Alexei peered around curiously, taking everything in for only the second time. Sean watched as his gaze returned to the band posters time and time again. “Isfamily,da?”
Sean nodded after a moment. “My brothers. They play drums, bass, and sing in the band. Their best friend is theguitarist.”
Alexei slanted him a look. “Youleft.”
Sean opened his mouth, then closed it. That wasn’t what he expected to hear. “Yeah. A long time ago. You look that up in my records,orwhat?”
Alexei looked slightly guilty, though Sean couldn’t imagine why. Field teams were always granted access to the records of new team members. Alpha Team would’ve accessed his back inJanuary.
“Knew before, when I see posters first time,” Alexei admitted. “Little sistersbigfans.”
“Really?” Sean said with a faintlydisbelievinglook.
“Brothers not know about you? Likeparents?”
Sean turned away, hiding how much that question bothered him. “No. They don’t needtoknow.”
“ForCIA?”
“Yeah.”
Alexei muttered something under his breath that Sean couldn’t make out before heading for the kitchen. “Will make somethingforyou.”
“I can feed myself,” Sean called over his shoulder as he headed into thebedroom.
“Kakbudto.”
Sean ignored Alexei by letting the bedroom door slide shut behind him. He got out of his clothes with far more ease than he’d been able to earlier. His body didn’t hurt anymore, but a tiredness bordering on exhaustion was creeping through him, begging to be acknowledged. He dragged on a pair of sleeping pants and an old band T-shirt before wandering barefoot back into thelivingroom.
Alexei had managed to make a sandwich with whatever was left over in Sean’s fridge. More cheese and meat than anything else, because his metabolism needed protein and fatrightnow.
Sean took the plate with a little nod. “Thanks.”
Alexei lifted his hand to Sean’s face, and this time, Sean didn’t jerk away from his gentle fingers. Alexei’s thumb glided over the healed bones in his right cheek, resting for a few seconds against his temple, beforepullingaway.
“Teach you to duck,” Alexeifinallysaid.
Sean couldn’t help but roll his eyes and take a step back to hide the shiver that slipped down his spine from Alexei’s touch. “Not thisagain.”
Alexei tapped the side of the plate before stepping around him. “Eat. I come get you inmorning.”
“I can drive,” Sean protested as Alexei headed forthedoor.
“Tell Gracie ifyoudo.”
That was pretty underhanded and Sean couldn’t even bemad. “Fine.”
Alexei smirked at him and waved goodbye, obviously pleased with his win. The door slid shut behind him and Sean looked down at the sandwich on his plate, his stomachgrowling.
He’d eat, then sleep off the last twenty-four hours before waking up to deal with their current mess all over again. Sometimes his life was just a never-ending shit-storm of stress, but it was the quiet breaks in between, like now, that kept him from goingcrazy.
It helped, for once, that he didn’t have to end a missionalone.
5
Throw theDiceAway
Alexei lookedup from his tablet and the report on Adrian Wolcott he was reading. He watched as Sean sat down in the seat across from him. The private jet was the same one they’d taken to New Miami to extract him last week. At least this time the agent was in better condition. Sean didn’t have a completely forgettable face—his job would probably be easier if he did. He was nice to look at though, which Alexei had done a lot of over the past five days as they prepped for their mission to Las Vegas, not to mention the last fewmonths.
