Page 95 of Sweet Little Spies

“Your cousin is currently wearing glasses that connect herto base. So it’s not merely your cousin. It’s Kala and probably Lou,” Tristanexplained. “They’re smart glasses. Lou modified them in a veryespionage-friendly way.”

It was cool. Aidan would like to examine those. He couldthink of several ways to use them. “So if, say, someone was in the field andwearing the glasses, another more experienced doctor could see what his handswere doing and walk him through the procedure?”

Kala nodded. “Absolutely. But dude, read the room. This isnot the time to forward your career. And it’s not just Lou. She made a couplemore sets of glasses, so we’re kind of on a four-way call.”

“So Lou and all my cousins,” Carys said. “Yes, I don’t mindif they listen in.”

Kala winced. “I mean not Tash because Dad stole Tash’s, andfrom what I can tell he got away from her and he’s barricaded himself in abathroom. He’s dedicated to the drama.”

Tristan held up his middle finger right to Kala’s glasses.“Fuck you, Uncle.”

“That just makes him stronger,” Kala advised. “Since no onewants to talk, I will. So how did you end up at The Court, Tristan?”

“I don’t care,” Carys said. “He lied to me. Again.”

“I didn’t lie. It didn’t come up,” Tristan tried. “We’ve hadmore important things to discuss.”

“I think we should do this Kala’s way.” Yeah, Aidan wassurprised the words had come out of his mouth, but it kind of made sense. Kalawanted to set up Tris’s reasons so maybe they were easier to understand andCarys could forgive him. Them. Because he couldn’t lie to her again. No way.“We’re going to be straightforward and to the point. Carys, I knew he was goingand I didn’t have a problem with it. I understood why and what it meant tohim.”

Carys stood, moving away from him. “Well, of course, youdid. I mean why didn’t you take a little vacay and join him?”

“Because I got what I needed from The Hideout,” Aidanreplied. “But I think what Tris got from The Court was different. He went withZach, but he spent a lot of time with people who are influential at the Agencythere. He told me Drake and Taylor Radcliffe are members.”

“Drake is who got me and Zach in,” Tris admitted. “I nevertouched a sub in a sexual fashion, but I did use the place for stress relief.I…I grew up around it. It’s a part of me. Sometimes I felt like it was the onlyplace I could breathe.”

“You could have breathed at home,” Carys shot back. “Butthis isn’t your home anymore. DC is. When we’re done here, you should go back.”

“You and Aidan are my fucking home,” Tristan replied. “AndAidan’s right. We did a lot of business in the lounge there. It’s a safe placeto talk. Sometimes it’s not even safe to talk in the office.”

“Think of it like golf for a businessman,” Aidan attempted.

Kala snorted. “Yeah, he actually said that.”

“Golf?” If Carys had lasers in her eyes, he would have beencut in half. “Spanking a woman is like fucking golf?”

Tris gave him a what-the-hell look. “Are you trying to helpme or bury me, man?”

“How much business gets done at Sanctum?” Aidan pointed out.“How many things do we decide sitting around in the lounge at The Hideout?”

“Dad says good point. He takes back his previous dumbasscomment,” Kala supplied helpfully.

Aidan ignored her. “My point is a club like The Court is asmuch a social club as anything else. Do you remember the week I was in New Yorkfor training on robotic surgery? You had a patient with preeclampsia and youalmost lost her and the baby and you needed stress relief. You didn’t godrinking with your friends. You didn’t have anyone to sleep with, so you wentto The Hideout and Gabriel Lodge took care of you.”

“It’s not the same, and you knew about it,” Carys said withpure stubbornness. “You know what? I think I’m going to bed. This is the laststraw.”

And it hit him. What his father had said.

Has anyone talked about what Carys did wrong?

His father had told him they would face this again and againuntil they all acknowledged what had gone wrong.

Carys wasn’t being Carys. Carys wasn’t willing to fight.

But suddenly Aidan was.

Carys started to walk to the bedroom, but Aidan got to thedoor before she could, putting a hand on it so she couldn’t open it. “You’rereally going down without a fight?”

Her eyes went startled and then stubborn. “What is there tofight about? He lied. You lied. I’m done.”

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