He’d been carefully lining himself up for a silent drop down into the room below – but just at the moment he’d been preparing himself to jump, the figure below had raised their arm and Trent had heard the sound of a gun with a silencer fitted going off, before several bullets tore through the thin metal of the vent where he’d just been.
Forced off-balance, Trent threw himself down into the vault room, landing badly – though not badly enough that he couldn’t knock the gun from the figure’s hand with one movement of his arm, sending it spinning across the room.
He scrambled after it at the same moment the other person did, but he was faster. He grabbed it, raising it and –Wait. Wait. What?!
“Laura?” he blurted out, before he had time to think.
Because that was very definitely who this was. She was wearing a mask and a hood, but Trent would know those big dark eyes anywhere – he was completely, utterly, one hundred percentsurehe was looking at Laura.
If that evenisher real name!
Right now, those gorgeous dark eyes were going wide with shock as she swept them over him, head to toe, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.
“Tony?”
“I thought you were the gardener,” Trent said, at exactly the same moment as Laura –Not her real name!– said, “I thought you were the janitor!”
“Well, it looks like neither of us are who we said we were,” Trent said after a long moment, during which the only sound was their panting breath. He shook his head. “I can’t believe this. I brought you hot chocolate and oliebollen!”
“Yes, and I’m sure that was purely out of regard for me, and not because you wanted to help maintain your cover as a lovable goof,” not-Laura snapped, her lip curling. “Between that and turning up here every day with the ‘oh gosh I just didn’t get time to shave’ look.”
Actually, it was because I thought you were pretty cute… but also the other reason, yeah,Trent did not say.
“And anyway, I really prefer ice cream,” not-Laura finished.
“Ice cream?” Trent asked, incredulously gesturing to where theremighthave been a window, had they not been currently situated in a high-security vault. “Inthisweather?”
“That doesn’t matter!” Not-Laura shook her head. “Whatmattersis why you’re here. And if you’re actually intending to use that gun on me. Because if you are, you better do it now.”
Trent swallowed. The truth was, he definitelydidn’twant to use the gun on not-Laura – despite the fact she’d already shot at him, he’d really, really prefer not to have to do that. Clenching his jaw, he lowered the gun. Despite her obviously trying not to show it, Trent could see the relief that washed through not-Laura as he did so.
“Okay. Well. I can’t say I would have made the same decision,” she said after a moment.
“Yeah, obviously,” Trent said. He glanced at his shoulder – one of the bullets had barely missed him, grazing the side of his shirt and tearing it open. “Look – you almost shot me.”
“I didn’t know who you were,” not-Laura pointed out. “In fact, Istilldon’t know who you are. Just whoareyou, and why the hell are you here?”
“Well, the first one’s classified information,” Trent told her, even though it absolutely wasn’t. “The second one… well, I’m getting the feeling it’s for the same reasonyou’rehere.”
Not-Laura’s lips tightened. “I guess so. Now I just have to decide what we’re going to do about that.”
Trent raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess so.” He narrowed his eyes. “So you’re a buyer who got outbid then, I guess, come to grab it and expose the agents who’re listed on that hard drive? Or just an opportunist who’s hoping to steal it and then sell it on themselves?”
“Neither,” not-Laura shot back, sounding outraged. “I’m just trying to protect the people who’re on that list – some of them happen to be friends of mine. I’m from my own agency – not a company who’s trying to steal it, not someone who’s looking to sell it. I just want to take it back where it belongs and protect my colleagues, and whoever else is on that list.”
Trent blinked in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting that – his agency hadn’t told him there was anyone else working this. If they had, they might’ve been able to organize to work together.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” he asked.
“I guess you don’t,” not-Laura said grimly. “So if you really doubt my word, I guess you’re just going to have to shoot me.”
Trent grimaced. She kind of had a point, there.
We will not shoot her.
His kangaroo’s voice was firm and clear in his head, and Trent knew that right now, he couldn’t have raised his hand holding the gun even if he’d wanted to – which he didn’t. It was strange, however – his kangaroo wasn’t usually very sentimental about these things. If anything, it was often Trent who had to rein it in from going to extremes – if it felt it was in danger, it usually didn’t want to stop until it felt it was safe again.
What’s got into you?he asked it, even though he wasn’t exactlyarguingwith its firm directive not to shoot. He hadn’t been going to in the first place! It was actually kind of rude that his kangaroo had thought he’d had to be told not to!
