TOM GETS quiet as he drives us up a dirt road winding up the mountain. Or maybe he’s always this quiet. It seems strange that I don’t know. I feel so close to him, and yet we haven’t spent that much time together—very brief snippets over the past few years as his handler, and now, today, that’s it.The moon is half full, peeking through the trees as we wind higher. We arrive at a tiny, solitary cabin, tucked away from everything. It appears old and rustic, but there’s a satellite on the roof and inside is simple but comfortable. Johnson and I walk around, taking in the place. The cupboards are already stocked with enough non-perishables to last a month. Tom stopped at a convenience store on the way up to pick up basics like milk, eggs, fruit, and bread.A desk is against the wall of the living room, wired with the latest high tech, government-issue equipment.There’s only one bedroom.“I’ll take the couch,&r

TOM TURNS me around again and fists the hair at the top of my head. He uses it to tip my chin up and kisses me thoroughly. No, it’s less a kiss and more a devouring. He takes my mouth, drags his lips along my jaw, down my neck. He bites my shoulder.“Fuck, Jasmine. I’ve never felt this way with anyone before.”Tears pop into my eyes at that. The rough admission seems so out of character for the secret agent who never shows his cards.I’ve never felt this way with anyone before either. I’ve never even experience one-tenth of this much passion. Tom is rough but so self-assured. Yeah, I was scared to try anal, but I trusted him. He’s good at everything he does. And he was definitely expert in that respect.My pussy and anus throb a bit, but it a delicious, well-used sort of way. I certainly received as much pleasure as he took—maybe more.He pulls back and just stares down at me, still holding me captive b

“THIS IS JUST like when we were teenagers.” I grin up at Bryce, who scowls because I moved. She has a pair of scissors in one hand and a lock of my hair in the other, and she’s thinning the edges like a professional hairstylist.I’ve bleached my hair to a respectable housewife blond, and now, Bryce’s giving me a shoulder-length layered ‘do. “Remember when you shaved the sideof my head and dyed the bangs purple?”Bryce laughs. “We were so sure mom would freak out, but she didn’t say a word.”“Yeah, I think she actually got the last laugh on that one.”We both sober, grief from our mother’s death still present after two years. My sister sifts her fingers through my hair. “This is pretty extreme.” “You don’t think it looks good?”“No... it’s just hard to think of my baby sister dyeing her hair and going undercover.&rdqu

I GRIP the gun with shaking fingers. The LIL couldn’t send a wolf to get me. This isn’t a sci-fi film. It was just some enormous, rabid wolf that must’ve smelled food inside and wanted in.Still, my heart won’t stop thumping against my ribs, the sound of the gunfire and the wolf’s yelp echoing in my ears.And Tom’s still out there.But he’d know what to do. He’s that kind of guy. He’ll have a weapon onhim, or he’ll make one out of a branch or rock. He’s a trained assassin, for God’s sake. I don’t need to worry about him.As if I could stop though.Bryce finally gets Johnson to sleep, and I’m starting to freak out about Tom’s long absence and the giant rabid wolf. I pick up the gun.“Maybe I should go out there.”“Are you crazy?” Bryce snaps. “That’s how every movie character gets killed.”“What i

TOM DUNE IS A MADMAN. That’s all I can conclude. Who breaks into the LIL? Holy shit, I’m about to break into the freaking LIL!When we realized Agent Tentrite wiped my dad’s file, I was ready to call the trail a dead end.“Not so fast,” Tom said. “There are two reasons Tentrite would meddle. The first is if she was involved in your dad’s career.”“That wouldn’t make sense, she wasn’t around at the time of his service.” “So, it’s the second reason. Someone ordered her to do it.” “Who?”“That’s what we have to find out.” A search through Tentrite’s file didn’t reveal any connection to my dad at all.“That’s the first reason ruled out completely,” Tom muttered. “Now we work on the second.”Which brought us to the present moment.“So, what are we going to do?” I ask, tryi