So Many Boys (The Naughty List #2)(28)

Aiden shifted in his seat. “All right, baby,” he said as he stood up. “I have to take off. You going to be okay to get home?” He glanced over his shoulder toward the books and, for a second, I thought of Joel. How he tried to swoop in and save me from a complete public meltdown.

“Yes,” I answered, climbing out of my chair to walk over and wrap my arms around Aiden’s waist, resting my head on his chest. He sighed, twisting my ponytail in his hand, and then he let me go, leaving me a little chilly.

“I’ll call you this week.” He smiled and turned around to begin walking toward the exit. He didn’t look back at me. Not once.

Slowly I began to cross the patterned carpet toward the glass doors at the front. Oh, wait. My book? I stopped, thinking about my lavender book and where I’d left it. I was about to go back to the checkout counter when something caught my eye.

I turned toward the figure leaving the store, her face ducked and her hands empty and without books. She was wearing a khaki skirt, and by the toned muscles in her legs, I was sure I knew her. I jogged after her, her thick brown hair pulled back into two short ponytails, her pink T-shirt tight enough to show off her athletic frame.

But the minute I was able to get out into the darkened parking lot of the bookstore, she was gone. I swung my head from side to side, looking for her, trying to remember what her car looked like, but she wasn’t there. Neither was Aiden’s car.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out if she’d seen me and if she did, why she hadn’t come over.

Because I was pretty sure that I’d just seen my ex-captain. I’d just seen Mary Rudick.

ASSIGNMENT 1

9:00 P.M., SEPTEMBER 18

The operative looked in her hand mirror and slicked on the Midnight Red lipstick that had become her personal trademark. When it was set, she pressed her lips together, smiling.

She’d been getting a ton of cases lately, but this one, this one was special. It was like watching the anatomy of a cheat—something that could easily be a Dateline investigation. She was privy to everything, and now, she just needed to catch the final act.

After slipping a black stocking cap over her head, the operative slid on leather gloves and watched the front of the motel intently. Originally she’d planned on tracking Jenn and Tate tonight, but then she’d intercepted a text from Megan. She’d asked Riley to meet her here, at the Sunset Inn at 9 p.m. She was still amazed that Megan would do that; from her observations, she’d seemed so much classier. Still, the operative knew that this was the moment she’d been waiting for. Finally.

She swallowed hard and narrowed her eyes, looking at the red-painted front door of the motel room. Riley had gone in there close to ten minutes ago, but the operative hadn’t seen Megan arrive. She couldn’t decide if Megan had beaten her there or if Riley was waiting.

With a sigh, the operative reached back into her car and grabbed her satchel. She’d filled it with the night-vision camcorder and an audio recorder, although she’d known it’d be difficult to hear much from outside.

As she strode across the loose gravel of the parking lot, the ground crunched under her black, high-heeled boots. The sound relaxed her and made her feel powerful, even in this cheater-filled world.

When she stepped onto the walkway in front of the door, she paused. The curtains were drawn tight; there was no way to get video. She narrowed her eyes.

Quietly she reached out to try the motel door, but it was locked. She’d figured it would be. With a glance toward the office window, she considered her next move. She pulled the knit hat off her head and shook out her hair. Armed with her deadly shade of red, her secret weapon, she made her way over to the management.

“Excuse me,” she said sweetly through the Plexiglas window to the man inside. He smiled at her, his front tooth missing.

“Hey, there,” he said, a little too friendly.

The operative smiled, trying to hide her revulsion. “I hate to bug you,” she cooed. “I got locked out of room twelve, and my boyfriend must be in the shower because he’s not answering. Do you think I could get another key?” She bit her lip suggestively.

At first, the dirty old man just watched her, but then he looked toward the walkway and smiled. “Okay, but make sure you turn in all the keys when you leave.” He walked over to the key rack, taking a second to locate the peg numbered 12. When he turned back around, he grinned. “Tell your boyfriend he can thank me later.”

The operative’s stomach turned, but she tried to maintain a pleasant expression as she took the key. “Yeah, I’ll let him know,” she mumbled, turning back toward the room. She hated that this was taking so long, that it was so hard to confirm. She just wanted to make SOS successful. She wanted to be the best.

The operative stopped. No. This was about more than just her. Riley needed to learn that he couldn’t dangle Megan along, and Megan needed to learn how to be a loyal friend. They couldn’t just cheat with each other. They needed to be taught a lesson.

When she got to the room, the operative leaned her ear against the door and listened. She was disappointed to hear talking and not moaning. She couldn’t complete her mission until they sealed the deal. But she could hardly break in with both suspects so alert. She chewed on the side of her lip and began to think. Then she smiled.

With purpose, the operative marched forward to the nearest fire alarm, glancing around once to make sure no one could see her. When she was certain the coast was clear, she slipped her fingers around the little white handle…and yanked it down.