Sheldon Hamilton, CEO of Security Solutions, aka Connor, watched Sophie out of the corner of his eye. He’d flown all the way back from his island in Thailand for this meeting, and the flare of excitement at seeing Sophie again had already been extinguished by worry and disappointment.

They sat in his office area on board the corporate jet parked in Hilo Airport, and waited for the video conferencing software to contact Agent McDonald of the CIA. They’d have total privacy on the plane: no interruptions, uninvited guests, or security breaches.

Sophie’s full mouth was pinched, her honey-brown eyes shadowed. She’d always reminded him of a golden eagle, wild and hard to tame. It was a miracle that she’d ever flown with him and told him she loved him. He couldn’t have ruined his chances with her permanently. No. He would win her back. With patience. With time. With relentless will and unstoppable love. With all the ways he could help and serve her that no one else could. She’d said she forgave him for that terrible mistake he’d made; it was a start. “You don’t look like you’ve been resting well.”

“I haven’t been.” Her eyes stayed down, fixed on the computer tablet she held.

Connor’s imagination went in a bad place. His gut knotted. “Not even with Jake in your bed?”

“Not even with Jake.” Sophie still refused to meet his gaze. She was so honest and literal.

There was no more time for that line of conversation because the little icon stopped spinning on the laptop’s monitor.

CIA Agent McDonald’s jowly, florid face filled the screen. “Mr. Hamilton. And Sophie Ang. How’s the new operation going in Hilo?”

“We’re done setting up and have our first cases,” Sophie replied. “Security Solutions is officially open for business in Hilo.”

McDonald’s bushy brows snapped together. “I thought that extension office was just a cover for you, Ms. Ang.”

“Rather expensive cover for Security Solutions to create an entire branch office for one woman, working for nothing for the CIA,” Connor said drily. “Ms. Ang is our employee and has actual duties to perform.”

McDonald’s color grew deeper. The man definitely had a blood pressure problem. “Have you had enough time to think over our proposal?”

“And what is that, exactly? Spell it out for us,” Connor said.

“The proposal was not to you, Hamilton, nor to Security Solutions.” McDonald turned his gaze to Sophie. “Ms. Ang. It’s disappointing that you feel you needed to hide behind your employer when we offered you, and you alone, an opportunity to go after your mother’s organization, the Yām Khûmkạn. We offered training. A cover. A support system. A chance to prove your patriotism. Maybe get a little revenge.” He bounced his brows suggestively.

“I will be honest with you, Agent McDonald, in the spirit of full disclosure—and because you are likely monitoring me and know all of this anyway.” Sophie spoke precisely. “I have been struggling with depression, in no small part triggered by discovering that my mother, who I thought was an invalid, has actually, for my entire life, been a spy. She married my father and had a child as cover. She sold me to a sadistic husband in return for favors to her clandestine organization.” Sophie spread her long, tawny fingers wide on the tabletop as if seeking to ground herself. “Anyone might find these revelations a little upsetting, but for me, combined with a series of traumatic events…I have not been myself.” She gave a small, bitter laugh that hurt Connor to hear. “Whoever that ‘self’ is. I am not mentally and emotionally fit to be a double agent for the CIA right now. And for the record, I don’t need to prove my patriotism.”

McDonald’s cheeks puffed indignantly as he drew breath for a rebuttal, but Connor cut him off with a hand gesture. “Sophie is available only in the capacity which I described to you when I made contact last week: as an employee of Security Solutions. I will continue to be involved in this project every step of the way. Your office should have received our contract by now. We will be charging fair market value for investigation services of this sensitive and specialized nature.”

McDonald held up a paper. “Our office got the fax. This is highly irregular. We have many confidential assets throughout the world, and we set the terms, thank you very much.”

“Not this time.” Connor let some of his anger show in a hard and steady gaze. “Ms. Ang is not going anywhere or doing anything alone.”

Sophie touched Connor’s arm out of sight of the camera. Gratitude was conveyed in the soft squeeze of her hand, warm and intimate—and over too soon.

McDonald blew out a gusty sigh and threw up his hands. “I’ll take this back to my people. They aren’t going to be happy.”

“Take it or leave it.” Connor said. “We have plenty of work for Ms. Ang without complicating things further.”

“You might want to make nice with the CIA, Mr. Hamilton, or you might find access to your private island in Thailand getting a little tricky,” McDonald growled.

“Are you threatening me?” Connor smiled without humor. He’d love to unleash the Ghost to find some dirt on McDonald. Taking on the CIA was a challenge he’d relish.

This time, Sophie’s hand touching his arm was a restraining pressure.

She didn’t want him to go after this guy, or the CIA. She probably still had some childish fantasy of finding a way to redeem her conscienceless harpy of a mother and didn’t want Connor to endanger that.

McDonald shook his head. “We’re getting off on the wrong foot. I will take this contract to my superiors. In the meantime, if you could cozy up to Pim Wat and her organization while you’re going to therapy for your depression, Ms. Ang, your country would be grateful.” McDonald managed to sound both sarcastic and sincere. “And in the interest of bringing useful information to the table, I’ve got some news as well. Akane Chang has escaped. You might want to take extra precautions.”

The man reached out, pushed a button, and the screen went black.