2

“Let’s give it a few more minutes,” I whispered.

“Copy that,” Douglas said.

“Yeah, ten-four. I’m moving closer for a better vantage,” Carter said with a grunt.

With nothing to do but wait, I pulled out my phone and turned on the forward-facing camera to check my makeup and hair. If the guy did show, I wanted to look as irresistible as possible. Zoe had done a damn good job on me. Switching from the camera to my messaging app, I shot her a text:

Hey girl, love the makeover you gave me. I think this guy’s gonna drop dead when he sees me.

The reply came within seconds.

Good! How do you like the dress?

I glanced down at the scarlet dress. It was low-cut and form-fitting. From the way the other operatives had been doing their best to look anywhere but my chest, my boobs must have looked great in it.

It’s fantastic. The guy’s going to be drooling on himself when he gets here.

Too bad he’s a scuzzball. Otherwise, I’d say give him a shot. Better him than that flaky-ass mate of yours. He never appreciates all the work I put in to make you look adorable. Maybe I’ll just enchant him and force him to stop dragging his feet.

She was probably only joking. Probably. Zoe and I had been best friends for years, and she’d been my personal cosmetician for as long as I could remember. She was a fae, and if she wanted to, she could enchant my future mate. Not only was it slightly illegal, but I also didn’t want that. Our pairing was one of convenience and opportunity, nothing more. It would almost certainly never lead to love, but I’d come to terms with that.

My friend’s affection and support sent a pleasant warmth through my chest. It was nice to know at least one person had my back. I needed to stay focused, though. I couldn’t get too deep into a conversation when this lion could show up any second.

Gotta go back to work. Talk to you later.

Zoe replied with a thumbs-up emoji, and I slipped my phone back into my purse. In my ear, Carter and Douglas were going over mission parameters. I blocked most of it out since none of it really pertained to me. But then a surprise voice broke over the chatter. That voice most definitely pertained to me.

“Kira, we need to call it. We’ll regroup later and see what went wrong.”

I gritted my teeth. Even the sound of his voice set me on edge.

“Wyatt?” I put my hand in front of my mouth to cover my words. “What the fuck are you doing here? You weren’t assigned to this operation.”

Wyatt Rivers was a fellow Tranquility operative and my brother’s best friend. He was also the biggest pain in my ass. He was like a pebble in your shoe—annoying, ever-present, and right when you thought you’d gotten rid of it, it was back again.

“Kira, we’re in the same division. You know we share resources. I read this guy’s file and thought you might need the backup. I’m in a sedan about a hundred yards from the restaurant. Like I said, let’s call it. We can drop back and punt. Maybe use another fake profile. Try again.”

I rested my chin on my hand again to cover my mouth. “Screw that. He’s coming. I know it. I could tell from the messages he sent me that he was basically humping his keyboard. This is what we do. We maintain the balance between humans and the paranormal. This guy is preying on human women, and I’m going to stop him. Let me do my damned job and get off this freaking channel.”

Before Wyatt could say anything in reply, Carter’s voice interrupted us. “Heads up, target is incoming. Repeat, target is incoming.”

Forgetting all about Wyatt, I snapped my head up and looked toward the entrance. Carter was right. I’d studied Leon’s pictures for weeks, and that slick son of a bitch had just walked in. He took a few tentative steps through the door, scanning the room. When his eyes fell on me and the ample cleavage I was displaying, he grinned. He was a lion shifter, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but that smile reminded me of the Cheshire Cat. It was uncomfortable to look at, but I plastered a similar smile on my own face and stood to greet him.

Wyatt gave another warning. “Kira, give us a signal if you need help.”

Through a smile of gritted teeth, I murmured, “Shut up.”

Leon stepped over, giving me a chaste hug and a peck on the cheek. “Gods, you look good enough to eat.”

It was time to play up the ditzy hot chick angle I’d used to snare him.

Giggling, I put a hand on his chest. “Oh, stop.”

Leon took his seat opposite me, then raised a hand and snapped his fingers at the server. He actually snapped his fingers. Good lord, what an ass. The vapid smile never left my face as he ordered a bottle of wine and our entrees. He didn’t bother to ask me what I wanted. After the server had gone, he turned his attention back to me.

His gaze slid across my shoulders and chest, then up to my face. “I must say,” he said, “you’re hotter in person.”

I waved a hand at him playfully. “You probably say that to all the girls.”

His grin grew hungrier. “Only the ones that look like you.”

“Kira, I don’t like the look of this guy,” Wyatt said in my ear. “We need to pull you out.”

In answer, I scratched the side of my head facing the window with my middle finger. Hopefully, Wyatt would get the message. He was surely tapped into the telephoto camera feed. He hissed a curse but went silent.

Leaning across the table, I slid a hand across the thick muscles of Leon’s arm. “Oh my goodness,” I breathed. “So hard and thick. Do you have anything else like these arms?”

Leon’s entire body responded. His eyes went wild with desire, and I could smell the pheromones wafting off him.

“Oh, I’ve got a few surprises. If you play your cards right, maybe you’ll see.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Is that a promise?”