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my cell number on it. Will you text me when you get
home tonight? Just so I know you’re there safe.”
    I should be ashamed of myself for doubting
him. That’s so sweet.
    She took the card from him and nodded. “As
soon as I pull into the driveway.” After unlocking her door, she
slid into the driver’s seat. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “I can’t wait.” He shut her door and walked
back to his car, waving before climbing inside.
    Carlie pulled out of the lot and was halfway
home before she realized she still had his jacket on. She breathed
in his cologne, excited about the thought of spending more time
with him. He couldn’t be working for Ryan’s enemies, or she’d
already be dead. Instead of being suspicious and overanalyzing
everything, Carlie knew it was time to move on with life and let
herself be happy.
    Maybe she’d invite Nick to her house for
dinner. He mentioned living in a hotel. A home-cooked meal would be
nice. Besides, then if he wanted to dance again, no one would be
there to stare at them.
    Carlie turned into her driveway and put the
car in park, shutting it off before pulling out her phone. She
turned on the overhead light to read the number off his card. Here safe. Can’t wait ‘til tomorrow. How about I cook for u at
my place?
    She hit send and got out of the car,
grabbing her purse and pushing the lock button. Skipping up to the
house, she couldn’t stop smiling. Things were definitely taking a
turn for the better.
    “There you are, Carlie,” a voice came out of
the darkness. “We need to chat.”
    ***
    Nick sat in his car outside the hotel and
read the message from Carlie. He couldn’t help but feel satisfied.
She wanted to cook for him. That was a victory of sorts.
    He tapped on the virtual keyboard on his
phone: Dinner sounds good. What time? He punched send and
jumped out of the car, swiping his keycard to get into the side
door of the hotel and then making his way to the elevator. Sayle
didn’t offer a hotel with a plush penthouse, so Nick made do with a
nice two-room suite on the fourth floor.
    It had been a mistake to bring up Muhammad
tonight. He hoped Carlie could forgive him for that. He was
suspicious of the man, but he shouldn’t have shown any interest. It
put Carlie on alert, and that was the last thing he wanted. She
needed to feel safe, comfortable, as though Nick would go along
with anything she did. That was the only way to meet his
objective.
    Opening the hotel room door, Nick frowned as
he walked inside. Something was wrong. The cloying scent of
patchouli hung in the air, and there was a heaviness to the
darkness. Nick kicked the door shut and dropped to the ground,
rolling to shield himself behind the small counter to the left
side. He slapped his side for his gun, only then remembering he
posed as a successful businessman and had no right to be carrying
one. Looked like it would be hand-to-hand combat. Fortunately, he
excelled there.
    A lamp clicked on near the couch. “Get off
the damn floor.”
    Nick wasn’t sure if knowing who was in his
room was any better than assuming it was an enemy. “Good evening,
Paul.” Thankfully, his voice came out calm and confident. Nick
regained his feet and walked slowly to the seating area.
    Paul Billings, boss of the anti-terrorist
organization Nick worked for, S.A.T.O., sat in the leather armchair
and jerked his head to the couch adjacent to him. “Have a
seat.”
    Obeying the command, he eyed Paul wearily.
There was a time when Nick would have trusted him with his life.
However, that was also during a time Paul wouldn’t have traveled
across the country to check up on him during a mission. For
thirteen years, Paul had been not only Nick’s boss, but a surrogate
father figure. Something changed recently and Nick wasn’t sure he
liked the changes.
    “I was just about to call you, boss.”
    “I decided to pay a visit.” Paul clasped his
hands over his stomach and leaned back in the chair. “How’d your
date