"Do you like it there?"

"I do. I love it."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

I smile as I picture Nix in bed, his hair rumpled and his eyes alight with mischief. And by mischief, I mean a desire to fuck me in some creative and mind-blowing position he hasn't tried yet.

"I kind of am," I say.

"That's great. And Kennedy, your mom and I want you to know that we support you no matter what. Whoever he-or she-is, we just want you to be happy."

"She? What are you talking about, Dad?"

"I just mean that if you're gay-"

"I'm not." I laugh at his assumption and at his I'm totally good with this tone of voice. "I mean, if I were, I'd say so. But, no, I'm definitely seeing a man."

A man with enough dick and stamina in bed for two men, in fact, but I leave that part out.

"Okay." He laughs nervously. "We just thought since you hadn't wanted us to meet your roommate, maybe it was because-"

"No." Olivia and I are so having a good laugh over this conversation later, but for now, I need to get into the office. "Hey, I need to go into my office now, but if you and Mom want to come visit soon, you can meet my...um...boyfriend and my roommate."

I just called Nix my boyfriend. That was weird. He's kind of intense to be anyone's boyfriend.

"We'd love that. We'll text later with some dates."

"Okay."

"And we can talk some more when I'm there, if you want to."

"I'd like that. Thanks, Dad."

"I love you."

"Love you, too. Tell Mom I love her, too."

We hang up, and I put my phone in my bag. I just sit on the bench for a few seconds and watch people walking by, everyone absorbed in their own train of thought.

I can't believe I just told my father about the resentment I have toward him. I've never said those words out loud to anyone. It felt good.

When I get up and walk into Beans to an End, I feel lighter. I get a coffee and head for the Greenlight office, still replaying the conversation in my head.

The office is quiet when I walk in. There are a few agents sitting at their desks working, and many are in a meeting in a glass-walled conference room in the center of our office space.

Maybe I'll be able to focus on writing reports and get them all caught up. I still haven't finished my report from the Dubai trip.

"Hey," I say to Rae as I walk past her desk. "What's up?"

"Not much." She shrugs. "How's the eye?"

I pat my makeup-covered black eye. "It doesn't really hurt."

"What'd you tell Phoenix about your weeklong absence?"

"That I was visiting family."

She gives me a skeptical look. "Did he buy it?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, I've got good news about him." She passes me a sheet of paper from her desk.

My lips part in surprise as I see a mugshot of Coco, Nix's friend. She's got dark eye makeup beneath her swollen eyes in the photo, and it's obvious she's been crying. She was booked under her real name, Caroline Dunning.

I scan the booking information, and my heart sinks. She was arrested for theft. I wonder if Nix knows. But worse...I wonder if he's next.

"What did you mean when you said you have good news about him?" I ask Rae.

"She's his protege."

I scoff. "I wouldn't go that far. More like his aspiring protege."

"Well, now we have leverage."

I nod as it sinks in. They really do have leverage. Nix cares about Coco, and there seem to be very few people in this world he cares about.

Shaking my head, I realize it's not they, but we. We have leverage. I'm a Greenlight agent, and my job is to bring people like Nix to justice.

He stole more than fifty million dollars in Europe last year. His lifestyle of sipping Cognac and having a driver to take him places is paid for by criminal activity. Nix makes deals with men like Hassan, selling illegal weapons like the gun that was used to murder my uncle Jeff. I didn't get into this work to fall for a man like Nix; I came here to bring down men like him.

"So what do we do from here?" I ask Rae.

"The director wants to bring him in and talk about a deal."

"What sort of a deal?"

"Him for her."

I arch my brows skeptically. "Really? You think he'll cop to everything and spend the rest of his life in prison to get her out of a theft charge?"

"Not likely, but that's not all the leverage we have." Rae's green eyes lock onto me with a laser-like focus. "Our cybercrime people were able to follow the trail Caroline left back to Phoenix. We don't have everything, but we've at least got something to work with now. It's the first hard evidence we've been able to get on him."

I nod and swallow hard. "And it confirms what we suspected? That he's a black hat hacker?"

Rae's eyes widen. "Of course, he's a black hat. We knew that, but we didn't have evidence until now."

"Coco's a dumbass," I say bitterly.

"Kennedy, tell me you aren't sorry we finally got this evidence."

I shake my head quickly. "No, of course not."

"Listen, it's normal to develop feelings for the people we're working. Especially when we're forced to get physically involved with them. But you have to remember that the job comes first."

"I know." I lean against the edge of her desk and look down at her. "So now what? Is it business as usual for me?"

"I don't know. The director will decide. I can't imagine we'll want to blow your cover, though."

"Rae," I say, my voice so soft it's almost a whisper. "I think he may suspect me."

"Of working against him?"

"Of working in intelligence."

She puts a hand over her mouth, but she quickly moves it away and gives me a serious look. "Why didn't you tell me? That's a big deal."

"I don't think he'd hurt me."

Rae glares with annoyance. "You think he's willing to go to prison over you? After a few good fucks?"

"No, I don't...I don't know. I think he suspects but doesn't actually want to know."

"Then why is he still seeing you?"

I shrug. "I think he believes he's untouchable. He's careful, Rae. Really careful. I've never seen a shred of evidence at his apartment."

"How hard have you looked?"

My cheeks warm and I look away. She's got me there. When I'm at Nix's place, my attention is completely focused on him.

"I've seen the surveillance footage of him. I get the appeal. He's got that tall, dark, and handsome thing down. And his smile..."

My face gets even hotter. "Yeah, his smile..."

My heart pounding as I study her expression, I ask, "Can I try to turn him?"

"Turn Phoenix? You think he'd walk away from making tens of millions and work for us?"

I shrug. "To save Coco, he might."

"You'd be blowing your cover. That would mean a reassignment far away from here."

"Unless it works."

Rae arches her brows, looking impressed. "You're willing to risk it? Because we can send another agent to try to turn him."

"I don't think anyone else will be able to get through to him like I can."

She leans forward in her chair, speaking in a low tone. "This is serious, Kennedy. He could agree and then shoot you in the head at his first opportunity and split. Or not agree and shoot you on the spot."

I lift my chin, trying to sound more confident than I feel right now. "I'm the one who's been working him, and I'm asking for a chance to turn him."

"In exchange for dropping the charges against Caroline Dunning?"

"Yes. And maybe..."

"What?" She narrows her eyes.

"I don't know. Maybe I don't make Nix into a card-carrying Greenlight field agent. Maybe he just becomes a source for us."

"He's pretty high on the food chain for that."

"Just...let me find out what the options are with him."

She nods. "I'll have to get the director's approval. And I want to go with you."

"No. Just me."

She shakes her head in frustration. "Do you have a death wish?"

"I'm just following my gut. My wise handler once told me to do that."

"Ha." Rae gives me a wry grin. "Don't try to kiss my ass."

"Make this happen for me, okay? Please? I know you have pull with the director."

"I'll do my best." She sighs deeply. "But if he kills you, I'll be pissed at you for a really long time."

"Got it."

The door to the glass conference room opens, and people start filing out. The director meets Rae's eyes and starts walking toward her.

"All right, I'll let you know," Rae says to me.

"You're the best."

She gives me a sad smile. "I was once."

"Still are. I wouldn't want anyone else at my back."

My pulse is pounding as I walk over to my desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Rae following the director into his office.

I know Nix is one of the bad guys I'm supposed to bring down. But I can't do that unless I have no other options. He went to bat for me with Grayson. Now it's my turn to do the same for him.