Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 128307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)
Macy refused. Point blank. She knew it would place too many eyes on her—eyes she didn’t want while running a secret investigation into her sister’s disappearance.
Although she didn’t lodge formal charges, since she had spoken to a supervisor, I could keep the investigation active. I was close to arresting Agent Moses when Maddox took out the trash on behalf of the bureau.
That afternoon was the last time I saw Macy in person. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dying to replace the image of her tear-stained face from my memory with one of her classically elegant smiles.
“Come on, freckles…” I croon, once again using her beloved nickname, which she only allows me to use. “I’m busting for a piss, and I ain’t using a public toilet. Haven’t been able to since we found out how unhygienic they are that time we did that traffic bust together.”
My fib is close to being honest when it takes Macy several long minutes to reply. “You just need to use the bathroom? That’s it?”
While staring at the shadow behind the peephole, I issue her the smirk that forever has her eating out of my palm.
It doesn’t hold the same steam it did previously; therefore, I switch tactics. “You know why Alex sent me. I can help you crack this case. You just need to quit being so stubborn and let me help you… for a change.”
My last words are only for me, but they get me over the line. A lock mechanism clicking out of place echoes as Macy’s girlie tone shimmers through the beachy wooden door. “I’m not leaving this assignment, Grayson.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to. But we might need to keep that between us.” I imagine her beautiful smile stretching her cheeks as I announce, “If you wish to do that in a shabby chic apartment on a beachy shore, who am I to stop you?”
The gleam of white Hampton-inspired furniture bounces off my teeth when Macy slowly opens the door, exposing the freckles I’ve been longing to see since my brief mention of them.
Though the apartment is sparsely furnished, subtle clues reveal that Macy has been residing here for some time. White sheets cover multiple bulletin boards in the living room, and there are more stacks of files than there is seating.
My grin about our pact slips when an entryway table covered with surveillance images isn’t the sole item I need to veer past to enter the apartment. Macy’s extremely extended stomach also blocks my entrance. She doesn’t appear a couple of months along. She looks close to giving birth.
What the?
Realizing her plumped-out midsection is most likely a gimmick of her undercover gig, I poke her stomach, gasping when it doesn’t fold like the foam stomachs agents wear while undercover.
“Holy fucking shit, that’s real!” I attempt to smother my shock with humor. It is my go-to coping mechanism. “It’s not mine, is it?”
“Haha, real funny, Malfoy.” I gag upon hearing the horrible nickname she picked for me years ago. The only thing I have in common with that douche is my hair was snow white before I hacked it off. Then I follow her line of sight. “The bathroom is the second door on the left.”
I don’t need to use the facilities, but since I need a few minutes to wrap my head around Alex’s reason for pulling Macy off this case, and how I will need to tread lightly while reneging on my offer for her to stay on as the lead agent on this assignment, after flashing her a quick smirk, I head in the direction she nudged.
3
MACY
As Grayson enters the bathroom, I take a deep breath while uncovering the bulletin boards I’ve been working on for months. He’s the same man I’ve worked with previously, yet different. At first, I didn’t recognize him while trying to unearth the identity of the agent Markwell had keys cut for, careful not to ruffle the curtains blocking the panoramic ocean views.
Grayson’s hair, once in a man bun, is now cut short, and there are a few more lines on his handsome face. Both are signs of the years that have passed since we last saw each other. But when he spun to take in a break in the picture-perfect ocean, my pulse raced.
Though his appearance has changed, he is still the Grayson I’ve been infatuated with for thirteen years.
The years have been kind to him.
I can only pray that they’ve been as nice to me.
I’m skeptical. The covert operation I’ve been conducting for a year and a half is intense, and the stakes are higher than ever. With Grayson joining me, however, I am optimistic for a positive change.
Alex, the head of the Criminal, Cyber, Responses, and Services Branch, and Grayson’s brother, made a wise choice in assigning Grayson to this case. Grayson is the top pick for investigations like this. He can think from both the victims’ and the assailants‘ perspectives, and his unorthodox methods have led to an impressive success rate.