Page 24 of Code Name: Grit

“It’s what kept you alive,” he offered.

“Maybe.” I closed the distance between us. “I’m tired of living my life based on fear.”

His free hand came up to brush a strand of hair from my face. “What do you want, Lumi?”

“I want to live like a normal person.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Whatever that means.”

His eyes searched mine, then slowly, deliberately, he set down his glass and cupped my face in his hands.

“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, his thumb tracing my lower lip.

Instead, I leaned into him, closing the final distance between us. This kiss was nothing like our practice earlier—this was heat and need and raw emotion that frightened me even as it thrilled me.

His arms encircled me, pulling me against the solid wall of his chest. I could feel his heart pounding in rhythm with mine, his hands tangling in my hair as the kiss deepened.

When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, he rested his forehead on mine. “Do you have any idea how much this complicates things?”

“Everything about this mission is complicated.” I smiled. “This might be the simplest part.”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. “I doubt that very much.”

Later,lying next to him in the bed he’d agreed to share but refused to remove his dress shirt or pants, I told him more about my childhood than I’d ever told anyone. The constant relocations, the forged identities, the hypervigilance that became second nature.

“I never went to a regular school. Mom and Summer taught me everything—languages, mathematics, history. But they also taught me how to disappear, how to create a new identity, how to spot when I’m being followed,” I admitted. “It’s why I understand organizations like the Belcastros so well. I’ve spent my life studying them. How protection rackets feed gambling operations. How gambling operations launder money. How laundered money buys political influence. It’s all connected.”

His fingers traced circles on my wrist. “No wonder you’re so good at this.” He pulled me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple. “We should get some rest. Tomorrow will be challenging enough without sleep deprivation.”

I nestled into his embrace, feeling more secure than I had in years. The irony wasn’t lost on me—finding safety in the arms of a man while on an undercover mission against the most dangerous crime family in New York.

7

GRIT

Morning light filtered through the curtains, casting golden rectangles across the hotel room floor. Lumi’s steady breathing beside me offered a rhythm I found both calming and unsettling.

When my phone vibrated with a message from Dragon, I eased from the bed.ID’d suspects working with Belcastros.

I glanced at Lumi, still asleep, and stepped onto the balcony to make the call.

“Talk to me,” I said when Dragon answered.

“We’ve identified three specific FBI agents with direct connections to the Belcastros,” she said, her voice tight with urgency. “Special Agent Marcus Delaney, Supervisory Agent Rachel Kimball, and Assistant Section Chief Victor Hargrove.”

My jaw clenched. “Hargrove? You’re sure?”

“Solid evidence. Financial transfers through three shell companies, all linking back to him. He’s been on their payroll for at least seven years.”

Hargrove oversaw counterintelligence operations for the entire Northeast. “That explains how they’ve evadedprosecution,” I said. “He’d have visibility into any investigations targeting them.”

“How do you want to proceed?”

“Is there any indication they’re suspicious of us?” I asked.

“Negative. They’re concerned about general surveillance, but not the two of you specifically.”

I hated to say it, but Lumi was right about returning to Red Hook today. “Our best intel will come from completing the assessment.”

I ended the call and leaned against the railing, letting the cool morning air clear my head. The sliding door opened behind me, and Lumi stepped out, wrapped in the hotel robe, eyes alert despite the early hour.

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