Page 65 of A Spy is Born

I step closer to him, and his eyebrows twitch, but Jacobs does not retreat. There are only inches between us. I can feel the heat of his body and smell the stink of sour coffee. "You'd regret that," I say. “She survived the Nazis when she was nine. Nine.” I raise my brows. “I think she can handle you.” My eyes drop down between us, examining his body, and when my gaze returns to his, I make it obvious that I find him lacking.

"We'll see who has regrets," Jacobs says, but his voice has lost its edge. I affected him.I’ll do much more than that.He moves off toward his vehicle as anger churns in my gut.

Julian makes eye contact from the back seat—sparkling sapphires shining in the dome light. I take a step forward. “Your lawyer will meet you there," I say. He nods and forces a smile.

“This is all a misunderstanding,” he says, his voice rough with emotion.

“I know.”

The cars pull out, their tires quiet on the freshly paved drive. The rise and fall of nocturnal insects fills in the soundscape. The distant smoke tinges the air as I pull out my phone to call Temperance.

I chew on my lip while I wait for him to answer. “We need to meet," I say when Temperance picks up.

"Okay." His voice is quiet, and I can hear the sounds of a restaurant behind him.

"I'm at Julian's house. He just got arrested."

"Did he?" There is a hint of curiosity in his voice but no fear or shock.

"Yes, get here now." I hang up and clench my phone tight to keep my hand from shaking.

Turning to the house, I stare at the partially open door. Should I go inside? I need a glass of water and to sit down. Julian certainly wouldn’t mind.

I enter a large living room with a glass wall exposing the glittering city, an infinity pool in the foreground. Modern yet comfortable looking couches and chairs are grouped in seating areas. Along the wall to my left is a kitchen with a large central island.

Closing the door behind me, I find the light switch, illuminating the space in soft white and rose.It's beautiful.Julian is not only hot, smart, and talented, but he also has incredible taste.

And I’m ruining his life.

Chapter Fifteen

Temperance arrives twenty minutes later,driving a sleek black Mercedes. He unfolds from the driver’s seat and comes around the front, the engine ticking as he passes.

I stand in the doorway, hands clasped tight. He doesn't wait for an invitation into the house, just strolls in, like he's been here before. The fragrance of leather and wine wafts off of him.

Temperance pulls a device out of his pocket, about the size of a cellphone, and turns it on. Quickly scanning the room, he nods to himself and then waves for us to leave.

In his car, the air conditioning makes me shiver as he pulls away from the house, passes through the open gates and begins to wind down from the hills. “Tell me what happened.” I explain about Detective Jacobs. "He's got people everywhere,” Temperance says, nodding as if he expected something like this to happen.

"Grand? That just doesn’t make sense. He was a celebrity and business man a year ago. How does he have so much political power?"

Temperance's jaw tightens before he answers. "White supremacists."

The words hit me like a punch to the stomach.Nazis, they always come for us.

"My grandmother survived the Nazis." It comes out quiet but firm.

"She survived by fleeing," Temperance points out.

"I guess sometimes you have to flee. Besides, she was a child. What was she supposed to do?” I sound angry, almost scared. I bite my lip to banish the weakness.

The road twists and curves down the mountain. Mansions hide behind high walls and lush landscaping.

"Fleeing won't work this time,” Temperance says.

"I'm not trying to flee. I want this life. I want everything I've worked for."Everything I've killed for."What are we going to do?" I turn to Temperance.We're in this together.

"I have a safe house we can stay in tonight. I’m not sure you’d be safe at home.” He checks his blind spot and merges onto the highway.

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