Page 102 of Rescuing You

“Who?” she asked.

When he didn’t answer, she opened her eyes.

“Next question.”

“You won’t say?” she asked.

“I can’t say.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a secret, Leila. Agents⁠—”

“Spies.”

“—have to keep secrets.” He went back to…whatever he’d been doing on her jaw and chin. “It’s the nature of the beast.”

“What beast? The CIA is the beast?”

His grin stretched. “Just an expression. It means the normal course of certain…things. Like”—he looked around the space—“like working at fancy hotels involves dealing with people from all walks of life, right? It’s the nature of the beast.”

“I see. So being a CIA spy involves lying. That’s the nature⁠—”

“Not lying.” His voice was cold. “Agents have to keep secrets.”

“But you did lie. You told me you’re a machine parts salesman.”

“Eyes.”

She sighed and closed them, though she wanted to watch his expression.

He jabbed at her brows. “I am a salesman.”

She didn’t respond to the obvious untruth, just lifted her eyebrows.

“Keep still. Please.” After a moment, he added, “It’s my cover. I sell parts to factories, mostly in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. I have customers. They buy actual parts which get delivered and installed on actual machines. It’s the truth.”

“But not the whole truth, which makes it a lie.” He was tapping under her eyes, so she forced herself to keep them closed.

“Okay, Nawra. Let’s talk about lies.”

“I did not lie. I changed my name because I had no choice.”

“You could have told me the truth.”

She leaned away so she could watch his reaction. “Like you told me the truth, Michael Davis?”

He cringed.

She’d guessed the name was another lie. “Is it even Michael?”

“Yes, of course.” But he looked away. “Davis is an alias. To protect the people I love.”

The words were sharp and hit their mark.

“Not from you,” he said quickly. “That’s not…” He held his hands out, palms up, probably forgetting the makeup brush between his fingers. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth. I wanted to. I planned to on our last date. Remember? We were coming back from Kitzbühel, and I told you I needed to tell you something?”

“But you didn’t.”