Page 11 of The Player

Before she could respond, a voice interrupted them.

“Seth, Hope,” Basil Hargrove greeted them, his tone as smooth as velvet. He was a tall man, impeccably dressed, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his cold, calculating eyes. “Lovely party.”

“Basil,” Seth replied, his voice polite and welcoming. She couldn’t help but think Seth’s skills were wasted behind a computer screen. The man was an outstanding field operative. “We’re glad you could make it.”

Hargrove’s gaze shifted to Hope, lingering a moment too long on the collar around her neck. “Hope, you look stunning, as always,” he said, his voice carrying an undertone that made her skin crawl.

“Thank you,” Hope replied, her smile tight. She could feel Seth’s grip on her waist tighten slightly, a subtle but unmistakable warning.

Hargrove seemed to sense the shift in tension, and his smile widened. “I must say, you two make quite the couple. The chemistry between you is… palpable.”

Hope forced herself to laugh lightly, though the sound felt hollow in her ears. “We do our best,” she said, glancing at Seth, who was watching Hargrove with a sharpness in his eyes that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

Hargrove’s smile didn’t falter, but there was something predatory in his gaze, something that set off alarm bells in Hope’s mind. “I have no doubt,” he said, his tone laced with insinuation. “In fact, I’d love to see more of your dynamic in action. Perhaps at Baker Street?”

The suggestion hung in the air between them, heavy with implications. Hope could feel Seth tense beside her, and she knew what was coming next. This was the moment they had been waiting for, the moment when their ruse would either succeed or fail.

“You would, of course, be welcome,” Seth said smoothly, his voice betraying none of the tension she knew he felt. “We’ve been looking forward to getting back to regularly playing there.”

Hargrove’s smile widened, and he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small, sleek card. He held it out to Hope, his fingers brushing hers as she took it.

“Call this number,” he said, his voice low and suggestive. “There are other places to play besides Baker Street.”

Hope swallowed hard, the card cool in her hand as she nodded. “Of course,” she replied, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

Hargrove lingered for a moment longer, his eyes sweeping over her with a possessiveness that made her skin crawl before he finally turned and disappeared back into the crowd.

The moment he was out of sight, Hope let out a breath. She looked down at the card in her hand, the simple black lettering stark against the white background. Just a name and a number, but it felt like so much more.

Seth’s hand remained on her waist, his grip firm, grounding her as she tried to process what had just happened.

“That went well,” he said quietly, his voice betraying a hint of relief.

Hope nodded, her mind still spinning. “Too well,” she murmured, her eyes still on the card.

Seth’s thumb brushed against her side, a small gesture of comfort that she hadn’t expected. “We’re in,” he said, his voice steady. “This is what we wanted.”

Hope nodded again, but the sense of unease wouldn’t leave her. She knew they were one step closer to their goal, but with that step came a new set of dangers, a new level of risk. And as much as she hated to admit it, the greatest danger wasn’t from Hargrove or those of the Obsidian Cartel. It was from the man standing beside her, the man who was slowly, inexorably, breaking through the walls she had built around herself.

And that terrified her more than anything.

CHAPTER 5

SETH

Seth leaned against the marble countertop in the now-quiet kitchen, his eyes trained on Hope as she approached him. The party had been a success, their new identities flawlessly portrayed to their guests, and now the townhouse felt empty, the echoes of laughter and conversation fading into silence. Hope held the small card Basil Hargrove had given her earlier in the evening between her fingers, her expression unreadable as she handed it to Seth.

He took the card, his thumb brushing against the smooth surface as he read the simple inscription: a name and a phone number, nothing more. But the significance was clear. This was the connection they had been waiting for, the opportunity to infiltrate the cartel, to get closer to the mole within Cerberus.

Their eyes met, a silent understanding passing between them. This was it—the lead they needed to follow, the next step in their dangerous game.

“This could be our way in,” Hope said quietly, her voice steady, though Seth could hear the tension beneath it. “If we play this right, it might not lead us only to the mole, but some of the other highly placed people within the cartel.”

Seth nodded, his mind already racing with the possibilities. “We need to be careful,” he said, his voice low. “Whoever the mole is, they’re not going to make it easy for us. And if they suspect anything…”

Hope nodded, understanding the unspoken threat that hung between them. They were walking a tightrope, and one misstep could send them both crashing down.

“We wait two days,” Seth suggested, his voice firm. “Give it time, make them think we’re considering the offer.”

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