A sense of accomplishment rose in Jade, and she basked in her own success. The only way things could have gone better was if she’d been able to uncover a specific plan of Grannam’s or Arabella’s, or if she’d gotten a lead on who the killer was and who had hired him. But this was the perfect start. She had done what she had set out to do and had created enough of a rapport with Marguerite and Alanna that they were inviting her back.
The dinner party would be a true test of the character, as a smaller crowd and more casual conversations meant she would have to know her story inside out.
But on this night, she reveled in victory. On this night, Jade Ni’ihm had successfully infiltrated the royal family.
Twelve
The afternoon sun shone hotand bright down on Jade and Theo as they left Command the following day. Since Jade had remained at the ball until late into the night, Major Clarke had allowed her to sleep into the morning at the manor and return to base for debrief at hour fourteen.
“So the first man you danced with,” Theo began as they strode down the path toward the community of barracks. He kept his gaze straight ahead. “Nicolas Camarata. He seemed to have bitterness toward Lord Grannam?”
Of all the things Jade had told them, of course that was what Theo focused on. Her heart jolted at the mention of the strange man, especially hearing his name come from Theo’s mouth. But she didn’t have time to delve into what that meant right now.
Or wonder why she hadn’t thought of Theo the entire time she was with Nicolas. Hours before, she’d had to force her feelings for Theo down so she could focus on the mission, but as she dancedin another man’s arms, nothing of Theo returned to her mind. Had she simply done what she’d been trying to do? Or had Nicolas so fully captivated her that even thoughts of Theo couldn’t break through?
Jade had relayed the events of the night to both men, downplaying her encounter with Nicolas and entirely omitting how he had affected her. She noted how his mood momentarily shifted when he mentioned Grannam and how she suspected he might have been a spy for one of the royals, though she had no proof that he was involved in the conflict in any way.
“Yes, but I feel like that’s not terribly out of the ordinary.” Jade glanced up at Theo, studying his expression to glean anything she could about what he was thinking. “I just wish I hadn’t been dancing with him when I saw Arabella speaking to Grannam. I could have gotten close enough to hear something.”
Theo nodded before turning his face toward Jade. “Maybe, but you’ll be going back to the palace soon. You’ll have more chances to find out what is going on.”
“Yeah.” Jade kept pace with Theo, her mind wandering to the upcoming dinner party. Commander Matherson, thrilled with Jade’s results at the masquerade, had immediately agreed to post the telephone number to Marguerite so she would be able to call her with any invitation.
Theo stopped in his tracks, and Jade followed suit in response. He faced her, angling his head down toward her. “You all right?”
Jade nodded, relaxing her scrunched brow even though her mind still whirred. “Mhmm. Just thinking.” She released his gaze and shook her head slightly. “The killer’s still at large. We still don’t know who hired him. I want to get back out there, do something that will be helpful. I don’t want to wait until the dinner party.”
Theo’s silence drew Jade’s eyes back up to him. He stared off into the distance, thoughtful.
“New weapons just arrived at the training arena.” A smirk tugged at his lips. “Want to go break them in?”
Jade rolled her lips as she considered his proposition. At this time of day, there were no designated training sessions, so the arena would only be occupied with a few troops who wanted to spend their free time honing their combat skills. Jade and Theo didn’t have any obligations until dinner, so it wasn’t a bad idea to go to the training arena and move her body. It was that or go for a jog around base.
“It should help with the restlessness.” Theo must have taken her pause as hesitancy. He dipped his head toward her, his smile turning sly. “I won’t go easy on you.”
Jade scoffed, a grin of her own teasing her lips. “Have you ever?”
Theo shrugged innocently, but Jade knew the answer. He’d always challenged her, pushed her to be stronger, better.
“There should be some stakes, then,” she said, crossing her arms. “What’s on the line?”
Squinting against the sun, Theo thought for a moment. “Loser polishes winner’s dress boots for a month.”
An image of Theo scrubbing Jade’s black leather boots until they shone arose in her mind’s eye, and she tipped her chin into the air as she narrowed her eyes. “You’re on, Redman.”
They changed course and headed in the direction of the training arena, only a short walk away. A few troopers with a free hour milled about, most everyone else occupied in field training, strategy sessions, or meetings.
The training arena was divided into two major sections: a spacious, high-ceilinged room with rubber mats on the wooden floor and racks of blunted weapons and dummies, and a grouping of smaller rooms with various exercise equipment for strength training.
As Jade expected, the main room of the training arena was deserted except for three soldiers, two sparring and one practicing against a dummy. Grunts from the exercise rooms beyond filtered into the arena, indicating the presence of a few more. The three soldiers in the arena looked up briefly at Jade and Theo’s entrance before returning to their activities.
“Should we use the same weapon?” Jade asked as they stopped by a long bench. She unclasped her belt and slung it over the bench before starting to unbutton her jacket.
“It’s only fair.” Theo grasped his cap and laid it near her belt, then ran a hand through the longer hair on the top of his head. He glanced over at Jade, his eyes landing on the buttons her fingers manipulated. Her stomach flipped and swirled with warmth. The rhythmic pounding of her pulse became noticeable as heat crept up her neck and jawline, and she fumbled over a button.
She cleared her throat before replying. “A pair of knives, then.” Her weapon of choice. As an intelligence agent, Jade kept weapons on her person only for self-defense. The pistol she always wore at her hip was helpful in case something went wrong and her cover was blown, but she preferred the silent knives if she needed to make a clean getaway.
Theo smirked, his eyes bright, and he removed his own jacket in a few swift movements to reveal a plain white cotton shirt underneath that clung to his sculpted abdomen. “A fine choice.”
