Chapter Eighteen
“What’s wrong?” Jia asked. She reached for a holster she wasn’t wearing before dropping her hand into her purse to grab her gun. “Is someone there? I thought Alina said they had this place under surveillance. Is that what she wanted to meet about?”
“That’s the problem. It’s not an enemy, at least not an enemy yet.” Emma folded her arms over her chest. “Agent Koval is right outside. Somehow she managed to completely evade my detection.”
“Don’t feel too bad. She is a ghost.” Erik shrugged, unvoiced doubts lingering. Emma typically detected something amiss when it came to Alina’s surprise visits. “Let her in.”
Jia let out a sigh of relief and pulled her hand out of her purse. The door slid open.
Alina strolled in. Her odd choice of Christmas Eve outfit, a familiar form-f
