I frowned. "We've eaten that much sugar?"
"Yes, you have a habit, and now I have a habit."
"Okay, fair enough. I popped two Skittles in my mouth. "So, I am going to Monaco."
She lifted a brow. "What, for the weekend?"
"No, apparently tomorrow. I'm chasing a lead on the jewelry thing."
She leaned forward. "What lead?"
"Same MO on a three-year-old case. I’m trying to identify if it’s a copycat or if we missed something. Don't worry about me. You have your hands full with catching a murderer. It's fine.”
"But I do want to help. I don't want you feeling like I've abandoned you."
"You aren't making me feel that way. Denning has assigned you to another case. You're only assisting me. It's fine. I can do a lot of the work by myself."
"Okay. What's in Monaco?"
"That, my dear, is the rub.” I popped some Skittles into my mouth. “I don't want you getting excited."
She lifted a brow. "Okay. Excitement contained."
"A couple days ago, I found this similarity between my case and a case from a few years ago featuring a couple of pieces in the Du Mont collection shown at the Royal Museum of Art in Monaco."
"Okay, why is that exciting besides, you know, Monaco? Make sure you go in and gamble in one of the casinos just for me. Do me a favor and please pack a dress."
"No, I'm not going there to gamble."
"You're always ruining my James Bond fun. How else are you supposed to meet a sexy international spy who's also hot, amazing in bed, and ridiculously wealthy if you don't walk into a casino?"
I giggled at that. "You know what? Accurate."
"Ugh, does that mean you'll be destined for losers forever?"
"Hush your mouth. We don't want the fates to hear you."
"Good point. Okay, so why is the case so exciting?"
"Well, it seems that the Du Mont family representative here in London is none other than East Hale."
Amelia's brows lifted. "As in hottie billionaire who is part of a shady secret society that we're trying to crack wide open? Dare I ask if he’s the reason you left me at the party last night?"
I answered around a mouth full of Skittles. "I told you. I wasn’t feeling well. Besides I didn’t see him inside the party.” I consoled the twinge of guilt by reminding myself I didn't actually see him inside the party.”
"This is huge. And a lucky coincidence. Because this way, you're not actually breaking any rules. And you get to be close while you’re investigating."
"Yes. Which is why I'm excited. There's something else though." It didn’t feel good holding this back from Amelia. She was usually the person I told everything to.
She knew enough about me to be suspicious. "Okay… What have you done?"
I couldn’t tell her about East, but I needed to tell someone about Theroux. I was going to need all the help I could get. "No, this time it's not me. I got a phone call the other night while I was at the hospital benefit bugging East Hale."
"From who?”
“Someone claiming to be Francois Theroux.”
Am myriad of emotion played over her face. The most prominent being shock. “Stop shitting me.”
“I shit you not. I wouldn’t.”
“What did your father say?”
“I winced. “You mean when I didn’t tell him?”
Amelia blew out a breath as she leaned forward and pressed her fingers to her eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Ny!”
“I know. I know. I walked in there to tell him and then I just couldn’t. He was looking at me with all this… disappointment. And let’s be honest. Even if I had told him, Denning would get to work on it not me.”
“Fuck, you’re right.” she grunted and slammed her head back against her seat." Your father is so smart. How can he not see through Denning?”
"I don't know. Denning's probably the son he's always wanted.”
It was her turn to wince because she knew I was right. "Fuck, I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. It is what it is. And after all, maybe it’s nothing. I’m certainly not going to spin my wheels trying to get my father to pay attention if it’s nothing."
The corner of her lip quirked up. "Abso-fucking-lutely. After all, I work under Denning. And no one told me to stay away from Theroux."
"Thank you.” It meant a lot that she was in my corner. At least I had someone.
“Ride or die. I’ll start some research, last knowns. Get a tracer on your phone. I’ll be discrete."
“You’re a mate, you know that?”
"Absolutely. And hey, try and have some fun in Monaco, okay? Get into some trouble."
"I'll be gone for two days max. No fun or trouble to be had. Besides, remember when we said no more shady blokes?"
She nodded. "Yup, I remember that pact."
“East Hale definitely falls in the shady-bloke category."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, but he's so pretty. He might need a shady-bloke waiver."
I started to laugh as I stood, grabbing another handful of Skittles. "I swear it's my last fix.” I liked to think that the hit of sugar made it easier for me to think.
"Fine, take the Skittles."
"Thanks, partner."
"Of course. Anytime. In the meantime, see what you can get out of East Hale. Use your feminine wiles."
I glanced down at myself, my wide-legged trousers and my plain button-down white shirt. "I don't exactly understand what feminine wiles you're talking about."
She rolled her eyes. "Nyla, how can you not see that you’re a complete fucking knockout? "
"I'm an Interpol agent. I don't need to be sexy." Even as I said that, I frowned down at myself. I loved these pants.
"I'm not saying you're not sexy. Like I said, I've tried to borrow those pants off of you several times."
"And I keep telling you you're too short. You can't tailor my pants that you're borrowing to fit you."
She harrumphed. "The point is, if you wore that button down and tied the shirttails in a knot, or even better, wore it as a one shoulder, you'd be even hotter."
"You do
