Page 80 of Spies Like Us

He informed us that he had a discussion with her about joining our team, and to our immense pleasure, she agreed to a trial run, including moving into our new house. Ry was all twitterpated when he heard the news and started shopping for a bed. Dayton was able to put a stop to it by suggesting she might like to choose her own. He calmed down after that, but when we parted, he was busy trying to find the perfect welcome to the team present. I suggested a custom-made handgun, but he shot my idea down.

When I get downstairs, I find Jessica and Sally in the kitchen, and they seem to be havinga heated argument. It stops as soon as they see me, but as I move to the kitchen, I hear Sally take a breath.

“Are you gay?” she asks me, and I almost burst out laughing—not because it’s funny, but because I’m being interrogated by a teenager. Once this mission is over, no more roles in high school. I feel like I’m in that old eighties show 21 Jump Street.

“Um, not that it’s any of your business, but I’m bi,” I answer her.

“So you fuck both boys and girls?” she asks bluntly, and I look to Jessica for some help, but she just shrugs.

“Yes,” I reply honestly.

“So you really had a threesome with Mac?” Ah, I see where this is going now.

“Well, technically it was a foursome,” I say, confirming the supposed rumors, and her mouth drops open in shock while Jessica snickers.

“I warned you not to ask.”

“So all three of you fucked the same girl?” I actually get the feeling Sally isn’t being judgmental, she’s just curious.

“Yes. If you google Pornhub, I’m sure you can find an orgy to watch if you’re really interested in what goes where.”

“Are you a top or bottom?” she asks, and it’s my turn for my mouth to drop open. She’s fifteen. Do normal fifteen-year-olds know that kind of thing? Or is this a foster kid thing? Before I can answer, James arrives home. He has Will and Ty with him. He picked them up from a basketball game they had after school.

“Hey, kiddos, how’s things?” he says cheerfully as he helps himself to a beer out of the fridge. You’d think things would be awkward between us because of Friday night, but he’s going about his business like his mask made him completely unrecognizable.

“Phew, you smell,” Sally tells the two boys. “You better go have showers before Martha gets home.” They take her advice and leave the kitchen.

“She isn’t here?” James asks.

“No, she went to pick Mac up from the airstrip. The private jet was bringing her back today,” Sally tells him, sounding envious. “I wonder what she had to do to get an invite from that school.” She sounds skeptical, but before I can answer, Jessica does.

“Has anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t judge someone by how they look? Mac is probably one of the smartest kids in our year.” She then nods at me. “Miller’s probably not far behind her either.”

James looks at me, surprise in his eyes. “Good for you, kid. Martha said you’d like to go into something mechanical. I have an in with the local garage. I can ask if they are taking on any apprentices if you want,” James offers, and it’s all I can do to keep my face neutral. It’s actually really nice of him, and not what I expected.“Well, I guess maybe the plane was late. How about we order some pizza? Then she won’t be frantic about dinner when she gets home.” James pulls out his phone and slides it across the table to Jessica. “Use the app, and I’ll run upstairs and get changed. Suits are professional and all but really not comfortable.”

He follows the boys out of the kitchen, going to his bedroom to change. Jessica and Sally argue over which pizza to order when I get a text.

I pull out my phone, and there’s a message from Ry asking if Mac is home yet.

I reply, telling him not yet, and we text back and forth for a little while. It’s only once the pizza gets delivered and everyone else joins us that I start to worry.

“Where’s Martha and Mac?” Cassie asks, frowning as everyone grabs a plate and a piece of pizza.

I’m just about to send her a message when headlights appear, coming down the driveway, so I put my phone away and eat my pizza. We won’t have a lot of time to get ready for work before Anders picks us up. There’s a buzz of excitement, making my veins feel fizzy. I’m excited to see our new team member—our possible girlfriend. God, I feel like a sap. I’m giddy like Ryland gets, and I kind of want to punch myself in the junk.

When Martha walks in alone, though, my blood runs cold.

“Where’s Mac?” Jessica asks, looking over Martha’s shoulder.

“Oh, good, you got pizza. That’s wonderful. Good job, dear.” She presses a kiss to James’s head, and because I’m watching closely, I see him flinch.

“Jessica asked a question, Martha. Where’s Mac?” he asks carefully, and it’s in that instant I realize this man doesn’t have a clue where she is. He has nothing to do with her disappearance. Were we wrong about all of this?

Martha takes off her cardigan and hangs it on a hook before facing us with a huge smile. “I’m sorry I’m so late. Mac called me this afternoon to tell me they offered her early admission, and she was starting this week. There seemed to be no point in returning to Summerville. Jessica, dear, could you pack up Mac’s things? We will ship them to her.”

That little speech is what has me shifting my theory from James to Martha. Was she the kingpin all along, and we didn’t realize it? Or did she really receive a call from someone pretending to be Mac, and she is now in the wind? Fuck, I need to speak to the guys, and Lathan needs to track her.

It’s all I can do not to jump to my feet and bolt out the door as the rest of the kids express their excitement for Mac.

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