Polar Opposites (In Aeternum Book 4) by Aliyah Burke Page A

his face. He hadn’t seen her yet and Kevin had said she had more than one apartment around the world so he couldn’t promise when she’d be at the one in this city.
    Ivan didn’t mind. He was determined to find her. He relocated and sat out on his balcony, feet propped up on the railing.
    An assassin. She wasn’t what he pictured as one.
    Granted, I’ve never met an assassin before so what do I know about what they should be like?
    He’d had femme fatales or dark, swarthy people as shown in movies on his mind. Sure, Bailey could be a femme fatale but she didn’t wear tight clothes as they did in shows he’d seen.
    “I need to get a life.” He stood and leaned over the balcony railing. His place was on the third floor and he overlooked the market. The vendor calls, food scents and more filled the air. Staring down at the crowd, his heart skipped a beat.
    As if his thoughts had conjured her up, there she was. Bailey.
    She meandered through the throng of people, bags in hand. A medium blue tight-fitting shirt bearing a vibrant pink flower had been paired with charcoal gray shorts. Her tennis shoes were a blend of gray with pink piping.
    For a heartbeat, he hesitated. Could he be imagining this was her? She paused at the flower stall, talked and laughed with the woman and eventually pointed out a bouquet.
    “Bailey!”
    She never turned and he cursed, realizing she probably couldn’t hear him over the crowd. He whirled and ran for the door, swiping his keys along the way. This woman—his reason for being here—was close. Ivan had no intention of letting her go.
    He ran down the three flights and burst out into the afternoon, nimbly avoiding another tenant who was entering. “Excuse me,” he muttered, pushing through the people as he hurried across the street.
    Bailey lingered at the stall. Her hair hung in a thick braid down her back. He recommitted her to his memory. He moved up behind her.
    “Hello, Bailey.”
    Their eyes met when she looked over her shoulder. Her golden gaze widened slightly before she smiled.
    “Ivan. What are you doing here?”
    He hadn’t been sure what her reaction to seeing him again would be so this acceptance was a welcome surprise.
    “Hopefully escorting you to your apartment.” He took the bags she had in her right hand from her. “And catching up.”
    “Interesting,” she uttered before turning back to the vendor.
    He remained quiet as she paid and put the flowers in another bag. When she faced him fully, he worked hard to control his groan of desire. What was it about this woman that affected him so?
    “Where do you live?”
    “Why so anxious to discover my home, Doctor?”
    He stepped closer to her and dipped his head so their lips almost touched. “Because I missed you and I can’t give you a proper welcome out here in public.” He grinned wickedly. “Well, I could, but I don’t know if you’d want me to.”
    Her expression didn’t change. She backed up and walked around him. “Come on then.”
    While not sure that was a ringing endorsement about her joy at seeing him again, he fell into step behind her until her ass was too much of a distraction and he walked beside her.
    “What brings you to South America, Doctor?”
    “I live here now.” He sidestepped a young girl selling cloth.
    “You work here? There’s a lab here for a doctor of your abilities?”
    “You know what I do?”
    “I was given a file on you.” She stopped and perused another stall, one of jewelry this time. He waited patiently for her to finish.
    “So you know all there is to know about me?”
    “Probably.” Her comment was straightforward and matter-of-fact.
    Ivan waited for her while she spoke Spanish to the woman and haggled for the earrings she ended up purchasing.
    “How is it you know so much about me and I know so little about you?” He posed his question once they began walking again.
    “It’s my job to know about a target.”
    “A target?”
    “It’s what you were. My