“Justgo in sometime during your nephew’s game and leave it in the garbage can.”
“Butmake sure it’s well hidden,”Itell her. “Wewon’t be able to come immediately inside after you leave it, and we don’t want someone else to spot it first.”
“Okay.”
“Anddon’t worry,”Zoesays. “Youwon’t be able to spot us, but we’ll be watching, so we’ll see when you do the drop.”
Milanods atZoe, then reaches down to pick up her niece who has found a new dandelion that has gone to seed.Mila’seyes flick between the two of us, and as if she’s giving a fierce rallying cry at a volume that no one outside of the four of us (five, if you count my fake baby) can hear, she says, “Iwon’t let you down.”Iam sure she won’t.
Iam also sure that her niece is about to fully get a dandelion seed intoMila’snose withoutMilaeven seeing it coming.AsZoeandIwalk away, me pushing the stroller,IhearMilasneeze, then say, “Anja!”
Yep.Theniece succeeded.
CHAPTER 12
FROM SUITE TO CELLAR
ZOE
LedgerandIhave been hanging out in the common area of our suite all morning with our earpieces in, getting updates fromPackstonandCharlie, who isLedger’shandler today.Apparently, his normal handler,Kella, is away at some kind of appointment.We’veheard updates on other efforts to find the men stealing the art pieces, as well as more details about the art auction at the mansion that is now only three days away.
Mymissions are virtually always solo missions, and always withPackstonin my ear.Ifthere’s ever anyone else, it’sSully, just popping in onPackston’scomms to tell me something.HavingLedger’shandler in my ear, too, has been quite the adjustment.
Wesign off at the end of the meeting and, just like it has all morning— and, okay, all during the night, too— my mind goes back toLedgerat the fudbal field yesterday.Ijust can’t seem to stop thinking about him holding thatbaby doll.Hewas just so sweet with it.Heswaddled it and placed it in the stroller so carefully.Hecrouched down next to the stroller so he was closer to its height to coo at it.Hecradled it as he put it up to his shoulder and patted its back.
Andwhen he started bouncing the baby, even thoughMila’seyes weren’t on him,Inearly forgot everything, including what country we were in.
Thething about reading body language is that you can usually tell when someone’s being deceptive.Notbecause of telltale things, like how fast they are blinking or whether they’re making eye contact.Itaffects everything.Yourwords, the way you hold your body, your movements— both type and amount, everything.I’vebeen aroundLedgerenough to know what is normal for him, so it’s much easier to tell when something doesn’t line up.AllIhave to do is watch to see if another emotion peeks out somewhere because it’s impossible to manage all of your body language when there is something else going on in your head.Yourbody knows whether what you’re trying to show is authentic or not, and it’ll tattle on you.
Andit was all authentic.Hewas that authentically sweet with adoll.Ican’t seem to stop thinking about how he would be with a real baby.Itsurprises me that it has affected me so much.MaybebecauseInever knew my dad?Whoeverhe is, he doesn’t even knowIexist.Inever experienced having a dad gently pick me up and cradle me.
Ayear and a half ago, whenLedgerandIdid a mission together at a run-down cabin inMoldova, wegot to know each other pretty well.Hedid an impressive job of faking interest in me so that he could try to catch me off guard and get the prize himself.Tothe point thatIeven had a hard time finding any discordance at all in his body language— he’s that masterful at it.
AndIhad gone along with it because even thoughIknew it was a lie, it felt nice to have someone acting like they cared so much.Ididn’t think thatI’dbe left with real feelings when it was over— feelings that have been impossible to shake.
Now,Ledgerdoesn’t try to hide his negative feelings about me.Itreally helps to remind me to keep my distance.Butsince seeing him with that baby yesterday,I’mhaving a bit of trouble with that.Myheart was reminded of how it felt to be loved byLedger, even if it wasn’t real, and it’s craving that again, which is so dangerous.Whydidn’tIfight harder tonotcome on this mission with him?
EventhoughIwant to distance myself from him now,Istill have to know more.SoIsay, “Yesterday, when we met withMila, you seemed pretty experienced with that baby doll.”
He’sreviewing the mission stuff on his tablet that we just talked about, which is whatIshould be doing, and he looks up. “Oh, it’s becauseI’vegot a niece.Heidi.She’stwo, and she’s the coolest little kid.”
“Yourbrother has a kid?Ishe married?”Irealize thatIdon’t actually know much about his siblings.BackinMoldova, we talked about a lot of things, but mostly aboutour time as operatives, a few random things about childhood, our moms, and his dad who died.
“Notmarried.Thestork just dropped her on his doorstep.”
Iroll my eyes. “Ishe an intelligence operative?”Ican’t help my curiosity.It’snot that we can’t have kids— or marriages, for that matter; it’s just that most of us don’t.
“Blake?No.Hehas no love for theCSA.”
Inour ears,Charliechuckles and says, “Ifyou ever want to getBlakeall riled up, just ask him why he doesn’t work for theCSA.Orjust ask him if anyone should work for any intelligence agency.”
Istartle at her voice.Ididn’t realize she was on comms still. “YouknowBlake?”
“Imean, yeah.He’smy brother.”
Imouth toLedger,Charlie’syour sister?
Aknock on our hotel room door makes us both stand up quickly, darkening the screens of our tablets.Imake it to the door first and peek through the hole. “It’sthe hotel manager,”Isay quietly, andLedgeropens the door.