Nick had to keep a watchful eye on this one. He observed her as she retook her seat, picked up the coffee cup next to her, and returned to her game as if she had no freaking clue what she had done to his libido. For all he knew, she had an inkling she was being watched, so she was pulling out womanly stops to distract whoever was out to track her down.

He licked his lips and cleared his throat slightly to clear the erotic image of her legs wrapped around his waist, and all that hair of hers fanned out on his pillow as he fucked her into submission. Nothing had affected him like this in a while, and he wished he could chalk it up to sleep deprivation and the need for extra caffeine.

But that would be fooling himself.

A wave of nervous energy passed over him, providing the much-needed reminder that he was still on the job. That assignment included getting on the plane and following her out of the San Fran area. Hopefully, by then, they’d shake off most of the men on her tail.

Nicole was smart to use SFO Airport instead of leaving out of the one in San Jose, which was closer to her residence. It was clever, but not enough. He was able to find her because The Company knew where she was and what she was up to. And if they could track her movements, others could as well. Although, he would do everything in his power to keep them away from her if they got too close. The Company hadn’t given him that task. For now, according to Nick’s handler, Nick was supposed to keep an eye on her, but something about Nicole brought out a primal urge inside him. He had to protect her. Which was potentially dangerous for them both. Assignments changed all the time. The Company could just as easily ask him to eliminate her. And the Company got whatever it wanted.

Always.

For a second he wondered about what he’d read back in the bathroom.

As Nicole was hidden back in a row of seats with her head down, he took the opportunity to adjust her seating arrangement and got to the end of the line for the airline ticket agent.

As he waited, he scrolled through the online information he had found about Nicole. He pulled up her Facebook page, showing a profile picture of her in a simple white blouse and blue jeans. Her russet hair hung down past her shoulders, and her dark brown eyes drew him into her face, even in its two-dimensional frame. She was stunning. Young too. Probably the youngest mark he’d ever been assigned to monitor.

He continued inspecting the online footprint of Nicole’s life. More pictures of her in front of her Silicon Valley condo, riding her bike with friends, team building events at Terratech with the other software developers, and photos of various meals she’d consumed.

The line inched forward, and he looked up. There were two more passengers waiting to be served, so he kept surfing. Pages and pages of impersonal pictures More landscapes and scenery than friends and family. Maybe he and Nicole were alike in that manner. Scrolling far back, almost two years, his attention was grabbed by pictures of her in…

China?

What were the chances? Yet, there she stood with an Asian woman about the same height as Nicole with crazy-colored hair. His finger swiped over the screen as he flipped through her memories of her days in China, working for…

Holy fuck.

Nicole Hunt had worked at Delta Shandong. Now, he had a pretty good idea why she was being followed for intel and why they’d specifically assigned him to monitor her.

He shook his head.

He knew where this was going.

The Company wanted to wrap a nice, neat bow over every link they had between Terratech and Delta Shandong and this poor, unsuspecting young woman was tied to both. She must have some sort of information, knowledge, what have you—maybe she wasn’t even aware of it—and it suddenly made her an international threat. When you messed with people like these guys and got in their way, you were… eliminated. He winced at the thought this was going to end up as another cleanup job, which wouldn’t be good for Nicole Hunt in the end.

Everything had just changed.

Boy, had it ever. There was more, though. Because, right then, Nick got an encrypted text from X29 which he proceeded to decipher in his head. It took a minute, but he understood:

Target has USB drive or similar in her possession with Top Secret data. Target’s father on route Scottsdale to London Heathrow for likely rendezvous. Target has taken a haphazard route across the country to avoid tracking. Follow to JFK and hold target there until further notice. Acquire device at all costs.

“May I help you, sir?” the gate attendant asked, ready to assist him.

Nick removed his sunglasses and did his best to dazzle the older woman behind the counter with his smile and friendliness. That quote about getting more with honey than vinegar was true in any situation. Especially when it involved an interaction between a man and woman. Besides, charm always got him a long way, so with some luck, she’d likely do whatever he needed.

“Hi there… good morning.” He strategically placed his boarding pass marked “First Class” on the counter for the agent to see. She smiled, noting his elite airline status. “I’m hoping you can help me. See, several employees of my company are on this flight, but they’re all in coach. My business partner just called to tell me he won’t be making the trip and to bump up one of the hard-working staff members to come enjoy first class for the long flight.”

The agent bobbed her head in appreciation. “That’s a very nice thing to do. If you tell me the name, I’ll call them up to the podium here and we’ll—”

Nick stopped her. “No, I want it to be a surprise. You know a perk of the job and a way to say thanks for all their contributions. Six-hour flights can be quite taxing for passengers stuck in coach. No offense.”

“I understand. So, which of your employees would you like to reward?”

Playing the part, Nick pretended to mull it over for a minute and then said, “Let’s give Nicole Hunt a pat on the shoulder,” he said contemplatively. “She’s been putting in a lot of extra hours, so this will be nice for her.” He passed the boarding pass over to the woman behind the counter as she typed furiously into the console in front of her. This was sort of a bullshit request, Nick knew, especially with all of the tight rules constantly changing within TSA, but he and Nicole were already through security and at their gate, so the agent probably thought there was no harm, no foul. Either that or she appreciated his blue eyes. Most women did.

The printer in the kiosk clicked to life and a new boarding pass printed out with Nicole’s name and new seat assignment on it.

“It’s all set,” the woman said.

“How will she find out?” Nick asked.

Pointing to the monitor over the door to the gateway, she explained, “When she goes to check in, she’ll be informed that she was bumped up and we’ll swap out her boarding pass at that moment. She’ll be pleasantly surprised to find her seat in first class rather than having to go all the way to the back of the plane. She would have had a window seat next to the engine and near the bathroom. Simply horrible.”

Nick agreed and chuckled at the woman’s reaction. “Excellent,” he said and dazzled her with another smile. “I appreciate your help, so much. I like to take care of people who do a great job.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” the agent said. “I wish more employers were like you.”

He made a point of leaning in to read her nametag. “Well… Rosita… I’ll make sure I fill out an airline survey and give you top marks for your customer service.”

Rosita blushed deeply. “They’ll be pre-boarding the first class cabin momentarily, but why don’t you go on ahead.”

“Thank you so much,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting settled in.”

Rosita moved the red rope blocking off the entranceway to the plane and let him pass. She scanned his boarding pass, handed it back to him, and wished him a safe flight.

He nodded and smiled a final time, adding a quick wink at the end.

Before stepping through the doorway and onto the long, extended gangway leading to the jumbo jet, Nick peered up at the flight status board and saw “HUNT/N – Upgraded” on the list.

Fuck. Was she in for a surprise.

Maybe, they both were.