Dancing with a Stranger

Chapter Thirty-Three

We find ourselves at a nearby restaurant, one we used to frequent on the occasions Braden would come and take me out for lunch. He requests a booth in the back to give us some privacy for when he finally explains the circumstances that have brought us to this point.

After ordering drinks and food, I turn to face him, a no-nonsense look on my face. "Well?"

"Damn, you don't waste any time," he chuckles, running his hands through his hair nervously.

"It's been weeks, Braden," I scoff. "Start talking."

He opens his mouth but is interrupted by the waiter returning with our drinks.

"Where do you want me to begin?" he asks, taking a large sip of his beer.

"The beginning would be good," I snarl. "For example, are you even a computer engineer?"

Braden laughs at me, his eyes brightening with amusement, before dimming again when he sees my expression. Sighing, he says, "Yes, Lace, my profession is real. You've been to my office numerous times."

"I know I have. What I don't understand is how you have this other life going on as well. When did this start? How did you get into it? Why me?!" My voice gets more and more shrill as the questions fly out of my mouth.

Braden takes another gulp of his beer before continuing. "I'll try to answer your questions one by one." He looks down and starts fidgeting with his napkin. "This started for me in university. You know me, I'm not an outgoing person, but I wanted to make the most of my university experience, so I started looking for campus clubs to join. I tried a bunch of them, but none of them really fit for me, you know? However, in my searches, I met Carlton and he introduced me to the agency."

Surprised, I nearly spit out my drink. "Wait, Carlton is in on this too?" Carlton is one of Braden's closest friends. We've done so many things together; trips, dinners, games' nights, everything.

"Yes, he has a lead role in the agency."

"What exactly do you guys do?"

Braden sighs and looks at me. A mix of emotions darken his hazel eyes and I prepare myself for whatever lie he's about to tell me.

"I can't tell you all of that, Lace. Believe me, I want to, but it'd be too dangerous for you to know."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"However, I can give you the gist of what we do. I owe you that much at least."

I nod my head sarcastically at him as our waiter returns, this time with our food. These constant interruptions are annoying me. We should've had this talk somewhere else.

"I've already told you we're the good guys," he says, dipping his French fries in some ketchup. "Basically, what we do is target different criminal organizations and thwart their plans covertly, causing them to collapse without any major crime or bloodshed."

"So, you're a branch of law enforcement?"

"No, we operate outside of the law."

"Breaking the law in the name of justice? Sounds a bit vigilante to me."

He chuckles again, this time with more confidence. "If it helps any, you can start calling me Batman," he jokes, winking at me.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen, Bray," I reply, crossing my arms. I can't lie, the way his face lights up in this moment reminds me of why I have so many good memories of him, but I refuse to be swayed by his dorky charm. "How does Nikolai fit into this?"