“It makes a lot more sense now.” I follow him into the elevator.
We don’t talk as we ride up to the fourth floor. We step out, and he unlocks the door to his room. It’s small but efficient, with a double bed, a desk and chair, an armchair, and a small closet. The bathroom is off to the side and I excuse myself for a minute.
I don’t have to go, but I need a minute to collect myself. Everything I thought I knew flew out the window with that video. And now I’m sharing a hotel room with Ace freakin’ Ross, the man I’ve been thinking about for a decade, who happens to work for the CIA.
I splash some water on my face and wash my hands.
He’s at his laptop when I come out and he smiles. “Feeling better?”
“I don’t know.” I sink into the armchair and rest my chin on my hand. “I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“I’m sure.” He’s typing something.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to send the video from your nanny cam to someone I work with. Can you unlock your phone and let me play with the app?”
“Sure.” I type in my password and hand him the phone.
He works quickly and efficiently, tapping on the keys. Now that we’re alone, and I feel relatively safe, I have my first opportunity to really look at him.
He’s still the same Ace. Tall and lean, with cropped red hair and bright blue eyes, he’s even more handsome than he was a decade ago. There are some lines around his eyes that weren’t there then, and his hair is shorter, but he’s still the man of my dreams.
I wonder what he’s seen and done as a spy and how it’s changed him. Not that I truly know who he was before, though the glimpse I got was probably more telling than it should have been. He was a perfect gentleman, but also flirty and sexy. The kiss we shared was stolen, somewhat innocent, and the kind of memory that most people probably forget not long after it ends.
I hung on to it because nothing else ever came close to the romance and majesty of that moment. He was every young woman’s fantasy come true, and every man after him paled in comparison.
And now he’s back in the form of a knight in shining armor, throwing me into an emotional tailspin I’m not sure I can deal with. On one hand, I want to get as far away from him as humanly possible. On the other, I never want him to leave.
In spite of the fact that we don’t know who or what is going on with my stalker, I feel safe with Ace. I should have asked my mother more questions, but when she admitted she called him, I didn’t give her a chance. I was furious about the diary and a dozen other random things, so I told her I would call her later.
My plan was to get drunk at that pub.
Instead, I found proof of the stalker and called Ace. So, everything came full circle even though I don’t know much more than I knew a few hours ago.
“You okay?” Ace glances up and I manage a little shrug.
“I’m getting there.”
“I’d like you to power off your phone until I’ve had a chance to make sure it doesn’t have some kind of tracking device on it.”
“Don’t they all have that?”
“Well, yes, but a regular person wouldn’t be able to get access to the internal GPS on your phone. I’m talking about something extra added as a way of following you, beyond the phone’s generic tracking options.”
“Okay.” I do as he asked and then turn to stare out at the night sky.
His hotel is on a quiet side street, so it’s relatively dark out. The buildings across the street are mostly abandoned at this time of night and the only illumination comes from the moon and a few streetlights. The darkness actually makes me feel better, as if it’s somehow hiding me. That’s ridiculous, but I’m okay with ridiculous right now.
“Let’s talk.” He closes his computer and turns to me.
“You first.”
He seems surprised but nods. “Well, I was recruited by the CIA when the military sent me to college. I fell into it by accident during a military intelligence training exercise in conjunction with the CIA. I had an affinity for languages and a high IQ, both things they looked for. I went to college while I fulfilled my commitment to the military, and your dad was part of the transition.”
“Have you ever been married?”
He shakes his head, though a tiny smile plays on his lips. “No, why?”
