Page 24 of Shadow

Two hours until she walked into the FBI office.

Two hours to decide whether Morrison was the hero he appeared to be.

Or the mole who’d gotten Martha Lintz killed.

And, heaven help her, she was sort of rooting for the first.

Three

So shoot him, but he felt a little like a hero.

And that might be a problem.

Not because he’d taken down an armed robber before his second cup of coffee. It was that he couldn’t stop thinking about the way the woman had looked at him across that diner floor, curious. Like she might be impressed.

Which was exactly the kind of distraction that got people killed.

Especially when you had a nine a.m. meeting with a federal contractor you had to convince to trust you.

“Hold still.” Dr. Kira Yassan pulled another suture through the gash on his forearm. The ED treatment bay at Renegade Mercy General smelled like antiseptic and the lavender oil she kept burning in the supply room. “Jackson said you were in a knife fight.”

“Is this where I say you should have seen the other guy?”

“Funny.” Dark hair pulled back, she worked with steady hands, each stitch neat and even. She didn’t rattle easily. “You want to tell me what really happened?”

“Armed robbery. Two kids probably on Neurosync. I disarmed one, she took down the other.”

“She?”

“Woman who was having breakfast. Wrong place, right time.”

“Or right place, right time, considering you’re both still breathing.” Another stitch.

“She was good.”

“Good.” Kira’s mouth quirked. “That’s high praise from you.”

Asher stared at the ceiling tiles. Water-stained. Fluorescent lights humming. His arm throbbed with each pull of the suture.

The woman had taken down Knife Girl in three moves. Wrist control. Leg sweep. Perfect restraint. No hesitation. No wasted movement.

Professional. Competent. The kind of operator you’d want at your six.

“She knew what she was doing,” he said finally.

“Uh-huh.” Kira tied off another stitch. “And?”

“And what?”

“And you’ve mentioned her four times in the last ten minutes.”

Had he? “Just making conversation.”

“Right.” Kira didn’t sound convinced. “You like this woman?”

“What?”

“I’m just saying—when’s the last time you went on a date?”