Someone stepped in as the elevator doors opened. His up-and-down gaze gave me an appreciative look, and he edged closer.
“I haven’t seen you here before.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Nathan; I work on the third floor.”
“Hi.” I nodded and placed my hand in his. “I’m Jane.”
“Jane, huh? Plain name for such a pretty girl.” His voice trailed off as his gaze drifted downward.
I followed his gaze and lifted up my hand. My eyes fell to the object he was looking at. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”
“Congratulations.” His flirtatious smile crumbled. The elevator doors opened, and he stepped out without another look behind him.
I watched his retreating form with relief and glanced back down at my engagement ring. The diamond managed to sparkle even in the fluorescent light of the elevator.
The doors finally drew open, and I stepped out into the hallway. The receptionist waved at me while she held the phone with her other hand. She put her hand to the receiver. “They’re waiting for you in the back. Go right ahead.”
I thanked her and strode forward to Marge’s office. I twisted the ring on my finger in anticipation. It had been nearly three months since I’d seen her. Since I’d seen both of them, actually.
“And so the conclusion of our mission proved successful.” Marge’s kind reassurance drifted through the crack in her open door. “Central Intelligence is happy to accept you as the newest member of the CIA. The contract is conditional of course, depending on the amount of time you choose to commit. Jane Lu, as you know, chose to fulfill the three months and then quit being a CIA operative. Should you choose a more permanent route, however, we would be happy to evaluate your profile.”
“I understand. Thank you.” There was a pause. “Janey?”
I pushed open the door and rushed toward Adrian. He stood up from the seat, his arms outstretched. I embraced him. He held me tight as he lifted me off the ground and spun me in a half-circle. His forehead pressed against mine.
“A-hem.” A short clearing of the throat interrupted our reunion.
I couldn’t keep the corners of my mouth from turning upward as I faced Marge. She held her hand out and I drew away from Adrian to shake it. “Wonderful to see you again, Miss Lu. I was congratulating your fiancé on the successful conclusion to his mission. How is the college semester going?”
“Great, thanks.” I felt Adrian’s arms snake around my waist as he pulled me closer. I giggled and stepped away from Marge. “I’m sorry, he’s misbehaving.”
“I haven’t seen you in a year; I deserve some misbehaving.”
I rolled my eyes. “It was three months.”
“Felt like a year.” The huskiness in his voice sent a rush through my body.
Marge cleared her throat again. “Right. Mr. King, the CIA will inform you of your next mission soon. Miss Lu, always a pleasure.”
I let Adrian guide me out the door and toward the elevator. His hand remained in mine during the entire elevator ride down.
“How is your internship here, anyway?”
I kept my arms around him and leaned into his embrace. “I love it. I still decode CO’s messages and contracts we intercept, and inform the CIA of their actions. You’ll be doing the exciting work, though.”
“Still wish you were out there with me.”
I sighed. “I’d rather be working toward my degree. As long as I’m still doing what I can to weaken Covert Operatives, it’s enough.”
“Never imagined we’d be working to take down CO.” Adrian shook his head. The elevator opened, and we strolled out the front doors and into the chill of the D.C. air.
“Jack was never going to let you back into CO. Not after what you did.” I pulled my coat tighter around me and let go of Adrian. I stopped walking, turned to face him, and frowned. “Do you regret it?”
“Regret what?”
“Betraying CO. Running away with me.”
He didn't answer, and my eyes dropped to focus on the pavement. After a few more seconds of silence, I started walking forward and away from him. My shoulders were squared and my steps short.
Of course he regrets it. He was the next in line for CEO! He gave up his family, he gave up his money and power…
A hand gripped my shoulder, firm enough to stop me in my tracks. Adrian spun me around to face him.
“No. I don’t regret it.”
“I know how much you enjoyed the power, Adrian.” I glanced up with some reluctance, bracing myself for a brutally honest answer. “You don’t have to lie to me.”
“No more lies, remember?” His mouth twisted into an amused smirk. “We agreed—no more lies.”
“But you gave up so much.”
“And I gained.”
“What?”
“You.” His blue eyes told me he thought I was insane. “It’s crazy you still don’t believe me. You’re the reason the CIA trusted me enough to give me a job. You’re the girl who somehow forgave me for killing all those people. You’re the person who loves me even though I don’t deserve you. It’s all because of you.”
“Well, you’re the boy who gave up your position and all your power at Covert Operatives.”
Adrian brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Who says I can’t become director of the Central Intelligence Agency? No one said anything about me not having power in the future.”
Some things about him would never change. “Fair enough. It’s just, Covert Operatives was our home. I always thought you wanted it in your future.”
Adrian squeezed my hand, and I squeezed back. “I’d rather have you in my future.”
Snowflakes drifted onto my black coat as we walked along the sidewalk. The neon Christmas lights strung on the street lamps illuminated the night. I tugged on my gloves and nestled closer to Adrian, trying to warm myself against the DC chill.
“Do you miss him?” I whispered.
He combed a hand through my hair. Even though I’d cut it into a short bob, he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off it. “He never wanted me to be with you. He never wanted me to love anyone, or care for anyone except him.”
“Didn’t he care about you?”
Adrian scoffed. “He didn’t love me. I thought I could please him; I thought I could impress him with all those missions and even by breaking up with you and kidnapping you. But I didn’t need to impress you to gain your love. You always did what he could have never done.”
“Why did he want you?”
“He never told me, honestly.”
“Do you think CO will die with him?”
Adrian shrugged. “Doubtful. But we’ll try our best, won’t we?”
I nodded. “We will. I know what it’s like to not have a family. Sometimes I can’t believe you gave up yours.”
He cupped his hands around my cheeks. Warmth flooded my senses. “What I gained was worth more than what I gave up.”
CO was still out there, wreaking havoc on the world and killing innocents for the sake of money. Jack Waterman was still alive, no doubt searching for Adrian and me with a mission to kill.
Emma, Tristan, Lucy—I didn’t know what happened to them. Covert Operatives was biding their time, Adrian and I both knew, until they came back to eliminate us.
“Janey.” A cold wind whipped around us, matching the heavier snowfall dusting our hair and clothes. “You know they’re tracking us. I’m not going to be forgiven for betraying them.”
“I’m not either. We’ll find Covert Operatives first.”
“What happens when we find them?”
I didn’t hesitate to answer. “We destroy them. Them and the entire assassination business.”
Adrian chuckled and kissed the top of my head. “Can’t wait.” There was an edge to his voice, an undercurrent of intrigue. “How long do you think they’ll let us stay together like this?”
“Like what?”
“Undisturbed.”
“Not long now.” No more lies this time. “They’ll find us soon.”
The stars shone high above us, and I peered up to the twinkling lights. I pointed at a cluster of stars. Adrian followed my gaze without a word as we stared up at the lyre constellation together.
Orpheus couldn’t lose her again.
Maybe she wanted him to look back.
They never had the future they planned.
Not all things go according to plan.