Just a Bit Shameless by Alessandra Hazard

He was best suited for missions that required anonymous agents that could blend with the crowd. A19, for all his considerable talents in pickpocketing, lock picking and hacking, was an ordinary-looking twenty-year-old with a bad case of acne. That was what they needed for the mission, after all: two agents to go undercover on a cruise, an exclusive luxury cruise for rich people who had a taste for younger pets. She felt a little ridiculous saying the words “sugar baby” in a serious conversation, but she liked to be blunt. “He can neither play the role of the rich, hedonistic businessman nor can he be a believable sugar baby.” “Agent 19 isn’t suited for this particular mission,” she ground out. She thought Agent 11 looked a little interested now, but as usual, it was hard to read his face. Apparently it’s nearly impossible to catch him even when you know he’s going to steal from you. Our sources in London gangs-multiple sources-say that he’s the best out there.

That ‘innocent kid’ has been pickpocketing since he was six. She met his gaze unflinchingly, ignoring his unimpressed tone. He said flatly, “You want to use an inexperienced, innocent kid to steal highly sensitive data from a Polish crime lord.” “We need him for the Brylsko mission,” she said. Agent 11 was always more cooperative and efficient if he agreed with the mission. She knew she could tell him to do his job and stop questioning his superiors. It was true that she didn’t have any field experience, but she hadn’t become the Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service by being an idiot. Did he think her incompetent? Although he was closer to thirty than to twenty, compared to her, he was no more than a boy himself. “What can he do that our trained agents can’t?” “He’s a homeless, untrained kid,” Agent 11 said. But they were hardly in a position to be picky. To be fair, Agent 11 had a point: the boy did look young. So she returned her attention to the boy on the screen. He was too good to get rid of, no matter how much she might dislike his attitude. He was one of her best agents, if not the best. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to tolerate him.

He’d never crossed the line and was always unfailingly polite, even though she could often feel that he disagreed with her decisions.

Privately, she thought Agent 11 had a problem with a woman being in charge, but she had no way to prove it. He belonged to the category of men she had always detested: men who always thought they were right, so confident in their own abilities that everyone just accepted that they were right. Agent 11 was one of her least favorite agents for this very reason. You were far younger when we recruited you.” The woman seated behind the massive desk gave the man a flat look.

Just a Bit Shameless by Alessandra Hazard