Page 21 of Deliverance

“Humor me,” Adrian asked her.

She let out an exasperated sigh but kissed him. She said goodnight to the others, then turned to me.

“Ready?” she asked.

I nodded, and we headed out of the penthouse and down the elevator. She paused outside her door.

“Want to come in for a drink?” she asked, tucking a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear.

“Sure,” I said. I didn’t want the night to end just yet, and I wanted to get to know her better.

She unlocked her apartment and led me inside.

I already knew the layout. Adrian’s apartment across the hall was a mirror of this one, which meant I’d been living in a version of Evelyn’s space without realizing it. The floor plan was the same. The windows were the same. The city skyline spilling across the glass was the same. But Adrian’s apartment felt like somewhere a person lived. This one felt like somewhere a personslept between other things. The couch was soft, the kitchen was clean, and everything was exactly where it should be. I wasn’t sure what I thought her apartment would look like. I just knew this wasn’t it. It just didn’t feel like her.

I didn’t realize I was frowning until Evelyn turned from the fridge with a beer in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. “What is it?”

I hesitated. “Just surprised by the space.”

She laughed. “You mean because it looks like it’s out of an edition of a modern interior magazine?”

I chuckled as I accepted the beer. “A little bit, yes. I just couldn’t picture you living here.”

“It was a recent move,” she admitted. She motioned to the couch, and I followed her over. “But you probably know it was a recent move,” she said, settling into the soft cushions.

“Yes,” I said. We had uncovered that information during our FIA investigation. “Before that, you lived in an apartment closer to the rail yard, right?” I leaned against the back of the couch, turning my body so I could face her fully.

She laughed softly, her brown curls glowing in the soft warm light of the lamp. “No, that was actually a cover. And it was close to SDS.” She looked down at her wineglass, swirling the liquid around. “My real home—well, the place I consider my real home—is an old manor house outside the city. It’s been neglected for years, but I’ve been renovating it in my spare time,” she said wryly, lifting one shoulder. “So it’s been taking longer than I would like. But maybe once everything settles down a bit more, and after we’ve taken down Kingfisher, I can focus on it for a bit.”

I nodded. That made a lot more sense. An old manor house fit her perfectly: timeless elegance and charm. The way her eyes lit up when she talked about it told me this was deeply personal, and I was honored she shared it with me.

“After my dad’s fight with alcoholism, he couldn’t return to the force, so he turned to construction work. On my days off, I would help him out with different projects around our house and friends’ and family’s houses. We’ve worked on a few older houses. When this is all over, I’m happy to help you with some of those renovation projects if you want,” I said.

Evelyn tilted her head. “Aren’t you going back to DC after this is over?”

I sighed. “Honestly, I’m not sure.” I hadn’t told anyone this yet, but if anyone would understand the conflicted thoughts I had, it was Evelyn. “I joined the FIA to make a difference, and it turns out that our director was the most corrupt of it all, so was I really making a difference or was I just unknowingly dancing to the Kingfisher’s tune?”

“That’s got to be a mindfuck,” Evelyn said.

I barked out a surprised laugh at her bluntness. “It is. Honestly, I’m kind of envious of you and the Archers. There’s no bureaucratic bullshit you have to work through. You know you’re doing good. You can see it.”

“Even if our methods are unorthodox?” she questioned with a teasing smile.

“The FIA’s methods can be unorthodox, but we just call them operating guidelines,” I said with a grin.

She laughed, and I couldn’t help but join in. Her laughter trailed off into a yawn. “Sorry,” she said, covering her mouth.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, rising to my feet. “I should let you get some sleep.”

She walked me to the door, her eyes soft and warm. I leaned down and kissed her cheek impulsively. “Thanks for the drink,” I said. Her eyes widened, and a blush stained her cheeks.

“Any time,” she said, not meeting my eyes. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Once inside Adrian’s apartment, I groaned and leaned back against the door. Why did I kiss her cheek like that? She had four boyfriends already, and there was no way she would be interested in a federal agent. Well, if I even was a federal agent anymore. Still, I shouldn’t have done that. But I couldn’t get the sight of her soft blush out of my mind.

I heard footsteps in the hallway and moved away from the door so Adrian wouldn’t find me having a mini meltdown.