Page 144 of Vicious Temptation

Remi can deny it all she wants. I know she feels it too. It’s there in how easily we talk, how naturally we’ve started to fit into each other’s lives, and in the way she comes apart in my arms like there’s nowhere else she’d rather be.

Which only makes what I’m doing to her worse.

“Hey, Braga.”

I glance up to see Ryan standing in the open locker room doorway.

“You joining us for drinks at Frank’s on 5th?”

My attention returns to the phone in my hand. I haven’t even sent the damn message, yet some foolish part of me still hopes she’ll beat me to it. A text, a call, anything that tells me she’s sitting somewhere, thinking about me too. But it’s pushing ten, and my screen has stayed stubbornly quiet. I guess neither of us is willing to admit we miss the other first.

“Yeah.” I push away from the locker. “I’ll meet you there.”

Before I can tuck it away, my phone lights up with a new message.

I stupidly hope it’s her, but when I see the name, any hope of hearing from Remi disappears.

ELENA: Report. Facility.

Fucking Elena.

Whatever chance I had of grabbing a drink with the guys tonight just went to shit.

I shove the phone into my pocket, pull on my shirt, and grab my bag before heading through the building and out into the night.

The drive to Helios passes mostly in silence. I keep both hands on the wheel and my attention on the road, refusing to think about why Elena wants me there so late or what she might already know.

Once I clear security, I head toward her office, and the unease I’ve been trying to ignore has settled beneath my skin.

I don’t get far.

“Operative.” An unfamiliar voice stops me.

I turn to find a man I’ve never seen before standing several feet behind me. He appears to be in his mid-forties, dressed in an expensive suit and polished leather shoes. He motions toward a slate-gray metal door leading into the training wing. “Through there.”

A familiar sense of dread crawls up my spine.

I don’t move.

“What’s this?”

The man doesn’t answer. He simply waits, and I’m reminded of my first day here and of Elena’s version of a welcome party. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Helios, it’s that nothing happens without a reason, especially when no one bothers to give you one.

“Now,” he orders.

I stare him down for another second before heading for the door. Choice has never meant much inside these walls.

Already bracing for what comes next, I drop my bag and turn.

“Elena.”

Silence answers.

The training room is dim, with only a few overhead lights illuminating the mats and leaving the edges of the room in shadow. I scan the doorways and corners for any sign of movement, but I’m alone this time.

“Operative.” Her voice comes through the speakers above me.

“Why are you playing these games?”