Page 20 of While You Were Spying
“Thanks for the invite, but I’m too busy these days to have time to date.”
“It doesn’t have to be a date. We can do something else.”
He says this at the same moment that I remove the vest and his gaze drops to my boobs.Nice going on being subtle.
“Thanks, but I’m going to have to pass.”
Landon and Adam join us, saving me from any more awkwardness.
Grinning, Landon slaps Carl on the back. “Shot you down, huh? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us.”
Adam snickers.
Carl looks as though I just smacked him in the face. “I’m sorry…I…didn’t realize you’re a lesbian. I wouldn’t have hit on you if I’d realized we bat for the same team.”
That has both Landon and Adam howling with laughter. Carl glances at them in confusion.
Clearly, Carl isn’t used to women turning him down.
7
Jayden
I takea seat on the wicker armchair on Josephine’s deck, which overlooks the bay. Far in the distance, on the other side of the water, the downtown San Francisco buildings are visible, the late-day fog keeping away for now.
Liza smiles brightly at me, with the same mischievous gleam in her eyes I’ve seen in my four-year-old nephew, right before he gets into trouble.
I nod at her with my own smile. “Did you two also know Bernard Bradshaw?” I ask her and Henri.
Josephine giggles like a schoolgirl, while looking the part of being a classic Hollywood pinup girl from the 1960s. “They’re here because they’re hoping you’ll remove your shirt for the interview.”
Isabelle groans. “I told you he’s not going to do that. For starters, we’re here on official business. Him questioning you while he’s shirtless would be highly unprofessional.”
“Are you telling me that CIA agents don’t remove their shirts while interviewing witnesses and the bad guys, even if it means getting more information from them?” Henri seems disappointed by that.
“CIA agents aren’t allowed to use their bodies to entice their subjects to give up information,” Isabelle clarifies.
The corners of my mouth twitch at the innuendo that I’m sure she hadn’t meant to suggest. And if her reaction a second later is any indication, I’m right about that. Her head dips forward as if she’s about to drop her face in her hands but catches herself.
“That’s right,” I say, “the CIA code of ethics strictly forbids it.”
Hell if I know if that’s true or not. Although something tells me that what Isabelle said isn’t entirely correct. When it comes to collecting intelligence on the enemy, you use whatever strategy works…as long as it’s legal.
And even then, under certain circumstances, everyone looks the other way when it isn’t. It’s not like the other side isn’t doing the same…using seduction and illegal means to gain secrets.
My stomach clenches unexpectedly at the thought and the memory of the conversation Isabelle and I had yesterday—the one about her wanting to work in the field. Would she try to seduce a dangerous man just to get information out of him?
Something tells me she would.
I clench my hands…and relax them. She’s not an operative or a CIA agent, so there’s no point in getting worked up over nothing.
Liam will never allow her to put herself in that kind of danger. She’s too important. Only Isabelle can run the agency with the level of efficiency it’s currently functioning at. We can’t afford to lose her.
“But even if they do,” Isabelle says, quickly recovering herself, “I keep telling you that Jayden isn’t a CIA agent.” She follows this by smoothly putting the interview back on track. “So let’s discuss Bernard. What else can you tell us about him?”
Josephine selects a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jam from the coffee table. “Can I ask why you’re inquiring about him?”
“The more we know about a potential client beforehand, the better prepared the team will be for successfully executing the mission.”
