Jack (Eidolon Black Ops #8) - Maddie Wade Page 0,16

positioned at strategic points throughout. She knew the others were placed where guests couldn’t see them, all overseen by Lopez, who was in a van outside with all his gear. She would’ve liked to be on comms, but with so many people looking at her, it was easier to just trust the men around her and turn the ear piece she wore off, so she wasn’t distracted by the chatter. That wasn’t an easy thing for her considering she mostly worked with women. Men and women were different in the field, and while she didn’t believe one was better or worse, they were distinct in how they thought. Her delicate gold watch would allow her to tap into the feed if she needed it, so she wasn’t flying solo.

The ballroom at the Governor’s mansion was beautiful with high ceilings, stunning chandeliers, and art deco sconces around the room. Thankfully, someone had added air conditioning at some point, and it was cooler than some of the other rooms.

“Are you enjoying your visit, Miss…?”

The man speaking to her was the minister for trade and industry and known to have a thing for younger women, which his wife didn’t seem to care about because she was sleeping with the Minister for Education. He was Greek-Cypriot and old enough to be her grandfather at sixty-eight, but that didn’t stop him from dropping his hand to her thigh in a bold move which made her want to rip his dick off and feed it to him.

Unfortunately, her cover would be well and truly blown if she did that, so instead, she smiled sweetly and answered him as she tried to discreetly remove the offending hand. “Ms Simmons,” she said, giving him her alias, “and yes. So far it has been pleasant.”

He held steady though, probably thinking for some crazy reason she was playing hard to get. Astrid was caught. She couldn’t use her usual flirtatious techniques to feed his ego before cutting him off at the knees, nor could she kick his ass as she wanted. Her role was to blend in, and a woman in her position wouldn’t make a fuss. That was something she’d love to discuss with the Queen if she ever got the opportunity again—the blatant misogyny amongst the upper classes and especially the court.

Astrid closed her eyes, praying for enough patience not to break this man’s thumb. A waft of air closed over her and the unmistakable scent of the man she’d know anywhere assailed her as she felt him close to her back.

Opening her eyes, she found him bending until his mouth was next to the ear of the man who was now swiftly removing his hand from her leg like it burned, and turning ever so slightly green. The next second, he moved his chair away from her as far as he could get at the dinner table’s snug space and turning to the guest on the other side.

Jack gave her a look, silently asking if she was okay, and she dipped her head in thanks. He hadn’t needed to rescue her, and usually she’d be annoyed he’d stepped in when she was perfectly capable, but this was Jack. For some reason, him doing it made her feel gooey on the inside.

Jack returned to his position behind her and she turned back to her meal as the next course was placed in front of her and caught the Queen watching her with a slight uptilt of her lips. Her eyes cast a glance to Jack before she nodded her approval and continued talking to the Governor as if she hadn’t missed a beat. It seemed Queen Lydia was astute and missed very little, so why did she allow men like the clown next to her to get away with such things?

The rest of the reception was uneventful, and soon she and Jack were following Her Majesty back to the residence where they would spend their last night in Cyprus. She’d enjoyed seeing around the island, and in some ways, it had helped to dull the pain this week always brought her.

The Queen turned at her door as Blake swept the room and cleared it for her. “Thank you, Jack.”

“My pleasure as always, ma’am.”

“Make sure the Minister for Trade and Industry knows that the behaviour I witnessed tonight will not be tolerated from anyone.”

Astrid blinked in surprise.

“I already have Alex and Gunner dealing with him, ma’am.”

The Queen crossed her gloved hands over her bag. “Good.”

“Fitz has the details for