Page 45 of Spy With Me

“As-tureçule message quej'aienvoyé?”Lacey asked over a breakfast that consisted of pretty good potato hash.

While Zach missed meat, he had to admit Lacey was good withplants, and Devi had started taking over some of the cooking as well. Hercornbread muffins were tasty this morning.

Did you get the message I sent?Lacey had asked. InFrench. Which Devi did not speak.

Devi looked up at Lacey. “Are you okay? You know he onlyspeaks American. I would have called it English until I landed here in Wales,and it is not the same. Not in any way.”

Lacey snorted. “It’s simply a difference in saying andphrases. Everyone speaks English. Arthur is the only one clinging to his Welsh,andil y a des chosesqu'ilvaudraitmieuxgarderentre nous.”

There are things it would be better to keep between us.Yeah,probably, but he promised he wouldn’t leave Devi out. He turned to her. “Sheasked if I got her message. She’s got a good line on where my mom is staying.”

Which was with a group of underground green activistssomewhere in South America.

“Really?” Devi asked. “So you could find her soon.”

Lacey sighed. “No, but we’re closer. I think I might be ableto make some kind of contact in the next couple of days.” She looked to Zach.“You don’t think we should have a way to communicate that doesn’t involve her?”

“Rude,” Devi said with a frown.

He pointed Devi’s way. “What she said.”

Devi sat up and gasped. “Wait. Zach speaks French?”

He could give her something else. It might not help his casemuch, but he felt like showing off. And not keeping things from her. Besides,this would give her something not even her cousins knew.“Yagovoryupo-frantsuzskiipo-russki. ALeysinegovorit. Yaponimayu,chtotygovorish,milaya.”

Devi stared at him.“Znachit,mymozhemgovorit',ionanepoymyot,ochyommygovorim.”

He nodded her way.“Nashsekretnyyyazyk.”

“Our secret language,” she said with a smile, giving himback his words.

“Well, it’s not secret.” Lacey had herI’m-going-to-murder-someone face on. She really was a vegan version of KalaTaggart, which was likely why he got along with her so well. “It’s Russian, andno, I don’t speak it. You know the only reason he learned it was to be able tolisten in on your uncle’s talks. I’ve heard he speaks Russian, and so do manyof his team members.”

If Devi was phased by the accusation, she didn’t show it.She simply shrugged. “Why do you think I learned it? Hey, if my cousins don’tknow you speak Russian, have you heard some shit you want to share?”

Oh, so much. “Yeah. Let’s talk about that guy Ben yourcousin likes.”

Devi leaned in, and he knew he had her. If only for an houror so.

Week Two

Zach turned over and stared up at the ceiling.

He might need to contemplate the sofa because it was rapidlybecoming clear that it would be less uncomfortable than lying in this bed withDevi night after night.

He had made contact with his mom today. Well, he hoped itwas his mom. Someone claiming to be his mother had sent an email to an addressonly she should know. It was something they set up years before. He’d sent sodamn many letters there. Letters that told his mom he loved her. Detailed hisArmy life. Talked about meeting Cooper.

Somehow, he thought she would never actually read them.

Be careful. He’s looking for me, too. Tell Lacey I’ll bein touch.

The first words he’d heard from her in years.

“You’re thinking too loud.” Her voice was husky and sweet.

And just like that his cock was hard. Although it seemedlike his damn perpetual state these days. She walked in a room, he got hard. Hesmelled the soap she used? Hard. Heard her laughing or yelling at the geese forscaring the massive mastiff with PTSD? Hard and harder. “Sorry. I’ll try tostop.”

The room was dark with a new moon and no city lights toprovide ambient illumination. If they went outside there would be a blanket ofstars overhead, but here it was all silky darkness made warm with her presencein bed beside him.