Page 60 of The Mouse and the Maestro

Chapter 26

“Jane, are you sure you’re okay with this?” Blue asked. They sat in his office, on differing sides of his desk, discussing their upcoming assignment.

“Are you joking? Outside of Indiana Jones, how often does an anthropologist get to do anything remotely this exciting?” Jane asked.

“We’re going to be observed and covered. The danger is low,” he assured her.

“Kind of harshing my buzz here,” she said, pinching an eggroll with her chopsticks. “Let me have my secret agent moment in the sun.”

“Well, there is some danger,” he said. “Things could go south at any moment when you’re in the field.”

“Stop it, you’re turning me on,” Jane said.

“Just trying to bring you up to my level,” Blue said, smiling.

“Who says I’m not already there?” Jane asked, reaching for a bite of noodle from his Chinese takeout container. She had picked the restaurant this time, thanks to his inability to be trusted with such a task.

“Despite your words to the contrary, you don’t sound a hundred percent convinced. Do you not want to do it? I’ll talk to Ridge, you don’t have to.”

“I want to, I swear,” she said.

“Then what is it? What’s bothering you?” he asked.

“It’s really stupid. I’m embarrassed to tell you.”

“Sweetheart, we’ve puked in tandem; our embarrassment days are over forever after that.”

“You have a point there,” Jane said. She took a breath. “I kind of wish I looked and felt more like a spy. I mean, we’re going to this cool hacker bar to meet a possible forger and international terrorist, and I’m going to walk in like this.” She spread her hand wide, indicating herself.

“What’s wrong with how you look? Ilikehow you look. You’re adorable.”

“Thank you, but I don’t want to be adorable. I want to be dangerous and exciting and like the type of person who would show up at an underground hacker bar for an illicit meeting with a terrorist.”

Blue leaned forward on his elbows, regarding her intently. “You know, we brought you on for your expertise of the subject, not because you look like a hardened criminal.”

Jane blushed. “I know, I’m doing the girl thing where I feel insecure and overthink it. Never mind, I told you it was stupid. I’ll show up in my regular black pants and gray sweater, and it will be fine.”

“Maybe not,” Blue said.

“You want me to show up naked?” she countered and his elbow slipped, causing his head to plummet a few inches before he righted himself.

“Geez, warn a guy before you start talking about yourself in the nude. While I would be totally fine with that prospect, I wasthinking of something else, of someone who can make you look exactly the way you want to look.”

“You have an ace up your sleeve?” she asked. “Some kind of super spy costumer?”

“No, I don’t have an ace. I have an Amelia.”

“Huh?” she said.

“Give me a minute. And don’t eat all my noodles.” He stood, pulled his phone from his pocket, and stepped out of the office, pushing a button as he left.

Amelia answered on the first ring.

“Hey, baby bear. Remember how you owe me about a thousand favors?” Blue began.

“Who is this?” Amelia asked, an unusually high amount of mischief in her tone.

“This is the guy who, with one push of a button, can turn your credit rating to yesterday’s oatmeal.”

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