Chapter 39 Training Day
Lila's POV
The training room was in the basement of the medical facility a space I hadn't known existed until Marcus led me down three flights of stairs and through two security checkpoints.
It looked like something out of a spy movie. Monitors lined one wall, showing multiple camera angles of what appeared to be a coffee shop. A table in the center held various pieces of equipment wires, recording devices, tiny cameras disguised as jewelry.
And standing beside the table was a woman I hadn't met before.
She was tall, maybe late thirties, with sharp features and eyes that missed nothing. Her dark hair was pulled back in a severe bun, and she wore all black like Marcus, but somehow looked even more intimidating.
"Lila, this is Agent Sarah Reeves," Marcus said. "She's going to handle your technical training."
Sarah extended her hand. Her grip was firm, assessing. "Ms. James. I understand you've volunteered to wear a wire into a meeting with a hostile operative."
"That's one way to put it," I said.
"There are other ways," Sarah said coolly. "Reckless. Dangerous. Potentially suicidal. But 'volunteered' works too."
I bristled. "I can back out if you think I'm not capable—"
"I didn't say that." Sarah moved to the table and picked up what looked like a delicate silver necklace. "I said it was dangerous. Danger and capability aren't mutually exclusive. Sit."
I sat.
For the next three hours, Sarah drilled me on everything.
How to wear a wire without it showing. How to position myself so the microphone picked up clear audio. How to ask open-ended questions that would make Ethan talk without seeming like I was interrogating him.
"Never ask yes or no questions," Sarah instructed. "Those can be answered quickly and shut down conversation. Instead, ask 'how' and 'why' questions. Make him explain. Make him justify. People love to talk about themselves, especially when they think they're smarter than you."
"Ethan definitely thinks he's smarter than me," I muttered.
"Good. Use that." Sarah adjusted the necklace she'd clasped around my neck. Inside the delicate pendant was a microphone so small I could barely see it. "Remember this isn't about getting him to confess to everything. That's movie nonsense. Real intelligence gathering is incremental. You're looking for small confirmations. Details that corroborate what we already suspect. Names he drops. Locations he mentions. Anything that gives us a thread to pull."
"What if he asks about the Book?" I asked. "About the night of the crash?"
"Deflect. You're grieving. You're traumatized. You don't want to talk about it yet." Sarah handed me a small device that looked like a pen. "This is a panic button. Disguised as a regular pen. If you feel threatened, click it three times fast. We'll have agents inside within thirty seconds."
My mouth went dry. "You think I'll need it?"
"I think we prepare for worst-case scenarios," Sarah said. "That way we're not scrambling if they happen."
Marcus stepped forward. "Let's run scenarios. I'll play Ethan. You practice deflection and elicitation."
What followed was the most uncomfortable hour of my life.
Marcus was terrifyingly good at playing Ethan adopting his mannerisms, his tone, even the way he'd touch my hand across the table. Every time he did it, my stomach twisted.
"You're tensing," Sarah observed. "He'll notice. You need to relax into it. Remember he thinks you still trust him. Act like it."
"I don't know if I can," I admitted.
"Then fake it," Sarah said bluntly. "That's what this job is. Professional lying. And you'd better get comfortable with it fast because you're on stage in less than eighteen hours."
By the time we broke for lunch, my head was spinning with protocols and contingencies and hand signals.
Marcus brought sandwiches to the training room. "You're doing well," he said, handing me a turkey club.
"I'm terrified," I corrected.
"Those aren't mutually exclusive either." He sat across from me. "Want to know a secret?"
"Sure."
"I was terrified my first field operation too. Convinced I'd screw it up. Get someone killed. But you know what happened?"
"What?"
"I trusted my training. And I trusted my team. That's all you need to do tomorrow." Marcus took a bite of his sandwich. "Sarah and I will be in position. We'll be listening to every word. And if anything feels wrong, we pull you out. No questions asked."
"James said that too," I said. "But what if pulling me out compromises the whole operation?"
"Then we compromise the operation," Marcus said firmly. "Lila, you're not expendable. I don't care what intel Ethan might have. Your safety comes first. Always."
Something in his voice made me look at him more carefully. "Why do you care so much? You barely know me."
Marcus was quiet for a moment. "Because Adrian does. And I trust his judgment. If he thinks you're worth protecting, then you are."
"He might not feel that way when he wakes up," I said quietly. "When he finds out I'm pregnant. That I kept the baby without even asking him—"
"Do you really think Adrian Cole would blame you for that?" Marcus shook his head. "He's a lot of things, but he's not a coward. He made his choice that night. The baby is the consequence, and he'll own it."
"You sound very sure."
"I've known Adrian for five years," Marcus said. "I've seen him make impossible decisions under pressure. He doesn't run from responsibility. Ever."
I wanted to believe that. Desperately wanted to believe that when Adrian woke up, he wouldn't regret everything that had happened between us.
But doubt was a persistent whisper in my mind.