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“Mmm” is all she replies with.
I reach for her mug of coffee and take a large sip. Katrina shakes her head at me, but the smile hasn’t left her face. She likes this playful and coffee-addicted side of me.
“So, what do you need to tell me?”
Blowing out an exaggerated breath, she reaches for something I can’t see to the side. Her cell. “Everything.”
“I’m ready, Katrina. Nothing you say will scare me off. I was serious last night. It’s you and me now. We’re in this together. No matter what.”
Pressing her lips together, still a little unsure, she gives me a small nod. Passing over her cell, she shows me a text conversation.
“Two weeks after you departed for a mission, my father was in a fatal car accident. I hadn’t had contact with him in years, but the loss was still crushing. He was the last piece of family I had. While I did mourn him, I didn’t grieve. God, that sounds terrible,” she says, running a hand over her neck, “but it is what it is. I had a complicated relationship with my father.
“He was a con artist. A talented conman who had a lot of enemies. I learned that the hard way. Days after his funeral, a man named Carlos approached me—threatened me. He had been the last victim of my father’s and he wanted his money back. And revenge. He told me I could either use my skills to pay him back or…or something would happen to the man I loved.”
My eyes dark up from the phone to her. “Me.”
She nods.
“Shit. Your father got caught by the wrong criminal, but you paid the price.”
“Yeah, and I couldn’t let that kind of evil touch you, Lennox. I just couldn’t. You’re a man of integrity, who spent most of his young life fighting overseas doing God knows what for this country. I couldn’t pull you into this dark world. So I agreed, and left with Carlos.”
“And you’ve been doing what?” I ask, bracing myself for the answer.
“Odd con jobs here and there. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and I have my father’s persuasive talents. Plus, I look too sweet for anyone to think I’m conning them most of the time. This job, the one that brought me here, is supposed to be my last one. But it’s different than all the others. I was never a good spy, so I have no idea why Carlos picked me.”
“I don’t think you were meant to spy on me and break in. I think this Carlos bastard set you up, knowing you’d fail. He obviously knows about our history. You were sent as a distraction.”
“Oh,” she says, deadpan, her hand reaching for the mug of coffee as she thinks this over. “I never thought of it that way. You’re right. That slimy bastard. I was to distract you so that you couldn’t figure out the encryption.”
“Exactly.”
The indignation in her voice has me smiling. Lifting her again, I stand and bring her to her feet. The blanket falls away when she reaches for my hand. We head inside, and after grabbing my own mug of coffee, I lean against the counter, taking her in.
She looks happy. Like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
“So what would you like to do about this Carlos guy? I have friends in high places who can help get him convicted and out of your life.”
Ducking her head, she huffs a laugh. “Yeah, speaking of that. Something’s already in motion.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night I was able to break the code on the encrypted USB. And it was some heavy stuff. Do you know who sent it to you?”
“No, not a clue.”
“Well, whoever it was obviously trusted you because it contains records of money laundering, bribes and government tampering in”—she looks down at her phone again—“Macelondia. Ring any bells?”
It takes me a moment but yes, the name is familiar. “My last mission with the Special Forces, we had to extract the princess of Macelondia from a terrorist group who had kidnapped her and was holding her for ransom.”
“Doesn’t look like that was an unfortunate incident. Her kidnapping was planned. Someone paid big bucks to get her out of the way. Until your team changed the outcome. The woman could still be in danger.”
“Shit. I need to reach out to my original mission commander. I trust him and—”
“Already done.”
I’m stunned, not quite understanding what she’s saying.
