I turned my head slightly, intending to suggest a change in search pattern. Instead, I found myself mere inches from Jack's face, his eyes meeting mine in the dim light. For a moment, the world narrowed to just us—his steady breathing, the faint scent of his aftershave, the dilation of his pupils. My chest was swollen to capacity with the love I had for this man.
"Agent Nightshade," he said, his voice lower than usual.His nose brushed mine and my breath hitched. My nerve endings were on the edge of short-circuiting. ”I believe we may need to reassess our strategy."
I swallowed hard, willing my heart to slow. "Agreed. Current positioning is... suboptimal for thorough reconnaissance.”
His fingertips traced over my cheek and I leaned into his touch.
“Wiping away a cobweb,” he murmured.
“Yeah.”
But his hand remained pressed against my skin.
Neither of us moved.
A sudden noise from the hallway broke the spell. We sprang apart—as much as the tiny space allowed—our training kicking in as we assumed defensive positions.
After a few tense seconds, it became clear it was a false alarm. I exhaled slowly, painfully aware of the lost moment.
"Perhaps we should continue our search in the adjacent room," I suggested, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Jack nodded, his expression unreadable. "Affirmative. After you, Agent Nightshade."
As I slipped out of the closet, I allowed myself a brief moment of regret. Then, squaring my shoulders, I pushed all unprofessional thoughts aside. We had a mission to complete, after all.
And if my pulse quickened every time Jack stood too close for the rest of the evening? Well, that was classified information.
seven
TALLY
She never told her love, But let concealment, like a worm i' the bud, Feed on her damask cheek. She pined in thought, And with a green and yellow melancholy, She sat like Patience on a monument, Smiling at grief. Was not this love indeed?"
— WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Itore the brush over my hair, raking through the snarls. Some people angry-clean when they’re stressed. I angry brush my hair. Between the emotional rager Brianna was putting Mom and I through and the fact that we were heading to Ford’s new place for Ashton’s birthday party—an event I had very reluctantly agreed to attend—my hands were practically convulsing.
“Brianna, we picked up the kids. We took them for the weekend so you could go to your job interview like you asked,” I said over speakerphone in the calmest tone I couldmuster. “Please lower your voice. They’re sleeping in the back seat. But you are on speakerphone.”
“Well, take me off speakerphone, Tally,” she snapped.
I glanced over at Mom who was driving and who looked as beat down as I felt. I punched the button to move the call.
“Okay,” I said. “You’re not on speakerphone anymore.”
“Thank you,” she clipped. “Like I said, it’s time for you to take over. I can’t have the kids holding me back anymore.”
“They’re not holding you back,” I hissed. “They love you and you’re acting like a complete?—”
“I love them too! They’re my everything.” Her voice shook, on the verge of tears, and it stabbed me in the heart. “But I’ve done this alone long enough. It’s my turn to go live my dreams. The same way you’ve been living yours.”
A deluge of guilt swept over me. She’d been through so much. And she’d been doing it by herself since Cam left. But I ached for the kids. Their life was being upended once again.
I could hardly hear her over the noise of the New York City traffic. “I get it, Bri. I’m sorry things turned out this way and I’m sorry about Cam. Mom and I already talked about it and we’ll take them as soon as the diploma is in my hand. But you also need to realize that Theo and Charlie are going to be traumatized if you step out of their lives.”
“You think I don’t know that?” She sounded like she was about to crack. “But I have to find a way to provide for myself. I’m walking into this job interview, and I am going to nail this dish if it’s the last thing I do. And if I get the job, I’m moving up here. So you and Mom might need to shift the timeline. I need a win, okay? And I need it now!”
Gauging from Mom’s expression, she’d heard every word.
