The Spy in 3B Read online

  “You’re up. Good.”

  “I wasn’t, but since you were texting me nonstop, now I am. What’s going on?”

  “Mads McLean was spotted in East LA today.”

  I sat up in bed. “When?”

  “This afternoon. He was bleeding. Looks like he might have run into some trouble. He saw a known underground concierge doctor, one of ours. He planted a tracker on McLean. I’ve already patched everything through to your tablet. The meet between Mads and Prochenko is Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. at the Bacchanal. Think you’ll be ready?”

  “Do I get to question McLean first, or is it kill on sight?”

  Curtis answered quickly. “We want him alive. We want to know who the new players are.”

  I could admit to myself that I was a little disappointed. “What about Prochenko? He came after me, Curtis.”

  “I know. And once we have the information we need, we’ll figure out what we’re going to do with him. But until then, bring him in breathing and talking too. Do you hear me?”

  I sighed and glared at the clock. I wouldn’t be sleeping now. Between my dream of Lyra and the situation with Prochenko, I might as well wake up. I sighed. “Yup, I’m on it.”

  “I’m serious, Marcus. We’re not messing around, okay?”

  “Yes, I hear you. I am a good little soldier. I can follow directions.”

  He sighed. “Don’t be a twat.”

  I laughed. “Look at you, fucking nailing Briticisms.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Curtis said, “You’ll be happy to know I have another little project to keep you busy tonight while you’re cooling your jets for the meeting between Prochenko and McLean. Stellan Tusk has a piece of decryption technology that we need to recover before he sells it on the black market. You need to take a team and crash a little party he’s having tonight, and I’ve sent all the details to your tablet. Call me back if you have any questions.”

  He hung up, and I dragged my sheets off. I could feel it. The adrenaline flood. It made me too edgy, too jumpy. I needed to calm my mind down and focus on the things I could control. Prochenko would be mine in a matter of days.

  First, I’d calm down my mind, and then I’d calm down my body with some exercise. And the number one thing guaranteed to zone me out mentally, to get me in that peaceful headspace, was cleaning my weapons.

  You have strange hobbies.

  I tried to ignore my internal peanut gallery. Then I went to the bookcase, opened up my concealed gun safe, and pulled out the weapons I’d need for that night.

  In systematic fashion, I dismantled them, pulled out my cleaning tools and gun oil, and applied them on my guns like every absolutely normal government contractor.

  But none of this is normal.

  Once all my guns were clean and my go bag was out and ready to pack, there was a knock at the door. I figured it was probably Mrs. Washington with my newspaper. She liked to drop it off on my doorstep as she was always up early. She never came inside, so I didn’t feel the need to hide everything away before I opened the door.

  But when I yanked it open, I stopped short, surprised to find Lyra on my doorstep. And instead of letting the door swing wide, I held it only slightly ajar. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?” My primary alarms hadn’t gone off.

  “No, I’m fine.” She held a bag of what smelled like sugary, fried deliciousness.

  “What’s all this?”

  “This is me returning a favor. You got me breakfast, used your body as a human shield, and brought me dinner when I really needed it.”

  I checked her face. Her bruise was far less visible that morning. But just because I couldn’t see it didn’t mean I’d forgotten it was there.

  “Your face looks better.”

  She shrugged. “Well, it’s just good makeup.”

  “You don’t look like you need it.”

  Her smile was tentative at first, but then her face broke into a larger grin. “You are good with flattery, Marcus Black.”

  She held up the doughnut bag and the coffee. “I assumed you would like it black.”

  I nodded slowly, reaching out through the door and using my foot to keep it from opening any farther. “Thank you.”

  She frowned slightly. “Um, are you busy coding or something?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, uh, now is not a great time.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Okay, sorry. I guess I’ll go finish getting ready for work. I just wanted to say thank you again for, you know, last night, and yesterday morning, and the other night, I guess.”

