Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Oh, was he not happy to see her? “There’s no need for you to get my files. I won’t be working with you.”
Drake’s expression softened, a sure sign he still thought he could get to her. “Taylor, I want to talk to you. I need to talk to you, but I have to sort this out with Brad first. This mission is important or I promise you I would drop everything for the chance to talk to you again. Can we meet in an hour? Have you had dinner?”
“Dude, she is not going to talk to you alone,” Kyle whispered loud enough that she could hear. “That woman is pissed, and she’s going to take your balls if she gets a chance.”
At least one of them had good instincts. She might keep Kyle when she dumped Drake—who seemed to be under the mistaken impression that he was the one who wasn’t expendable. He seemed to think the op could go on without her, and that made her wonder exactly what he’d been told.
“She has zero reason to be angry with me,” Drake replied. “But I am confused about a whole lot of things. However, the mission comes first. Taylor, are you working tech on this? I was told the crew was small. I didn’t realize Constance had a tech.”
“He doesn’t know.” Kim’s voice was far lower than Kyle’s, proving she actually didn’t want to be heard. “He has no idea. How do you know him?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Taylor whispered before turning Drake’s way. “Constance doesn’t have a tech.”
“Then why are you here? Did you come looking for me?” Drake asked, one side of his mouth curling up slightly in an arrogant smile.
Of course he thought that. He thought she’d been pining for him, had begged for the assignment so she could get close to him again. He thought she was some pathetic thing who would actually long for the man who’d tricked her into bed. He’d probably done it a thousand times. “I barely remember your name. If I’d known you were the one they were sending, I would have explained to Brad that I won’t be working with you.”
His lips flattened out. “Okay, I’m not sure what that attitude is about, but we’re going to talk about it after I deal with Brad and Constance.”
“Drake,” Brad began.
Oh, she wasn’t about to let Brad take this moment from her. “I am Constance.”
The room seemed to freeze for a moment, and then Kyle chuckled. “I was about to say I’m pretty sure she’s Constance. So how did he screw you over? Was it on an op or did it involve his dick?”
“Oh, as mad as she is it was definitely his dick,” Kim replied. “It might have been on an op, but his dick was involved.”
What had truly been involved was her naivety. “It doesn’t matter. Brad, I’m not going to work with Mr. Radcliffe. He goes or the op is off.”
“How are you Constance?” Drake was shaking his head. “Constance has been with the Agency for twelve years. She’s one of our deadliest operatives.”
“Constance is exactly who I say she is.” She’d come up with the idea to create an operative. The classified nature of the Agency and intelligence operations around the world meant she could get away with a lot. With the help of a couple of people who didn’t know exactly what they were doing—and one who did—she’d managed to hack into some of the most secure data bases in the world in order to support the fiction she’d created.
“I don’t understand.” Drake took a step toward her, those expensive loafers climbing on the stairs.
She could explain the last eighteen months of her life to him, could point out all the ways she’d been brilliant and had fooled the entire intelligence world. But she didn’t care. “You don’t have to. You can leave or I will. I’m not working with you.”
“Taylor, I’m not sure what mistaken impression you’ve been given, but we can fix this,” he vowed, still moving toward her. “Let’s grab a beer and talk this out. I know it’s going to surprise you, but I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately. I have a confession to make. I’m glad you’re here because I was planning on breaking you out of wherever the Agency was holding you, baby. This saves me potential jail time.”
She had to laugh at the thought, though she wasn’t feeling amused. He honestly thought she was a moron. “I’ve been gone for a year and a half, and I suspect you could have found out where I was at any point in time.”
“No, he couldn’t have.” Brad didn’t look amused either, but then he should know she was going to fire him, too. “I didn’t know where you were half the time. Only the director and his deputy knew precisely where you were, and I didn’t know your real name until very recently or I would have dealt with this situation. Taylor, I know he went about trying to get information about your father in a way that seems distasteful…”