Page 45 of Knight Moves

“Excuse me?”

“You’re a mystery to me.”

That was weird, because I’d thought the same thing about him. But now my curiosity took over. “Why would you want to figure me out?”

“Why? You know why. It’s smart to keep an eye on the competition. There’s just something about you, Red. I can’t put my finger on it, and that bugs me.”

“Maybe you haven’t met anybody who can resist your charm,” I said drily.

“Ah, so you admit I’m charming.”

My cheeks heated. “I’m not admitting anything.” But his smile widened, and I hated that my heart did a little leap.

“So, why didn’t you go to the movies with Wally and Frankie?” he asked.

“How did you know about that?”

He leaned across the table, lowering his voice to a whisper, his face close enough to mine so I could feel his breath against my cheek. “Spy school, remember?”

I rolled my eyes at the dramatic tone of the whisper. “Well, why didn’tyougo to the movies?”

“No one asked me.”

“Oh.” I fell quiet. I’d always been on the outside, and now that I wasn’t, I’d forgotten about those who were. I wasn’t sure what that said about me.

He wrapped both hands around the mug, watching me thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve been thinking about what you did in the maze. Sacrificing yourself for your friend…that took guts.”

“Not really.”

“Yes, really. Didn’t peg for you that, which is part of your intrigue. You’re not going to quit the trials, are you?”

His question made me wonder why he’d asked. “Why would I quit the trials? I’m not a quitter. They’ll have to boot me out first, which I admit could happen. Are you quitting?”

“No way. I wouldn’t give up. But that doesn’t mean I won’t get kicked out.”

“Why would you get kicked out? You’re probably the best suited of any of us for this kind of work. You don’t seem intimidated by anything.”

“Is that so?” He raised an eyebrow. Pushing aside his coffee mug, he leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “What else have you noticed about me?”

“You’re not afraid to challenge authority, you’re smart, quick on your feet, and you have a loose code of honor, which is probably a good thing for an operative. You’re also physically fit and not bad-looking, either. Seems a perfect fit for the criteria of an operative to me.”

He laughed. “Really? That’s what you see in me? Most of the other candidates would say I’m a troublemaker.”

“You are. Kind of.” I lifted my hands to soften the blow. “You purposely seem to look for trouble. Why?”

“It isn’t hard to find trouble when you don’t have to go far to get it.” His voice was light, but I could hear something else just below the surface.

I shook my head. “I don’t believe that. I think that’s just an excuse. In fact, there’s something aboutyouI can’t put my finger on.” Having played back his own words, I gave him a self-satisfied smile.

He seemed impressed, and his smile widened. “Touché.”

Taking my croissant, I split it in half, handing a part over. It was a peace offering of sorts. “Here, have some.”

He reached out and took it, his warm fingers brushing mine. “Thanks.”

He took a bite, regarded me thoughtfully. “So, you’re good at math, and even better with computers. What else can you do?”

“I like chemistry.” I took my own bite of the croissant and chewed before speaking again. “How about you? Other than math and engineering, what’s your specialty?”

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