Page 7 of Tempting Tessa

The bell tinkled as the coin connoisseur exited. Vasile gestured for them to step around the counter and follow him. “This way.”

Tommy hesitated as the curtain swung aside again. She gave him a pointed look, and his forehead creased with the battle inside his mind. Should he follow? Should he trust her? Should he head to London on his own?

Decision made, he smoothed out his frown and followed Vasile.

The back room was cramped, lit by a single bulb hanging from the ceiling. There were boxes of inventory, a decrepit desk with papers and an ancient typewriter against one wall, and a small cabinet with a large TV on top of it. The picture showed a soccer game, but the sound was turned off.

They wove around stacked boxes as he brought them into an even smaller room. He closed the door behind them and held up his arms to avoid touching them as he squeezed past and made his way to the desk.

Everything was high-tech here. A computer, multiple printers, a light table, a camera on an adjustable tripod, and a screen on the wall vied for space. “Who needs the papers,” he asked, “and what kind?”

Tessa hitched a thumb toward Tommy. “Him. Heath Mathers. American. Passport and American driver’s license from Arizona.” She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. “Here are the details. He also needs pages that show he’s been traveling internationally for the past year.”

“Locations?” the man asked.

“Mostly Europe. Nothing South of the border.”

He slipped a pair of reading glasses on his nose, eyeing Tommy with mild disdain. “He looks like a homeless lumberjack. Even with papers, no one will believe he’s anything but trouble.”

Tessa smirked. “Heistrouble, but that’s not your concern.”

Tommy issued a tight huff. “Will the two of you stop talking about me as if I’m not here?”

“You haven’t said anything useful,” Vasile replied. “Do you always let her do all the talking?”

Tommy looked like he might punch the guy in the face. “I can’t shut her up. Budapest, Vienna, here. Those are the places to put in my passport.”

The man dismissed him with a glance at her. “This will take time and money.”

“Half now, half when it’s done,” Tessa said. She pulled a bundle of euros from her backpack. This was their standard agreement, but she always insisted on being clear with instructions. “We’re in a hurry. I need the papers today.”

Vasile grumbled in both Romanian and English. “I’m good, but I need more time.”

He always said that. “I’m about to take him next door and make your wife very happy. You do want her to be happy, don’t you, Vasile? You start the documentation, and we’ll return for the picture shortly.”

“What’s next door?” Tommy asked.

She laid the veil on the desk next to the money. It would be a nice souvenir for Meg. “I’ll take this too.” Grabbing Tommy’s arm, she pulled him to the exit. “Time for your makeover.”

Four

The salon smelled of hairspray and citrus shampoo. The walls were painted a nauseating shade of pink, and a chandelier made of plastic crystals dangled precariously overhead.

Tommy sat in the chair, scowling at his reflection as the stylist—a stout woman with expertly dyed blond and purple-streaked hair—clipped away at his overgrown locks.

“Not so short,” he snapped, wincing as she ran the clippers close to his ear.

“You are lucky I don’t have to use my garden shears,” she snapped back in a thick accent.

“Stop being a baby,” Tessa said. Inches of his hair fell to the floor. She paced behind him, her mouth quirked to one side in thought. He saw her chewing the inside of her cheek as she strategized their next move.

It was sexy as hell.

She might claim that she hated the spy world and wanted nothing more to do with any of it, but she was damn good at this stuff. She had connections Meg didn’t. She knew how people thought and how to manipulate them without violence or threats. At least, nothingdirectlythreatening. She liked it when people owed her favors. When they felt indebted.

He wondered how much he would be indebted to her when this was over.

If I get out alive, I’ll give her anything she wants.

---