you really like to know?”
I am so tempted to head-butt his nose, just as I did to Mitch. But I just raise my eyebrows and wait for him to illuminate me.
“You’ve done a rather good job of transforming yourself, I must say. But you haven’t bothered to change your gait—and it gives you away as an athlete, not a rebellious, chain-smoking night crawler who’s never seen the inside of a gym.”
I’m disgusted with myself, which makes me even angrier with Evan.
“That was what led me to look at you more carefully. But there’s something else that you simply can’t hide.”
I stare stonily at him and refuse to take the bait. But Rita’s dying of curiosity.
“What?” she prompts him.
His gaze slides to her for a moment and then returns to me as his smirk widens. “It’s the curve of your arse,love. I’d know it anywhere.”
Rita’s jaw drops open.
Luke has a sudden coughing fit and smothers it in the crook of his elbow.
And I stand there mortified, unable to think of a suitably scathing response. Finally I say, “Evan, we were actually having a private conversation. So if you don’t mind . . .”
“Sod off?” he finishes helpfully.
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I find that I have an overwhelming desire to play superspy along with the rest of you.” He shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels.
I close my eyes. That means he’s heard everything . And I still don’t know where he was hiding.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hedge.
“Oh, I’ll wager that you do. Your parents are missing, you want Lucas here to keep your secret—and better yet, to allow our lovely Larita to hack into his noble sire’s laptop. Does that sum things up?”
Luke looks up at the sky and exhales. Then he looks down at his running shoes and shakes his head.
“Evan, don’t you have someone else to annoy?”
“Let me think.” He strokes his chin for a moment. “No. Sorry.”
“We don’t want you here,” I say.
Luke rubs the back of his neck and carefully avoids Evan’s gaze.
“I’d truly hate to have to report to the authorities thatI saw you, love. But naturally, it would be only for your safety.”
“You . . . you . . .” I open and close my mouth like a fish.
“Jackass?” Evan supplies helpfully. “Arsehole?”
“That doesn’t even begin to cover it,” I assure him. “There are no words bad enough for you.”
“I find myself curiously flattered,” Evan muses.
“We’re wasting time,” Rita breaks in. “Kari, get over it. Evan’s joined the party.”
She takes me aside and whispers in my ear, “And even if you don’t like him, he’s good eye candy.”
I’m not so sure he didn’t overhear this little gem.
I stare at him in disbelief as he nods and lifts a corner of his mouth at me. Then he blows on his fingernails and polishes them on his tailored shirt. “Now, where were we?”
Aaaarrrgghhh!
“We were convincing Luke that we need access to his dad’s laptop,” Rita says. “Because it may be the only insight we can get into what has happened to Kari’s parents.”
“Who are spies. Do I have that right?” Evan turns to me, his face the picture of avid interest.
I take a deep breath so that I won’t hit him. Then I nod.
“Fascinating,” he murmurs. “I’ve never met a bona fide spy. However did they get into such a profession?”
I take another deep breath and clench my fists. I glare at Rita, who looks skyward.
“Does one go to spy school?” he wonders aloud. “Does one write a thesis on surveillance?”
“Evan,” I say through gritted teeth, “I don’t have time to explain it to you right now. In case you didn’t pick up on it, we have an urgent situation on our hands.”
“Right,” Evan agrees. “Well, you’ll have to let me buy you a pint sometime and you can tell me all about it.”
I barely restrain a growl.
Evan turns to Luke. “Terribly sorry, mate. Back to
I am so tempted to head-butt his nose, just as I did to Mitch. But I just raise my eyebrows and wait for him to illuminate me.
“You’ve done a rather good job of transforming yourself, I must say. But you haven’t bothered to change your gait—and it gives you away as an athlete, not a rebellious, chain-smoking night crawler who’s never seen the inside of a gym.”
I’m disgusted with myself, which makes me even angrier with Evan.
“That was what led me to look at you more carefully. But there’s something else that you simply can’t hide.”
I stare stonily at him and refuse to take the bait. But Rita’s dying of curiosity.
“What?” she prompts him.
His gaze slides to her for a moment and then returns to me as his smirk widens. “It’s the curve of your arse,love. I’d know it anywhere.”
Rita’s jaw drops open.
Luke has a sudden coughing fit and smothers it in the crook of his elbow.
And I stand there mortified, unable to think of a suitably scathing response. Finally I say, “Evan, we were actually having a private conversation. So if you don’t mind . . .”
“Sod off?” he finishes helpfully.
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I find that I have an overwhelming desire to play superspy along with the rest of you.” He shoves his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels.
I close my eyes. That means he’s heard everything . And I still don’t know where he was hiding.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hedge.
“Oh, I’ll wager that you do. Your parents are missing, you want Lucas here to keep your secret—and better yet, to allow our lovely Larita to hack into his noble sire’s laptop. Does that sum things up?”
Luke looks up at the sky and exhales. Then he looks down at his running shoes and shakes his head.
“Evan, don’t you have someone else to annoy?”
“Let me think.” He strokes his chin for a moment. “No. Sorry.”
“We don’t want you here,” I say.
Luke rubs the back of his neck and carefully avoids Evan’s gaze.
“I’d truly hate to have to report to the authorities thatI saw you, love. But naturally, it would be only for your safety.”
“You . . . you . . .” I open and close my mouth like a fish.
“Jackass?” Evan supplies helpfully. “Arsehole?”
“That doesn’t even begin to cover it,” I assure him. “There are no words bad enough for you.”
“I find myself curiously flattered,” Evan muses.
“We’re wasting time,” Rita breaks in. “Kari, get over it. Evan’s joined the party.”
She takes me aside and whispers in my ear, “And even if you don’t like him, he’s good eye candy.”
I’m not so sure he didn’t overhear this little gem.
I stare at him in disbelief as he nods and lifts a corner of his mouth at me. Then he blows on his fingernails and polishes them on his tailored shirt. “Now, where were we?”
Aaaarrrgghhh!
“We were convincing Luke that we need access to his dad’s laptop,” Rita says. “Because it may be the only insight we can get into what has happened to Kari’s parents.”
“Who are spies. Do I have that right?” Evan turns to me, his face the picture of avid interest.
I take a deep breath so that I won’t hit him. Then I nod.
“Fascinating,” he murmurs. “I’ve never met a bona fide spy. However did they get into such a profession?”
I take another deep breath and clench my fists. I glare at Rita, who looks skyward.
“Does one go to spy school?” he wonders aloud. “Does one write a thesis on surveillance?”
“Evan,” I say through gritted teeth, “I don’t have time to explain it to you right now. In case you didn’t pick up on it, we have an urgent situation on our hands.”
“Right,” Evan agrees. “Well, you’ll have to let me buy you a pint sometime and you can tell me all about it.”
I barely restrain a growl.
Evan turns to Luke. “Terribly sorry, mate. Back to
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