Page 61 of My Super Sexy Spy
“I’ll take you to the airport.”
I shook my head. “There’s a train that will take me. I have myrealpassport—thank you for that—and some cash. I’ll be fine.”
Liam had taken care of the passport thing at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. I’d contacted the hotel in Florence and had arranged to ship my luggage home. Patting my coat pocket to make sure I had my passport, I turned and started to walk away.
“Beth…please. Don’t leave like this. At least let me…”
I turned around but I could see he didn’t have the first clue what to say. “It’s okay, Liam. I get it. You know what, you can have this, too.”
I tossed the lock toward him and he caught it easily. I didn’t wait around to watch him read the two names I’d scribbled on the back with a Sharpie. Instead, I walked away.
14
One Week Later
Philadelphia
Beth
Venice is a playground for adults…
“Venice is crap,” I said, looking at what I’d written on my laptop. How was it possible the one time I could write about a real place because I’d been there, the words were suddenly gone?
Probably not surprising, my enthusiasm for my travel blog was waning considering there was no up-and-coming book.
The publishing offer, Andrea, the editor, all of it, fake. A ruse by my father to lure me to Europe. Just one more disappointment to come home to.
I took selfies for nothing!
My father, who I barely got to know, was gone. Liam was gone. My plans for the book were over, although if I really cared, I could reach out to a few editors who had contacted me in the past. I just couldn’t summon the energy for it.
It was back to me alone in my condo, the place where I should have felt safe, but I didn’t anymore. Not because I was worried Dmitri was going to pop out and kidnap me. Agent Davies, who had visited slashed stalked me before my trip, came by again to assure me that my father’s work had been successfully delivered to the United States government and that I was under no current threat from any foreign adversaries.
No, the reason I didn’t feel good in my condo like I had before was because of how restrictive it felt. How restless I was inside the four walls.
My sanctuary, my retreat from the world, the place I once contemplated never leaving again, because you know…Uber Eats brought you everything you needed…suddenly was this prison holding me back.
I’d been to places now. I’d had adventures.
Before this trip, I thought there had been enough drama in my life when I was a teen that I really didn’t need any more excitement. However, since this trip, it was like the windows were open and I was smelling fresh air again, and remembering I liked it.
Before this trip, I’d gotten into a relationship with a guy I really didn’t love and had sex I didn’t really care for. I didn’t leave my space if I could help it, and I didn’t connect with people because I couldn’t trust them.
Then Liam entered the picture and basically blew the doors off everything. He made me feel.
Fuck, he’d made me come.
The one guy who had been lying to me this whole time, and yet he was the one who’d taught me it was okay to give people a chance.
Logically I knew it didn’t make any sense, but it was simply how I felt.
Not that there was anything I could do about it. He’d pretty much lied to me, fucked me and used me to get what he wanted.
I should hate him. I did hate him!
I just also sort of missed him. And missing him made sitting in my condo harder, because it made me feel lonely instead of isolated.
Flipping open my laptop again, I closed out the sucky blog I’d been writing and opened Facebook instead.
