haven’t slept with him yet.”
“Pax said that Blake said he called you his girlfriend.”
“He did. We’re seeing each other.”
“But you haven’t had sex yet?”
“No.”
“Isn’t that like buying a car without a test drive?”
Astrid couldn’t stop the grin at Roz’s words. “Really, Roz? You think with all that intensity Jack would be garbage between the sheets? Plus, if he fucks like he kisses, I can assure you that a test drive is unnecessary. In fact, for that analogy, it would be like buying a Lamborghini. You don’t need to drive it to know that it has some serious power under the hood.”
“Yeah, I guess so, and he might be an ass, but he is kinda hot.” Roz and Jack had a complex relationship that thrived on mutual dislike and respect for each other. “But if he hurts you, tell him I’ll carve out his heart with a rusty knife and feed it to him.”
“Don’t let K hear you say that.” Astrid heard a baby cry in the background. “Is that my favourite boy?”
“It is. He’s teething which is hell on earth for both of us. I kinda hate K right now for leaving me.”
“You could never hate him, and we both know it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“How are the girls?”
“Fine, both killing it in school.”
“I miss them, tell them I’ll bring them something back.”
“The only thing we want back in one piece is you, so be careful.”
“I will and thanks for sending Bebe to have my back.”
Roz snorted. “Sounds like Jack has your back and front. Mustique says everything is quiet at the Ravelino villa.”
“Good and thanks for that too. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
She didn’t either. Zenobi had come into her life at her lowest point and built her up and helped her heal. They’d then given her a purpose, a focus, and she loved them all like sisters. It wasn’t the same as Adeline, but it helped.
“Any intel on Adeline?”
“No, but my guess is they think I have some, so maybe that means I’m on the right track.”
“Okay, I need to go to work. We have a disgusting human being who thinks it’s okay to beat his wife and daughters almost to death on the daily. He’s about to find out that it most certainly is not.”
“Okay, talk later, Roz.”
“Bye, Astrid, and stay safe. Call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
Astrid hung up and smiled. Zenobi was her family, but Jack could just maybe be her future and having Roz not taking a gun to his head would be a good thing.
The door to her room flung open and Bebe looked at her with excitement. “I have a lead.”
Astrid jumped up and moved towards her friend. “What is it?”
“A sighting of a woman who looks like your sister.”
Bebe showed Astrid a grainy image that could be Adeline, but her hair was short now, and she couldn’t be sure, but any lead was something.
“Where was this taken?”
“That’s the best bit. Montreal.”
Adrenaline zipped through her blood at the thought of her sister possibly being so close.
“My contact said he’d meet us at four-thirty this afternoon but only us, so we can’t tell Eidolon.”
Astrid bit her lip knowing Jack wouldn’t like it, but she had no choice. This wasn’t something she could give up, and she was no ordinary woman. She could handle herself and any situation she found herself in and so could Bebe. “Fine.”
She might regret this, but Jack would have to learn that she was who she was and much as she wanted to be with him, she wouldn’t change or bow to pressure from a man ever again—not even him.
Chapter Fifteen
Jack turned as the door to the room they were using a base for the Montreal operations opened and Fitz walked inside. He’d wanted to cancel the tour, deeming it too dangerous, but the line from the Palace was that it would continue unless there were any further incidents. So here they were in another hotel. The only good thing about the day was at least he was guaranteed to see Astrid today at some point because they were sharing a room.
That hadn’t gone over particularly well with Fitz either, who’d said it compromised her place at the Queen’s side. Jack had agreed that the rooms would stay on paper as they were, with Astrid and her female security officer—Bebe—sharing adjoining rooms and Jack having his own room. Still, in reality, he and Bebe had swapped, with him taking the adjacent room and her having his room.
The team were