Page 66 of Shadow Operative

Gage had only seen the guy’s picture on social media, but he was hard to miss with his fiery red hair and six-foot-five build.

That mandidlook like Cormac. But the guy they watched didn’t seem to be here for fun. Based on the way he weaved through the crowd, he was searching for someone.

And Cormac—if that was him—was supposed to be out of town.

So what was he doing here at Avenue 12?

Gage took Nia’s hand. “Let’s go find out why he’s here.”

His eyes still on Cormac, he movedthrough the crowd, winding between people dancing to robotic, pulsating music.

They reached the other side of the club and paused.

Where had Cormac gone?

A group of people had moved in front of Gage and Nia, dancing obnoxiously, and he’d taken his eyes off Cormac only for a few seconds.

In that amount of time, the guy had disappeared.

“He can’t be too far away,” Nia said above the music.

She was right. But . . .

A huge bar lined with stools stretched against the far wall, and an alcove leading into the bathrooms wasn’t terribly far away.

Could Cormac have picked up his pace and gone that way?

There was only one way to find out.

Gage led Nia toward the bathrooms. They seemed like the best bet. Unless Cormac had ducked behind the bar, there was nowhere else for him to hide.

They reached a short, dark hallway.

Several people lingered in the space . . . but no Cormac.

Gage would check inside, but that would require leaving Nia out here alone.

That wasn’t what he wanted to do.

Instead, they could wait for a few minutes.

But Gage’s suspicions about the man continued to rise.

Theydefinitelyneeded to talk to him.

Gage stood to the side with Nia as the minutes ticked by.

Cormac didn’t emerge from the bathroom.

Other men had come and gone.

Maybe Cormac wasn’t there.

“Do you think he saw us and slipped away?” Nia looked up, her eyes widening as if she hadn’t expected him to be so close.

His throat went dry as he stared into her eyes. As an unexpected flash of desire pulsed through him.

He wondered what it would be like to kiss her. To lean down. To press his lips onto hers.

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