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Even now that her new identity had been ripped from her, she couldn’t just become Melanie again—she still thought of herself as Annie, felt like Annie. For fourteen years, she’d lived as Annie Johnson, a widowed teacher who poured her energies into her work and her orphaned students. Severing all ties to Melanie Carson had been the only way for her to survive. The only way to keep her sanity after her world exploded. Now, somehow, her real identity had been exposed. Her life could be in danger. Her family’s lives could be in jeopardy because of her, even after all she’d sacrificed to keep them safe.
Her worst nightmare had come true.
And the only person she could count on was the man sitting next to her, a man who’d apparently lied to her every day for the past year.
Samir Al-Shennawi.
Looking through her lashes, she checked on him sitting next to her and thought of that horrible moment of disillusionment when he’d announced he’d been spying on her the whole time. The way she’d done in her former life as an operative. She’d understood the truth of his mission faster than most people might have in her shoes since she’d lived it often enough. That hadn’t made it hurt any less. But Samir had all the proper credentials. Intelligence authorities had contacted her and verified his story.
This CV-22 aircraft packed with U.S. troops erased any lingering doubts. Red lights tracked overhead with a hazy glow over people and gear. The nightmare was real, even though everyone around her seemed at ease when her world had been turned upside down. Soldiers slept and listened to music and zoned out with eReaders. Apparently they were on their way to an American base in Somalia where she would be protected until they decided where to relocate her. Starting all over again at fifty-eight? Saying good-bye to another man…
She swept a glance at Sam again, engines droning, filling the cavernous hold until noises from others faded away.
He met her accusatory look without flinching, already assuming a bolder persona than before, his shoulders broader, his strong chin tipped up rather than tucked down. “I understand that you are angry with me.”
“Why should I be mad?” Pride kept her spine straight and her voice steady.
“I lied to you for a year.”
Damn straight he had. But at least he’d been on the side of a friendly government. What if he hadn’t, and she’d missed the signs that he was working undercover? The children could have been in danger and she was losing her touch.
Yet, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her wince. “You had a job to do. Believe me, I understand all about lying in the line of duty.”
Although she’d sure as hell never kissed anyone while undercover. Did he think he was some kind of Egyptian James Bond?
“Yes, my job was to watch over you, although I am not technically a field agent of your level—or rather, your previous level.” He sounded so believable, so earnest. “I am a scientist and a teacher. Traveling for my job has facilitated my ability to go where I’m needed. Our governments worked together through different intelligence agencies to protect assets. Very simple.”
Could she believe him? Buried professional instincts fired to life and she studied his every move, twitch, and blink. Maybe Melanie Carson wasn’t buried as deeply as she thought. “Why did they decide to start watching me this year?”
“You have been watched since the day you assumed the new identity.”
His words spoken so matter-of-factly rang true and stunned her silent until a turbulent bump jostled her. Fourteen years.
“This whole time? Who?” She searched her mind for all the faces and clues she must have missed. What if someone had been trying to kill her? Would she have seen it coming? And there wasn’t a thing she could do about it now except be glad she hadn’t exposed her family to the risk. “Teachers or janitors… I guess it’s all in the past now. They don’t matter, although I don’t understand why I matter.”
“Melanie…”
“Call me Annie,” she said quickly, needing that separation from the past. “That’s who I am now. At least they gave me a name that had a part of the old me…” Oh God, she hadn’t even considered… “What about you? Is Samir your real name?”
“It is.”
Would he even tell her if it wasn’t? His eyes looked honest, familiar.
Enticing.
Damn it. “I feel like I don’t know anything about you, although I guess you know everything about me.”
“The facts.” He tapped his glasses in place. “That’s all.”
“That’s all?” She laughed—at herself and her whole messed up life. “That’s everything.”
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she felt, even violated. Yet, she’d given up her right to privacy when she’d willingly signed on with the CIA.
Sam tipped his head to the side, his eyes curious behind those round glasses. He sat with a zen kind of stillness, but with an edge now. “There are many things I do not know, things I have wondered about you but was not free to ask.”
“Such as?”
“What led you to this line of work?”
