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“I’ve decided to open an investigation into the threat against Zaika,” he said. “If the Russians are interested in the piece, so are we. And now that it’s center stage to a murder, our job is to collect more intel.” He stood. “Lambert, ASAC Soto has given you a temporary assignment here in the WFO with me. And meet your new temporary partner, Agent Kira Miller.”

She blinked back the surprise. If they were partners, this meant—

“Congratulations, Miller. You are cleared to be in the field. I contacted your doctor, and he agreed to lift the restrictions based on your progress. You only had a few days left anyway, and this is now a joint operation between our two offices. Our case intersects with Bryce’s investigation into an art smuggling ring. We believe the statue will be sold in an underground auction.”

Kira bit her lip to keep her professional demeanor intact, while inwardly she threw a party. She was released to be in the field.

She stared at Turner. The man’s grin spread across his face. He passed an envelope to each of them. “Congratulations, Agents Lambert and Miller. You two are going undercover and moving in next door to Alexandr and Sophia Dominik.”

“We are?” she asked.

“Yep. As a married couple.”

“Wait,” Bryce said. “You mean . . .”

“I mean,” Turner said with a hint of a smile, “congratulations on your recent nuptials.”

Bryce’s mind spun, and his mouth refused to form coherent words. Undercover? Kira? Married? What?

Marriage wasn’t a road he wanted to travel down again, even if it was strictly business. The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of his own failed marriage. While it was seven years since things had ended, he didn’t need to relive those days. Not when Adelaide walked out of his life two months after they walked down the aisle.

The opportunity to work with Kira was intriguing, but he’d never been undercover a day in his life. Most art crimes didn’t involve clandestine operations. Not to mention that he preferred things by the book and needed a predictable partner. In no way did that word seem to apply to Kira.

He snuck a peek at her and shut down the unprofessional thoughts that poked through his mind regarding the attractive woman. At least the shock registering on her face matched his own.

Details. He needed more information. Right. Time to get his head together and take control of the situation. “What is the assignment again? We’re going to . . . uh . . . be . . . what?”

“I think the word you’re looking for, Lambert, is married.”

“Right. Of course. But why?”

Kira said nothing. Now would be a good time for that impulsivity to show up. Couldn’t she go off the rails, rebel, get mad? Instead she sat stone-faced and resigned. Should this even be his assignment? And Kira was barely day one in the field. But SSA Turner marched on with his instructions, not leaving any room to object.

“Alexandr and Sophia Dominik are in the US on a temporary work visa, and they’ve rented a brownstone for a few months. This is where the statue intersects with Lambert’s investigation.” Turner motioned for Bryce to brief Kira.

“My team has been investigating the sale of illegal or stolen artwork,” he told her. “A network of art smugglers will host underground auctions in various cities, and before we can move in, they’re gone. Along with priceless works of art.” He turned his focus to Turner. “Are you assuming Zaika will be auctioned off?”

Turner nodded. “Another translation project revealed there’s a secret auction coming in the next few weeks, here in DC, and we might just be ahead of things for once. I need you two to score an invitation to that auction.” Turner pointed at Bryce, then Kira, as if that would help get the message across. He sat back in his chair with a creak and folded his muscular arms. “As luck would have it, the brownstone next door to theirs is also for rent.”

When Turner mentioned the address, Bryce bit his lip to keep from letting out a long whistle. That ritzy neighborhood had real estate price tags starting in the millions. Not his style at all.

Time to slow this train down. “Sir, with all due respect, agents usually have months of training and assessments before going undercover. Agent Miller is new to the role and I don’t have—”

Turner raised a hand. “Objection noted. In an ideal scenario, we’d follow standard procedures, but we don’t have time. You’ve spent a lot of man hours on this case and have the knowledge. Miller has the language skills, and if there is an underground auction happening in DC, it’s here and gone before we know it. We need to act fast. The Dominiks have plane tickets back to Russia in a week and a half. This shrinks our time frame.”

Turner cleared his throat, closing the door on any more comments from Bryce. “Miller, you’ll befriend Sophia while the two of you try to get intel about what Alexandr is doing in town—and an invitation.”

Kira still sat silent. Why didn’t she say something?

“Your cover story will be that you work for a private art collector. We’ve got our tech experts creating fake profiles online. Miller, though you work with Lambert, mostly your role will be a money-spending socialite, just like Sophia.”

Bryce switched tactics. “Will they recognize Agent Miller? She had a run-in with the Russian man at the art gallery. If the guy is connected to Alexandr, they might identify her.”

Turner scratched his chin. “Good point, but I’ve got it covered.” He turned to Kira. “Would you be willing to change your appearance, maybe dye your hair a lighter color?”

Kira gave an imperceptible nod but remained still. She wasn’t putting up any kind of a fight. This was going to happen. He and Kira would be “married.”

He really had to get out of this assignment. “Sir, are you sure there aren’t other agents who’ve handled this kind of undercover work before? Kira is new and I’ve never gone undercover. It will take too long for us to get up to speed—”