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I dropped the hot strand and sectioned off the next one.

From what Cruz said, I could fit. I was short, curvy, and brunette. But what if that wasn’t what he was looking for?

What if he wasn’t interested in dating anyone right now?

I was an assassin, not an escort.

Maybe the Alpha should have sent in one of them. At least they were skilled in this territory. They knew how to work a room, draw men and women in, and leave them wanting more. Most importantly, they knew how to pretend.

An actress, I was not. My attempts at being charming came off as sarcasm.

I was nearly halfway done with my hair. Part of me wanted to take as long as possible to get ready, so I didn’t have time to panic, but I still needed to review the plans with the guys before we left.

I could delay, but I couldn’t completely avoid this.

While I finished curling my hair, I ran through the facts again.

Alessio Dias was a handsome man and only ten years older. Unlike on some missions, at least I wouldn’t have to fake being attracted to him. With golden skin, the perfect amount of dark scruff, and thick brown hair, he looked like he stepped out of a telenovela. I hadn’t seen any shirtless pictures, but I’d bet all my savings that he was just as lean and built as any of these guys.

He wasn’t a shifter, so I had to be careful not to reveal any of my abilities, especially my strength. That was the hardest one to conceal around humans, since it wasn’t something I had to think about, unlike my claws or fangs.

He was relatively new on the scene. He stepped into his role four years ago after his father passed. Unfortunately for him, he never would have made a blip on the Velez radar if he hadn’t begun pushing on the edges of his territory. He had Cuba, where his family originated, and the southern half of Florida, but that wasn’t enough. Word of his men’s arrival in The Bahamas and Yucatan Peninsula put a target in the center of his forehead.

He stepped into Velez land, converted our men or killed them.

El Lobo has a zero-tolerance policy when it came to people taking what’s his.

If only my mission had been to take him out. I’d already be back home.

But no, Alpha didn’t think that was enough. He wanted it all. He was going to pull Dias’ world out from under him, and I was going to help him.

“Emilia? Are you almost ready?” Marco appeared behind me in the mirror.

“Not quite.” My hair was almost done. I was just touching up some spots, but I hadn’t started on my makeup.

“The boat will be here in an hour, and we still need to go over the plan.”

I nodded. “I’m going as fast as I can.”

Lie.

His eyes narrowed. “You’ve been doing your hair for over an hour. Even I know it doesn’t take that long.”

He waved a finger at the back of my head, and I fought the impulse to stick my tongue out at him. He sounded like one of my brothers.

“I’m not keeping you from getting ready, am I?”

He was wearing his pants and a white undershirt. His dark hair was perfectly styled, and he looked sexier than a man with his attitude had any right to.

“No, but unless you’d like to go into the gala tonight completely blind, you need to hurry.” I put the iron on the counter and unplugged it. “Twenty minutes.”

“Fine.” He took a step back. “It doesn’t affect me. I already know what I’m doing.”

This was why I worked alone.

Never once had I missed my target. My track record was flawless, but oh no, suddenly I didn’t know how to manage time or get myself ready.

No, I was a stupid girl who needed my hand held through everything.