Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Unless there’s a don’t shit where you eat policy at the Bureau and he can’t date a coworker. Though they could just be hooking up and if that’s the case—
Stop.
I’m spiraling, something I help clients not do. It doesn’t matter. I got some info for the FBI, did my duty as a citizen, and now I need to move on with my life, not worry about what some arrogant FBI agent is doing in his spare time. It doesn’t matter that he’s tall and muscular, with a deep voice that rattled right through me every time he spoke. There was a slight vibration with every word, and I couldn’t help but think how good that same vibration would feel if it were somewhere else.
“How was the date?” Kat asks, coming over to our table with a tray of mocktails. She got sober a year ago and we’re all so proud of her. When we’re together, none of us drink. Elsie was never much of a drinker anyway, and I cut back myself after realizing I was using it as a way to dull my feelings instead of just feeling them.
“A real date?” Elsie raises an eyebrow.
“No, one of my usual. Guy is a total cheater.”
“Aren’t they all.” Kat takes a drink, shaking her head as she sits down.
“Oh come on, there are good guys out there! Look at your dad!” Elsie goes on.
“True,” I say and nod. My parents have been happily married for over forty years and I should have paid more attention to how Cory was nothing like my father. But I was only eighteen when we met and I can’t regret the past. “But not this guy.” I wave my hand in the air. “Anyway, tell me about the dressage clinic you’re going to.”
The conversation turns to horses and Elsie’s dating profile that she's been “in the process” of setting up for the last six months. Zara joins us, and we have a great time just talking and laughing. We leave just a bit before midnight and the wind has picked up. I regret not taking a jacket as I huddle next to Elsie on our way out.
“Mya! Hey, Mya!”
Elsie elbows me. “Is that guy calling you? He’s looking right at us.”
Mya. Right. The fake name I always use. Like I did tonight. Following Elsie’s gaze, I look across the street. Holy shit.
It’s Enzo.
Chapter
Fourteen
MASON
Taking a sip of coffee, I press play and listen to the audio recording from the beginning. Mira was great. Too great and it takes every ounce of self control I have inside to not let this get to me. It was a fake date. Mira talked and laughed—and leaned in and put her hand on Enzo’s forearm—at the perfect times. She tossed her hair back and looked so goddamn beautiful under the lowlights of the restaurant.
I almost called the whole thing off as soon as I came in because I swore everyone was looking at her, taken aback by her beauty just as much as I was. In all my years as a special agent, I’ve never once had an issue separating fact from feeling, so why the fuck am I suddenly feeling so protective and possessive of Mira? I don’t really know the chick. She’s hot and I need to bang her out of my system, that’s it.
Yeah. That’s it.
But I can’t—not yet at least.
Now that I’ve listened to the audio one full time, I start taking notes. Mira did a good job digging at things that would be helpful to my investigation without being obvious. She seemed genuinely interested in getting to know this Matthew character Enzo created. And I can tell by how she worded things that she knows there is always a bit of truth in the lies.
Things he embellished or avoided can be dead giveaways and I find it very interesting that Matthew is an only child with doting parents. I’m guessing—and hoping—there’s some family resentment and feuding going on right now. We could use it to our advantage and people get sloppy when they’re focused on “getting” someone. Hate and resentment are powerful emotions and I’ve seen people slip up because they’d rather spend their energy poking the other party.
The audio keeps playing as I open an encrypted email from Diego. Elaina, his wife, and her sister, Sophia, did a great job taking selfies with Enzo in the background. I go through them, zooming in on Mira more than I should. I open Mira’s TikTok account as I keep listening, telling myself that I’m doing a little extra research on her.
After all, I need to trust her for this to work.
She doesn’t have anything too personal on TikTok. She has two main formats to her videos, with the first being little clips from her podcast or inspirational quotes. The second are of her acting as if she’s a character talking about something that happened for the purpose of getting a point across. I end up pausing the audio recording to watch a few, wondering how close to home some of these hit.