She’d managed to push him from her mind since they said their farewells after their last mission. And she’d been successful—mostly. Sydney had been in and out of flings before, both with other agents and random operatives she’d met overseas. If there was one thing she was good at, it was walking away from a relationship.
But then she’d watched him through the dance studio’s window this morning—and felt the snare close around her again.
Damn it all.
“Tell me what’s up, then,” he said, folding his arms. “Unless you just wanted an autograph.”
Sydney composed herself, pulled her phone out of her pocket, and placed it on the table between them. The screen lit up—and seconds later, a hologram appeared between them, a video clip showing a black car parked on a dark street.
As they looked on, a grainy figure stepped out of the car and glanced surreptitiously over their shoulder before looking away. The video paused,then repeated once, before Sydney closed the clip and pocketed her phone again.
“Who was that?” Winter asked.
“I know almost as little about him as you do,” Sydney explained. “All I know is he’s one of ours—a Panacea agent sent to an overseas division called the Sapphire Cross.”
“The Sapphire Cross.” Winter frowned. “Isn’t that an international charity?”
She smiled at him. “As much as the Panacea Group is a luxury hotel.”
“Curiouser and curiouser,” he murmured.
“The agent was supposed to rendezvous with me two weeks ago in Washington, DC, to deliver some intel that he’s been gathering for the past three months. He never showed.”
“Maybe he just stood you up?”
Sydney studied her nails and refused to react to his tease. “Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe he’s in danger and needs our help. We don’t know, because we’ve been unable to make contact ever since, and in our experience, that’s never a good sign.”
“So what’s the mission?”
“An extraction. I’m going in to rescue him and bring him back home. Niall will be on the ground, as he’ll be coordinating with the CIA on it. And I’m in need of a partner.”
“A partner.” Winter regarded her carefully. “Me?”
“Glad you’re catching on.”
“Why me?”
Sydney took a sip of her coffee. “He’s stationed in Singapore.”
She saw Winter’s eyes light up in a flash of understanding.
“First stop on my Asia tour,” Winter said.
“Exactly.” Sydney pointed a finger at him in approval. “You’re scheduled to headline the Warcross Championship opening ceremony in Singapore, yes?”
He shrugged. “What, is the agent a fan of the Warcross games or me?”
“The intel’s vague, but I’m guessing he’s not there for your slick dance moves. We all know how huge that annual ceremony is, not to mention the gala. CEO Emika Chen is going to be there in person this year, and the event has a guest list that’s being vetted by Singapore’s prime minister himself.”
“But Panacea got your guy in without any problems.”
“We did, although now he’s missing in action. It will be a challenge to get another operative into that gala in time. To build up another ironclad cover will take months, time we don’t have.”
He folded his arms against the tabletop. “Except now you have me.”
She tilted her head at him and smiled. “Care to rehire me as a bodyguard?”
“I don’t know. You’re not very good at it,” he scoffed, leaning back in his chair. Somehow, even this simple gesture looked graceful on him. “I seem to recall barely making it out alive last time.”
