AndIremind myself that he is an intelligence operative.Iam an intelligence operative.Evenif only one of those two things were true, we wouldn’twork.Butwith two?It’san impossibility.Partlybecause feelings can’t be trusted.Mineor his.Weare too good at faking.
JustlikeLedgerright now withMonaLiza.Hesees that she’s responding to his flirting, so he’s giving her more of it.IknowLedgerwell enough now to spot his tells when he’s lying.Everyspy has a tell that appears when they are telling part of a cover story.Manipulatingthe situation.It’sdifferent for everyone, it’s subtle enough that operatives don’t usually pick up on the tells of other operatives, and usually, the operatives themselves don’t even realize they are doing it.
Butif you study an operative well enough, you can spot it.Sometimes, it’s rubbing their chin, licking their lips, playing with a watch, straightening a tie, brushing lint off their shirt.ForLedger, it’s scratching his left cheek with the back of his middle finger on his right hand.
“So,”Flynnsays in a quiet voice as we both stand next to a pedestal, studying an abstract sculpture of a spiral staircase that seems to ascend into infinity, “how long have you been in love with your boss?”
CHAPTER 16
EYES ON THE PRIZE
ZOE
“W
hat?”Isay, pulling back fromFlynna bit.Thereis no way he picked up on my changing thoughts aboutLedger.
“I’veseen the way you look at him when you’re pretending to look at the art.”
Iam an intelligence operative.Iam sneaky for a living.WasIreally obvious enough in my surveillance ofLedgerforFlynnto notice?Iguess observing animals for a living can make someone really good at noticing details.Ichoose to respond by ducking my chin a bit as ifI’membarrassed that he knows. “It’snew, actually.Wasit obvious?”
“Notat all.Doeshe know?”
Ishake my head.
“Ahh.Secretlove.”
Thefact thatFlynnnoticed me look atLedgeralso makes me realize that he’s much too observant to not catch me sneaking a tracker onto the piece.Idon’t even go neartheTrustsculpture becauseIdon’t wantFlynnto think of me in relation to it later, like afterAragundi’smen steal it.ButIdo want to know more about the security features protecting it.
Westep up to a creation on a pedestal that looks like shattered pieces of colored glass were arranged to form a cityscape.It’sresting on the same kind of pedestal that theTrustsculpture is, soI’mchecking it out fully.Iadmire it from one direction, and then from another, looking to see how the light catches it and casts shadows in different colors.ThenIreach a hand out, like it’s just drawing me to it andIcan’t help but touch it.Iplan to just give it a teeny bump.Notenough to move it, but enough to tell me how sensitive the security on it is.
Beforemy hand can touch it, though,Flynnblocks my attempt and gently moves my hand away. “Careful,Kaila.Everymove is recorded, and each of these pieces is rigged with a state-of-the-art security system.Eventhe slightest shift in pressure will trigger an alarm.It’snot just a loud bell, either.It’llimmediately lock down the gallery.It’show we can keep it easy to view without it having a physical barrier.”
Ithank him for stopping me from doing something really embarrassing, but really,I’mthanking him for letting me know whatI’llneed to do whenIcome back.
Weshift to the other side of the gallery— the side whereLedgerandElizastarted— and look at several pieces there whenIsense thatLedgeris about finished.Iturn toFlynnand thank him for being so attentive and showing me around.
Heleans in close and says, “Bythe way,I’vebeen watching how your boss gazes at you when you aren’t looking.Idon’t think you’re the only one who is secretly in love.”
Myeyes flash toFlynn.Ledgerwas gazing at me as if he’s in love?Why?Thereisn’t anyone here that we need to fool.It’llbuy us nothing forElizaorFlynnto believe we are an item.Ilook over atLedger, seeing if he is trying to tell me anything or send some kind of covert message.Itdoesn’t appear that he is, though.Itdoesn’t make sense.
MaybeFlynnwas just noticingLedger’sfeet.Iwas noticing them, too.WhereverLedgerwas in the room, he always had one foot pointed toward me.Butthat doesn’t mean he’s interested in me— orin lovewith me— it’s probably becauseI’mhis partner andI’mthe one who’s been trying to plant the tracker that will allow us to complete this part of the mission.
“It’sbeen a pleasure,Ms…”
“Sonnenschein,”Itell him.
“Ms.Sonnenschein.Ihope to see you again at the auction.”
AsLedgerandIhead toward the doorway,Milais bringing another couple in for a private showing.Wewalk through the door asElizaandFlynngreet them.Insteadof going left, toward the front door,IsteerLedgerright.Wego further down the hall and down to a little alcove.Ipull a makeup compact from my bag that is really a device that essentially takes our words and turns them into white noise so we can’t be overheard, andIactivate it.
Ledgerleans against the wall, andIgetvery close to him becauseIdo want him to be able to hear me.Itry to ignore how being this close to him is making my heart rate raise, my breathing quicken, and all of my nerve ends stand at attention, begging for any kind of touch fromLedger.Abrush of a fingertip along my arm.Anaccidental bump of a shoulder.Anything. “Icouldn’t place the tracker,”Isay.Ihid the frustration well while we were in the gallery, butI’mfeeling it now.
“Iknow,” he breathes in a low voice. “Ilooked over at you several times and saw that the security guy wasn’t giving you an inch.”
Oh.Isuddenly get it.Hewas looking at me to see ifIwas able to complete the mission.Hecovered it by appearing like he was in love with me so thatFlynnwouldn’t be suspicious.Smart.
“Theauction is in two-and-a-half days,”Isay. “Wehave to get the tracker placed before then, becauseAragundi’smen are sure to find a way to be at that auction, and we don’t want to contend with them as well.”
