“Oh, you’re a doctor?” I act impressed. “What kind? A proctologist?”
Lacee spits out a laugh but quickly covers it by coughing a few times. “I’ve had a cold,” she explains to the two of them. “A lot of phlegm and congestion.” From the veins pulsing in Old St. Nick’s neck, I would say he’s not buying her excuse.
“Actually,” Nicholas huffs, “I’m a world renowned chemist. I own several private labs across the US.” His eyes touch on Lacee. “In fact, Lacee used to work for me at the one in Boston.”
“Oh, I see.” I nod. “So you’re not really a doctor at all.”
His pointy chin juts out, an obvious sign that I’ve gotten under his skin.
“Anyway,” I pull Lacee closer, kissing her forehead, “we better get going. We have a lot of shopping to do, and then we’re going to go home and continue that kiss you interrupted in private.” I lean into Nicholas, lowering my voice so only he can hear. “Nobody kisses better than Lacee.” I elbow him and wink, but I think my jab was a little too hard, judging by how he hunches over, grabbing his side.
“It was nice seeing you, Nicholas.” Lacee waves as we stroll away.
I wait until we are a safe distance before I pull her behind Santa’s workshop display. There’s an elf on her break, sitting on a giant present, scrolling through her phone. She looks up at us and then down at her phone again.
Lacee bites her lip, peeking up at me through her lashes. “I’m sorry about forcing myself on you.”
“I’m not sorry about it.” I smirk, leaning against a giant candy cane.
A soft laugh rolls over her lips. “Yeah, you didn’t seem too sorry. You just let me have my way with you.”
“Well,” I raise my shoulders, adding a flirtatious quality to it, “you said whatever happens to just go with it. I was being obedient. Besides, that Nicholas guy is a real tool.”
“Heisa tool, and I just wanted to show him that he didn’t break me. That’s when…well, you know…” She trips on her words as if admitting she kissed a complete stranger is embarrassing.
I decide to put her out of her misery. “I’m glad I could help.” My lip hitches upward. “And I’m at your disposal if you need to force yourself on me again.”
She laughs harder this time. “How gallant of you.”
“I do what I can.” I see movement out of the corner of my eye. One of the operatives circled back around, making his way across the courtyard toward us. I straighten. “Seriously though, don’t even worry about the kiss. But we should just keep it between the two of us.”
I don’t want anyone to be able to trace her back to me.
“Keep it between us?” Her expression twists with confusion, then it turns mortified. “You’re married, aren’t you?” Her head drops into her hands. “I kissed a married man!”
That’s how she’s connecting the dots? She thinks I’m married? “No.” The man’s getting closer. “I’m not married, but I do have to go. I have one more thing I need to take care of.”
“Oh.” She shifts her weight. “Of course. I’ve monopolized your morning way too much.”
I was hoping to retrieve the computer chip from her, but at this point, Lacee is still the safest way of getting it out of the mall and keeping it out of the wrong hands. So I’ll have to retrieve it from her later.
“Maybe we’ll bump into each other again.” I smile. “What do they say? The third time’s the charm?”
Her smile brightens. “I hope so.”
“Merry Christmas.” I salute her, because that’s how she exited my fitting room earlier, and it was completely adorable.
I’m surprised by how much I wish I didn’t have to go, and I feel bad leaving so abruptly, but it’s the only way. I walk in the opposite direction, hoping the operative followsme, not her.
Thirty minutes later, I rush out to the mall's north parking lot. I don’t really expect to find Lacee out here. I just know she came this way while I was taking care of the last two operatives. Let’s just say it will take a janitor to find their bodies.
But now I don’t have the computer chip in my possession. Lacee does. She was my unknowing drug mule…minus the drugs. She did her job and transferred the chip safely out of the mall.
Now, I just have to get it back.
FIVE
SIENNA PRIME
