33
Ty
“I’ll be fine,” I assured Liam once again as we sat in the back of the SUV, Mick at the wheel.
Liam didn’t look like himself. His cheekbones, jawline, and the color of his eyes had been altered with a little help from Kyle, who had helped me with my disguise too, ensuring I would be appealing to Lez’s particular tastes.
We’d spent the past two days prepping for the mission, and it was finally time to attend the auction Kyzer had tipped the team off about. Since the other night when Liam had finally conceded to me helping, he hadn’t made any objections to my participation, but I could tell through certain looks he offered me that it still weighed on his mind…that he was worried about me.
It was nice to know he cared so much, but he couldn’t have understood how much I wanted to help. I felt so useless. Everyone else had responsibilities, and hell, even Kyzer had intel he could provide.
I was a liability, but now I could be an asset.
I rested my hand on Liam’s leg, stroking gently. He placed his hand over mine tenderly. Since our chat about being pending boyfriends and the amazing sexual experience we’d shared, I felt a closeness to him, an intimacy unlike anything we’d shared before. It permeated every chat, every joke, every caress, every bit of playtime we made time for while he worked on the Ivan Blackmore Jr. case. I just hoped that after we hopefully successfully finished this mission, we’d be able to explore that intimacy further.
So much further.
With my free hand, I slid a compact mirror out of my pocket and assessed my makeup. It was similar enough to me, especially around the eyes. I wasn’t totally unrecognizable to myself, but it reminded me of the day I’d dyed my hair. Who was I looking at in that mirror? Could I even be the same guy who’d walked down that street with Liam in PV? The kid who had such a different perception of the world?
Perhaps the new look was a more honest representation of how I felt about myself. About how lost and confused I really was.
“Don’t get in the habit of checking the mirror,” Liam warned. “The prosthetics Kyle used will be good. It feels strange, I know, but I’d only give them a glance every hour or so. And don’t pick at them, as annoying as they may feel.”
He was repeating the same instructions Kyle had offered after he crafted my look in the makeshift vanity back at base. As much as Kyle had been on board about me participating, I could tell as he worked on my face that he was annoyed about involving me, as though he was worried I’d somehow fuck things up.
Jesus, what the hell had I gotten myself into? I wasn’t a fucking IPB agent, yet there I was, heading for a mission.
“So it looks okay?” I asked Liam.
“I likeyourface better, but it looks like it needs to.”
As good as his compliment made me feel, he must’ve sensed my uneasiness because his expression turned serious again. “You okay?”
“As long as you stay close, I should be good.”
He interlocked his fingers with mine, squeezing gently. “I’ll be right there.”
His assurance meant everything.
Tara had reminded me that they hired confederates all the time to do the sort of work I would be doing. That I didn’t need to be a pro like them to pull this off. And I kept telling myself that over and over again as we continued en route.
“It’s okay to be nervous,” he added. “Just do your thing and let that feeling be with you. Don’t lie to yourself about how you feel, but work through it.”
He was right; he usually was.
As we pulled into the parking lot of what I assumed must be the location, I steadied my breathing—or did the best I could.
“Last stop of the night!” Mick called out. “Watch your feet as you exit.” He turned around and winked.
His cool demeanor set me at ease. This has been their lives for so many years. It was like what I dealt with at my office, joking around with my coworkers…only with lives at stake.
“You’re gonna do great,” Mick told me.
“Thanks, man.”
We stepped out of the SUV, into a packed parking lot.
The crowd varied in ages, ranging from early twenties to fifty plus, everyone dressed to the nines. Women in gowns and men in nice suits like what Liam and I wore. They headed for the main warehouse Mick had parked in front of, which was similar to the one we were using as a base.
