Gabby stopped short. “Sloane Ellis? Have you been reading her book too?”
With a sad smile, he said, “Anything to get through a breakup, right?”
Gabby couldn’t imagine Markus getting divorced. He looked so perfect, practically too hot for the apps. How would he choose among all the women who swiped right on him?
“Valentina and I broke up last year. I’m fine now, but it took a while.”
“As inValentina?”
“Yep. Work got in the way.” He released a heavy sigh. “Everyone in this place is divorced. High stress, long hours. It wears on relationships.”
Gabby was trying to wrap her mind around Markus and Valentina. That explained the weird tension in the room when she was with both of them. Agent Strong gave Gabby a job she hadn’t earned and Valentina’s ex-husband. Even if Valentina didn’t want him anymore, that had to sting.
“Do you have kids?” she asked, although she already knew the answer. Valentina had been adamant that kids were not compatible with the EOD.
“Just about a hundred nieces and nephews.”
“I have two kids.”
He smiled. “Gabby, I know what you ate for breakfast yesterday. I’ve been briefed.”
“Really?” It made sense, but it didn’t. She was barely interesting enough for neighborhood gossip normally, and here she was, a hot topic at the EOD.
“I wouldn’t have guessed you have kids. You look good.” The way he said “good” wasn’t the way a woman would say it. It sounded like she lookedgood, aka damn fine.
Champagne bubbles danced in her insides, and heat crept up her cheeks. A compliment hadn’t hit Gabby like that in a long time. “I mean, I’m not too pretty for spying, but thanks.”
He threw back his head and let out a laugh.
Gabby said, “I still don’t get that. Hot spies are more effective, right?”
“You’d think so, seducing everyone into spilling their secrets.” He held up his hands, looking confounded.
“That won’t be me. I’m going to make coffee and lay low.”
Markus dragged them back to the mission. “Speaking of that, did you memorize the names and faces on those sheets? If you’re fully prepared, you can get in and out of this mission quickly.”
“Yep.” Names and faces were easy for Gabby. She’d fallen asleep looking at Orlov’s face the last two nights. What she was really worried about was whether the EOD was prepared. She asked, “Have you figured out who blew Darcy’s cover yet?”
Markus shook his head no. “We’re still working on it.” Without warning, he put her in a sleeper hold, and this time not in slow motion. Gabby was ready. She stomped on his foot lightly, elbowed him, and tossed her head back.
“You got it!” he said.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” The last thing she wanted was to blacken both his eyes.
“Nope. I’m just fine.”
With a big exhale of relief, she said, “That only took me a day longer than it should have.”
Markus held up his hand. “Gabby, don’t. You are extremely brave. You’re walking into a dangerous situation with almost no training. Not many people would take this job. You are going to do great on this mission. I’m sure of it.” He was standing with a straight back, looking into her eyes and speaking in the most earnest tone she’d ever heard.
Could this be real? It certainly didn’t feel real, except for the parts of the day where she had to line up childcare.
“I don’t think anyone has ever believed in me before,” she said. It was true. Phil hadn’t. Her parents had always seemed skeptical that she could make anything happen. Really, she’d never believed in herself.
Markus looked at her with an intensity that made her slightly uncomfortable. “We’re partners on this mission. Until you believe in yourself, I’ll believe in you enough for both of us. By the time this is over, you’ll see in yourself what I see in you.”
Nothing could have stunned her into silence more effectively than that. To dissipate the awkwardness and break the silence, Gabby said, “Let’s practice one more time.” If there was anything harder than hand-to-hand combat, it was accepting compliments.
