Spy Games (Tarnished Heroes #1)(20)

What did she know?

She’d arrived in Seoul and done precisely as she always did. Got some food, tried to read a local paper in a vain attempt to better her Korean, and when her alarm went off, she’d started into the city.

At a certain point outside the airport, she’d turned and caught sight of a man she thought she recognized. It’d been the way he’d held his head—stiffly, not quite looking at her, but he could clearly see her sort of manner. He’d been maybe ten feet away, and he’d given her the creeps.

It wasn’t uncommon for her to get wibbly-wobbly nerves from time to time. She was an American woman traveling alone in sometimes dangerous parts of the world. In all her time couriering for the company, she’d never run into anything bad. It was moments like those she used her training. One of the things she’d held onto was the techniques they’d taught her about how to spot a tail, how to lose one, and so forth.

When she’d doubled back and circled a block only to see the same man still behind her, she’d panicked and made the call to let the company know she feared she was being followed. From there, a quick progression of events led her to the tea shop. She’d scurry away, hide, make the call, wait, then move, only to see her pursuers again. That had led to her being counseled to get rid of her phone and everything else on her.

From the tea shop and running into Rand until now was all reactionary.

There was someone within the company they couldn’t trust.

Rand insisted his handler Hector was safe, but just in case, their escape was coordinated through a third-party group—other private contractors like Rand. Sarah hadn’t asked questions. She didn’t need to know who was helping them, only that they were safe and headed back to the States where her part in this would be over.

Christ, what was she going to tell her day-job boss?

She’d missed her flight to China. There’d be no one onsite to facilitate this week’s meeting or translate the particulars of the new water plant. Talk about terrible timing. Maybe she’d get lucky, and Lin would be able to hop over and cover for her.

What was going to happen to her? Her job? Her future?

When this had all begun, she’d just assumed nothing bad would ever happen to her. She was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Now, the rug had been yanked out from under her and the last person she’d have expected to catch her was there.

Rand.

What the fuck?

What was she going to do about him?

Sarah stared down at her list, made in a jumbled mix of short hand, Mandarin, and a few Thai characters. To anyone else, she might as well be drawing pictures, some sort of weird mandala, but she could pick out the items, the list, the habit she’d developed because of him.

Rand had kissed her back.

What had come after she didn’t regret, per se, but it hadn’t been wise, either.

She didn’t know this man, not really. He’d changed. And though in the moment he’d seemed like her Rand, he wasn’t, and chances were, he never would be again.

They’d had sex. It couldn’t happen again.

Granted, she didn’t exactly expect him to stick around. Why would he? When Matt had needed him the most, he’d left. Why would she ever think she’d rate a second thought from Rand Duncan?

…

Young-sik traversed the hall, keeping on the balls of his feet. Despite the cool air pumping into the apartment building, he was sweating. And why wouldn’t he be?

He was proud of the work he did for his country, but even he knew this was likely a suicide mission. There were two other men getting into place so they could attempt to flank Wei. In his own home.

It was too coincidental that Wei would arrive at the same time they were tracking the girl. Except he hadn’t gone after her at all.

Young-sik needed to know what Wei was after that they didn’t know about.

“Any movement on the east side?” Young-sik whispered into the radio.

“None.”

This was a bold move. It was dangerous. And chances were, at least one of his men would die, but if they were able to obtain information that would lead them to the traitor within their midst then it was worth it.

Now, all they had to do was wait for the right moment.

…

Rand tapped his fingers, mentally counting the minutes since he’d left Seoul, calculating how long it might take the MI6 team to extract his asset. He hated these cross-agency gigs and leaving that part of his job up to someone else, much less another intel group, but it couldn’t be helped.

MSS agents had laid eyes on Rand and Sarah. They could never go back, not for quite some time, without risking their lives.

At least this way, Rand’s assets were getting a faster extradition. They’d never wanted to go to America in the first place. He was pretty sure they’d always intended to flee to the UK, so in the greater picture, this simply expedited the process. He hoped to be part of the joint team that would work with his asset, but that was likely a company matter and he was only a contractor.

He was doing it again. Focusing on the job instead of everything else.

For the last eight years, he’d used the job to get by, to cope with everything he’d left behind. Now he was on a one-way flight to face what he feared most.

A ticked-off, angry Sarah.

He could say that it’d been a perfect storm. That his need for human touch, the high stress of the situation, and their history had combined to create a fuck-or-fight scenario, but deep down he knew he was lying. She represented better days, a life he’d liked, and he wasn’t good enough to turn his back on something he shouldn’t have just because it was the right thing to do. This time, he’d face the consequences, unlike last time with Matt.