Page 21 of The Spy

“But they could have met a whole cell here. We don’t have enough intel to move.”

“We have enough, at least on Ba Tu.” Lucan pulled out his laptop and showed her what Barlow had sent over. “We know his last sighting. We know he’s staying in this cheapo looking dive of a place. The security is terrible. We could do this.”

“We?” Anna jumped to her feet in her excitement. She had to say no to him. The risk was too great, but the temptation was greater. Queens did not run missions. But she loved working with Lucan. And he was going to walk out that door into the night without backup unless she followed, and the two of them together could do most anything, at least in training. Since then, she had a year’s worth of successful solo missions behind her and he even more.

“You in?” His eyes were serious. All flirting gone, his training kicked in. She searched his face for ten more seconds and then straightened her back, “I’m in.”

She rushed him through the building. “The most difficult part of our whole plan will be breaking out of the palace.”

“You think?” Lucan’s raised eyebrows told her he disagreed. He led her to the pool house.

“This whole place is tripped with wires. Barlow himself will be here in ten seconds if the alarm goes.”

“Watch this.” They went to a far corner where the pool equipment was stored. He opened the door to a small inside shed and showed her an upper window. “Not tripped with any wires.” He stopped and turned to her. “But when we get back, it will be.”

She shook her head. “I shouldn’t even be surprised.”

He pulled her close and stared into her eyes, his gaze full of promises, sincerity, love. “You will always be safe with me.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and she bit back an exasperated sigh. Did this man no longer believe in kissing? Their first kisses had been ones to remember. She had dwelt on their memory to keep her warm these last eighteen months.

He lifted her up, her foot in his hands, and she opened the window. It was wide enough for her to slide through, but she had no idea how Lucan would fit. When she jumped to the ground, she turned around to see him do the same, though much more awkwardly. “Help.” He grunted and she reached up to catch his shoulders as he fell forward out of the window, his arms still pinned behind him. She could not bear his weight but she helped steady him while he wedged one arm free and then another. Soon they were running through the back woods of her property, a backpack slung over his one arm.

“I assume you’re armed?”

He reached in and handed her a gun.

She winked. “Thank you. I feel better already.”

They reached a smaller road, and Lucan ran up to a car, beeping it open with his phone. They hopped in and the key fob was under the mat.

She shook her head. “If only I had done missions with you all this time.”

“They wanted to put us together once.”

“What?” She had known nothing about it.

“But because we are so closely related in profession and upbringing and had known each other before, they didn’t want to risk someone recognizing one or the other of us.”

She sighed. “That’s too bad.”

“But that reminds me.” He pulled a couple ski masks out of his pocket. “We don’t want these guys knowing who we are.”

Lucan slowed the car as they grew closer to the street where the hotel was located. He parked a couple blocks away and they ran the remaining distance.

Anna felt all her days as Sammy return with a glorious energy. “I could get used to this. Lucan, we have to create our own missions if we’re gonna retire. I needed this.”

“I like the sound of that. As long as I’m with you, I’m game for whatever life brings.”

“And I like the sound of that.”

They hushed and took in their surroundings. Lucan pointed to the lookouts. They wouldn’t put on the masks yet. First they would try to simply, get a room. But it had to be Lucan. The guy at the desk might recognize Anna and the last thing they needed was to alert the paparazzi.

He got them a room on the second floor, three down from where Barlow’s file said that the guys were staying. When they closed the door behind them, Lucan frowned. “I tried to get next door, but the man behind the hotel desk was getting suspicious.”

“So now we wait.” Anna looked around. The room appeared clean, if a bit stale.

Lucan moved to the window.

She came to stand behind him. “Do you miss this life?”

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