Page 30 of Being Bold (Tactical Operations & Protection (TOP) Security #1)

Her system was in overdrive. The wire connecting her brain to her mouth had come loose.

She was so nervous she was going to screw something up, she’d forgotten Yumi had a comms device as well.

The CIA agent acted as her bodyguard since she was the only one who could be in the office without arousing suspicion, but she’d given TOP access to the building’s security cameras.

When Yumi appeared at her desk with a cup of coffee, as if nothing had occurred to interrupt their usual routine, Selene told herself to relax. So far, it wasn’t working.

“Here you go, champ.”

Selene made a face as she accepted the mug Yumi held out for her. “Champ?”

Her friend’s nose scrunched. “Yeah, that wasn’t my best.” She leaned closer and whispered, “Yours is decaf by the way.”

Because she was jittery enough without more stimulants. All she could do was nod.

Yumi smiled and asked, “Are you feeling better? You still look a little green.”

Her teasing had the desired effect. Selene scowled. “You know, I’m not one hundred percent. You might want to keep your distance.”

“Nah, I’ve been vaccinated.” The crazy woman winked at her.

Selene couldn’t help the laugh that burst from her lips. Or maybe it was just a nervous puff of air. This was absurd. She didn’t want Yumi to leave, but if this was going to look normal, she had to let her go.

She leaned away from her friend and shook her head. “No, you should probably go. I’d hate it if I got you sick, too.”

“Okay, drippy, but text me later.”

Self-conscious, Selene swiped at her nose. “My nose isn’t dripping!” she called after Yumi, who chuckled. The sound faded too soon.

She was alone now. But not really. She had Bo in her ear, and she took comfort in that. Especially after her monumental screwup this morning. Now she rolled her eyes—at herself.

She was an idiot, but in her defense, she hadn’t been firing on all cylinders getting woken up like that and before coffee.

She’d gotten nervous and blurted out that stupid comment about sleeping like the dead.

Now he’d pulled away from her again. Last night had been special, and instead of building on it, she’d ruined it.

Gah!

“You’re an idiot, Selene,” she muttered to herself.

“You okay, ocean-eyes?” Bo’s voice in her ear made her jump.

Shit! She shouldn’t have said that aloud.

“Yep, fine. Super,” she managed while internally yelling at herself, Shut up! Her shaky voice wasn’t going to convince anyone she had things under control.

“What’s wrong?” The urgency in his words, as if he were ready to storm the building, made her hands shake. This was not going well.

She cleared her throat and tried to keep it from trembling with nerves. “Uh, nothing. I just, um, forgot my password for a second. All’s good.”

“You sure?” He sounded less than convinced. If they hadn’t been able to see her, she would’ve face-palmed.

“Yep.” The fewer words she let loose from her mouth the better. Please, please let him believe her.

“It’s not too late to back out. If you don’t want to do this, say the word.”

His comment made Yumi chime in from her seat down the hall, “What’s going on, Selene?”

Okay, now she felt smothered. She would’ve groaned if they couldn’t hear that, too. Because she was doing this, no matter what. Hoping for steel, she laced her voice with determination. “Nothing. I’m fine. Can everyone relax, please?”

Yumi chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

Bo’s only response was, “Roger,” before she had what she needed—radio silence.

She blew out a breath, then opened her email. Yikes. She tried not to wince at the number of unread messages in her inbox.

Waiting for Dao to call could take ten minutes or ten hours. They had no clue, so she may as well pass the time with work. At least then she wouldn’t seem suspicious when she felt like a giant sign was flashing over her head, with the words, “You’re not supposed to be here,” on it.

Later, after she’d exhausted her unread emails, the phone at her desk rang. Her hand squeezed around the receiver as soon as she put it to her ear.

“Bold move coming back here, Selene. I underestimated you.” Mr. Dao’s accented voice sent a shiver of fear down her back.

She swallowed and forced herself to play the part. “Are you checking on my well-being, Mr. Dao? That’s so thoughtful of you,” she paused for effect, “after you tried to kill me.”

“Yes, about that. How did you survive?”

Like she’d give him the satisfaction of telling him. “Is that what you really want to know?”

She could feel his deranged smile through the phone line. It made her skin crawl, and she had to forcibly stop herself from glancing over her shoulder. “Now that you mention it, no. You gave me an empty file. Where’s the real one?”

She pushed her shoulders back to shake off the sensation. “You can have it on one condition.”

His breath huffed out. “Let me guess? I let you live.”

“Yes. I want my life back.” She wound her fingers in the phone cord, wishing she could strangle him with it. “I give you the tech and you leave me alone.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Selene. I require . . . how can I put this?” He paused in thought before saying, “A clean house. And you, my dear, are a streak of dirt on the floor.”

“What are you saying?” She hated the tremble that crept into her voice. Closing her eyes, she searched for strength. What would Yumi do?

“I’ll agree to let you live, but only if you continue to work for me. That way, I can assure the floor remains spotless.”

He wanted her to keep her job? “As a translator?”

The creepy smile was back when he said, “Yes, and no. You won’t be at the Montana office. I want to keep your skillset closer at hand than that.”

God. That didn’t sound good. “Fine. I’ll do it.” She gulped and hoped he didn’t hear it over the line.

“Good. Bring me the microchip, and we have a deal, Miss Coleman.”

“Where?”

“Montreal. Tomorrow.”

“Montreal?” She didn’t have to feign the surprise in her voice. She thought he would’ve suggested something closer or Taipei, considering what he planned to do there.

“Why don’t you visit, Ms. Nakano? She has something for you.” Selene barely suppressed a gasp. “Have a safe journey,” he added in Mandarin before hanging up on her.

“Selene? You should come to my desk.” She heard Yumi first, then her ears buzzed with words.

“It’s over, Selene. We’re pulling you out.”

“Wait!” Yumi interjected. “She needs to see me first.”

“Negative. We are getting her out of there.”

“We have what we need.” Was that Romeo? Too many people spoke in her ear.

“Ocean-eyes, talk to me.” Bo’s plea broke through the fog.

“I’m going to Yumi.” Selene rose on shaky legs and tried to take a deep breath. She’d done what they needed to. It was over . . . for now. Until she had to be bait—in person.

Do not panic! She scolded herself as her breathing hiccupped.

They were all still talking in her ear, but she couldn’t make anything out. Instead, she focused on putting one foot in front of the other on her way to Yumi’s desk.

The hallway seemed twice as long today. When she finally turned into the right room, someone gripped her arm from behind.

She flinched, then froze. Terror shot through her system like a stun gun, seizing her body until she couldn’t move.

Please, no.