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“No more one-on-one, Z. Let’s go hit the bags or something,” he suggests, waving his hand toward the state-of-the-art facility here at the Cincinnati field office.
His suggestion that I can’t take any more frustrates me. All I needed was a little break, but now I’m good to go. “Come on. There won’t be bags or fancy equipment fighting me if I get into trouble out there. It will be big, burly fuckers like you.”
His soft brown eyes look conflicted like he’s fighting with himself, but he finally heaves out a sigh. “Fine, but the next time I take you down, we’re done.” Before I have the chance to answer, he charges toward me, taking a swing at my face.
Luckily, I have enough energy to duck. Taking advantage of this, I slam my elbow right into his nose. The impact causes him to lose his balance, stumbling backward, disoriented. Using that in my favor, I stand up and wrap my leg around his. The force of my ankle pulling against his knee causes it to give out. Pushing all my weight on to him, it takes us both to the ground.
The smell of victory is in the air.
I smirk down at him beneath me. “Don’t underestimate me.”
His chest rumbles in frustration before he pushes me off him, standing up. He might want to help me train to protect myself, but he’s still as competitive as the day I met him. Any other man probably would’ve let the skinny, blonde girl beat him, but not Matt. When he didn’t go easy on me because I’m a woman, that’s the exact moment I knew we’d be friends forever. I was just like any other opponent that he needed to take down.
He grabs our waters and sits down next to me on the mat. The soft look in his eyes tells me he’s already over being a sore loser. “You ready for this?” he asks. I know he’s talking about the fight I’m about to endure…starting tomorrow.
I’ve been training for this day since the moment I stepped foot into Quantico. I’ve spent countless hours, training mentally and physically for this. Going undercover was a mission I was meant for; I’ve known that since the very beginning.
Tomorrow I’ll officially be Courtney Thompson, instead of FBI Agent Zamira Stone. I’ll just be some normal girl, pretending to do normal things. The thought of ever being normal sends a twinge of pain through my chest, because it's something I’ll never have. The choices I’ve made in my life ensured I’ll never get the sense of normalcy I once hoped for.
“Yeah, I think so.” I give him a smile, hoping my small bit of doubt doesn’t show.
“Think so?” he asks playfully.
“I know I am. Just anxious to get started.”
“You have my number memorized, right? In case you need anything.”
“Yeah, I do. Hopefully, I won’t need it.”
He grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. “I hope not, but you never know.”
Laying my head on his shoulder, my mind floods with thoughts about how my life is going to change tomorrow.
I’ll be alone.
Something I’ve tried to avoid since my family died.
I’ll live a new life, having limited communication with Matt and Chief Holt. I’ll be spending my days undercover in Cincinnati, striving to find any kind of lead to the string of missing people and money.
Over the past couple months, Cincinnati’s rich and privileged have gone missing along with their money. In almost every case, their bank accounts have been wiped out, with no traces of fraud or hacking, right after they disappeared. Absolutely none of the bodies have been found. It’s like they’ve all vanished into thin air.
My job is to find who’s doing this. The FBI has several suspects, but I’m supposed to get close to them, and find enough evidence to build a case. First on my list is some hotshot lawyer, named Ross Novak. He’s tall, dark, handsome, and charming. From my experience, those are the ones you have to watch out for. They’re the ones that are the dirtiest, most vile creatures. We’re thinking he’s using his connections to bring in more money for himself.
Thinking about a man like Novak, who’d do anything to help himself, forces my thoughts toward someone I know who’s the exact same way—my ex. My stomach twists with disgust at the thoughts of my past. Of the monsters I’ve faced.
“Are you scared?” Matt asks, pulling me from dark thoughts I don’t need right now.
“Not really. I’m more worried about you dying without me here,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood.
His hand squeezes mine. “Stop deflecting. I’m worried about you, Z.”
Sighing, I turn my head, looking into his eyes. I know he wouldn’t judge me if I told him I was worried, but I don’t want him to try and talk me out of doing this. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”
He smiles, playfully pushing my shoulder, and I have to catch myself before I face plant on the mat. “Good. You better get your ass back here ASAP, Z. I swear, I need you.” A flash of something I’ve never seen before shines in his big, brown eyes.
I shrug it off and give him the biggest hug I can manage, crushing my body into his. We’re nasty and sweaty, but neither of us care right now. This is our last moment together before I go undercover for god knows how long. The mission is set for three months. That’s how long I’ll be out there without contact with the FBI, unless I find what I need sooner.
I huff out a sigh, pushing myself away from him to stand up, not allowing the tears brimming my eyes to fall.God, Zamira, you’re twenty-six years old. Get it together.
