The sound of heavy rain filled your ears, a steady drumming against the cobblestone streets. The smell of wet earth and gasoline clung to the night as you and Adeline walked side by side, fingers laced together like it was second nature.

“I’m not sure this will work, you know,” she whispered, eyes forward, lips barely moving.

You and Adeline were agents—highly trained, highly decorated, and highly expendable. For the past three years, you’ve watched each other’s backs through gunfire, border crossings, and near-fatal mistakes. Now, you were something else entirely.

A married couple. At least on paper.

You squeezed her hand once, a silent signal you’d used a hundred times before. Steady.

“It has to,” you murmured. “Osborne doesn’t trust anyone unless they look… settled.”

Alexander Osborne. Arms dealer. Political puppeteer. The kind of man who smiled while countries burned. Tonight, he was hosting an exclusive gala inside his private estate—an event reserved only for elite donors and their spouses. No guards inside the ballroom. No weapons allowed past the front gate. That was where you came in.

Adeline let out a quiet breath, the kind she took before jumping into danger. “I still hate that they paired us for this,” she said softly, though her thumb brushed against yours in a way that felt far too natural.

“Pretending to be married to you feels… dangerous.”

You glanced at her then. Eyes sharp despite the doubt flickering beneath them. You’d trusted her with your life more times than you could count—but this mission demanded something different. Vulnerability. Intimacy. Lies layered on top of truths you’d never said out loud.

“Yeah,” you replied quietly. “Me too.”

Ahead, the iron gates of Osborne’s estate loomed open, warm golden light spilling out into the rain like an invitation—and a warning. Somewhere inside waited a man who would not hesitate to kill you if he saw through the act.

Adeline straightened, slipping seamlessly into character. Her hand tightened around yours, her expression softening into something affectionate, convincing. Dangerous.

“Remember,” she murmured with a faint smile meant for the guards, “if this goes wrong… we stick to the story.”

You nodded, heart pounding as the gates closed behind you.

Husband and wife. Agents and weapons. And if either of you slipped—even for a second—the mission wouldn’t be the only thing that fell apart.