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“So, what’s his name?” she asks, not bothering to contain her obvious giddy excitement. “What does he look like? How did you meet? Is he handsome? Where’s he taking you to dinner?”
I clearly can’t answer any of her questions without breaching several codes of conduct. Tabitha, despite her inquisitive nature, can never know about Luka or the fact that this date is really an extraction opportunity. My little sister knows I work for the FBI, but she doesn’t know exactly what I do—and I plan on keeping it that way.
“That’s classified,” I joke. Except I’mnotjoking.
Tabitha huffs. “Oh, come on! It’s, like, a safety thing.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah. The dude could be a psycho murder freak or something. At least tell me where you’re going? How late do you plan on being out? You gotta give me something to work with here or else I’ll worry.”
I nod slowly as I open my closet, searching through my abysmal wardrobe for something casual to wear. It’s nothing but a sea of grey and beige power suits. Dammit, I’m going to have to go shopping. At least I can write it off as a business expense.
“He’s taking me to the aquarium,” I tell her, hoping my answer is vague enough. “Some sort of special after-hours tour.”
Tabitha’s eyes practically sparkle. “How romantic.”
I want to laugh. Romantic? I don’t know about that. The tiny voice in my brain is afraid that the moment he gets me alone, he’ll try and drown me in the nearest fish tank. I’ve given him no reason to suspect I am who I am, but I have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario—sleeping with the fishes included.
I make a mental note to conceal my Beretta in my purse.
Chapter 6
Luka
My reasons for choosing the aquarium are threefold.
One, the building’s walls are so thick that cell reception is questionable at best, meaning whoever Dani’s handler is—and I’m sure she has one—won’t have ears on our conversation.
Two, there’s a great Italian restaurant right around the corner. I’m not sure what Dani’s food preferences are, but I figure I can’t go wrong with pasta.
And three, fish are pretty to look at. Who wouldn’t be impressed by a tank full of bioluminescent jellyfish? That shit’s mesmerizing as hell.
Not that I’m trying to impress Dani, of course. Not at all. And Idefinitelydidn’t spend the last few hours desperately trying to trace the phone number she texted me from to her cell carrier. I figured if I knew who her phone plan was with, I’d be able to find the address linked to her account. Creepy, I know, but that’s the first lesson in cybersecurity—there’s no such thing as privacy.
Unfortunately, Dani and her team were thinking ahead. The number clearly belongs to a burner phone. A private network, at that, which means there’s no account to link back to her. I thought gathering intel was going to be much easier than this. She’s clever, I’ll give her that much.
I might have my work cut out for me.
I hear her before I see her, the soft click of her shoes against the pavement reaching my ears. Her scent comes next, the light coconut fragrance of her shampoo filling my nose like a Hawaiian beach. And when I finally lay eyes on her—
I’m floored.
There’s nothing particularly fancy about the way she’s dressed, but there’s no denying the woman’s got an eye-catching style. Sweet and frilly, the total opposite of what I’d expect an FBI agent to wear in her downtime. White sneakers, light blue jeans, a peachy blouse, and a light pink jacket—like springtime incarnate. Her clothes highlight the dip of her waist and the roundness of her hips. She’s got legs for days and it’s almost painfully unfair.
Dani stands in stark contrast to my all-black ensemble. Shoes, pants, sweater, and a bomber jacket—I’m an inky blot next to her colorful display. I’m not a fan of bright, attention-grabbing things. It’s harder to blend in, go unnoticed.
“I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?” Dani asks, her dark eyes peering up at me with an almost innocent glint.
For a moment, I forget this isn’t actually a date, though her flushed cheeks and tentative lip nibble suggests she’s nervously excited—like it’s a real one. She already knows me but is putting on an air like she doesn’t. I’ve only had a sneak peek at her performance, but I’m blown away by the nuance.
It’s a struggle tearing my eyes off her. “No, I just got here.”
“I’m surprised this is where you wanted to meet. I didn’t know the aquarium let people in this late.”
“They made an exception for me.”
She tilts her head to the side, appearing pleasantly curious. “Oh?”
