“And you want to keep the two halves of your life separate,” Scarlett surmised. “I can respect that. Can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing in your shoes. Hell, Ihavedone the same thing. Gone to people outside my usual circle for help, I mean.”
“It just makes things a lot easier, you know?”
“It does.” Her friend nodded. “Of course, keeping everyone at arm’s length also tends to make for a lot of long, lonely nights. Trust me.” Those green eyes landed back on hers. “This, I know.”
They were like two kindred spirits. Professional women who were all but married to their jobs. For Natalia, however, there was more to the nights she spent in her condo all alone.
It wasn’t merely because she had to work around the clock. Some days, yes. A lot of days, actually. But far too often, she’d let Scarlett and the others at work believe her job was the reason she couldn’t socialize more.
The truth was, Natalia had no personal life. Not one to speak of, anyway. The occasional night out at her go-to dance club. One where the chances of being recognized were all but slim to none.
It was the only time she ever allowed herself to be somewhat free. The one place she felt as though she could let her hair down. Let go of the past. Be more like the woman she was…before.
Before Afghanistan.
Before Julian died and everything in her life suddenly changed.
Now, even the occasional night out came with its own set of rules and guidelines. Limitations she’d put into place. Personal fail-safes, if you will.
Natalia always went out alone. If she met a man she felt a physical connection with, they always went to a hotel or his place.
Never, ever hers.
She also shared no names, professions, or any other sort of personal or potentially identifying information. No exception.
It never went beyond a few hours of meaningless escape. Safe, consensual, no-strings sex she could easily leave behind. Even then, it had been months since she’d spent any sort of intimate time with a man aside from those she worked with.
Almost a year, to be exact.
Jagger’s naturally tanned, handsome face filled her mind’s eye. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for one wild, passionate night with him. A few hours to finally,finallyget him out of her system once and for all.
The last-minute invite he’d tossed her way back at the hangar replayed through her mind...
If you happen to have some free time in your schedule over the next couple days, give me a call. Maybe we can have that lunch sooner, rather than later.
Maybe she would call him. If she could manage to get some time away, that is. Better yet, maybe she’d figure out how to put the mouthwatering operative out of her head once and for all.
“Home sweet home.” Scarlett pulled her car onto the small, paved driveway connected to the three-story, brick colonial townhome.
“Thanks again, Scar.” Natalia unbuckled her seatbelt. “For the ride, and for looking into the other. I know it’s a lot to ask, and I could get Delta or someone on my team to get the footage I need. But this is?—”
“Personal.” The brilliant woman smiled. “Like I said, I get it. And I’ll get to work on the hotel footage as soon as I get back home.”
“Okay. I’m going to take a few minutes to freshen up, then I’ll be locked away in meetings the rest of the day. But I’ll check in with you as soon as I’m free.”
“If you want, I can leave what I find on a voicemail, or?—”
“No!” When Scarlett’s big eyes blinked, Natalia rushed to clarify the unsettling blurt. “Sorry. I just meant…I’d prefer not to discuss any of this over the phone. Not by text or voicemail.”
Just in case.
“You think someone’s got your stuff bugged?”
“Given who I used to work for and the enemies I’ve made over the years, it’s always a possibility.”
Too many government players had their hands in the mess after everything went down in Afghanistan. A few had even made it clear they held her solely responsible for it all. Now wasn’t the time to risk trusting the wrong person.
As for potential enemies looking for revenge, it was a possibility that came with the job, but not something that typically kept her up at night with worry. The thought of someone possibly targeting her for revenge for what happenedto those hostages or something else from her past, however, would almost assuredly cost her a few hours’ sleep.
