Page 35 of A Touch of Treachery
Temptation surged through me, and I smoothed a lock of hair back over her shoulder.“I want to, more than you know.But right now, it’s better if I keep my distance.The General will have his own spies watching everything we do inside Section.Maybe outside too.He’ll be looking for an excuse to get rid of you, and I’m not going to give it to him.I know how important being an analyst is to you, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that.”
Charlotte drew back, a stubborn look filling her face.“Don’t worry about me.Your father might have demoted me to level three, but I’ll keep poking around.Between the two of us, we’re bound to find Henrika sooner or later.”
“Well, let’s hope for all our sakes it’s sooner.And that my father will leave on another mission the minute Henrika is captured.”
Charlotte’s stubbornness melted into sympathy, and the same emotion pulsed off her aura, once again acting like a soothing balm to my own soul.Charlotte had issues with her father too, and we both had hidden wounds and deep, aching scars from our work for the spy agency.Such things were just part of the Section legacies we carried with us, for better or worse.
I kissed Charlotte again, then forced myself to step back.“I’ll see you tomorrow at headquarters.Good night, Numbers.”
“Good night, Dundee.”
I gave Charlotte a small, tight smile, then turned up the collar of my coat to ward off the cold, spun around, and walked away.I didn’t look back, but I wondered at all the pieces of my heart I was leaving behind—far more than I realized Charlotte had accumulated in our time together.
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHARLOTTE
Ididn’tgetmuchsleep that night.
Thoughts rattled around in my mind.The Vault mission failure.General Percy’s appearance.My demotion.Our lack of progress in identifying the dangerous mystery component in the Redburn formula.Bryce Finkley’s cruelty.Desmond’s pain over the hostage’s death.
I tossed and turned for hours before I finally drifted off, and I woke early the next morning feeling tired and cranky.Even spending some time on my yoga mat breathing, stretching, and flowing through cat, cow, tree, gate, and other poses didn’t soothe me.
I took a hot shower, then donned a sweater, cargo pants, and sneakers, all in varying shades of blue.I shrugged into my winter gear, grabbed my purse and tote bag, and left my apartment.
This morning was even colder than last night, and a few flakes of snow drifted down from the gunmetal-gray sky and stung my cheeks.Normally, I loved snow, but today it only made me harrumph in annoyance.
A few minutes later, I reached Section headquarters and veered into the cafeteria.I emerged with two cups, one of which I placed on the counter above Evelyn’s desk.
Evelyn scooped up the cup, removed the lid, and drew in a deep, appreciative breath.“Ahhh.Peppermint hot chocolate.Thank you, Charlotte.”
I toasted her with my own cup, and we both sipped our drinks, which were the perfect mix of rich, dark chocolate and sharp, sweet peppermint.
Evelyn peered at me through her glasses.“What’s the bribe for?”
I clutched a hand to my chest in mock outrage.“Me?Try to bribeyou?Never.”
Evelyn’s eyebrows rose in a chiding look.
“Okay, fine.I was wondering if you’d heard what Bryce Finkley accessed in the Section servers.”
She shook her head.“Nothing yet.Diego and some other techs worked on it most of the night, so we should have an answer soon.”
“And General Percy?Why do you think he really came to the D.C.station?”
Evelyn’s lips puckered in thought.“I’m not sure, but that is one of many things I intend to discover.”
I waited, but she didn’t say anything else.Evelyn and I might be friends, but she was still my boss, and she would keep information to herself until she thought I needed to know it.
“And before you ask, Percy hasn’t sussed out my real identity as Maestro yet.”
I grinned and drew anXover my heart.“I’ll never tell.”
Evelyn grinned.“I know you won’t.Now, get to work, Charlotte.That’s an order.”
I saluted her with my hot chocolate.“Yes, ma’am.”
I waved my keycard over the reader, pushed through the metal turnstile, and stepped into an elevator.I rode down to the third level and headed into the bullpen.
