“Pregnant women have killed for less you know,” I grumble. That pasta was delicious, and my belly is only half full.
Ares stops mid-chew for a few beats, and I smirk as that little dig hits home. His wife is currently pregnant with their third child, and if he steals Ashley’s food like he just stole mine, I don’t fancy his chances of making it to the birth.
“Salinger stealing your pasta is the least of your worries, Athena, now isn’t it?” Baz arches a brow.
I lift my hand to summon the server as I ask, “What is this about, and did you really come all this way to talk to me?”
“How’s your arm?” Baz inquires, his gaze lowering to my left upper arm where a bandage covers my injury under the long sleeve of my woolen sweater dress.
“Fine.”
“Want to tell us why you made such a rookie mistake?” Ares asks in between mouthfuls of penne pasta.
“Can I order another bowl of that pasta to go, please,” I tell the pretty waitress when she arrives at our table.
“Of course. Coming right up.” She writes it down on her pad, trying to pretend like she’s not ogling the two tall, muscular, super-hot assholes sitting across from me.
“Answer me,” Ares says after she’s gone, drilling me with a look. “Is Manning distracting you from your mission?” He licks his fork in an exaggerated manner, his meaning clear, and I roll my eyes.
“Does Ashley know you still have the mentality of a teenage boy?”
Ares chuckles. “Ashley benefits enormously from my teenage mentality. Ask her if you don’t believe me.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry I went there. How is your mom?”
“She’s doing great. She said to tell you hello and it’s been way too long.”
“It has. Tell her I’ll call her when I’m next in Cali.”
“If you’re quite done with the small-talk bullshit pleasantries, we came here for a reason,” Baz says.
“He’s grumpy because he’s in the doghouse at home and not getting any,” Ares says before shoveling the last ofmy lunchin his mouth.
“Shut your face.” A muscle clenches in Baz’s jaw as he glares at Ares, and I wonder if there is trouble in paradise.
“As amusing as this is, I need to get back to work, so let’s wrap this up. I know why you’re here, and I swear I won’t mess up again. He didn’t catch me, and I was in disguise, so he doesn’t know it’s me. I have his schedule”—I point at the papers in front of me—“and his office keys. As soon as I figure out how to disable the cameras, I’ll sneak in and take a look around. I know I made a schoolgirl error, but it won’t happen again, and to answer your question, no, I’m not distracted by Manning.”
“I’m impressed you managed all that without pausing for a breath,” Baz drawls.
I shrug. “What can I say? I’m just impressive, period.”
Baz smirks.
“About Manning.” Ares pushes his empty bowl away and grabs a napkin.
“I promise I’m focused on the mission, and I won’t let you down.”
“What exactly did your father ask you to do?” Ares asks.
My brows scrunch in confusion. Why is that relevant? They’re the ones who requested this mission. Anyway, I’ll humor them. “He asked me to spy on the mark, find out what he’s up to, what evidence he has collected on the stuff that went down in Venezuela, and who he has told. He said the board wants to review the evidence first before making the final call.”
Ares and Baz exchange a look.
“What?” I lean my elbows on the table and drag my gaze between them. “Is something else going on?” I don’t express my suspicions even if I am on good terms with both men. They are still part of the board who governs everything, and until I know more, I’m keeping my suspicions to myself.
“Continue as you are,” Baz says.
“But we want you to send a copy of the evidence directly to us.” Ares slides a small square card across the table to me, pointing at a URL written in ink on one side. “Upload to that link in the cloud, and we’ll pull it from there. Only use a secure device.”
