Page 18 of Anything But Convenient

“Background check?” he said slowly.

Tank nodded. “Those people you helped tonight, they were put there by somebody. A few of them actually. And we have to be sure the people we’re working with, no matter at what level, are not connected to them. It’s a matter of safety.”

Archie frowned, though the worry in his expression cleared. “Makes sense, I guess. I’m still not too keen on the idea.”

“We don’t dig any deeper than necessary. Besides, like I said before, Sinclair vouched for you. He’s one of ours now. We trust him.”

That was big given how recently shit went sideways because of the person coming after Sinclair. Then again, none of that was his fault. The bad guys weren’t always the scary looking man who was obviously out to hurt you. A lot of the times, they came dressed in nice clothes, with a disarming smile.

As Tank left the room, I erased the board in front of me. I had questions of my own to ask, and I hoped Archie was up for an interrogation.

CHAPTER 7

ARCHIE

There really must bea HotGuys R’Us nearby. It was the only explanation I could think of to explain why everyone in this building made me want to drop to my knees and beg for their attention.

Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a touch.

The only person I truly wanted to do that for was the silent man seated beside me. His cold persona intrigued me far too much.

While the other men I’d met were attractive, Takeshi had a spark about him that spoke directly to my curiosity. I needed to know more about him.

What happened to him? Why was he so reluctant to learn ASL? How did he feel about Tank's proposal for us to get married?

It was silly of me to think I’d get to ask him all those things. Not when I could tell he had questions of his own burning beneath his gaze.

He scribbled on the white board as soon as Tank left us alone. I waited patiently for whatever he wanted to say to be spelled out. Rushing him wouldn’t help any of this along.

Besides, I didn’t want him to think I felt inconvenienced by his inability to speak. If anything, I felt a call to help him find better ways to communicate.

Only if he wanted it though.

I wasn’t going to force him into anything. He needed to decide on his own that this was what he wanted.

When he turned the board, I was surprised to see a list of five questions neatly numbered.

1. Your full name?

2. What is the deal you made with Tank?

3. Why are you agreeing to marry a stranger?

4. How old are you?

5. Tell me something no one else knows.

I grinned at the last one, curious as to why it was included. The other questions felt like he was trying to get details from me pertaining to the possibility of our fake marriage.

Or real marriage actually.

Nothing about it would be fake. It had to be one hundred percent legit to pass the scrutiny it would come under. The U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services office was very clear about their beliefs on fraud. If we were caught —

I couldn’t think like that. Believing we would fail would certainly lead us down that path.

Clearing my throat, I answered his questions to the best of my ability. “My full name is Archibald Leonid Kane. Please never refer to me as such. Archie is just fine. My parents had a field day with the name baby book, hence the foolishness that is my full identification.

“The deal I made with Tank is simple. He's going to try to help me with my citizenship no matter what. If we don’tget married, he’ll try to contact someone who might need an interpreter. This initial way — the one where we get married — is to benefit us both, according to him. The other would be for me alone, and I’m not sure what he’ll do with you after.

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