“I’m both.” She rolls one magnetic shoe loose from the ceiling, then the other, so she’s hanging by just one hand. “Sienna Prime is my alias with the CIA.” She pulls her fingers back, dislodging the glove from the ceiling, and drops eight feet to the floor, landing in a crouched position. “Lacee Warren is my real name.”
“You can’t be Sienna Prime.”
She straightens. “Why not?”
“Because look at you.” I go to wave my hand in front of her but can’t because I’m still tied up. “You don’t have the skills it takes.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Her eyes sharpen as her hands go to her hips.
“Nothing. It’s just I’ve spent the last few days with you, and you were completely helpless.”
“Did you not just see what I did with the vent and the ceiling and the camera?”
“Yeah, but—”
“And I wasn’t completely helpless the last few days.” She cuts in, brushing her bangs back from her face. “What about taking out the man at the bar in Leavenworth?”
“You know karate.”
“Or the burning hot chocolate at the gas station?”
“It stunned the guy for a second. That’s all.”
“Or the can of baked beans I threw at his head?”
“Lucky shot.”
“Or when I backed over the other dude with the car.”
“He was already dead.”
“What about my gun skills in Exuma?”
“The safety probably wasn’t on.”
“You know what?” She waves her hands out in front of her. “This is a stupid argument. I’ve obviously been playing a part ever since we met.”
“So you're saying it was all an act?”
“Yep,” she says as she walks toward me.
“Like being scared of getting killed and hyperventilating during the car chase?”
“All an act.”
“You were acting?”
“I don’t know why this is so hard for you to comprehend. Yes, I was acting.” She pulls a knife from her backpack and slices the rope I’m dangling from in half. I duck my head and round my back as I fall to the ground, taking the brunt of the weight on my shoulders. “I couldn’t just start killing people. That would’ve completely blown my cover. And honestly, I think my acting skills were top-notch because you didn't have a clue.”
I lay on my side and look up at her. “Why would I have a clue?”
“You wouldn't, but I'm just saying I never tipped you off. Like, I'm not asking for an Academy Award or anything, but maybe you could acknowledge that I was brilliant in my role.” In two easy motions, she cuts through the rope at my wrists and the rope at my feet, freeing everything.
I roll to a stand. “More like you’re brilliant at lying.”
“I’m pretty sure that we both lied to each other.”
“Yeah, but your lies are way worse than mine.”
