Page 87 of Being Bold
“Spoofing,” Romeo blurted, then looked to Victor for confirmation.
“Yeah,” his gaze returned to Selene, explaining, “that message wasn’t really from her. Someone just wanted it to look like it was.”
“Who would do that?” Selene asked, but no one had an answer for her.
Bo could hazard a guess, but he was shooting in the dark without knowing more about Yumi’s background.
“Why wouldn’t she tell us if she’d already found the servers? We could’ve helped take them out,” Herc grumbled.
Heads nodded around the table in agreement. In the beginning, Bo had doubts about the agent, but she’d proven him wrong. She’d done everything she’d said she would—helped them find Dao, protected Selene, and if she’d found the servers, he’d wager she destroyed the AI.
Unless someone prevented her from doing so.
He didn’t want to voice that option and make Selene worry more. With all of TOP searching, they’d find Yumi.
Rogue frowned, a thoughtful crease forming between her brows. “Maybe she didn’t have time to, or she didn’t have a secure way to let us know.” She tapped a finger to her bottom lip. “The CIA dropped her, so she won’t have access to their resources anymore. She won’t be easy to find if she’s gone dark.”
Bo spoke up for Selene’s sake. “We’ll find her. Yumi’s one of us now.”
Victor’s stern expression didn’t waver. “TOP leadership wants confirmation Yumi succeeded in wiping Sentient Shadow from existence. If she didn’t . . .”
Bo swore under his breath.Not fucking good.
“So much for R&R,” Duke commented.
Crane’s phone rang, breaking the tension in the room. “Sorry,” he said before glancing at the caller ID. Wearing a slight frown, he silenced it only for it to ring again seconds later. Concern etched his features, and he lifted his head, probably to ask Victor to step out.
He didn’t have to say the words, though. Their team leader gave a curt nod, then zeroed in on Selene. The intensity on his face had Bo shifting in his seat. “Selene, TOP would like to offer you a job as a translator. You could work remotely, and there’d be travel involved if your language skills were needed for an op.”
Fear sweat broke out on Bo’s neck, and he opened his mouth to demand, “Behind the scenes, right? No more playing bait or taking risks with her safety.”
Victor smiled, but it was brief. “It’d be a strictly non-operational role.”
When she shivered as if the mere idea of being in danger brought back unpleasant memories, Bo gripped her hand tighter. She closed her eyes, then opened them after blowing out a breath. “I’m good with that.”
Bo squeezed the hand he held. “Then I’d love to have you in my ear.”
A genuine smile spread across her lips. Relief that she’d be safe, and he wouldn’t have to disappear on her for his job, made him return the smile. As the team congratulated her, she blushed at the attention.
Victor’s commanding voice spoke over the celebrations. “Everyone take today but meet back here at zero eight tomorrow morning. By then, we should have a bead on Yumi’s location.”
Bo assumed that meant asking favors from contacts at the three-letter agencies, but he didn’t need to know. All he needed was Selene.
He stood, tugging her to her feet. He could feel the stress weighing her down and wanted to ease her worries about her friend. “Yumi is smart and tough. I bet she finds a way to contact us before we even find her.”
She smiled at his words, but it looked forced. “I know you’re right. It’s just hard not to worry.”
Hoping to lighten her mood, he cupped her face and lifted an eyebrow. “Then it looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.”
Her chuckle rewarded him as she caught his meaning. Brushing her hair over her shoulder, he let his palm linger on her skin. “Let’s get out of here.”
Thirty minutes later, they entered their hotel room. It wasn’t as grand or eclectic as the place they’d stayed in Montreal, but it had everything they needed—namely, a bed. His thoughts kept ending up there despite Selene being on the phone with her parents. Now that they were safe, she’d called to catch up, which meant letting them know about quitting her job at Saber Tech and starting a new one. She fudged over some of the details, likely so they wouldn’t worry.
Unable to not touch her, Bo wrapped his arms around her from behind. Leaning in, he rested his chin on her shoulder while she spoke to her parents about a vacation they wanted to take together. “Yes. As soon as I have time on the books, we’ll travel to Barcelona.” There was a pause before she added, a smile in her voice as she tilted her head to meet his gaze. “Oh, and I have someone I want you to meet.”
When she hung up, he grinned and said, “Say Barcelona again.”
With a smile, she obliged him.
