SECRET IDENTITY (24 page)

Epilogue

Her name was Samra Fox, and she worked as a media analyst
for Dobbling Enterprises. Or did, until today.

From an indistinct shadow in the corner of the office, Lee
watched as the woman packed her personal items in a cardboard box. She didn’t
appear to be upset or angry. Just resigned. And maybe a bit grateful. Lee got
the impression she hadn’t been happy working here.

A man walked into her office. Lee watched with almost
jealous curiosity.

“Hey, Sammie. I came to say goodbye.”

“Aww, Oren. Thanks.”

The two hugged. Not a lovers’ hug. A friendship hug. A hug
shared between two co-workers who had known each other for a long time. Lee
felt his hackles lower.

The instant he had set eyes on Samra as she stood in the
doorway of Wagner’s office with horror reflected in those amazing blue eyes,
his heart had skipped away into oblivion, never to return.

In spite of Luke’s reluctance, they had run a profile on
her. He knew almost everything about her—her upbringing, her likes and
dislikes, and her skills. Almost everything he wanted to learn, except the kind
of men she preferred. Unfortunately, Samra Fox had never resorted to searching
any of the online services for a date. Neither had she posted anything too
revealing on her personal social website. For all the information he’d gleaned
about the woman, he still knew practically nothing about her. Those secrets she
kept closely guarded.

What kind of woman are you, Samra Fox?

If there was a bright spot to watching her leave, it was
knowing he still had a tenuous connection to her. She was a good friend of
Brenda’s. A good enough friend who Brenda trusted with a key to her apartment.

Another man entered the office to say farewell. He left as
two women came in. Lee gathered Samra was a popular employee.

“Where to now, Sam?” one of the women inquired.

Samra shrugged her shoulders, and streaks of fire cast by
the overhead lights glimmered in her hair. At the same time, his dick stirred,
letting him know its interest had been piqued. Lee stifled a groan.

“This place has changed since I started working here,” she
told her friends. “I’d been thinking about looking for another job for the past
year, but I kept putting it off.”

“That mess with Wagner was your turning point, wasn’t it?”
the second friend asked.

“Yeah. After what’s come out about how he tried to have
Brenda killed…” She grimly shook her head. “No way can I stay any longer.”

Samra walked over to the bookcase next to where Lee was
hiding, and took down a small statuette. She was so close, he could adhere to
her skirt with no trouble. Clenching his hands, Lee resisted the urge. There
were other ways he could tail her. There were other, safer ways he could follow
her home. And by safer, that meant at a discreet distance. This woman was doing
things to his libido that he hadn’t felt since high school when he’d stolen
Luke’s girlie magazines, and read them in the attic of the house.

“Girl, you’ve got more balls than most men I know,”
girlfriend number two stated, and gave Samra another hug. “Keep in touch, okay?
Let us know where you finally end up, and we’ll go celebrate with a glass of
wine somewhere.”

Samra laughed lightly. The sound added a fresh inch to Lee’s
already burgeoning erection.

“It’s a deal,” she told them.

The women left, and Samra glanced around her now-barren
office one last time, double-checking to see if there was anything she’d
missed, or anything else she wanted to take with her. When nothing caught her
eye, she hoisted the box onto her hip, and shut off the light with her free
hand. In that split second before she closed the door, Lee battled with the
choice of either tagging along, or going ahead to her apartment to wait for her
there.

Lee.

He frowned at the interruption. Luke had a knack for doing
that.

What?

Interpol is calling.

Tell them I’m booked.

Luke’s calm sigh echoed over their mental connection.
Come
on, Lee. Give it a rest for a moment and go see what they need.

Or, third choice, get back to doing his job.

All right,
he grudgingly acknowledged, watching the
door close and lock behind her.

Somehow, some way, soon, he would find a way to meet this
woman again, hopefully face-to-face, and try to get to know her better. The
only thing he hadn’t figured out yet was whether to meet her as Lee Palmer, or
as his superhero persona, Espionage.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda loves to write romance with a fantasy or science
fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion
picture or graphic novel. By day she is a kindergarten teacher, wife, and
mother of two who lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf Coast. But at
night she delves into alternate worlds filled with daring exploits and
sensuous, erotic romance.

Included in her accomplishments with Whiskey Creek Press
Torrid are ten consecutive Number One Bestsellers. In March, 2010, Linda was
named the Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Author of The Year. And in 2011 she won
the EPIC eBook Award for Best Erotic Science Fiction Romance.

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