“About three years now. You?”
“Seven,” Seb said.
They rounded the block, and found themselves in a quieter area, where the hustle of the city seemed to fade into the background. It was then that Clara spotted a familiar figure ahead of them. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized Vicente Ortega, casually seated at an outdoor café, sipping coffee as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Clara did a quick perusal of the area and spotted his bodyguards standing up against the café wall, flanking him.
Her mouth went instantly dry. Ortega was a creature of habit and in all the months that she’d been on this mission and had studied his habits, she had never known him to come to this part of the city, certainly not just for a cup of coffee. So why now?
She tensed, instinctively putting more distance between her and her mate. “Seb,” she whispered urgently, nodding subtly towards Ortega.
Seb’s eyes narrowed as he spotted the arms dealer. They exchanged a quick, wordless glance, understanding the need to maintain their covers and act naturally.
As they approached the café, Clara’s mind raced. They couldn’t afford to blow their covers, not when they were this close to getting results. She forced a casual smile on her lips as they walked past Ortega’s table.
Ortega’s eyes flicked up to them, and recognition instantly sparked in his gaze. “Miss Young,” he said formally, his voice carrying just enough to reach them.
Clara’s heart pounded in her chest, but she managed to keep her composure. “Oh, Mr. Ortega,” she responded with feigned surprise, her voice steady. She forced a smile onto her lips. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Seb, playing along, offered a polite nod to Ortega but remained silent, letting Clara take the lead.
Ortega’s smile was thin, more a calculation than a gesture of friendliness. “Small world, isn’t it?” he remarked in his usual thick Spanish accent. “And who do we have here?” His gaze shifted to Seb, appraising him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
Clara felt Seb tense beside her. She quickly concocted a plausible cover. “This is James, a good friend of mine from the states,” she said, introducing Seb under a pseudonym. “He’s in Europe on vacation, so he reached out to me to meet up.”
Seb extended his hand in a gesture of cordiality. Ortega took it, his grip firm. “Pleased to meet you,” he said with surprising warmth.
“Vacation, you say?” Ortega’s eyes lingered on them a moment longer before he withdrew his hand.
Seb nodded. “You live in a beautiful part of the world. I can’t wait to explore more of it.”
“Well, I won't keep you. Enjoy your walk.”
As they continued past the café, Clara let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Once they were out of earshot, she whispered, “That was too close.”
Seb nodded in agreement, his expression serious. “We need to report this encounter. It could mean he’s onto us, or it could just be a coincidence, but we can’t take any chances.”
They quickened their pace, putting distance between themselves and Ortega. The encounter had shifted the tone of their walk from one of discovery to one of urgency. The casual ease they had started to develop was replaced by the weight of their professional responsibilities.
Clara glanced at Seb, seeing him not just as the man she felt an inexplicable bond with, but as a fellow agent, a partner in a high-stakes game of espionage. “Once we report this, it could escalate the mission,” she said, her voice low. “If the agency believes that Ortega knows that we’re on to him, they’ll move up their plans to gain evidence and arrest him. This operation could be about to get tricky.”
Seb met her gaze, a hint of the personal connection they shared earlier flickering in his eyes.
“We’ll handle it,” he assured her. “Together.”
Clara liked the sound of that.
As they made their way back to report the encounter, Clara couldn’t help but feel an uncomfortable mix of apprehension and anticipation. The unexpected meeting with Ortega had added a new layer of complexity to their mission. And yet, amidst the danger and deception, the connection between her and Seb had become an anchor, and she felt, deep down that despite the earlier talk of a mole in their midst that Seb was someone she could trust. She had never wanted something to be true more in her entire life.
Chapter Three
Seb
Seb parked hishire car outside Clara’s apartment building, his mind replaying the argument he’d had with his friends earlier that day. They’d urged him to be cautious around Clara, to hold back on sharing too much information with her. It stung, especially considering how he had been there for Carter and Max when they met their mates. He understood the circumstances were different, with suspicion concerning the mole in the forefront of people’s minds, but he justknewthat it couldn’t be his mate. Not Clara.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the car and walked up to Clara’s apartment. The moment she opened the door, a warm smile spread across her face, and all his reservations melted away. The air between them crackled with their connection, a magnetic pull that drew him in.
“Hey,” Seb greeted her, his voice carrying a mix of warmth and a hint of nervous excitement.
“Seb,” Clara responded warmly. “Come in.”
