Page 62 of Code Name: Admiral

“What?” she asked.

“I like seeing you enjoy something so simple.”

She dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “Simple pleasures are sometimes the best ones.” Her eyes met mine with heat that had nothing to do with breakfast. “Speaking of which…I usually do yoga in the mornings.”

“Are you inviting me to join you?”

“Maybe.” She set her empty plate aside. “Though I warn you, some of the poses are challenging.”

I raised a brow. “Are you saying I’m not flexible enough?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” She slid off the bed and held out her hand. “Come on, G-man. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

How could I resist that challenge? Plus, watching Alice move through yoga poses promised to be its own reward. “Lead the way.”

I was helping her move her meditation cushion out of the way so she could set up her yoga mat when my cell phone buzzed. The message was brief but hit me as hard as if it had been a physical punch to the gut.

Need to meet. Task force isn’t what you think. Myers Park, 0400. Come alone. CS

I deleted it immediately, but the words burned in my mind. The message was from Chad Sweeney, my mentor and the man Grit had suggested was the mole. Even thinking he could be felt like a betrayal of all he’d done for me.

“Are you okay?” Alice asked. The way she studied my face with her penetrating green eyes felt like she could see right through me.

“Yeah.” The lie tasted bitter. I’d promised her we’d work through everything we faced together, but this, I wasn’t ready to share. Not when the wrong move could get us both killed. “Just bureaucracy crap.”

She nodded, but I could tell she wasn’t convinced. “More yoga, less bureaucracy,” she said, patting the mat beside her. “At least for the next half hour.”

I watched her move through her poses, grateful for this moment of peace even as my mind raced with possibilities. If Grit was right about Sweeney…but he couldn’t be. Could he? The man who’d recruited me, mentored me, fought for my career—how could he be working with the Castellanos?

But if he wasn’t the mole, why arrange a middle-of-the-night meeting in Gloversville—a town hours from his location but only twenty minutes from mine?

“Your thoughts are very loud,” Alice said from her warrior pose. She opened one eye. “You’re bumming out my chi.”

I grinned. “Sorry. There’s something I need to take care of.”

“Go ahead.”

I leaned down and kissed her cheek, then left the room in search of Tank.

“I need you to run surveillance on something tonight,” I said quietly, showing him the coordinates. “Actually, zero four hundred.”

His eyes narrowed. “Lemme guess. Sweeney?”

I’d ask how he knew, but who else would’ve asked for a meeting at such an early hour? One of the Castellanos?

“Yeah. Let’s keep this between us for now.”

“Roger that.” He studied the map on his tablet and shook his head. “I’m not comfortable with just you and me going in. I can have teams in place by zero three hundred.”

“I’ll follow your lead on this, but I want Alice protected while I’m gone. Double the perimeter watch.”

“Already on it.” Tank still appeared troubled. “You sure about this, boss?”

No, I wasn’t sure about anything except that I had to know the truth. “Have Atticus sweep the route for surveillance. If Sweeney’s compromised…”

“We’ll be ready.” Tank squeezed my shoulder. “But watch your six. This feels wrong.”

It felt wrong because it was wrong. The timing was too convenient, especially after Grit’s accusations, combined with the evidence against him that had magically appeared earlier.

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