"No, Mrs. Kim, this is?—"
"A colleague," Kara said quickly.
Mrs. Kim waved her hand dismissively. "Colleague, girlfriend, it doesn't matter. You both need to eat. Sit, sit." She gestured emphatically toward a table in the corner. "I make you something good. Best dumplings in New York."
"Mrs. Kim, we can order—" Max said, once more interrupted.
"No, no. You sit. I cook." She was already heading toward the kitchen, calling out something in Cantonese that made an older man appear in the kitchen doorway. He looked at Max, then at Kara, and said something that made Mrs. Kim laugh and swat at him with a dish towel.
Kara raised an eyebrow at Max as they headed to the corner table. "Sounds like you're well-known around here."
"I live upstairs. But you knew that, right?"
"I knew your phone had been in this location quite a bit."
He smiled and tipped his head. "Very good. But I wasn't trying to hide."
"Could have fooled me. You have no business address outside of a post-office box, no website, no client testimonials anywhere. How do you sell your services?"
"Personal referrals. You're going to love the food here; it's great. I have to warn you, though, Mrs. Kim will bring enough food for four people."
As she sat down, she took in the restaurant from a new vantage point. It felt warm and comfortable, not trendy, not trying to be anything other than what it was, and she felt instantly at home. She was, however, a little surprised by how much the family seemed to like Max. The more she learned about him, the more intrigued she became.
"So," she began. "Dominic Ashford mentioned you went to Harrow together. I didn't take you for a UK boarding school kid."
A flicker of surprise ran through his eyes. "I'm surprised he shared that with you."
"Is it a secret?"
"No. But I don't understand why you'd be talking about that."
"He said he'd known you a long time."
"Well, we certainly met a long time ago."
She wondered about the distinction he seemed to be making. "Does that mean you don't know each other well?"
Ignoring her question, he said, "What else did Dominic tell you?"
"That you used to work for the CIA."
He sat back in his chair, giving her a speculative look. "I don't think Dominic told you that; I think Special Agent Brennan did."
"Tyler mentioned he remembered meeting you somewhere overseas when he was in Delta Force," she admitted. "Why did you leave the CIA?"
He shrugged. "Why does anyone leave a job? I felt like making a change."
"And now you run security for Dominic Ashford?"
"I'm handling international security for him. He already has a team in the US."
Mrs. Kim appeared with a pot of tea and two cups, setting them down with a flourish. "Green tea. Very good for you. Make you strong, healthy." She poured for both of them, then disappeared again.
Kara wrapped her hands around the cup, grateful for the warmth. "How did you end up living in this neighborhood?"
"Does it matter?"
"Just curious. It would be an excellent cover for a CIA agent masquerading as a private security consultant."
