SCARLET

It's been a couple of hours since Matheo and I went over every important person on the premises, what they do, and their routines. I've also gathered that there are usuals who come to play poker with the Russians weekly in their house, which is something I can somehow make work on my side.

"So Ivanovich and Nikandr are the ones I should keep an eye out for, hence the big red X you drew on them?" I ask. Matheo has been drawing Xs on all the faces I should be wary of, and it seems like everyone is getting an X.

"You should look out for everyone; these are just the important ones," he says. I debate hitting him with the strikingly surprising information that I was an agent on Russian premises before, but I keep that to myself, knowing he'll add an unnecessary comment that might be the start of a chain reaction that ends with his life.

"I think we're done, except for the way you'll get in," he says, getting up from the ground.

"I already told you. You said they have poker nights at bars owned by people they know. Do you know which bar they're going to this month?" I get up too, going to my desk and starting up my laptop, ready to search for the bar's location.

"I'm not telling you. That stupid, irrational idea of getting you kidnapped is out the window," he fixes me with a look, but I don't cower. Who does he think he is to tell me what to do and what not to do?

"Okay then. I'll find out on my own. Thank you for your expertise." I start typing on my laptop, searching the bars owned by-

Matheo slams the laptop shut.

This mother-fucker has a death wish. He should be thankful my fingers weren't inside; I would've chopped his off if they were.

"What do you think you're doing?" I stand up, put my hands on the desk, and lean forward.

"You're not getting yourself kidnapped." He says it like it's an order as if he can stop me.

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you're not!"

I walk around the desk and stand right in front of him. We're so close that the tips of our shoes touch. I know I should back away a little, but I don't.

"Stop me," I challenge him in a low, unwavering tone.

He looks at me for a few seconds, his eyes roaming over my face. I finally step back to return to my laptop, and he scoffs.

"Oh, I will," He sounds like he believes himself, and I let him.

He bends down, wrapping his arm around my thighs. What the fuck does he think he's doing? I try to fight back, but I'm a second too late. He throws me over his shoulder with one arm, like I don't even weigh a feather.

"Let me down! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" I kick and hit the back of his legs, but it's of no use; this man has thighs of steel.

"Stopping you," he says, walking us over to my office bathroom and flipping the light switch on with his free arm. This would've been so freaking hot if I wasn't being manhandled.

Stopping me?! The fuck? How is this stopping me?

He puts me down on the toilet and pats me on the head, then leaves, closing the door behind him. I get up to open the door. He fucking locked it. He locked the damned bathroom door from the outside. That bastard!

"Matheo! You're not getting away with this; I swear to god if—" I can hear him laughing from the other side of the door. He dares to fucking laugh. I'm going to behead, dismember, and hang his dead body in the cafeteria, I swear!

I take a deep breath. Thankfully, my bathroom has plenty of room for me to move around. I use it to pace around because if I got out now, there would be a bloody mess to clean up.

I can hear the door to my office opening. Is he really leaving? I'm not going to stop him if he does. I'd gladly let him go whine about his lack of office somewhere that isn't my office.

I wait for the door to close, but it doesn't; instead, I can hear someone else's voice. I lean toward the door, and I hear Grey talking to Matheo. "Yeah, Scarlet left a few minutes ago," Matheo tells him.

This insufferable ass! I take out one of the pins holding my hair back and pick the lock on the door. He didn't leave the key in the lock, thank God. I hear the click of the lock unlocking, and I turn the handle.

The door opens wide, and I lean on the frame with my arms crossed. "You actually thought I couldn't pick my own bathroom's lock?" I ask as Matheo rolls his eyes.

"So I was right in questioning her leaving you unattended in her office," Grey says matter of factly. I'll never leave this bastard here alone.

"She wants to get kidnapped. By Russians," he tells Grey, sounding a lot like a mother who lost hope in her child and is telling his father to deal with him because she's had enough.

"That sounds a lot like..."

"Danger? I know."

"No, it sounds like Scarlet," Finally! Someone tell him he's too soft to be an agent.

Matheo looks at him like he's a traitor to mankind, and he might be. God forbid I get left unattended with mankind, of course.

I smirk because no one can stop me. If I want it, I get it, Learn the pattern, super agent Matheo.

He rolls his eyes and mutters something that sounds like "for fuck's sake." I walk to the door and fist bump Grey, for once being on my side.

"I'm not getting coffee with you today. The chairman wants me to check on some things, and I won't be free until late," Grey says in a low voice, leaning in. I groan, I'll have to get coffee on my own today.

"Okay then, have fun with extra barista work!" I cross my arms over my chest. He rolls his eyes and walks out.

I close the door and turn around to find Matheo grabbing his jacket off of my sofa and heading my way. I narrow my eyes, Where does he think he's going after locking me in my bathroom like that?

"Where are you going? We're not done yet." I block the door with my arms.