  For a woman who usually was so self-assured, she looked confused. Like I’d cut her off about something. “Well, you make the best wake up call.”

  She licked her lips, and I saw a dusting of sugar on one of the corners of her mouth. Just like last time, I reached out and wiped it off with my thumb. “You’ve got some sugar there.”

  Her breath caught, and my thumb hesitated. Christ. I wanted to kiss her. I really, really wanted to fucking kiss her. The pull was getting harder to ignore. Especially when her tongue reached out to lick the spot I’d brushed, and the tip flicked my thumb.

  I thought I’d caught the sound of my moan before it could escape, before it could give me away. But I knew it had been audible, because her pupils dilated and she swayed a little. All I wanted to do was step back and let her in and then put the powdery, dusty doughnuts all over her tits and lick them. And I would have. Fuck, I would have just given in. But I had my guns all over the coffee table, and there was absolutely no reason Marcus Black the video game designer should have guns on his table. So I kept the door just slightly ajar and pulled my thumb back like I’d been scorched. “Well, thank you for breakfast.”

  Her brow furrowed slightly. “I, uh… Maybe one of these days we should do this properly at my place.”

  Oh fuck, she was trying to kill me. That’s what this was. She was trying to kill me slowly with priapism. Wasn’t that the thing where if your dick was hard for more than four hours, you were supposed to go to the ER? That’s what she was doing to me. I tried to talk, but I couldn’t because my voice was too hoarse. I tried it again. “Yeah, maybe some other time. I, um, you know, am working.”

  She nodded. “Oh, right. Of course, I’ll just go get ready for work. I’ll, uh, return your dish later. Thanks again, Marcus. Have a good day.”

  “Yeah, you too, Lyra.”

  I watched her walk into her flat, and I had to grip the doorframe to keep myself from going after her.

  You do not have time for this. You have a mission. And until you catch Stannis, getting any closer to her just puts her in danger. Stand down, motherfucker.

  I did not want to fucking stand down. But I forced myself backward, closed my door, and leaned my forehead against it. To be safe, I locked it.

  Yeah, as if that will keep your dick locked in.

  It would have to, because for the time being, I had bigger fish to fry.

  Chapter 8

  Lyra

  I wished I could explain the feeling that had come over me. The clawing, acrid, bitter bile in my throat. It felt like… jealousy.

  Someone was in there with him.

  I could tell. His caginess, the unwillingness to even open the door. Christ, was she naked and laid out on his coffee table?

  Nope, I did not need to think about that. It wouldn’t help. He was well within his rights to have someone over. We weren’t a thing.

  Weren’t you the one who told him you didn’t want to pursue anything?

  That was until I saw him with someone else. Not that I’d seen anything. But I knew that he was hiding something in his apartment, and the only thing that made sense was another date.

  If I really wanted to, I could find out who was in there. Do a little background check on her. Make sure she wasn’t a psycho.

  You sound like a psycho.

  I did sound crazy. What the hell was wrong with me? It wasn’t that I didn’t want him; it was that I was trying to keep him
out of the fray. Did he find someone else who wanted him more, or was it someone already in his life?

  As I chomped on my own doughnut and took swigs of coffee while packing up for work, I called Addie. “Hey, can you get me eyes and ears on 5F West Harrison Street?”

  Addie laughed. “Good morning to you too. Yes, and thank you for the coffee you’re going to bring me after being in all night.”

  “Oh, sorry, I forgot that you weren’t off last night.”

  “No, I wasn’t. And you’ve got a job tonight.”

  I groaned. “Fine, brief me when I get in.”

  “Will do. But who are we spying on? That sounds like your address.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “It is my address, but it’s Marcus’s flat.”

  Addie laughed. “Oh no, we don’t spy on civilians.”

  “We do if they’re cheaters.”

  “A cheater?”

  I sighed. “Fine, I’m not dating him, per se, but he kissed me. So if he’s kissing me, why is he kissing other sexy women?”

