The Reluctant Spy

Alliances

Lucas arrived at the hotel at 20.00 and walked straight toward the lounge. He stopped at the entrance and scanned the room. He saw Nyssa seated on a bar stool stirring an apple martini with one of those plastic stirs. She had right leg crossed over her left and was staring into her glass.

As if sensing that someone was watching she looked up and turned toward the entrance. She wore her hair down with only one side pinned an over her ear. She wore a burgundy red backless dress with a flowing skirt that came up to her knees. The hem line was jagged and was shorter in the front than in the back. Again, the dress accented all the right curves of her body. She had matching open toe high heel shoes that added some height to her small size.

At first, Lucas just stood there and took in how sexy she looked. His eyes slowly took in every curve from her head to her toe. It stirred something inside of him that he had not felt since before going to Russia. He could not think of a time since he saw anything more beautiful. Then, when she turned to look at him, his brain kicked in, and he remembered how angry he was at her for withholding information again.

Just what does she think she is doing dressing like that?

Lucas strolled up to her and smiled. She returned the smile as he sat down and ordered a drink for himself.

"So, I see you took advantage of the couture shop in the hotel. You look beautiful," he said trying not to sound like an amateur pickup artist.

"Thank you." Her smile got bigger. "You look rather handsome yourself."

Lucas was dressed in a navy blue blazer with a lighter blue dress shirt, black dress pants and shoes. His clothes enhanced his blue eyes.

Wow! He's really cute when he dresses up.

Lucas and Nyssa carried on with the small talk while they enjoyed their drinks. Then, Lucas paid the tab, and he and Nyssa walked to the restaurant.

The restaurant was located next to the hotel. It was an elegant place decorated in a French style. They ordered another round of drinks with their meal and continued talking and enjoying the evening through the appetizers and salads. When the entrees arrived, Lucas chose that moment to confront Nyssa about the photographer.

"There's been some development in your case. Malcolm may have found the photographer responsible for the pictures we found in your flat." Lucas took out his cell phone and pulled up the picture of Kyle Marcus caught on the CCTV camera. "Do you recognize him?"

Nyssa looked at the photographer and schooled her expressions to reveal nothing.

"Who is he?" she asked.

"His name is Kyle Marcus, a professional photographer. I thought that you might know him since you confronted him yesterday afternoon." He kept his calm demeanor while he watched her reaction.

Oh damn!

"I saw him outside my mother's house taking pictures. My first thought was that he was working for the O'Connell family, so Jack and I ambushed him on the street."

"You and Jack? Marcus said there was another girl there. Who was she?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. It was just me and Jack. No one else was there." Nyssa tried to look as innocent as possible, but Lucas was not buying it.

"Nyssa, if we are to work together on this, you have to be straight with me. No more lies. You have to trust me." Lucas looked right into her eyes, staring her down.

Nyssa's response went from innocence to defiant. Either Lucas was pleading or threatening, she decided she would have none of it.

"Trust you. I trust my family, with the exception of my father and brother. I trust Jack. I trust a handful of the men I served with in my unit. And, despite recent events, I trust Sam Walker. When you and I have saved each other's lives more times than we can count, then you can tell me to trust you."