"I'm going to get some coffee. I can't deal with this without caffeine. Not this early in the morning," he says, running a hand through his hair and brushes me off as he opens the door. I run to grab my jacket, and I follow him to the hallway.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asks, pressing the elevator. "I'm coming with you. Grey isn't getting coffee today, but you are." I shrug my jacket on just as the elevator door opens, I walk in and hold the door open for him. I love being a gentleman.

He eyes my hand and walks in, taking a deep breath. "I'm not going to the cafeteria; that coffee doesn't satisfy any caffeine need. I don't know how you drink that disgusting shit."

"I like being grateful that I have coffee whenever I want, even if it's mostly water molecules that hug each other way too close," The elevator door opens, and I walk out. I wait for him, only because I don't know where we're going.

He raises his eyebrow, and a smirk plasters itself on his face. He walks out and starts walking to his car, which now has its own specialized parking spot a few cars down from mine.

"Who would've pegged you for a gentleman?" I say in my best British accent when he opens the door for me. I sit down in his passenger seat.

Being in his car brings back some good memories that involve lipstick and a smeared lip. I have kissed this car more than any man in my twenty-seven years of life. I smiled at the memory and put my hair behind my ears.

Being in the car is a whole different experience than standing outside, with its black leather seats and its shiny interior.

Matheo settles down behind the wheel and starts to drive. I can't deny that he looks way too good driving with one hand and a relaxed demeanor, but I can make myself try to memorize the way hard enough to the point where I forget he exists till we get to the cafe. Soon we arrive.

We walk in, and the smell of freshly baked goods and brewed coffee hits my nostrils. I take a huge breath, letting the smell soak me in from the inside. God, I love cafes that have bakeries. I didn't realize I had missed Grandma Anne's bakery this much till now.

We walk to the counter, and a handsome young boy greets us with a smile. "Hello, I'm Jake. What can I get for you today?" he says, grabbing a paper and a pen from his flour-dusted apron pocket. His eyes stayed on me the entire time.

"I'll get a wet cappuccino," Matheo says, then looks at me. I smile giddily, before reciting my order, "I'll take an iced caramel latte, hold the whipped cream, and don't add loads of sugar, please, It makes my head spin. Just a tiny spoon is enough."

"Okay, Can I get your names, please?"

"Matheo and Scarlet," Matheo says before I have a chance to speak.

Jake writes our names on the cups, and I start walking away when Matheo says, "It's Matheo, Theo, not Mathew." He sounds like a child, saying Theo, Theo, Theo. And I can't help but let out an involuntary laugh.

"My bad. Please have a seat. Your order will be right up," he flashes us a smile and walks inside. I feel Matheo's hand on my elbow, guiding me to the table in the far corner.

"What's up, Theo?" I mock once we sit down; I'm never letting this encounter go. I'll tease him about it till the end of time.

"Na uh, you are not calling me that."

"Yeah, I am. It's going to be your new nickname. Theo with an O." I laugh; this is hilarious. "Who even writes Matheo with a W? That should be illegal," he says, shaking his head in disappointment.

The smell of homemade bread hits me, and I go back in time to when Auntie Tia used to teach me how to knead bread, and we'd have way too much for the two of us, She'd make me go out with a basket and give them to the poor kids who played in the garden behind our house.

My flashback ends shortly when Jake places our coffee on the table, "A wet cappuccino for the gentleman, and a not-too-sweet latte for the sweet lady," he says with a wink.

I smile at him and take my coffee, tasting it to see if he listened to me, and he did. It's the perfect amount of sweetness. "Thank you, Jake."

Matheo eyes me as he takes his wallet out of his pocket, "How much?"

"It's on the house,'' Jake brushes him off and flashes me a small, shy smile. Gosh, these young boys—I can be their mother. Let's not exaggerate; I technically can't be their mother, but my point still stands, he can't even be past twenty.

"No, it's actually on me," Matheo says with a harsh tone, fixing Jake with a stern look. He puts down 50 dollars on the table and stands up.

I frown as the poor boy struggles to form a sentence with Matheo towering over him, "O-okay, sir. I'll get the–"

"Keep the change," Matheo interrupts, his voice clear. Jake takes the money and goes back to the counter. But Matheo doesn't sit back down; instead, he asks, "Can we leave?"

I narrow my eyes. Is he seriously asking me if we can leave? "Yes, please," I say, getting up. He takes his coffee and walks to the door.

"That was a really generous tip right there," I say once we're out of the cafe. "He was flirting with you," he replies.

"Welcome to a woman's daily life."

"Would you have taken the coffee for free?"

"No, but I wouldn't have done all that. He's just a young boy. Let him dream."

Matheo shakes his head and opens the car door for me. I plop in the seat, getting comfortable, and Matheo goes around the car to his door.

"So, how's life, super agent Theo?" I hold back my smile as much as I can, which isn't really much. Matheo sighs and backs the car out of the parking spot. "This is going to be a long day," he says with a chuckle.