  Addie inhaled a deep breath as if she was preparing to talk, to explain something very complex to a small child. “Sweetheart, is this the same guy you swore to stay away from because it was too dangerous for him?”

  “That’s beside the point. If he’s put himself in danger of catching a fucking STD from some hoe, then he’s on his own.”

  Addie just laughed. “Calm your tits. You don’t want him, remember?”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t want him. I just said I can’t have him.” I stepped into my Stuart Weitzman stilettos.

  “Look, you recognize that you sound jealous, right?”

  “I’m not jealous. I just thought he meant it when he said he was into me.”

  She laughed then. “Yes, but didn’t you say that he was boring?”

  “That was before the kiss. If I’d known he could kiss like that, I’d have kissed him on the first date.”

  “The one that got interrupted by your mission?”

  I frowned. “Okay fine, I would have kissed him on the second date.”

  “The one that got interrupted by his food poisoning?”

  I tried to curb my impatience. “Addie, can you just do it? I just need ears in his place.”

  “Oh boy,” she hooted. “You do like him.”

  “I do not like him. I am just concerned. You’re hearing my voice of concern.”

  “Sure, it is. And no, I’m not going to spy on him. You have traffic cams pointed at his apartment, and you can check those yourself. I’m not logging in on that for you. Roz will shit a brick when she finds out that is your plan. And I’m assuming you don’t want her up your ass about this.”

  “Fuck, no.”

  “Right. So, I’m not going to spy on him unless you think he needs to be spied on for some other reason. Do you think Prochenko has any reason to be after him?”

  I laughed. “Marcus? No. He is your general good guy. Nothing special about Marcus except the way he kisses and the love affair he has with our elderly neighbor.”

  Addie laughed. “Rose?”

  “Rose.”

  “I love that old lady. She’s cool.”

  I chuckled. “You would, because that’s who you’re going to end up like when you’re in your eighties.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears,” Addie agreed.

  “Except, you’ll have a lot more weapons.”

  “Hell yes, I will. Now get your ass in here. Mission brief in thirty minutes.”

  “I’m out the door now.”

  As I left, I tried to linger in the hallway, hoping to see whoever the hell was going to come out of his flat. But nothing happened.

  I glanced at my watch. If I didn’t get moving, I was going to be late.

  You’re not allowed to like him. Like someone else. You liking him isn’t going to be good for his health.

  Then I forced myself to get to work and to put thoughts of Marcus’s piercing deep blue eyes out of my mind.

  * * *

  Lyra

  Thirty minutes later during the mission briefing, Roz was pacing back and forth as she clicked buttons on the remote, showing our target for the night. “This mission is classified, so all I can give you are the basics. Our target is Stellan Tusk, and the goal is to acquire an important decryption device in his possession and get out without being discovered.”

  She turned back to her screen. “So here is the layout of the location where you’ll be attending a party hosted by Tusk. We’ve decided to send in a five-person team, and you should each have more details on your tablets.”

  She slid me a glance and asked. “Everyone understand?”

  We all nodded, and she approached me with her arms crossed. “Are you okay? Any lingering effects from the last mission?” Her hand reached out to graze the bruise on my cheek.

  It hurt a little, but I remained stoic. “It’s not like it’s my first time to be hurt like this. It’s nothing, really. I am mission ready for tonight.”

  “I know. That’s not what I mean. I just don’t want Prochenko in your head. I don’t think your mental health is compromised. I just want you to be careful and concentrate on the parameters of this mission.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  She laughed. “Okay, joke all you want, but I do care about you.”

  “I know. And I’m grateful. But I’m good. Prochenko came back for me, so when we finish this job, it’s time for payback.”

  “Revenge isn’t what we’re after here, Lyra. We want answers.”

  “I know. Bring the man in alive. I got you.”

  “Good.” Her smile was soft. “You look... I don’t know, keyed up. Everything okay with your dating life?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I know what you’re fishing for. Nothing happened.”

