AN: Holy crap. This is seriously overdue. I had to take a bit of a hiatus and lost all my notes for this story, so getting my bearings again was a HUGE hassle. I apologize for the late update, and I hope this chapter makes up for it. Enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review with any comments or suggestions!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cara quickly learned that being associated with Joe Solomon and his crew of friends had a large amount of danger and drama associated with it. The danger, she could handle, as long as she could survive and compartmentalize it. The drama, however, was another story. The Circle of Cavan was manipulative and constantly evolving, and only the most seasoned of operatives could attempt to bring it down. The process brought an obscene amount of twists and turns—her job as an assassin was a lot more simple, and though she started as a regular CIA operative, she quickly withdrew herself from the impersonal aspect of it. Maybe withdrawing herself wasn't the healthiest thing to do, but it kept her life a lot simpler and straightforward.

The odd thing was, she didn't seem to mind the change.

Her eyes scanned the Grand Hall, her gaze jumping from person to person. Matt and Rachel were immersed in a conversation with the Headmistress, while Abby argued with a tall and handsome man near a table of refreshments. Joe had a painful expression as a young Gallagher Girl with a starry eyed expression question him. He caught her gaze and gave her a smile that was closer to a grimace.

"How do you handle the emotional stress of your job?"

The senior student in front of her was staring expectantly. She had a spiral notepad from the Federal Intelligence Service of Switzerland and a pen from the MI-6 booth. She blinked, taking a moment to process the question, and gave her a vague response, breathing a sigh of relief when she scribbled down a few notes and thanked her. Cara made a move to escape and retreat into one of the alumni lounges for a few drinks, when a new arrival caught her eye.

Max's arm went around her waist and he pulled her into his side. "I thought I'd surprise you, love," he told her, pressing his lips to her temple. "It'd be a waste to miss out on this year's talent."

Cara had to force herself not to tense or look in Joe's direction. Of course. There was no way in hell that Max would let her win this one, especially since she'd dodged some of his best coworkers at Interpol. Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach. She had been glued to a different man only a few moments prior, and that same man was now watching her asshole of a boyfriend flaunting his control over her. She clenched her jaw and kept her voice a low murmur.

"What happened to the honeypot plan?" she mumbled, turning to face him. His arm fell away and he buried his hands into his coat pockets. "That isn't going to work very well with you doing that in the middle of Gallagher."

Max chuckled, his dark eyes regarding her. "Don't worry, Cara. No one hates me more than Joe Solomon. If anything, this will make him think he has the upper hand."

"You're lucky we have a contract," Cara grumbled, watching Joe shift to the Interpol table and converse with an agent. Max took note of his move as well, and furrowed his eyebrows. "Otherwise, I would be doing this entire thing on my own terms."

He snorted. "I know, Cara. That's why we have a contract."

To her disdain, he went straight for the Interpol booth. The students cleared out almost immediately at the sudden number of agents gathering in the area. Cara started forward to mediate, but Abby appeared at her side and looped her arm through hers.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear, huh?"

There was a glint in Abby's eye that she didn't really like, and the mischievous shadow to her smirk. "Not a word to anyone, Abigail," she warned.

The youngest Cameron sister feigned locking her lips and throwing the key away. "I've kept more secrets than there are stars, but this is definitely the juiciest piece of gossip. You owe me big time, Pierce."

Cara rolled her eyes. "It was a mistake. That's not going to happen again."

Her friend hummed under her breath amusedly and threw another glance behind them. Max seemed extremely agitated, brows furrowed. Abby let go of Cara's arm and gestured behind them. "Forget about me stopping you. I think it's time you intervene, Pierce."

Cara sighed. One wrong move by Max and her entire operation would crumble to pieces. Joe didn't know Max had her on the honeypot phase of her mission, nor did she want him to, in case her intentions were misconstrued and their kiss was misconstrued. Not that there were any feelings between them, of course—it was the byproduct of too much time together and misinterpreted tensions.

She needed both men to stay clueless. It was the only way she could withdraw herself from the mission and write a substantiated report that proved Joe innocent. Then they could put this entire ordeal behind them: she would break up with Max, escape his manipulation, go back to her career, and hopefully get shipped overseas for a new op.

She caught the tail end of the conversation as she neared. Max had his back to her, and despite catching Joe's eye, he made no indication to the man that they had an extra set of ears.

"—and don't think I won't put the Morgan girl behind bars, too. Be careful where you step, Solomon, because everywhere you look will be a goddamn landmine."

Her eyebrows flicked up and Joe's lips quirked into a satisfied smile when she placed a hand on Max's arm. The man was manipulative and arrogant, but she knew his intentions were in the right place. He saw a threat and he investigated it. However, threatening a little girl's innocence… there were some lines that weren't meant to be crossed.

"Oh, Cara. Just give me a minute," he told her.

She frowned and shook her head. "Max, I think it's time to go."

Her disappointment must have been palpable and threatening. He ceded instantly, throwing one last look at Joe.

"I'll be seeing you, Solomon."

"I wouldn't bet on it, Edwards."

Fortunately, Abby had the tact to keep her suggestive glances internalized as she bid them goodnight. There was a pit in Cara's stomach. Her little moment with Joe definitely wasn't a part of her honeypot mission. She couldn't blame alcohol because neither of them had much in their systems. Frankly, she didn't know what the hell she was doing anymore, which meant a one way road to disaster.

They got into a cab outside Gallagher to take them back to the airport. She didn't say much, mulling over the past few hours, and Max misinterpreted it as anger.

