PROLOGUE

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        THE TREADMILL THUNDERED BENEATH HIS shoes as he sprinted. Only half a mile remained from the ten-mile distance he had been running every morning for the past five years, just like he had been doing in the Army before. Some things never change.

        "Yes! I won again," Olivia cheered as she jumped down from her treadmill next to Archer's, leaning onto her knees as she dropped her head to take a few deep breaths. The man just grunted in annoyance but finished his round anyway, switching to a comfortable jogging pace once the numbers on the small screen turned to 10.0. "You're getting out of shape here, Archer," the brunette woman sneered, stepping back onto the machine to walk a few yards as a cooldown.

        "Fuck off, Via," Archer muttered, switching to walking too. "You won by only ten seconds."

        "Ten seconds is ten minutes in the Army."

        He rolled his eyes. Hell, I know. "Breakfast at Tiffany's?" He glanced at Olivia, then quickly down at his watch. It was five minutes past six. They'd been here for over an hour and a half, choosing to train together this morning since the woman had been given the rare luxury of a day off.

        "Fine by me. Loser pays. Oh, that's you," she laughed, stopping both the treadmill and her watch, then stepped down to do a few stretching exercises before picking up her towel and water bottle and disappearing into the dressing room.

        Archer didn't reply as he accepted his fate. Mimicking Olivia, he switched off his treadmill, stopped the workout on his watch, did some stretching himself, and then went to grab a quick shower. Forty minutes later they were sitting in their usual booth, enjoying the best waffles and coffee available in New York City.

        They ate in silence as always, though Olivia was used to it by now. She knew Archer hadn't always been this quiet, but who could have blamed him for it after what happened to him? Hence, she was more than surprised when he spoke up, "I applied for a job at the FBI."

        Archer pursed his lips tight as he watched the brunette woman choke on her breakfast upon hearing the news. "You did what?" she coughed, reaching for the water bottle to pour herself a glass. Archer didn't reply as he watched her, knowing pretty well she heard him for the first time. "And when did you want to tell me? When you're on the other side of the world?"

        "That's a little dramatic. I'd move to DC, not Sydney," Archer muttered, taking her teasing seriously.

        Olivia shook her head as she bit her tongue. She knew he didn't like it here, just like she knew it was only a matter of time before he would choose to move to another city. "Are they interested?" she asked finally, accepting the situation. Was there another option?

        Archer flashed his eyebrows but didn't respond. To tell the truth, he had no idea if they wanted him or not. It had been two weeks since he filled out the application form and sent in his resume. But they hadn't called yet. Just when he opened his mouth to tell her this, his phone started buzzing in his pocket, quickly followed by the sound of his ringtone. He exchanged a glance with Olivia, then answered the call, "Hello?"

        "Archer Grayson?" asked the deep voice on the other end of the line, causing him to furrow his brows.

        "That's me."

        "My name is Aaron Hotchner, unit chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI. I'm calling you regarding your resume. I'd like you to come in for a quick interview today if it's possible."

        "What is it?" Olivia whispered, noticing Archer's expression.

        He just held up his hand to make her shut up. "Sure. When?"

        "As soon as you can get here. BAU Headquarters, Building A. Come up to the sixth floor, through the bullpen. My office is the first one on the left. See you soon, Grayson," the man ended the call, and Archer slipped his cell back into his pocket.

        He looked at Olivia, who noted, "So, they are interested." A small smile formed on her lips. "They would be crazy not to." Archer didn't respond, nor did he move. Olivia raised an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for, Archer? Get on a plane and go."

        "I'll call you." He stood, getting a twenty from his pocket, and placing it on the table.

        "Bet your ass you will. We'll have to get you a nice apartment down there. Now go, get the job, tiger." Olivia smirked, drawing a small smile on Archer's lips as well. He had such a nice smile—it was a shame he rarely let it show.

author's note

That's a wrap! I hope you liked this short prologue guys! I won't promise a quick update (knowing I have two other books on my hands, but I wanted to publish this story so badly), anyhow, I'll try to bring the first chapter as soon as possible! <3

Thanks for reading this book! I can't say it enough! And please, don't forget to vote and comment! <3