Tonight’s mission was easy: find the target, get close enough to grab the intel, and then disappear without a trace. You’d done this a hundred times before. Playing the loving couple in public was almost too effortless for you now. And honestly that was starting to get a little weird.

Jazz poured through speakers, mingling with the clinking of glasses and chips at the casino. The scent of expensive perfumes lingered in the air, mixing with the aroma of cigar smoke. Drace kept his arm around your waist as you walked in, your bodies moving in sync. He leaned in, his lips brushing your ear. “Stay at the bar, keep an eye on the entrance” he murmured, his voice low. “I’ll take a lap.”

You gave him a nod and headed toward the bar, your hips swaying more than necessary, purely for show, obviously. Drace’s eyes followed you, because, well, some things were out of his control. Even professionals have their weaknesses, and right now, his was walking away from him in a dress that made everyone do a double take.

Drace shook his head, trying to refocus. Moving through the crowd, his eyes scanned the room. The place was full of people trying to impress each other, and he was sick of it already. He tapped his earbud, grumbling under breath “No sign of the target.”

But as he turned back toward the bar, he froze.

Target spotted. Standing a little too close to you, with his hand casually resting on the bar next to you. Drace knew you were playing your role, keeping the guy entertained, but it still pissed him off. Professional or not, seeing another man hit on his “wife” made his blood boil.

He reached in a few strides, sliding up beside you and slipping his arm around your waist, pulling you close. “Isn’t she stunning?” Drace said, giving the guy a smile that was almost too friendly. Then, without missing a beat, he grabbed your hand, lifting it, making sure the man had a good, long look at the elegant ring that adorned your finger.

“And lucky for me,” he added with a small chuckle “she happens to be my wife.”