“When he flies back to Israel tomorrow morning.” She sighed and tilted her head toward Thorn. The kid she was guarding was still surrounded by laughing women, completely oblivious to her brief absence. “I’m staying in the city a few extra days to visit some friends.”
“Then we should get lunch.”
Thorn tapped his watch, a silent reminder that Tommy was due to speak at the closing breakfast and still hadn’t written his notes.
“Yes,” Nissa said, her smile returning as Tommy caught her hand and kissed it. “I’d like that.”
“I’ll call you,” he promised.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
As he and Thorn turned toward the exit, Tommy found himself smiling. He had no idea whether lunch with Nissa Simon would end in a business proposition or a broken heart, but for the first time in months, he was curious to find out.
**********
In the elevator, Tommy could feel Thorn’s eyes on him and sighed. “Spit it out.”
“She is hoping for a job?” Thorn asked as the doors opened. They crossed the lobby toward the front entrance where the limo waited.
“I’m not sure.” Tommy admitted. Over the last few months, he’d come to trust Thorn’s read on people implicitly. “She either has a massive crush on me, or she thinks pretending to will get her special consideration. How much did you hear and what do you think?”
“All of the conversation at the bar.” Thorn opened the door for Tommy and slid in behind him. He leaned his head back on the seat and stared up at the ceiling. “You should talk to her about Sloane Contracting, she would be wasted as a bodyguard.”
“Why is that?” Tommy yawned. He was only thirty-three, but he was already finding it hard to attend parties late into the night and still function the next day. He could almost feel hisbrain slowing down the closer it got to midnight, and he was struggling to follow Thorn’s logic.
“Because she said she was Mossad, and now she’s Shin Bet,” Thorn replied. When Tommy frowned, Thorn gave a faint smile. “Think of Mossad as Israel’s CIA and Shin Bet as their Secret Service. They only recruit standouts. If she was Mossad, she was probably scouted straight out of her military term.”
“Really?” Tommy murmured, sitting back as he processed that. “Okay, I will. Thanks, Thorn.”
“No problem.”
They fell quiet for a few minutes, Tommy mulling over the information about Nissa’s role in her home country and wondering why she wanted to come work for him, then Thorn cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “For the record, I adore Evie, but I would not make a move on her. She is too young to be with someone with my past and the issues that stem from it.
Tommy chuckled, not at all surprised that the big man wanted to make his intentions with Evie clear to him. The man was nothing if not honest and transparent, which he greatly appreciated.
“Evie is far more mature than you're giving her credit for, but your reasons are yours.” Tommy reached out and patted Thorn’s knee. He knew Evie came across as younger than her nineteen years, but underneath her somewhat childish demeanor, there was a strong and capable woman who he was confident would do great things in the not-so-distant future. “And just so you know, as long as there was no abuse, I wouldn't be upset about you dating her.”
“We discussed it and agreed it would be a bad idea.” Thorn shrugged, his expression stoic, which Tommy had cometo recognize as hiding a storm of emotions. “I will not have her hurt and upset because of me.”
“Then don’t hurt or upset her,” Tommy said simply, suppressing another yawn. He didn’t believe Thorn capable of cruelty, but curiosity tugged at him all the same. “You make it sound like that’s inevitable.”
Thorn exhaled, his voice low. “My nights are full of nightmares and violence. I never bring women home; I go to theirs and leave after they fall asleep. Once, I stayed the night. She was a veteran too, so she understood, but it didn’t make it any easier.” He paused, eyes dark with shame. “Even if I could keep that from Evie, I would still drag her down with me.”
Tommy sighed and nodded, now understanding why Thorn was so firm in his stance, despite seeing how much they obviously cared about the other. “Personally, I think you two would be good for each other, but if it could end up with you hurting her, even if it is unintentional, then you were right to not pursue her.”
Chapter Eleven: Kosher & Questions
A few days after the conference ended, Tommy picked Nissa up from her hotel for their lunch date. He’d wanted to see her sooner, but she’d already made plans with friends, so he’d had to wait.
He’d tried to find out more about her in the meantime, but there was nothing. No LinkedIn profile, no social media footprint, not even a trace in his usual databases. He hadn’t expected much from a simple Google search, given her background, but the lack of anything still unsettled him. Thorn had warned him against digging deeper, through either official or less-official channels.
“They will see it and flag it,” Thorn had said, legs stretched out in front of Tommy’s desk. “It could delay her departure. They will not stop her, but leaving an intelligence or protection agency takes time. We do not know how far along she is in that process, or if she has even told them yet. When I left the Security Corps, it took six months to get my final clearance, and that was considered fast. Military and intelligence agencies do not just let you say, ‘I quit’ and walk away. That is why I told you to look in veteran communities. They have already done the paperwork, and most of them are desperate to feel useful again. The work we do would be a lifeline.”
Not wanting to get flagged by Mossad or Shin Bet or risk complicating Nissa’s exit, Tommy had taken his advice. Still, it bothered him. Normally, before any meeting, whetherbusiness or personal, he liked to know who he was dealing with. Information was his armor; without it, he felt exposed.
He decided to play it safe. Thorn would accompany him to pick her up and bring her back to the penthouse, where Tommy controlled the setting. Thorn would join them briefly to discuss her possible role at Sloane Contracting, then retreat to his old room. Close enough to react if things went sideways. Far enough not to make it awkward if they didn’t.
Just before noon, they pulled up in front of Nissa’s hotel in the Cadillac Escalade ESV Tommy had bought with Thorn in mind. Since Thorn still served as his bodyguard at public events, he often drove him places and needed a vehicle he could actually fit in. The SUV had a few discreet customizations, an extended driver’s seat track, reinforced suspension, privacy glass, and upgraded comms, making it as functional as it was luxurious.
