Free INVISIBLE FATE BOOK THREE: ALEX NOZIAK (INVISIBLE RECRUITS) by Mary Buckham

first.”
    “I can come with you. ” Her look was one Kelly was used to, sort of a cross between worry that Kelly couldn’t take care of herself or would screw up if left on her own.
    If she was going to be axed from the team , though, it was something she had to face alone. “Thanks, but not this time. I’ll see you in a bit.” She started walking away with a small backwards wave to take any sting out of her words.
    Just to make sur e that Jaylene or anyone else didn’t know where she was headed, Kelly started out toward the opera house, which was in the opposite direction of the coffee house. Then she caught the Avenue de l’Opera that cut diagonally back toward the Louvre and jogged the last half block to reach the small bistro, which served coffee, too. Stone was already seated inside, away from prying eyes.
    She was out of breath by the time she reached him.
    “Someone chasing you?” he asked, looking behind her. As usual, he’d taken the seat with his back to a wall, facing the main exit and windows.
    “No. Dodging Parisian traffic,” she mumbled as she pulled up a chair and waved off the waiter. “ Non, merci .”
    Stone eyed her as she bought a few spare seconds catching her breath, before he jumped in. “Tell me exactly what you saw the other day. In detail.”
    So he wasn’t going to cut her from the team. Yet. With Stone , it could mean only one thing. He’d wring every piece of intel from her before he released the guillotine.
    W ith more calmness than she felt, she repeated what she’d shared with Jaylene earlier. Stone let her talk until she was finished.
    “That’s all?” he asked. “You’re sure ?”
    Kelly nodded. “Of course I’m sure.”
    “Bran left with Jeb Noziak and Van?”
    “Yes. Van, if that’s who it was, was unconscious , and Bran was bleeding, but they all left together.”
    Stone leaned back in his chair, all stillness and concentration.
    Kelly now wished she had ordered something to keep her hands, and mind, busy, instead of just pleating her napkin.
    When Stone remained silent she asked, “You thin k there’s something wrong?” What she wanted to ask was if she were still an IR agent or not, but that stuck in her throat.
    He glanced at her as if he’d been a long ways away, then gave a quick chuckle that held no mirth. “I know there’s something wrong. Can’t put my finger on it, but there’s certainly something wrong.”
    Kelly swallowed. If Stone thought there was a problem, that wasn’t good news. It’d be real easy to avoid the other question pushing at her but her parents hadn’t raised her to take the easy way out. She had to ask. “Does this mean we’re not going to look for Alex?”
    He eyed her as if she’d asked him if the team would be dancing in the streets. “We’ll do more than that, we’ll find her …”
    “I hear a but ,” she countered, her napkin now wadded in her lap.
    “It’s not going to be easy.” Stone never did sugarcoat the truth. “You okay with that?”
    She chewed her bottom lip before giving a reply, making sure she could back up her words. Another thing her parents drilled into her. Don’t lie, don’t hide from the truth and if you commit to do something , then you’d better be prepared to do it.
    “I didn’t figure it’d be easy,” she admitted, looking Stone in the eye. “That’s not what I’m concerned about.”
    He arched a brow, which was the same as a shout from someone else.
    Taking the look as a go ahead , she added, “Am I going to still be on the team?”
    His forehead creased as if she’d thrown him with her question. “You want out?”
    “No. No.” She scooted forward, leaning her arms on the table. “I just assumed … you know, with the way I screwed up, that you wouldn’t want me around anymore.”
    He eased back in his chair, eyeing her. “You learn your lesson?”
    Kelly nodded, hoping he didn’t see that she’d crossed her fingers. That made the big lie into a more manageable