Page 160 of Secret Weapon

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NINE

Hammering on the door woke me.

Shit, shit, shit!Where was my gun?There were arms around me.In bed…Can’t get found like this…Then my brain caught up and I realised they were Alex’s arms, not Rad’s, and Blackwood didn’t have the same ban on fraternisation that General Zacharov had insisted upon.

But who was at the door?

“Are you awake?”

Bradley.

“What do you want?”

I checked the clock; it was ten a.m.

“I picked up breakfast from the patisserie.And while you were out saving the world yesterday, you missed the flash sale at Macy’s, but fortunately you hadmoito do the hard work.They had a fantastic pair of boots that are soooo you, and a darling scarf with—”

“I was asleep,” I growled.

“Okay, so I guess I can just leave the bags outside.Emmy says there’s a debrief in an hour.”

Ana and I had slept for most of the trip back last night, and I still had so many questions.But at the same time, I wanted to curl up and close my eyes again.How long would it take me to throw on some clothes?Five minutes?So I could spend another fifty-five minutes in bed.

Alex nuzzled my neck.“How are you feeling this morning?”

“Fine.Why would I be anything else?”

“Hmm… Let me think… Maybe because you spent the night saving the world?”

“There were only nine men on the boat.It wasn’t difficult.”

He groaned into my hair.“Help me.I’ve fallen in love with Superwoman.”

“Superwoman is a Hollywood construct.My operational capabilities are down to years of training and experience, not special effects and—” Wait, what?“Can you say that again?”

“I’ve fallen in love with Superwoman?”

Yes, that was what I thought he’d said.I twisted in Alex’s arms, and his skin scratched against mine.

“Youloveme?How can you love me?”

“Because you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.I don’t expect you to say it back, not yet, but I know how I feel.”

“But…” Hold on a second… Why was Alex’s skin scratchy?I unpeeled his arm and held it up to the light to see a row of neat stitches, three inches long.“You got hurt?Who did this?How did it happen?”

“I was involved in an altercation last night.”

“At the terracotta house?”

“Yes.”

“With one of Ilya’s men?”

“Yes, but don’t worry; I took care of the problem.”

“Don’t worry?How can you say that?Do you realise how close this is to your brachial artery?If the blade had gone any deeper—”

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