My thoughts race like a rat in a maze, but I can’t find a way out.
As we near the bouncing crowd, the music grows so loud I can barely hear myself think.
But I can hear Nick’s voice as he bends close to my ear and says, “What the hell are you doing, Alexandra? Nadia aborted your mission two hours ago.”
My eyes go wide, my pulse stuttering as the meaning of his words sinks in.
Nick knows who I am.
Nick knows I’m here on a mission.
And Nick knows Nadia is my handler.
Which means…
Oh, hell no…
It can’t be. It just can’t.
Not only is Nick a member of Union Ten, but he…
He outranks me?!
My lip curls as I lift my face to his. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“No, I’m not,” he says, smiling down at me like we’re out on a first date as he shouts over the wailing guitar. “You didn’t get the message, I take it?”
“No,” I snarl. “I didn’t.”
He nods. “Cell service is shite up here in the mountains. We’ll explain the mix-up to Nadia and try again soon. I’m certain it will all work out in the end.”
He’s certain it will all work out in the end? What the actual fuck? No spy out of his or her first year of fieldwork believes that kind of Pollyanna bullshit.
But before I can ask him if he’s serious, he adds, “And in the meantime, we’ll get to know each other better. I was hoping we’d get the chance to chat before I take over for Allan in the spring.”
Take over for Allan?
“You’re the new northeast director?”
Nick arches a wry brow. “You say that like I’ve confessed to torturing baby bunnies in my spare time.”
“More like full time,” I mutter.
“What’s that?” he asks.
Forcing a smile, I add in a louder voice, “I said congratulations. I’ve been wondering who got the job. As I’m sure you know, I applied for the position.”
And I should have been offered the position.
I have no idea what Nick’s story is, but there’s no doubt I’m more qualified. Prince Charming might have as many operations under his belt—might, though I doubt it—but I’m a year older. Even if he entered junior agent training at thirteen the way I did, I turned thirteen first, dammit.
“Heads up.” He nods to the crowd ahead of us. “Take a sharp left by the girl with the glow sticks around her neck. There’s a car waiting for us behind the stage. Well, waiting for me, but you can tag along if you’d like. Faster and less urine-scented than the bus.”
“Lovely, thank you,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Hey there, don’t stew,” Nick says, clearly reading my mood. “You’ll get another shot at this one. Stefano didn’t see your face. And you did the right thing back there, trying to save a fool in trouble. It was very sweet.”
“It was protocol.”
“Still sweet.” His arm tightens around my shoulders. “And that kiss? Totally worth the ginger ale to the crotch.”
“Don’t be disgusting.”
He laughs. “Hey, you’re the one who kissed me. I’m just saying I didn’t mind it. That’s all.”
“Well, I minded. And I still do. I don’t want to talk about it again. Ever. Do you understand?”
He glances down, his twin dimples popping as he says, “That good, huh? It’s okay. You can admit it. I know I’m an excellent kisser. Extraordinary, actually. Or so I’ve been told.”
I narrow my eyes, shooting hateful laser beams at him as we round the girl with the glow sticks and start toward the stage. “On second thought, I think I’ll take the bus home.”
“Are you sure? Nadia will want a report. It’ll be easier if we do it together.”
“Goodbye.” I veer to the right, but Nick catches my upper arm in his large hand, pulling me back beside him.
“Oh, come on. Don’t be a poor sport. I’ll be a fabulous boss. I promise. We’re going to get along famously, just as we used to. Remember that month at the lake when we were small? We were inseparable. You always came up with the best games. I thought you were the coolest person I’d ever met.”
“And I thought you were an annoying baby I tolerated because Lizzy and Sabrina were too shy to play in front of your brothers.”
He laughs. “See there? Look how much we have in common.”
I huff. “Like what?”
“We’d both rather play than sit on the sidelines, and we both grew up to be spies. What are the odds?” He beams down at me. “This is going to be great.”
It is not going to be great. Having Nick as a brother-in-law was bad enough, but having him as a boss…
I honestly almost wish he’d turned out to be an idiot with a gambling addiction. At least that’s a problem I could have solved.
But this?
This is a disaster. A nightmare coming true.
But instead of confessing I’d rather be covered in peanut butter and attacked by carnivorous ants than be outranked by him, I bite the inside of my lip and keep my mouth shut. I will bide my time, keep my eyes open, and wait for a chance to undo this tragic sequence of events.
Either Nick will prove himself unfit for his new office in some way or…
Or something.
I’ll figure it out.
But until I do, I have to be civil to him while we’re on the job.
Once we’re off the clock, however…
Well, then I fully intend to let him know I loathe him like damp socks on a cold winter’s day.
Chapter Two
Alexandra
Present Day…
“Zan! Earth to Zan!”
I’m pulled from my thoughts by my nemesis calling my name from the hot tub. I glance over, and he laughs.
“Hey there, space cadet,” he says. “Should we send a search and rescue team to the doorway?”
“That won’t be necessary,” I snap, my jaw clenching as I attempt to glare a hole through his forehead.
He laughs again, as unfazed by my irritation as he’s been all weekend. “Then come on, silly. You must be freezing. Hop in and warm up.” His eyes glitter into mine, and a smug smile curves his lips, almost as if he knows that I was just thinking about the kiss we shared and how much I hated it.
I really did hate it.
I hated it so much that I think about doing it again at least once a day. Sometimes more, if I’m unlucky enough to spend any portion of that day with Nickolas Von Bergen.
Dammit.
Nick’s smile widens. “I promise not to seek revenge if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ve totally forgotten that you almost drowned me when we were small.”
“I haven’t.” I force an equally obnoxious grin. “If only we could turn back time…”
Nick winces in faux pain and presses a hand to his chest. “Ouch. You wound me, Zan-Wan.”
I bat my lashes, my smile still in place. “Call me by a stupid nickname again, and you’ll wake up tomorrow without a single hair on your head.”