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"I actually learned that phrase from my daughter."
I gaze out the window at Ava, who is now shuffling about, apparently analyzing the condition of her car. She hugs herself, bowing her head.
Rebecca groans. "Oh, jeez, we can't just leave her out there. She looks pitiful, like a lost puppy in a rainstorm."
I blow out a big sigh. "Aye, you're right. As much as I would love to ignore her, I can't do it. She can come in, but only until a tow truck arrives. I can go out there and move my truck to make room for that."
"Want me to go out with you?"
I kiss her forehead. "No, gràidh. You stay inside and relax. Ava is my problem."
"Our problem. We're a couple, and that means we share everything." She winces. "Even annoying MI6 agents who are infatuated with you."
"You're wonderful, Rebecca."
She struggles not to laugh, but that results in a snort. "Why am I wonderful? Because I haven't murdered Ava yet?"
"Aye, exactly."
I walk out the door. As it shuts behind me, I catch Rebecca peering out the window. I can't blame her for wanting to observe my interaction with Ava, though I know Rebecca isn't jealous. Not in the least. She's fully aware of the fact that I have no romantic or sexual interest in that woman.
I leap over the bumper of my truck to get off the steps and approach the lass. I whistle. "Your car is in worse shape than I thought. It would take a magic wand to fix it."
She scowls at me. "Thank you ever so much for the useless advice."
"Calm down, Ava. I'm here to help."
"Then do something, please. I have no transportation."
I walk all the way round her car to study its current condition. But the news does not get better. Holden did quite a number on the car. "Why are you driving such a small, thin-skinned vehicle? I would have thought MI6 could find you a more appropriate model."
"What does that mean?"
"This is clearly not a new car. And it would fly to pieces in a strong breeze. But that's not the point." I return to where she stands, or rather slumps, beside the dilapidated machine. "Something about you isn't right, Ava. I knew you for years, and the woman I'm looking at right now hardly resembles the strong, confident lass who talked me into becoming her agent."
Ava rubs her arms.
I study her again, still feeling like I've missed an important clue.
She bows her head, then snaps at me, "I'm so terribly sorry that my behavior doesn't match your expectations."
"Ava---"
"Shut up, Thane." She covers her face with her hands. When she peels them away, tears shimmer in her eyes. "I was demoted last year. I'm no longer an intelligence officer. Now I spend most of my time filing things and fetching coffee."
"But you told me you were still with MI6. It was all you knew, that's what you said."
"And that much is technically true." Her lips tremble, and she avoids looking at me. "I lost my edge. You know as well as I do what that means. I am of no further use."
"But I contacted you for help on your MI6 number."
"Don't you remember? I always rang you on my burner phone, and you always rang me at the same number. That was to protect your identity."
I do remember that now. It's been so long since I left the army that the details had become fuzzy over the years. Honestly, I never wanted to reminisce about those days, and I preferred to forget all of it once I returned to civilian life. "Why would they let you keep your burner phone after you were demoted?"
"Because no one knew about it. I was in deep cover, Thane. Only I knew about you. The DIO wouldn't have liked to know that one of their people had become a mole."
I only did that because Ava seduced me into it---literally. She used sex to pull me in and keep me in for a long time. Once I was free of her, I realized our relationship had never been more than shagging.
