Page 15 of The Spy Who Ghosted Me

I walked across the narrow, paved road that wended around the expansive property. Before the party, I’d driven through the entire resort, getting a lay of the land, noting all entrances, exits, any unused structures. Ivy had also sent me a copy of the current guests and their backgrounds. Not much of interest had come up other than a DUI, a lewd conduct arrest, and failure to pay child support. I might have to beat some sense into that loser before he checked out—I knew all about deadbeat parents. Sometimes I wondered what my life would have been like if I’d had parents who cared about me. Perhaps I wouldn’t have chosen a life without a home or any genuine connections. Connections, Hugh often reminded me, were dangerous in our business. The first rule Hugh taught me was that feelings have no place in the field. He loved to say, “The second you let emotion overrule logic, you’re dead.”

I feared that was exactly what I was doing by taking on this assignment: letting the few emotions I’d ever had overrule me. Honestly, I hadn’t known what fear was until I met Sabrina. Now all I could think about was protecting her, fearing what I might do—or not do—to make that happen. I had to keep reminding myself that she was only part of my assignment, but every time she looked at me, even if it was to scowl, all I wanted to do was pull her to me and kiss her until I made her forget why she hated me.

Before I approached the white cottage with a wraparound porch, I had to think of a plausible reason for my visit. I supposed I could always go with the truth—I couldn’t stop thinking about her. That would more than likely tick her off, but her safety was more important than the wrath I was sure to endure at her hand. So, I strode across the stone path leading to the cottage that reminded me of Sabrina: calm, beautiful, and unique. While most of the accommodations on the property were log cabins, a few cottages dotted the property, but they looked nothing like this one.

Cautiously, I knocked on the door adorned with a fall wreath, the porch light shining in my eyes. “Sabrina,” I called out because of the late hour, wanting her to know it wasn’t a random stranger. Though she might argue I was a stranger to her.

It didn’t take long for her to speak through the door. “What are you doing here?”

“I can’t stop thinking about you. I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk around the lake or roast marshmallows in the firepit.”

She didn’t answer right away, giving me a false sense of hope. “Are you for real? The answer is no. Go away. I’m busy.”

Her being busy meddling was a problem. Think, think, think. How could I get her to both open the door in front of me and open the door to me? The thought occurred to give her what she wanted. I leaned my head on the door. “Sabrina, I know apologizing can’t make up for what I did, but I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know. And I know how much this place and your family mean to you, even though they stress you out sometimes. I can tell you’re worried about your sister and Soren. The guy gives off a lot of bad vibes. I think you have every right to be concerned. So if you need someone to talk to, I’m here. I even have some connections in law enforcement. If you want, I could probably talk one of them into doing a background check,” I offered, then waited, and waited, and waited. Damn. She wasn’t biting.

I turned to walk away, thinking I might just have to cut the electricity to the cottage. But then she peeked her gorgeous head out, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. “Were you bitten by a radioactive spider?”

I tilted my head, not sure if I’d heard her right. “What kind of question is that?”

She opened the door a little more, revealing how adorable she was in sweats. “I just wonder if you’re radioactive and if it should concern me.”

“You should always be cautious around radioactive material,” I played along with this odd conversation, though I meant what I’d said. I’d been around more than my fair share of radioactive material. “But just out of curiosity, why would you think I’m radioactive?”

She bit her lip as if she were embarrassed to say. “It’s just that every time I take a picture of you, it disappears, along with more photos. It’s the only explanation I can think of. Do you have a better one?”

“Why are you taking pictures of me?” I smirked, hoping to distract her from her concerns.

She wasn’t falling for it. She wrinkled her cute button nose. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because the weirdest things happen in my life when I’m with you. And you literally disappeared into thin air. Not even the owner of your flat in Bordeaux would admit to knowing you when I went to check on you. Explain that.”

I laughed. “Are you talking about Baptiste? He’s such a jokester. He was probably angry at me for breaking my contract early and figured he’d get me back by refusing to tell you where I’d gone. What better revenge than preventing a beautiful woman from contacting me?” The lies came so easily and naturally, I scared myself sometimes.

Sabrina thought for a moment, wringing her hands together. “Huh. Okay, then explain the picture thing.”

I shrugged, casually. “I don’t know. Have you checked with your phone carrier? Sounds like a problem on their end.”

She folded her arms, not buying it. “Then why does it only happen when I take pictures of you?”

“Sabrina, I don’t know. I guess it’s just a weird coincidence. Let’s take a picture together on my phone and we’ll see if it disappears.”

“Why do I need to be in it?”

“Because you’re beautiful and I’ve always regretted that I didn’t have a photo of you.” This was true.

She rolled her eyes. “Just forget about it.”

“All right. I’m sorry I upset you.”

“Are you really? Where have you been for the last three years?”

“Take a walk with me and I’ll tell you.” I needed to get her away from her electronics so Ivy could undo any damage she’d done.

She thought about it for a minute, hemming and hawing. “Can you really have a background check run on Soren?”

“If you take a walk with me, yes.” I grinned.

She let out a huge exhale. “Fine. Just let me slip on some shoes and get a jacket.”

I nodded, breathing a sigh of relief, all the while hating myself for the lies—and especially for the truth—I was about to tell her, knowing in the end that was what would hurt her the most when I disappeared again.

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