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could see me?” She appeared incredibly foolish on the video. Why couldn’t she have taken a walk or made dinner?
    “I told you before, nothing happens in my world that I don’t know about. And if I ever catch you trying to listen to a conversation you do not have the authorization to hear, I will pull you from this assignment faster than you can throw yourself on the floor and cry.”
    “How will I complete the assignment if I don’t know what it is?”
    “You need to do what I tell you, and you will know only what I determine you need to know. With too much information, you’ll endanger yourself and everyone around you. Trust me when I say clueless suits you.”
    “I’m sorry. I thought Pauline would tell us our task together.”
    “Pauline is not permitted to speak to anyone but me about the logistics. If she did, she would be terminated. She takes her job seriously, and so do I. As for you… Why the hell are you here? You obviously don’t like violence, and you have the seductive ability of a Teletubby. I’ve honestly never encountered an operative like you in all my years working in the field.”
    He took a beer from the refrigerator and returned to the office, leaving her behind to feel even more useless and incompetent.

Chapter Five
    W hy the hell are you here?
    Simon’s words played in Cassie’s head over and over. She had no idea, and apparently he didn’t either.
    She didn’t sleep that night. Her mind rewound and replayed the events with Simon and Pauline again and again. Neither one had done anything wrong. She, on the other hand, had decided to promote herself to the moralauthority. With zero field experience, she’d challenged her superior’s judgment. Instead of showing her preparedness, she’d proven her ineptness.
    Simon had left for some unknown place before she could rouse herself from the couch. No matter. He probably wouldn’t speak with her anyway. She took advantage of the solitude and gained some perspective during a five-mile run along the Thames. By the time she returned to the flat and showered, she was ready to deal with Pauline again.
    She threw on a pale pink knit dress and flat canvas shoes. Pauline arrived dressed in a sophisticated black skirt and ivory silk blouse. With her dark features and petite frame, she carried herself with a cool elegance Cassie envied.
    Pauline embraced her in the same cold manner as the day before. “Ready?”
    “I guess.”
    “Trust me.” Her dark eyes perused Cassie’s tall frame. “You’ll be beautiful when I’m done with you. I haven’t failed yet.”
    They left for Bond Street in a chauffeured car. Pauline ignored her and spoke on the phone, setting up appointments for the day. At their first stop, she hustled Cassie into a day spa.
    “Is this necessary?”
    “Simon only dates women of a certain caliber.” She lifted Cassie’s nails, bitten down to the quick during crunch times at work. With a shake of her head, she waved over a manicurist. “She needs acrylic tips, medium long, and make the color blood red. Same color on the toes. Get rid of the daisies.” The words came out as a command, not a suggestion.
    “Red?”
    “Trust me. You’re not going anywhere that pink or blue would be appropriate.”
    According to the stylist, Cassie’s hair color—golden blonde with natural sun-kissed highlights—was perfect, but Pauline told the woman to remove two inches from the ends and add some layering at the bottom.
    “Trust me. This is what I do.” Pauline said “trust me” so often, she sounded like a philandering husband hiding his lies.
    As a treat, Pauline arranged for Cassie to enjoy an hour-long massage—her first massage since leaving California. Her calm and relaxed state evaporated, however, when she emerged and couldn’t find either her clothes or shoes. The salon staff wasn’t talking, except to tell her to wait for Pauline to reappear.
    After Cassie had waited twenty minutes dressed in only a terrycloth robe,