Page 41 of Deadly Scandals

After we finished our food, Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Minnie came over for hugs and pictures. Mitch paid, and we finally left the restaurant and entered Disney’s California Adventure through the back gate of our hotel.

I was immediately wowed by the beauty of the park. We visited Radiator Springs, the Monsters Inc. ride, and then went on the Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, which Sienna insisted we ride multiple times.

The kids were laughing, and Mitch was the biggest kid of them all. Maybe I’d been wrong about him.

My phone buzzed. It was my boss. I quickly excused myself from Mitch and returned the call.

“What is it? Is there a break in the case?”

“What case? I told you to drop that, Agent Pierce. No. That’s not why I called. You’ve been assigned a new partner. Please check in tomorrow.”

I exhaled. “Really, sir? I never take a vacation, and I’m in Orange County. Disneyland, actually. Is there any way this can wait a few days and I’ll meet him when I return?”

“No. It can’t wait. I’ll give you the night, but I expect you to report back tomorrow.”

“Fine, sir. I’ll be there.”

I hung up and made my way back to Mitch, who handed me some rose-gold Mickey Mouse ears embroidered with my name.

He placed them on my head and then kissed me. “I want to see you wearing nothing but these later.”

“I’d love to, but I’ll have to take a rain check. My boss just called. I have to report to work tomorrow.”

His face fell. “You sure? I thought you had a few days off?”

“Me, too. I mean, I was approved for leave, but I guess I was assigned a new partner. I should head back now so I can get settled. I’ll rent a car.”

He shook his head. “No, we can leave with you.”

“Nope. I’m not going to ruin your kids’ vacation. They need this. You need this time with them, too. I see so much joy on their faces. And I remember, after my sister was taken, the only time I was happy was when I was distracted. Please stay as long as you can. Call me when you return to town. I’ll be waiting for you at my place with nothing but these ears on.”

The smile returned to his face, and he smacked my ass. He cupped my face in his hands, and we kissed for the whole world to see. And I wasn’t embarrassed. I was proud of being with him.

I said goodbye to his kids and went back up to the room to pack. After arranging for a rental car from the hotel, I grabbed my bags and waited by the curb for the shuttle to the car rental place.

Most days, I was thrilled to go to my high-stress job. But today, I just wanted to be a normal girl on vacation.

The shuttle arrived. I rented a car and drove to my place in San Diego. I turned in early, woke up in the morning, and got ready to work.

I wondered who my new partner would be. I hoped it wasn’t an older agent who was a stickler for rules. Or, worse yet, a newbie who didn’t have a clue what to do.

I grabbed a hot mocha, a luxury I normally didn’t indulge in, at the coffee cart outside. I would need the extra caffeine jolt. As I made my way up in the elevator, I noticed my supervisor was standing by my door.

“Sorry to cut your trip short. We’re working on a lead for a new case, and I wanted to make sure you and your new partner got a good head start on it. I’ll approve another vacation later. Agent Carrion will be here shortly.”

I choked on my coffee, and it spilled all over my white dress shirt.

“Agent Carrion? As in, Grant Carrion? Did he leave the SEALs? You have to have a college degree to become an agent. I’ve read his file. He’s a highly honorable SEAL, but I don’t think he’s qualified to become an agent. Do I have any say in this matter?”

“No, Pierce. You don’t.”

Heat rose in my body, and I pushed the bile down in my throat. I couldn’t possibly work with Grant as my partner. For one, we had hooked up once when I had been undercover as Autumn. And now I was fucking his best friend. And even though he was broken up with Mia, now he was married to her, and it would be way too awkward. Mia and I were like sangria and sensibility. We didn’t mix.

No. There was no way I could work with Agent Carrion.

The door flew open—and I quickly realized the joke was on me.

“Agent Pierce, I believe you know our newest agent.”

My partner stood in front of me in a tight-fitting suit, high black heels, and the giddy look of a newbie on her first day of work.

“Good to see you again, Autumn. I can’t wait to work with you! We’re going to have so much fun.”

I downed my coffee and planned to take a shot of whiskey from my flask.

My partner wasn’t Grant Carrion. It was Mia Cruz Carrion. A woman I despised. A woman I was still convinced was guilty as sin.

Fuck my life.