Juliette blinked. “What?”
“I’m not going to force her to marry me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to ask her out on a date.”
N. Varda - Operation B Target 2
Sorry for not responding. Work has been crazy.
The Spaniard smiled as he picked up his phone.
Gus Alias +44 Number
I understand. How’s your leg?
N. Varda - Operation B Target 2
Better. I have a different cast. Not as heavy.
Gus Alias +44 Number
That’s great. I didn’t know there were multiple kinds of casts.
N. Varda - Operation B Target 2
It’s 3D printed.
He paused, wondering if now was a good time to push. With a shrug, he sent another message.
Gus Alias +44 Number
I bet it looks like a sci-fi exoskeleton. Did you get a cool color?
A minute later, a picture came through, and he smirked that she’d taken the bait.
The image was a close-up view of her leg from the knee down. Clearly she took the picture herself, holding the camera near her knee. The cast was bright, neon green. He could see her leg through the gaps in the smooth, glossy plastic, and her skin seemed almost too pale. He could also see what he thought was a bandage midway down her leg, and his stomach muscles tightened.
Shaking off the feeling, he texted again.
Gus Alias +44 Number
That’s bright! Does it glow in the dark?
They sent a few more innocuous messages, and the Spaniard found himself leaning back in his chair, relaxed and smiling.
He also changed her contact name in the messaging app he used that would make it appear he was messaging from a +44 number rather than a +34, which was the actual number associated with this particular mobile device.
The casual, chatting mood ended with Nikolett’s next message.
Nikolett
I never answered your question about hotels.
He hunched forward over his phone. “Come on, Nikolett. Do it.”
Nikolett
