I made my way down the corridor, heart hammering. Lightly tapped on Quentin's open door.
"Come in."
I stepped inside.
Quentin looked up from his desk and his entire expression changed. Eyes widened slightly. A smile that started slow, then spread across his face like sunrise.
"Good morning," he said, standing.
And just like that, my carefully constructed composure cracked.
He wore a charcoal suit with a silver-gray tie that made his gray eyes look stormy. Dangerous. The kind of dangerous that made my stomach flip and my mission seem vastly more complicated.
"Good morning, Mr. Vanetti." I forced my voice steady. Professional. "I'm pleased to start."
"I'm pleased to have you." He came around the desk. Closer. "You look..." He caught himself. "Ready."
My eyes narrowed. That’s not what he was going to say.
"Thank you."
We stood there for a beat too long. Close enough that I wanted to lean into him.
He cleared his throat. Stepped back. "I'll introduce you to Barbara shortly. She'll show you the ropes, and help you get familiar with procedures. Don't hesitate to ask her anything. The only bad question is one that goes unasked."
"I understand."
"I want you to be comfortable with the position before she officially retires."
I chose my first question carefully. "Is there anything I shouldn't discuss with her? Business-wise, I mean. The Agency made it clear there are... sensitive topics."
"Good question." His smile sent butterflies through my stomach. "The answer is no. Barbara knows all my secrets."
All of them?
"She and I share a history," he continued. "There are things only we know about. Those will be off-limits, but you won't know enough to ask about them anyway. If you accidentally cross a line, she'll redirect you. No harm, no foul."
I wondered what secrets they shared. What skeletons lived in their combined closets.
My heart sank, knowing that I'd have to tell Carlo where Barbara was retiring. He’d want to send someone to—
I swallowed. No. I couldn’t think about that right now.
"You already have questions?" Quentin was watching me.
"No. Just reflecting on how much there is to learn." I smiled. "I'm ready to absorb it all."
"Like a sponge?"
"I was going to say like a lambskin chamois on a freshly washed BMW, but sure, sponge works."
He laughed. Actually laughed. "That's oddly specific."
"I like cars."
"I noticed. That Mercedes you drive—"
"You noticed my car?"
