How can I be so certain of it, when she doesn’t seem to know it herself? Especially if she reallyisa shifter?
There was too much Trent didn’t understand about this whole situation. Right now, he could only focus on one part of it at a time. So he decided to focus on the issue of what Zina had done to get into so much trouble.
“The burn notice wasn’tcompletelymade up,” she said, her voice soft. “Ididgo AWOL from my mission. And Ididsteal something from Hargreaves before I left. But it absolutely wasn’t with the intention of sellinganything, to anyone.It was to save them. That’s all I wanted to do – save them.”
“Save them?” Trent asked, confusion darting through him. “What do you mean?”
Zina looked up at him, her dark eyes wide. She took another deep breath. “What I mean is –”
Behind you.
Trent’s head whipped around as his kangaroo alerted him to some kind of danger at his back.
Sure enough, he could see the two men in blue shirts speaking with the paddleboat hire operator, handing over some cash before the man went to unchain a boat for them.
So they’ve decided to risk coming out onto the water,Trent thought, frustration rising within him. Zinahadbeen about to tell him what was going on – but on the upside, itprobablymeant that neither of those guys was a crocodile shifter.
Well, whatever Zina had, these guys, whether they were from her agency or from Hargreaves, were clearly desperate to get it back. Which told Trent theydefinitelyshouldn’t get it.
“Zina –”
“Don’t worry, I see them,” Zina said, her voice level. “Where should we go?”
“We could paddle back to the shore… but then we’re just back in the same situation as before,” Trent said. “We could paddle our way across the river and ditch the boat in the reeds.”
But just as he said it, he saw the two men who’d initially been following them emerge from the trees on the parkland side of the river, clearly watching them carefully. Ditching the boat and clambering out of it would give the men more than enough time to catch up with them, even if they paddled at full speed down the river – which wasn’t really much faster than walking, anyway.
“For now, let’s head that way,” Trent said, pointing toward the rotunda. “There’s more people down that side. Perhaps they’d rather not risk a confrontation in plain sight.”
Zina just nodded her agreement, and together, they put their feet back on the pedals and paddled their way down the river.
“I feel stupid,” Zina muttered, as river water swirled around them.
“At least it’s a nice day for it,” Trent said, glancing up at the bright, clear blue sky. “When was the last time you got to go for a relaxing paddle on the river with an ice cream on a warm spring day? Anyone else would call this relaxing.”
“Anyone else hasn’t got half the spy agencies in the known world after them, and some other people besides,” Zina shot back, rolling her eyes. “It kind of puts a bit of an edge on things, wouldn’t you say?”
Despite himself, Trent had to laugh. Zina was just as he remembered her – sharp, no-nonsense, fiery, andjustsarcastic enough to make it interesting.
And she’s just as beautiful as I remember her, too.
It was true – despite the huge floppy hat she was wearing and the nondescript, baggy, tourist-y clothes, he could still tell that Zina was a complete knockout. Her black eyes, framed by thick, long lashes, flashed with a dark fire, and the softest dimple appeared in her right cheek when she spoke. Her hair might have changed, but it didn’t matter – her heart-shaped face with its high cheekbones and cute pointed chin could carry off any look.
Not to mention she’s keeping pace with me on the paddling.
Trent knew he was hardly a slouch when it came to fitness – there was nothing he loved more than going for long runs in his human form, or, when the occasion allowed it, shifting into his kangaroo form and spending hours bounding across the countryside, knowing there was nothing on earth that could stop him.
And yet, Zina wasn’t showing any signs of tiring either, despite the water churning on either side of the boat.
Shehasto be a shifter,Trent thought.No human could keep up – although I suppose if the human was especially motivated and running on adrenaline…
He shook his head. This was no time to speculate. He’d just have to ask Zina about why she read so confusingly the next time they had a moment to themselves.
Which right now, they did not.
The two men in blue shirts were currently paddling determinedly toward them, facesfartoo grim for anyone who was trying to sell the idea they were just two guys, out for a nice morning’s paddle. They’d clearly decided that it was worth the risk of attracting attention to try to get their hands on whatever it was that Zina had – and most likely Zina herself, too.
Well, I’m not about to let that happen.
