His handsome head bobbed in a confirming nod. “If his men look into our story, which they most likely will, we needed it to be true.”
In its own bizarre way that made total sense. Only?—
“If he really has people who can do that, won’t they notice I didn’t check into this hotel until after we left the party?”
“Don’t worry about that. My people are very good at their jobs.”
“Meaning?”
Colt shoved his hands into his front pockets and sighed. “Meaning a digital trail has already been created that will show that you checked in here the same date and time as your original hotel. And don’t worry. There’s no longer a record of you having ever been there, so there’s no reason not to believe our story is anything but true.”
“How is that even possible?”
He looked back at her with an incredulous smirk. “Come on, Al. It’s the CIA, remember? We know a thing or two about covering our tracks.”
Alex felt as if she were staring back at a stranger, because, in that moment, that was exactly what Coulter Morgan was.
“None of it was true.” Her brow furrowed as a sudden rush of betrayal fell over her. “All those stupid stories you’ve shared about your work trips and the boring meetings and conferences you’ve been forced to endure. It was all bullshit, wasn’t it? From the moment we met, everything that’s come out of your mouth has been a lie.”
“Not everything.” His gorgeous blue eyes locked tightly with hers. “But the stories . . . yeah. Those were all designed to protect my cover and help keep you all safe.”
The entire room began to spin.
No, that was a lie. Alex’s entireworldhad just been tilted on its axis. Everything she thought was up had come crashing down, and she wasn’t sure where to go from here.
Fun-loving, never-serious, pain-in-her-ass Colt was actually an undercover agent with the CIA. Which also meant?—
“Gordan,” she whispered. “H-he really . . .” Alex couldn’t finish the bile-inducing sentence.
Her gaze searched his intently for even the slightest glimmer of a lie, but rather than finding deception, all she found was regret.
“Yes.” Colt gave a solemn nod. “And it’s my job to stop him.”
The breath left her lungs in a shaky rush as her knees began to quiver. A loud ringing filled both of her ears.
“Hey.” His voice sounded muffled. “Alex? Are you okay?”
She felt his hands on her shoulders as her stuttering gaze lifted back up to his. “Sorry, what?”
“I think maybe you should sit down.”
I think so, too.
Instead of the couch, Colt guided her to the nearby chair.
“There you go,” he crooned. “That’s it. Easy does it.” He kept a gentle hand on her elbow as he helped her settle onto the plush upholstery. “Okay, just sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
“To get you another drink.”
“I don’t need one.”
“Trust me, you do.”
Alex didn’t waste energy she clearly didn’t have by arguing with the stubborn man. Mostly because, if she were being totally honest, a drink sounded pretty damn good.
What the hell am I going to do now?
