Free Diamonds Are Truly Forever: An Agent Ex Novel 2 by Gina Robinson Page B

though his reasons were unclear, even to him.
    What had he hoped to find out? Whether she still loved him? Whether the chemistry had disappeared?
    Apparently not. His reaction to kissing her was about the same as throwing water on sodium—kaboom! Which only strengthened his determination. He had to complete this mission and get out of Seattle. For good.
    He cursed Emmett beneath his breath and remembered the way his boss had meddled with his fellow spy Ty’s marriage during their last mission together in Hawaii. Ty got his wife back and was now a happily married spy. Emmett hated ex-spouses, claiming they were security risks waiting to happen.
    The odds of Emmett manipulating a reconciliation here were the equivalent to those of RIOT giving up its plans for world domination—nonexistent. If Emmett thought he was solving another security problem by playing marriage counselor again, he was about to lose his perfect record. Master manipulator that Emmett was, he wasn’t God.
    At least NCS didn’t have the same no-ex policy RIOT did—extermination.
    Drew was no good for Staci. And Staci was definitely not good for him. They were each other’s worst liability. From now on, he intended to keep his distance. He squeezed a dab of toothpaste onto his toothbrush and began scrubbing his teeth with way more force than the American Dental Association recommended for good gum health.
    *   *   *
     
    The guest bathroom in Drew’s condo was well lit and clean, obviously unused since the leasing company had cleaned it and Drew had moved in.
    Staci scowled at her sentimental reflection in the mirror.
    Why had she let Drew kiss her?
    The girl reflected in the mirror looked as if she was going to revert to longing for what was, rather than doing the smart thing and moving on.
    Fortunately, that dumb mirror-image girl also looked so chaste and buttoned up and surrounded by layers of cotton, she appeared ready for the convent. It would take a more imaginative man than Drew to find anything sensual about her. The fluffy pink robe Drew hated, topped off with the ugly monkey slippers, would have sent him running, had he seen her.
    Beneath the robe, she wore her most comfy, totally unsexy and prim pajamas, the gag gift Mandy had given her when she separated from Drew. Mandy had said a girl deserved a few good nights of sleep in the comfy stuff before going on the prowl and having to give it up in favor of colder, more revealing lingerie.
    Staci set her cosmetic bag on the counter just as a flash of movement in the corner by the door caught her eye. She turned around to get a closer look and screamed.
    *   *   *
     
    Drew had just stripped down to his boxers and pulled back the covers, ready to slip into bed, when Staci’s ear-piercing scream broke the silence, followed by two thuds in rapid succession.
    Shit!
    He grabbed his gun from the nightstand and charged into the guest room with his arms cocked in the ready to fire clear the room position. The window was closed, the room empty. The adjoining bathroom door stood ajar, light streaming out. But no Staci in sight, not even reflected in the bathroom mirror.
    His wife had turned into a vampire. Nothing remained of her reflection, just the sound of her screams echoing off the bathroom walls and another thump as something hit the wall.
    He charged in, scanning the area for enemy assassins, bullet holes, hand grenades, or signs of fire, ready to kill Staci’s attacker.
    Instead he found Staci cowering in the corner of the tub, screaming. She balanced on the edges as if the tub beneath contained nitroglycerin as she brandished a toilet brush in the air like a weapon.
    “What’s wrong? What’s the matter? What is it?” He fired the questions at her without waiting for an answer to any of them, expecting to see a maimed terrorist somewhere on the bathroom floor or in the tub.
    “There! Behind the door.” She pointed to the corner behind him.
    Drew spun around, ready to shoot