Page 36 of My Super Sexy Spy
Liam. My given name is Liam.But, of course, I couldn’t tell her that.
However, I could do one right thing. I could be the good guy for once. Her hero.
“Okay, Beth. I’ll help get you home.”
9
Liam
“Can we leave now?Are the trains still running?” Beth asked.
“No, but I’m not taking you out by train. Too obvious. We’ll drive to Rome. Safer that way. At least until we get to Rome anyway. Driving in Rome is like taking your life in your hands. That can wait until tomorrow. There won’t be any flights out until then.”
Her hands twisted in her lap. “But we’re not stealing a car, right?”
Of course we were stealing a car. I needed something untraceable.
“It’s okay to steal if it’s for your country,” I explained.
Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t want to, if we don’t have to. I’ve stolen enough in my life. I’m trying to make amends at this point.”
I walked over, sat on the bed next to her, and took her hand. It felt small but also strong. That was the yin and yang of Beth. Tiny, vulnerable and insecure. Tough, strong and fearless. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. Back then. And now.”
She shook her head. “I’ll go home. I’ll stay tucked in. The bad stuff will stop happening.”
“You can’t live your life tucked away, Beth. That isn’t the answer either. Eventually this thing with your father will get resolved. One way or another.”
I hoped. For her sake.
She pulled her hand back. “We’ll see. Are you going to come with me? Back to the States?”
“No. My job is still to find your father. And my gut tells me if you’re here on the continent, then he’s around here somewhere. I’ll find him, too, although he won’t be as easy to track down as you.”
She was quiet for a second. “I guess I didn’t do such a great job of ditching you.”
Hard to do with an electronic tracking device in her shoes, but I didn’t tell her that.
“Are you going to get in trouble for helping me? Dmitri made it sound like you were supposed to torture me for answers just like he wanted to.”
“Dmitri’s default is torture. I like to use a little more finesse,” I said.
Was I going to get in trouble with my superiors? Probably. At this point, I didn’t care. This hadn’t ever happened to me. I’d never really cared about a target before. It’s the reason why I’d gotten into this work.
I’d never really connected to people in general. A loner in high school. A loner in college. Then onto spec ops in the military. All that crap I’d told her about having buddies was just more lies.
I excelled at the work because I never led with my feelings. Always my brain. Yes, Ted was a role, but the truth was, with Beth I hadn’t really gotten into character. I’d been more myself with her because I wanted the person whose blog I’d been reading for months now, to know me.
Not the version of me I chose to show the rest of the world.
“We should get some sleep,” I said. Because my chest was tight at the thought of sending her home. Of never seeing her again.
Not of defying my superiors.
She toed off her shoes then scooted over to the other side of the bed to make room for me.
“This is the second night in a row we’re sleeping together,” she stated.
“Yeah,” I laughed, laying down next to her. “Nice habit to get into.”
