“That’s just it.” He tipped his head back and studied the sky. “It’s only a matter of time in a cat-and-mouse game. We need to change the rules because the longer we allow this to draw out, the more chance we have of losing. The game changer will be meeting up with your team and taking action.”
As they crossed the street and entered the market area, melding into the press of people shopping in the tight hallways lined with goods, he laughed. “If we’re going to do this, we’ll do this the way I do things.”
*
Lizzy stared at her reflection in the mirror.
“You’re beautiful.” Kyle was a dark shadow over her left shoulder. His words were simple, and when they first met a couple of days ago she’d shrugged his compliments off as meaningless. Candy offered by a man to sweeten her mood. She’d never believed it to be sincere.
But she knew Kyle a little better since their first, brief meeting. Even if the time had been short, it’d been intense. Or maybe she was willing to believe the words more. Either way, his comment brought heat to her cheeks and a pleasant warmth blossomed in her chest.
The tiny cocktail dress she was wearing had been his choice and was the epitome of the stylish “little black dress.” A simple black sheath covered by a sheer layer of chiffon cut to accentuate her figure and fall in a handkerchief hemline just short of her knees. It was sexy and elegant, daring and modest at the same time. There was even enough swing in the skirt to more or less hide the line of her handgun, holstered on her thigh. She’d never have chosen something so perfect herself. Hell, she hated trying on clothes. For her, it was all about the accessories.
And the shoes.
He’d picked this dress out from a rack at one of the shops around Pike Place Market though. She had no idea how he’d spotted it or known how it would look on her. Then he’d found her the shoes. At first glance, they’d been simple black pumps. Then Kyle had lifted the pair to show the heel and the pale cream silk with black lace ribbons tied in a tasteful bow. They were elegant. Sophisticated. Feminine.
Everything she loved about a pair of shoes and exactly the opposite of what most people would assume she’d wear.
They were what he thought she could be when most people only saw what she did for a living.
“Thank you.” She smiled at his reflection in the mirror.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re getting better at taking a compliment.”
She lifted a shoulder, left bare by the cocktail dress. “You’re getting better at giving real ones.”
He stepped closer to the mirror, and her, adjusting the lapel of his suit. The man did clean up well. Good suits had something in common with military uniforms. They could make a person look sharp. But it took a certain kind of man to put it on and own it. He might not be a soldier by her terms of experience, but he was a man of action and having him at her side tonight was actually a welcome comfort. Her nerves were steady and she didn’t have the itch between her shoulder blades urging her to constantly look around to see who might be creeping up on her.
“Why the sudden frown?” Kyle placed a hand on her shoulder, the heat of his touch seeping through her skin.
Her nipples tightened slightly in response and she firmly told her libido to rein it in for the next few hours.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror again and blinked. Her face had gone neutral. Blank. It was one thing to know you wiped your expression to hide your thoughts and it was a completely different thing to catch a glimpse of yourself doing it. Not bad. Just...a learning exercise.
Turning up the corner of her mouth she gave a slight shake of her head. “A girl could get used to the idea of having you around. It’s a dangerous concept.”
He gave her a playful leer. “Am I that distracting?”
Turning to face him, she flicked an imaginary speck of dust off his shoulder. “Maybe. Not the issue though. You put people at ease. It’s a hell of a skill. But I can’t afford it.”
His expression faded slightly. “It’s not my intention to distract you or take your edge away.”
“You don’t.” She wanted to reassure them both. “I won’t let you.”
Somehow the silence after her statement echoed in the hotel room. Awkward wasn’t the word for it.
“I’ll make sure I’m on point.” She wanted to clarify. Wanted to take away the words that sounded too much like a rejection. But it wasn’t as if he’d made a long-term offer. So why was she suddenly stumbling over her own words? “You be sure to follow the instructions I gave you. No horsing around.”
He chuckled. Of course he’d get up to a few things.
It was a risk, taking him along. But Kyle had a couple of good points. He was safest with her and he also helped her blend into the kind of crowd this social event was expecting far better than if she went in there alone. Definitely less predictable than her trying to infiltrate the catering staff. Their pursuer probably didn’t know her face. Since this was a masked gala, they wouldn’t recognize Kyle’s behind the solid black domino he’d acquired and there was a low likelihood they’d anticipate him making an appearance in any case.