Surveillance at Sunset

The pool at the Meridien shimmered like liquid obsidian under the hotel's amber lights. Elena sat at the edge, her legs submerged to the calves, nursing a gin and tonic she'd stopped drinking an hour ago. She checked her phone again—nothing from Marcus.

"You're going to turn into a prune." A woman's voice behind her.

Elena turned to find a redhead in her late thirties, sharp-featured, with eyes that missed nothing. The kind of face that made you wonder what she'd seen.

"Just decompressing." Elena forced a smile. "Corporate retreats will do that to you."

"The vitamin supplements in the welcome basket were a nice touch, though." The woman sat beside her, uninvited but not unwelcome. "Though I'm pretty sure they're just branded placebos."

Elena laughed despite herself. "Probably."

"I'm Sarah, by the way."

"Elena."

"Nice to meet you, Elena." Sarah studied her. "You don't seem like the usual type they send to these things. The ones who treat networking like a contact sport."

"Maybe I'm just tired."

"Or maybe you're carrying something." Sarah's voice dropped. "Something heavy. A bear on your shoulders, so to speak."

Elena's chest tightened. How did she know?

"I saw you this afternoon," Sarah continued. "At the breakout session. You were taking notes, but not about the presentation. You were watching Marcus Chen."

The name hit like a splash of cold water.

"It's funny," Sarah went on, almost conversational. "The way a spy forgets they're being watched too."

Elena's hand froze on her glass. "Who are you?"

"Corporate security for Chen's competitors. We've been tracking you for weeks." Sarah's smile didn't reach her eyes. "You're good, I'll give you that. Slick as a fox, worming your way into his department, becoming his confidante. But you got sloppy."

"I'm not—"

"Save it. Your firm hired you to extract trade secrets. Instead, you fell in love with the target." Sarah gestured toward the hotel entrance. "He's leaving for the night, by the way. Checked out early. Said he wasn't feeling well."

Elena's stomach dropped. She'd missed her chance. The data, the deadline, everything.

"Here's the thing," Sarah said, standing. "I could report you. Your career would be over. Or..." She slipped a business card onto Elena's towel. "You could come work for us. We pay better, and we don't expect you to sabotage your personal life."

She walked away without looking back.

Elena sat there until the pool lights flickered off, weighing the bear on her shoulders against the fox in her heart, wondering if love was just another vitamin the world sold you to make you believe you could be whole.