  Roz opened her mouth to say something else, but I put up my hands and cut her off. “I know, I know. Find love. I’m working on it. But maybe after we deal with Prochenko, okay?”

  She sighed. “Okay, but it’s actually important. I’d rather you start screwing someone than have to make extra appointments with the psych counselor.”

  I winced at that. I didn’t need to see a psych just because I wasn’t actively banging someone. “Like I said, I’m working on it. Now, can we deal with Tusk and then Prochenko first?”

  “Yeah, let’s get these assholes. No one comes after my agents.”

  “Excellent.”

  Then I left her and went back to my office. I had a brief to review, and I had to get ready for tonight. I could ignore my feelings about Marcus. I knew how to do my job, and there was no way I was letting him stand in my way.

  But a quick double check of my weapons pack and tablet told me I’d left my special hairpins that assembled into knives at home. Christ. I’d been so preoccupied I’d left them on my coffee table.

  Marcus Black was bad for my health and my sanity.

  Lucky for me, I had time before the mission rolled out to go home and get my pins. I could always get another pack from the armory, but every weapons checkout was monitored. With Tyler back and throwing me off, I didn’t need any extra attention on me.

  I glanced up quickly. I had two hours. More than enough time.

  * * *

  Marcus

  I only heard Lyra come home as I was prepping for that night’s mission because Mrs. Washington had her door opened and her voice was bright and sunny as she spoke. “Lyra, you’re back. Now, dear, I have a package for you. Hold on.”

  I jumped up, not like I’d been waiting for her or anything.

  Who are you kidding? You want to see her.

  I opened my door. “Hi, Lyra.”

  She whirled around, cheeks flushed. “Oh, hey, Marcus.” We both hesitated. But she spoke first. “Sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I know it was probably awkward. I just came to say that maybe I want to take you up on that dinner invitation. But obviously you were busy.”

  I studied her closely. What was her p
lay here?

  I narrowed my gaze. This was about what happened earlier. She thought I’d been with another woman. “Actually, I’m not free tonight.”

  She lifted a brow. “Well neither am I. I just forgot something that I needed, so I’m popping by to grab it before I go back out.” She tried to look beyond me into my flat. “Busy? Doing what?”

  “Just… busy.”

  She blinked slowly, her gaze never wavering from mine. “I didn’t mean tonight.” She shifted on her feet. “I have a work event.” With a nervous lick of her lips she said, “You know, you confuse me. The other day you were practically begging me to go out with you again. This morning you were occupied,” she said, using air quotes. “And now you’re busy again. Are you ghosting me?”

  I grinned at that. “I was just busy this morning, Lyra. There was no one else here.”

  Mrs. Washington approached with Lyra's box. “Here you are, dear.”

  “Oh, thank you, Rose. You’re very thoughtful.” Her voice was all saccharine sweet for our elderly neighbor.

  “Of course, honey,” she said, her tanned, leathery skin creasing as she smiled. “I do have to warn you that poor little Button did get into your packaging.”

  Was it my imagination, or did Lyra’s normally vibrant brown skin take on a gray pallor? “W-what?”

  “Yes, love. All that vibrating scared him something awful though. He must have accidentally turned it on, because that rabbit was wiggling all over the floor and it looked like it was chasing him.” She clasped her hand to her chest. “It gave him such a fright, but I was able to grab it and repackage it for you. Good as new. I wanted to make sure you got it. I know how us girls have to take care of things from time to time.”

  It took all my years of training to school my expression into a placid and uninterested expression.

  Lyra, on the other hand, looked frozen. Her face was plastered into a small smile, her eyes a little too wide, and her jaw too tight. And her skin was now almost pink, particularly in the cheeks. She was blushing.

  Oh, this just kept getting better and better. If I was right, somewhere in that Amazon packaging lay a slightly used-by-Button vibrator. And all three of us knew it.