suddenly, when I no longer resembled myself.
But even my libido was annoyed with him so I ignored his roving eye.
“Time to go.” He lifted his phone and called Luce and Jack as we walked from the room. “Leaving now. Be there in an hour. Be ready.”
In the elevator, he didn’t try anything. He stood, silent and evil. I wasn’t sure what had gotten him so cranky, but I had already been married. I had done my time with a crotchety bastard so I chose to ignore him.
We got into a cab. He seemed oblivious to all the people staring at me until we were in the car. “Safe to say, this was a bad idea.”
“What?”
“That disguise.” He acknowledged me with his roaming eyes. “You’re getting more attention than a supermodel. Not exactly the disguise I imagined.”
“Well now you know how it feels.” I raised an eyebrow. “Every woman in the room gawking and wondering how on earth I landed such a handsome young man. And that's your real face.”
He chuckled and pulled me close. “Kim, my precious bride, it is you that’s the beautiful one in this relationship.”
“Fuck you, Jon.” I shoved him. “If those women knew what you were really like—” I paused, realizing they’d still want him. Women loved crabby men. Part of our “let me fix you” complex.
“You know you love me as much as I love you.” He laughed harder, but I gazed out the window. “Even if your mood swings are unbearable.”
“Pots and kettles, asshole,” I added, hoping it hit home.
7
Jon the John
The hotel was magnificent. It was the sort of place people got married at. And by people, I mean dignitaries or celebrities.
The fountain in the front was nicer than any I’d ever seen. It was as stunning and sparkling at every angle. Beautiful people of all shapes and sizes entered wearing tuxes, wraps, and gowns. Everyone was draped in designer garb and glittering from head to toe.
Coop took my hand in his as he slid a pair of tickets from his jacket and pulled me across the plaza to the entrance. He handed the tickets to two men who ushered us inside.
The sign was in Italian, leaving me confused.
“Why are we here?”
He said nothing as we entered a massive ballroom filled with tables and decorations and God knew what else.
“Why?” I repeated.
“It's a casino charity event. Nights of Monte Carlo, to be exact.”
The room was practically spinning, it buzzed with so much life and excitement.
“And again, why are we here?” Was he missing my meaning or being obtuse on purpose?
“Obviously”—he turned to face me—“we’re going to do a little gambling.”
“What?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Jack has located four people from the list living here in Rome. It's a pretty safe guess that the people on the list would be working together to get to the Burrow. No coincidence James and his men are in Rome. I’ll try to gamble with the one we think is the most obvious.”
Sweat started across my brow. “Do you think James is in this room? Or Servario? I still don't get how James is alive and why Servario double-crossed me on that or why James abducted Servario.”
He exhaled deeply. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. You get all nervous. Do you want to find Servario or not? ’Cause I couldn't give a shit about finding him. I don't care if James kills him. He’s an arms dealer for fuck’s sake."
I swallowed hard but he kept going.
“I'm doi
ng this for you. As far as I’m concerned, we could go back to the States to hide out in Smallville, Montana. Servario and James and all of them can kill each other off whilst we wait for whoever is left to finger as the Burrow mole."
“Don't you dare pretend you're doing me any favors, Coop. We both know you and I are bound to help a certain organization and James and Servario are number one and two on our list of people to find. So nice try.” I surveyed the room. “And stop acting like I'm here as anything but bait. We both know I’m going to be the stupid blonde and you’re the man with the mission. It’s not to help me out at all.”
“I guess you nailed it, Evie.” His eyes narrowed. “Bond and the blonde. I’m a rich young man; you’re the pretty girl I have hanging off my arm.” He led me down the stairs and into the massive room. “But just for the record, I am here because you’re worried about Servario.”
“Right, and it has nothing to do with the four people from the list,” I said sarcastically. "Or the fact Servario didn't really kill my husband. You want answers as badly as I do." I was tired of him already.
We walked up to a blackjack table. He sat down and played. I stood there like a statue. Being the pretty blonde sucked. Men leered, one groped, and several propositioned me. Each time Coop turned back, giving them a deadly glower. At least they backed off the moment they saw him. Of course he won a huge stack of chips within a few bets. The lady next to him leaned over and kissed him for good luck.
She glanced back at me. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Before I could open my mouth, he discounted me completely, “She doesn’t have opinions.”
My face flushed and my eyes lowered but I remained there, stunned and still. The lady gave me a look, scooting her chair closer to his. I couldn’t believe he’d treat me so poorly, but I knew if he neglected me they’d underestimate me as well.
Suddenly, my stomach dropped. The room spun and I was sure I’d be sick any second. My mouth hung open but he strode right by, not recognizing me at all. My mother wouldn’t have known me.