Page 7

Their footfalls echoed in the stairwell, a rhythmic counterpoint to her steady stream of commentary. “You know, most guys just ask a girl out for coffee. But no, you had to go for the whole ‘cloak and dagger’ routine.”
“This isn’t a date, Paige,” he muttered, fighting the urge to smile.
That would have been fun.
The lowest level greeted them with stark fluorescent lighting and the faint hum of distant machinery. Their shoes clicked on polished concrete as they approached the vault.
“Ah, the vault. How original,” Paige’s voice was laden with fake enthusiasm. “I suppose this is where you keep all your dirty little secrets, hmm?”
“You have no idea,” Cody replied, his voice low and tight.
The vault door loomed before them, cold metal reflecting their distorted images. His fingers flew over the keypad, each beep unnaturally loud in the silence. The door swung open with a pneumatic hiss, releasing a blast of climate-controlled air.
“After you.” He shoved her inside.
Paige stumbled, her hair brushing his cheek as she passed. “Such a gentleman,” she quipped, her voice echoing in the confined space. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
Her dark eyes blazed in the dim light. He saw fear there, yes, but also a defiance that made his chest tighten with a mixture of pride and regret.
He punched the buttons on the inner wall panel that closed the door. “Cut the chatter. You always did talk too much.”
Hurt shuttered the gleam in her eyes. Good. He needed to keep that up. Keep her on edge. And angry.
She glared at him. “So, what’s the plan now? Lock me up with all this cash and throw away the key? Or is this just stop one on our magical mystery tour of betrayal?”
He steeled himself, burying his emotions beneath a mask of cold indifference. It was a familiar act, but never had it been more difficult to maintain. “The plan is for you to follow my orders.”
“Still a jerk. Nice to know some things never change.”
Cody’s jaw clenched as he watched her examine the vault, cataloging every detail. The dim light cast shadows across her face, accentuating the sharp line of her cheekbones and the stubborn set of her jaw. Despite the fear he could sense radiating off her, she stood tall. Defiant.
He kept his expression impassive, moving closer, until he backed her against the wall. The metal was cool against his palm as he leaned in, his face inches from hers.
“Things aren’t always what they seem. You of all people should know that.”
Uncertainty flickered in her eyes, quickly masked by anger. The scent of her perfume enveloped him, bringing back a flood of memories he’d tried so hard to suppress.
“Oh, I know plenty,” Paige shot back, tilting her chin up defiantly. “I know you’re working for the Consortium. How long has it been? Did you actually have a real job with the NSA after graduation, or did you go bad straight away?”
As she clearly wasn’t expecting an answer, he saved himself the trouble.
“What I don’t know is why you bothered to drag me down here. Why the cryptic summons in Croatia? What’s your angle?”
Her breath was warm on his face, her proximity both intoxicating and maddening. Cody fought the urge to close the distance between them, to make her understand with actions what he couldn’t say in words.
Instead, he stepped back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “It’s complicated.”
“There’s a shocker,” Paige retorted, but there was a hint of something else beneath the sarcasm. Curiosity, maybe. Or hope.
He wished.
Cody turned away, ostensibly to check the vault door, but really to gather his thoughts. He knew he was walking a dangerous line. One wrong move, one misplaced word, and … boom.
But as he turned back to face her, seeing the mixture of anger, fear, and longing in her eyes, he realized he might not have a choice. The truth was a luxury he couldn’t afford, but lying to her again might just break them both.
4
Paige glanced around the vault,her mind racing. Four minutes. She needed to buy the team four more minutes. The ticking clock of their plan echoed in her head, each second precious.