Page 43 of The Spy
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
He gave me a nod. "I'd rather talk art with you in a different location, but I know you have to do your job, so here we are."
He led me to a climate-controlled room. I made a point to examine the locks in case we needed to get into this room. Because while I was there under the guise of authenticating his paintings, it was a good idea to look for safes too in case my team had to come in here and look for documentation or proof.
"Yes, I do have to do my job."
He and his bodyguards stayed right with me as I donned gloves, did scrapings, and took some scans. "I'm so sorry. Do you mind?"
"Oh, we can't leave these unattended."
"Obviously I understand, but must you stand so close? It's a little nerve-racking to do my job."
He gave me a sheepish smile. "Oh, of course, sorry."
"No problem." I took some more samples, and when my phone rang, I very deliberately put it on top of my laptop so he would see I wasn't being secretive. Wide open book. That was the facade.
"Um, I'm so sorry. Give me a moment, would you?"
I picked up the phone and stepped out into the hallway, which was full of portraits, paintings, and photos. I could see a door leading to a balcony and figured that was probably the safest place to take a call. I stepped out and closed the door behind me.
But when I answered, there was no one on the line. Could that have been Kira calling?
Get some help. Discreetly verify and then you can deal with the situation.
How the fuck was I going to verify? And then it occurred to me. I knew someone who could do the research. At the very least, confirm whether my sister was missing or had just fucked off.
I quickly tapped through the protocols, pacing along the small balcony, and looking down the hall. I saw Jennings walking my way and held up a finger, letting him know that I was still on a phone call and would be right with him.
Yeah, that's it, motherfucker, you wait for me.
“What’s up, Tabs?” Rook’s voice was smooth and friendly.
"Hey, Rook. Quick question. Can you look up last week’s movements for an asset? Her family is looking for some information on her. Are you okay with me texting the details over?"
"Yeah sure, anything you need. Mission going okay?" Rook asked.
"Yes, but this family member has been calling and calling and calling, so I need to deal with this now before it becomes a thing."
"Sure. Shoot me the name and I'll deal with it."
“Wicked. You’re a star.”
“I know. Please remind my fiancée of that next time I fuck up and forget dinner plans with Jamila.”
“You got it,” I said with a laugh I didn’t feel.
I hung up quickly and hoped he didn't run her name against my employee profile. That was the only other place he would see her name. Rogues had offered to give Riley and Kira new identities to make travel easier for me if I needed to get Riley out of the country when he was younger, so we'd all have matching names. But Kira declined, and since Riley was her biological younger brother, there wasn't anything I could do about it.
I sent the information to him and turned to face my actual target. The job I was meant to be doing. I could do this. I just had to fucking focus.
When I walked back into the hallway, Jennings inclined his head. "You looked distressed." He reached out and smoothed my hair off my cheek. His fingers were gentle, and his eyes were kind.
He's not a kind person. He is the target.
But he could tell that something was wrong.
"I'm sorry. Just… family stuff."
