When the door opened, Robert stepped aside without touching her, his expression calm, observant, respectful. Inside, the room was softly lit, the city skyline stretching beyond the window like a distant promise. Kiera sat on the chair near the table, her posture rigid, her heartbeat loud enough that she wondered if he could hear it.
He spoke gently. “You look nervous. Do you want to talk first.”
She nodded, swallowing hard. The words trembled when they finally came.
“I need to tell you something,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I have never been with anyone before. I have never had a relationship. I do not know what I am doing, and I am afraid that I will disappoint you.”
She forced herself to look up, expecting reassurance or perhaps surprise. What she saw instead was something she did not anticipate. Robert did not smile. He did not move closer. He simply watched her with an intensity that made her skin prickle, as though he were examining a truth he had been searching for.
After a long pause, he said quietly, “That is good. Now I am certain.”
Her stomach tightened. “Certain of what.”
He did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned and walked to the corner of the room where a plain travel case rested beside the desk. She had noticed it earlier but thought nothing of it. He entered an access code, opened the case, and stepped aside.
Inside were no clothes. No toiletries. No personal items. Instead, the interior was filled with compact devices, recording equipment, small cameras, cables, and neatly labeled storage units that looked more like tools than belongings.
Kiera stood abruptly, fear rushing in faster than reason. “What is this. Who are you.”
Robert closed the case and faced her, his voice steady. “I never lied to you. You never asked.”
She felt the room tilt. “Then tell me now.”
He pulled out the chair across from her and sat, leaving a respectful distance between them. “I work with a federal task group that deals with crimes where victims often do not realize they are targets until it is too late. My assignments require patience, observation, and trust.”
Her hands shook. “Why are you telling me this.”
“Because for the last six months, you have been under observation,” he said. “Not by us alone.”
The blood drained from her face. “By who.”