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Thecomment came from left field and takes me aback.Ihave never fallen for anyone while working for the agency. “Whatmakes you thinkIwould fall for her?”

“I’mwithLedger,”Charliesays. “I’mlooking at all her info— she’s totally your type.”

Whyare we having this conversation in the middle of an important mission?Livesare on the line here. “Ihaven’t dated anyone sinceLindsey, and that was more thansix years ago.Howwould you even know my type?”

“Frombeing your siblings our entire life,”Ledgersays.

“Andas my siblings, you knowIwould never compromise a mission for any reason.AndInever let things get personal.”Irepeat the lineLedgerjust said to me. “You’retalking to a professional here.”

Bothare silent in my earpiece for a moment beforeLedgersays, “Okay, let’s do this,” andIsee him saunter casually towardMackenzieand me.Whenhe reachesMackenzie, he slides the purse off her shoulder in one smooth motion and then races toward me and the parking lot.

Iplant my feet in preparation, then take off running asLedgerpasses by me.Themoment he’s cleared the row of bushes at the edge of the courtyard thatIknow will shield us from the view of shoppers,Ileap on him, tackling him to the pavement.Sureenough,Ledgermanages to spill the contents ofMackenzie’spurse.

Weboth immediately spin from the ground to a crouched position on either side of the purse.Lyingon the asphalt are two half-filled lotion tubes, four lip balms, three pens, a highlighter, aSharpie, car keys, a cell phone, fingernail clippers, a nail file, hand sanitizer, half a dozen bobby pins, several crumpled receipts, a small wallet, several hair bands, and, oddly, a little honeypot with a tiny wooden dipper stick.Wherethe label should’ve been is a sticker that reads,Youare memorable.Basedon how beat-up the label is, it has been in her purse for a while, andI’mcurious to know its significance.

Thereis also a clear, acrylic object the size of a double-thick credit card that must be the key.Ledgergrabs it asIsay, “Go.”

Hetakes off running toward the secluded spot on the main road where he left his car, probably pulling off his hat, jacket, and mustache as he goes.Iquickly scoop all the items back into the purse and stand.Severalpeople have stopped shopping to watch the short-lived chase and are giving me smiles now.Alittle boy standing nearby holds up a hand asIwalk past him.Ireturn his high-five, and the kid says, “Nicejob!”

Iwant everyone to go back to shopping already and to take their eyes off me.Myown eyes, though, are roaming for adversaries— especially for the intended target— asIhead back toMackenzie.

WhenIreachMackenzie, it’s been less than a minute sinceLedgergrabbed her purse, and she’s still standing in the same place, looking shocked at what just happened.Good.Shockedpeople don’t remember details well.Hereyes fall to her purse in my hand, and the expression of shock is replaced with relief and gratitude.Then, as her eyes dart up to meet mine, it’s replaced with recognition.Asmile spreads wide across her face, all traces of shock at the situation gone.

“Yousaved me again,” she says. “Well, you saved my purse.”

Ihand it to her and say, “Oh, hey— it’s you!” likeIdidn’t realize it was until this very moment. “Beenon any bad dates lately?”

Shelaughs. “Sincelast night?No.”Sheslings the purse onto her shoulder, just like it was beforeLedger“stole” it.Injust the way that madeHendricksonmistake her for the target.Ifshe leaves it there, it won’t take long at all for the intended target to find her.

SoItell her, “Ijust read an article that said when someone gets a bag or purse stolen and it’s returned quickly, there’s a thirty-one-point-seven percent chance it will get stolen again within the hour.Somethingabout the original theft making the object appear valuable to everyone else, so it triggers a crime of opportunity.”Igesture at the shopping bag she’s carrying that looks like it only has a single box of shoes in it. “Thatmight be a good place to put it to keep it out of sight.”

“Oh!”Shetakes the purse off her shoulder and pushes it into the bag. “Thankyou.Ihaven’t heard that before.”

Probablybecause it’s a statisticIjust made up.It’slikely wildly untrue in a general sense, but in this specific sense, there’s a one-hundred percent chance it will get stolen again.Andit marks her as a target for some unsavory people.

Iam surreptitiously looking around for threats coming from any direction.Thewoman who was the intended target has disappeared from my line of sight.Ineed to getMackenzieout of this area, and soon, in case the agents didn’t captureHendricksonand he comes back, or if the intended target realizes thatMackenziewas given her key.

Flirtingright now would be a good way to accomplish that.Butbetween the adrenaline that comes from any mission and the adrenaline from tacklingLedgerto the ground,Iam not on top of my game, and what comes out is, “It’sgood seeing you again.Wouldyou like to grab lunch with me?”Wayto lead into it,Jace.

“Oh, um,” she glances toward her left. “I’mhere with my friend, and we are getting lunch together.”

Findinga way to joke whileI’mworried for this woman’s safety,Ichuckle and say, “Oh, and you don’t want to have an awkward third wheel again?” just as her friend comes from behind her, hearing my response.

Thefriend stops besideMackenzieand her eyes scan me from head to toe.I’mwearing a t-shirt and jeans to blend in with the crowd instead of the dress shirt and slacksIwore at the restaurant, butIcan see the moment that she’s connected the dots anyway.

“Oh, you’re the mystery man from last night!”Sheturns toMackenzieto confirm, and when she nods, the friend turns back to me and holds out her hand. “I’mOlivia.Thebest friend.”

Ishake it and say, “Hi.I’mJace.Thethird wheel.”TheIDin my wallet right now saysJasonLangston, which is my most frequently used cover name, althoughIhave a dozen in total.Eachhas its own purpose.AllhaveIDcards.Allhave passports.Allhave elaborate and verifiable backstories, andIembody each of them whenIuse them.Itwouldn’t be a stretch to say thatIam one of my cover identities more often thanIam myself.IfIam ever introducing myself to someone, it’s almost always as one of those covers.

Yet, both last night and today, while in the presence ofMackenzie, my real name came out without me having consciously made the decision to do that.I’mnot even sure why, since it never happens.Inearly trip up and say a cover name even whenI’mdoing something non-agency-related that requires my real name, like changing car insurance, meeting with my accountant about taxes, or leaving a voice message on my grandma’s phone.There’sjust something about this woman that brings my real name out.

“Ican’t speak forMackenzie,”Oliviasays, “butItotally want an awkward third wheel to join us.I’msadIdidn’t get to experience it last night, butIwould love to today.”

Iam mentally cheering.ButMackenzieis givingOliviaa lookIcan’t interpret because it seems to be attached to a conversationIwasn’t a part of, andIsuddenly really want to know what she’s thinking.

Imanage a chuckle. “Let’sdo it, then.Iknow a place just upInterstateseventy a bit that is amazing.Ifwe go now, we can beat the lunch rush.”Ispot a beefy man wearing a cheap suit that screamsBodyguardfor hire, but he doesn’t notice us before he’s lost from sight again.

IfIwas here asJace, the person, trying to flirt with a womanImight want to go on a date with, and notJace, an intelligence operative for theClandestineServicesAgency, who is currently attempting to keep someone out of danger, thenIwould be much more accommodating.I’dlet them finish their shopping, for one.Maybetry to set up a time to get coffee or ask her out to dinner.Buildmore of a relationship before suggesting she leave with me right now.