Page 62 of Between Love and Honor

They were looking for a potential traitor. One who could tell Alexi she was still alive. She shot him a warning look but he was too busy charming the receptionist.

“And this must be the secretary’s niece.” As if reading her mind, Dorothy’s voice had gone up a decibel or two.

He didn’t miss a beat. “Yep. The secretary wanted me to show her around.”

Dorothy pulled out a visitor badge and handed it to Quinn.

“Normally, visitors, including family, have to wait in the reception area.” She indicated a sunny atrium room off to the side. “But the secretary has made an exception for you to visit the cyber lab. You must be very special to her.”

She took the badge from the receptionist. “Um, yes. She’s my favorite aunt.”

“I figured.” Dorothy pinned Ben with a serious look.

“She wanted me to remind you to have her niece back to the residence in time for tea.”

“Got it.” He linked his fingers through Quinn’s and tugged her toward the security station. “We won’t forget.”

Quinn planted her feet. Before they left the lighthouse, she’d tucked her handgun into her bag just in case they ran into any trouble along the way. There was no way she could go through security without setting off alarm bells.

He gave her a quizzical look.

“I didn’t think things through.” She motioned to her camera bag.

Rolling his eyes, he looked over at Dorothy for assistance. The receptionist, who was clearly more than that, jumped right to the rescue.

“I can hold that heavy camera bag here at the desk.”

Dorothy reached for the bag, but Quinn held tight.

Relinquishing it likely meant losing the last of her firearms.

“Do you want the list or not?” he murmured softly.

“That’s playing dirty.”

He arched an eyebrow at her.

With a resigned sigh, she handed the bag to Dorothy.

“The secretary will be peeved if anything is disturbed in there.”

Dorothy smiled admiringly as she took the bag. Quinn wasn’t sure but she thought the woman mumbled “well played” beneath her breath. Once they’d made it through security, he latched onto her arm and propelled her toward the lift.

“Thanks for not trusting me to protect you,” he said once the doors had closed them in.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you’re going to beat the bad guys over the head with a hard drive. One of us should be armed.”

“You’re perfectly safe in this building.”

“Can I trust Mrs. Moneypenny not to take my last gun?”

Her James Bond reference had his face relaxing. “If Secretary Lyle wants you to have it, you will.”

“I’m really beginning to dislike your beloved secretary.”

The doors opened to the sun-filled center atrium. Catwalks linked the rows of offices behind glass walls giving the workspace a vibe of relentless energy. The building’s airy, open interior could not have been more different from its bland exterior. Quinn was busy admiring the architecture when two men rounded the corner. Before she knew it, Ben had her pressed up against his body and his lips locked with hers. Not that she put up much resistance, eagerly returning the kiss with a sigh.

“What was that for?” she asked when he pulled away too quickly.

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