"You're not happy with me," he said, looking at her in the dark car.

Even though his episode wasn't what had been on her mind, she exhaled. "No, I'm not. Going after Joe and the Morgans is one thing, but their daughter? Max, this isn't what we agreed on."

He ran his fingers through his dark hair. "I know. I was… not in the right state of mind."

She snorted. "Yeah, you weren't. You need to let me handle this. I'm not going to frame an innocent man, but you need to know that I'm going to work my ass off to find any existing links between him and the Circle."

Max grunted. "You better look harder. He is a star at Langley for covering his tracks on the job. This isn't any different."

"I know, Max. Let me do my job."

He was quiet for a few moments. "It's only seven. How about we stop for some dinner, a few drinks?"

She gave him a look. "What about our flight?"

"I'll extend my hotel booking and we'll grab the first flight in the morning." He caught the skepticism in her expression. "Come on, Agent Pierce. You aren't going to say no to your handler, are you?"

She smacked his chest. "Don't be an ass, Edwards."

He laughed, putting his arm around her and pulling her in, and opened the privacy screen between them and the driver. "Change of plans—"

Nights like these—glasses filled with red wine, mouth watering meals on the table, dinner on the rooftop—made her resolve melt. She was taught rationale and logic in a dozen languages, but she didn't know how to respond when her feelings took the wheel. She was clueless when it came to Max. He had bugged, tailed, and lied her, a complete violation of her privacy and a breach of trust. He was her handler and had a responsibility to the mission, but she knew his intentions were fueled by vengeance. She didn't know what he had against Joe Solomon, but it didn't seem like enough to justify tearing his life apart.

Cara hated being blindsighted, but she knew she would have to let down her guard eventually. While a lonely existence was common in her line of work, it wasn't practical. She wanted a life. She wanted someone to have her back, fight her wars… someone to come home to.

"So… Hampstead," Max said. He didn't elaborate, avoiding her gaze as he took a bite of their shared dessert.

There was a rock in the pit of her stomach. There were two ways this could go, and she knew she shouldn't expect much of an agent in his position. He hadn't brought up the topic in weeks and she thought he had forgotten.

She licked cream off her fork. "What about it?"

"The CIA-Interpol task force might become permanent," he trailed.

He was dancing around the subject, his English accent amplifying how professional he made the ordeal seem.

"Oh really? That's a good opportunity for the States to broaden their intelligence."

He hummed in agreement and watched the waiter whisk away their dishes. "I found an apartment in Hampstead, twenty minutes out from the headquarters in downtown London. I need one more name on the lease."

"You're going to have a hard time finding a roommate if there's just one bedroom," she said, amused.

He looked pained as he tried to get to his question. "You're very funny, Cara."

She put on her blazer as they prepared to leave. "Unless you turn the sitting room into a second bedroom. Then it might work."

He grimaced and gave her a pointed look. "Cara."

She rolled her eyes and laughed, taking his outstretched hand as they walked to their hotel. "Just ask me the question, Edwards."

Max was not nearly as amused as she was. "Will you help me find a flatmate?"

She scoffed and shoved him sideways. "Don't be an ass, Max."

"Really, conducting background checks isn't a one man job," he told her, grinning.

"Oh, God."

"The location is prime, which means I'll have options, but the price might be a turnoff." He was still laughing as he followed her across the lobby and into the elevator.

She gave him a stern frown. "Max."

He chuckled and kissed her furrowed brows. "You can have seventy percent of the closet."

"You better give me seventy percent of the bathroom vanity, too."

"What do you want next, seventy percent of the bed?" he said.

"No, I think we can share that," she told him, watching as he unlocked his door. "Unless, of course, you make that second bedroom."

"Cara."

She kicked off her heels, tossed her blazer on the bed, and then put them in the closet upon his eyebrow raise.

He shook his head. "You are a bloody handful, Pierce."

"Do we need to debrief about next steps? I'm sure you have another mission ready," she said. She spotted her bag—it had magically moved from her hotel to his—and decided not to ask questions.

"It's being sent to Solomon instead. You'll probably be asked to join him once he receives it." He sighed. "One night. Let's leave it to rest, yes?"

She was surprised by his request, considering how he had been acting slightly more obsessive over the Solomon case. He came forward and kissed her, long and soft.

Cara pulled back and frowned. "What's going on Max?"

He had started undoing her blouse, sliding the silky fabric down her shoulders. "Am I not allowed a night off?" he said, shrugging off his own shirt.

She let it drop.

Two hours later, Cara was awaken by her phone buzzing obnoxiously. Bleary, she untangled herself from Max's arms and reached for the nightstand. She unlocked it and a message popped up on the screen.

Circle elite in town. Someone is hunting you. Get out of the country. -JS

Shit.

She tried to settle back into bed as quietly as she could and calm the nervous thrumming of her heart. This wouldn't be the first time someone dangerous was onto her, but the Circle was the last group she wanted to be mixed up in. Max had woken up from her rustling, and she heard his drowsy voice behind her.

"Everything okay?" he asked, kissing her shoulder.

She turned around to face him. She pressed a kiss to his jawline, and said, "It's just a bunch of emails. Should have turned my buzzer off."

He chuckled, turned onto his back and pulled her in. Her cheek settled on his bare chest. "What did I say about a night off, love?"

She closed her eyes and pushed the Circle out of her mind. "I know," she replied, forcing herself to relax.

The next time she woke up, someone was trying the door.