gether?”
This—the ability to go with the flow and make a move when required—was one of the things she loved about him. Wait—loved? Surely not. She hadn’t known him long enough.
But yet...
Shying away from any deep thoughts about her emotions, she reminded herself to focus on the job. Her mission mattered the most right now. She could sort out her feelings about Jake later, just like they’d agreed.
“Let’s split up,” she said. “I still think if we do it that way, there’s less likelihood of us getting caught.”
“Maybe. But I’d rather we stick together. That way if trouble comes, we face it side by side. We have each other’s backs.”
“Too obvious,” she argued. Before she could say another word, her walkie-talkie buzzed. She glanced at it, saw Leigh was once again summoning her and sighed. “I’m really getting tired of this thing. I’ve got to meet up with Leigh again. Go ahead and start searching without me if you want. I’ll touch base with you later.”
“Sounds good.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, surprising her. She had to actively fight the urge to turn her head so that her lips met his.
“Please be careful,” she said instead, already moving away.
On the way to Leigh’s suite, she wondered if the continued summons made the younger woman feel more powerful. She didn’t remember Leigh doing this so much before—usually they’d run into each other somewhere around the center. Maybe that meant Fiona had been shifted to a position of greater trust.
After tapping on Leigh’s door, she stepped inside.
“There you are!” Leigh smiled at her. “Close the door and come in.”
Fiona took her time complying. Finally, she turned and faced Leigh, who remained seated behind her massive desk. “What’s going on?”
“We have another plan,” Leigh announced, her voice high-pitched with excitement. “Micheline wanted me to discuss it with you.”
Instead of playing her usual role—which was to mimic Leigh’s enthusiasm, Fiona crossed her arms and shook her head. “Why doesn’t Micheline discuss it with me herself?”
As expected, Fiona’s comment had Leigh narrowing her eyes. “Listen to you, Miss High and Mighty,” Leigh snarled. “I think you are getting way too big for your britches. Why would you even think Micheline would need to discuss anything with you personally?”
Fiona blinked. While she’d expected a put-down, she hadn’t anticipated this level of vitriol. Despite that, she stuck to her guns. She could always quickly back down if things escalated too fast. “If what she wants me to do is important enough, I’d think she’d want to tell me herself.”
“I’m her messenger.” Mouth tight, Leigh spoke angrily. “I can’t believe you of all people are acting like this. After all we’ve done for you.”
How much to push? Fiona debated. She wanted to get on an inside track with Micheline, but she really couldn’t take the risk of alienating Leigh.
“I’m really not trying to cause trouble,” Fiona responded, her tone conciliatory. “I just feel like these days Micheline is distancing herself from me—from us. When I first got here, I saw her a lot more. She coached me personally. Now, if she has anything to say to me, she has you do it. I miss her.”
Leigh’s hard expression softened. She even got up and came around her desk to place her hand lightly on Fiona’s shoulder. “I get it, really I do. But Micheline is really busy. She’s even been communicating with me via email lately. I haven’t even seen much of her, and I’m her trusted employee.”
Interesting. Email. “When was the last time you actually saw her in person?” Fiona asked.
“Don’t worry about it.” One flip of her hand dismissed Fiona’s question as Leigh went back behind her desk and took a seat in her leather office chair. “Micheline has another job for you. When she finishes firming up the details, she’ll need it carried out right away.”
Leigh took a deep breath, pausing as if for dramatic effect. “You should know, this plan involves the Coltons.”
Instantly alert, Fiona nodded. “What about them?”
“First, I need to ask you a possibly delicate question. Is there any chance you could be pregnant with Jake’s child?”
Floored, Fiona simply stared. “Um, I don’t know. I guess.” Though she took her birth control pills religiously and Jake had used condoms, she supposed there was always a very small, remote chance. Unlikely, but still...
“Perfect.” Beaming, Leigh fiddled with a stack of gold bracelets. “Micheline might need you to pretend to be pregnant.”
“What?” Fiona felt sick again. Was there no end to the horrible things Micheline would ask her to do? “Would I have to tell Jake that, too?”
“Of course. Even better if you can convince him to play along for a cut.”