“I didn’t crash anything. I bought a ticket. The foundation’s doing important work, apparently.”
Her jaw tightened at that. He didn’t know how bitterly ironic that statement was, and she couldn’t tell him.
And as much as she wished she could stay here and flirt with him—and she didn’t deceive herself into believing that wasn’texactlywhat she wanted to do—the computer drive in her pocket was more important than her own wants.
She needed to get out of here.
“Walk with me,” she said. “I can’t stand in one place too long. Occupational hazard.”
He fell into step beside her. She steered them away from the main crowd, toward the south end of the grounds and the hedge maze. The lights from the party thinned out here. The music softened into something distant and atmospheric.
“The masks must make your job easier,” he said.
She didn’t confirm or deny.
“How do you pick them?” he asked. “Your targets. What makes one rich person’s pockets more interesting than another’s?”
“Maybe I just like pockets.”
He laughed. Short, surprised, genuine. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the one you’re getting.”
His hand found her elbow again as they walked, guiding her around a low hedge border she’d already seen. She didn’t need the help. She should pull away. She didn’t.
“Come on.” He nudged her, the gesture almost playful. “Give me something. I bought a ticket and put on a mask for this conversation.”
She pointed at the top of his head where his mask sat. “You took the mask off.”
“It was itchy. Stop deflecting.”
She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. “Why does it matter to you? Why I pick who I pick?”
“Because I’ve been thinking about it since my watch somehow went missing, and every answer I come up with makes you more interesting.” His thumb traced a small circle against the inside of her elbow. Casual. Devastating. “Which is a problem, since you were already pretty interesting.”
“Sounds like you need to hang out with a larger variety of people.”
“You have no idea how true that is.” He held her gaze, and the warmth in it was worse than any interrogation. “I just want to know if there’s a reason. That’s all.”
“There’s always a reason. Maybe I like to help karma along.” She let him have that much. “Happy?”
“Getting there.”
She didn’t have a response to that. Or she had several, and none of them were safe.
The maze entrance was just ahead now. A pair of guards were stationed at the opening, starting to set up a rope barrier. The maze was being closed for the night—too dark for guests without pathway lights.
“You really don’t have a team here? You’re not about to dump me over your shoulder and carry me kicking and screaming into some stranger danger van?”
Now he laughed outright. It changed everything about his face—made him look younger, not quite so dangerous.
And oh-so-kissable.
“Is that what you think we do at Zodiac?”
“Maybe.”
“It’s not.” He tilted his head. “At least, not usually. Sometimes.”
