Page 19 of While You Were Spying
We’re near the end of the hallway when a shadowed figure steps from either a room or passageway.
The protective vest says “terrorist,” but I don’t even need to see that to know it’s Susan. Her blonde ponytail is the giveaway.
She fires at us, but we’re quicker. Adam and I dive to the ground and return fire. Her arm is hit.
Our first target is out.
We continue to the end and peer around the corner. This time we’re faced with what could be a storage room. Props and naked mannequins fill the space, providing cover for both the opposite team and us.
Adam and I cautiously move from one item to the next, doing our best not to accidentally knock into anything and give away our location.
Without warning, paint bullets rain at us from up ahead. We dive behind a pair of metal file cabinets.
We call out, making sure neither man shooting at us is a member of our own team. Then for the next few minutes, it’s us against the enemy.
Until it’s just us.
Adam makes a daring move that wipes out the second terrorist. I eliminated the first one moments before that.
We high-five each other.
If Jayden and Liam could see me now, they would be more supportive of me being part of the team. I mean, sure, paintball isn’t the same as being out there for real, but there’s a reason these guys use the location as part of their training.
Of course, telling Jayden that I’ve been training here is about as good an idea as swimming alongside a great white shark while naked.
He also has connections. Connections that might end my days of practicing here.
But while that might be the case with Jayden, I have every intention of telling Liam the truth tomorrow. It’s about time he learns that I’m not as incapable of being an operative as he assumes.
The training exercise continues. By the time I rescue the mayor’s six-year-old daughter—a kid-sized mannequin in a dress and baseball cap—the only two individuals left are Landon and me. Adam was shot in the leg, Carl in the chest. All the terrorists have been killed.
The other team congratulates us, and we start packing up to leave.
I’m removing my vest when Carl saunters up to me.
“You did great in there,” he says, flashing me a dimple I hadn’t noticed before. He’s good-looking, but I can tell he’s not my type.
I love a confident man who knows what he wants and goes after it. He works hard for it but doesn’t take anything for granted. He’s confident, but not overly cocky.
Carl isn’t that man.
“Thanks,” I say. I can’t really tell him the same. The man was shot, and I never had a chance to see him in action. He was the first from our team to go down.
“I thought that we could go grab a bite,” he says. “Just the two of us.”
“Are you talking about a date?”
“I’m talking about getting to know each other—and yes, food will be involved.” He flashes me the dimple again.
“Sorry, but I have plans.” Which is true. Jayden and I are meeting with my grandmother to walk down memory lane when it comes to her and Bernard.
I catch Adam and Landon watching us from next to Landon’s jeep, both looking highly amused. I’m not sure if it’s because Carl asked me out for lunch or because I shot him down.
Landon says something to Adam, but I can’t hear what he said. Adam laughs.
They resume removing their gear.
“I’m busy tomorrow night, but what about Monday?” Carl says, his tone no less confident than before.
