“Yeah?That’s good to hear.”
“Where are you right now, anyway?”
“Edinburgh.”
“You on a job there?”
“No, I’m on vacation.Got tickets to the Royal Military Tattoo tomorrow and everything.”
“You actually take vacations?”News to him.
“On occasion.So, former boss, what can I do for you?I’m assuming you didn’t call just to shoot the shit.”
“No.Got a bit of a mystery on my hands and wondered if you’d help me out with it.”
“A mystery?What kind?”
He outlined what he knew.“I realize it’s not a matter of national security or anything, but?—”
“Shut up.You had me at code or maybe even mystery, and you knew it.Which is why you called, to exploit my geeky weakness.Damn you, Blaine, you know I can’t resist something like this,” she said without heat.“Even when I’m on vacation.”
“It’s not priority level one.It can wait until after the Tattoo.”
A heavy sigh filled the line.“Well, now I have to see how easy or complex it is.Dammit.”She paused, and he could hear a faint, rhythmic clicking in the background as she worked the keyboard.
One of several, he was sure.Her capabilities were beyond impressive.If he hadn’t known for sure that she was one of the good guys, he would have been scared of her.
“I don’t have to leave for another couple hours,” she finally said.“But you realize this means you’ll owe me.”
“Fair.What do you want?”
“A week at your new place on the island,” she said so quickly she must have been thinking about it long before this phone call.“I’d love to hole up in your secluded house on the Salish Sea, unplug for a while, and stare out at the ocean.And a helicopter ride,” she added without missing a beat.
He grinned.He’d love to have her come stay.It’d been way too long since they’d seen each other.“That’s it?”
“For now, yeah.”
“Done.”
“Cool.”He could hear the smile in her voice.“No take backs.”
“I would never.”
“Better not.All right, I’m too invested to pass this up.Leave it with me.I’ll get back to you as soon as I have something.”
“You’re the best, Mads.”
“I’m aware.Later, former bossman.”She hung up.
He tucked his phone into his back pocket and went back inside the restaurant to rejoin his table.Only to stop in his tracks when he saw the hot woman from a few minutes ago standing next to his table with her hands on her hips as she spoke to his business associates.Based on her body language and the startled looks on their faces, she was telling them off.
He strode over.“Can I help you?”
The woman looked over at him.“Are you Blaine Slater?”
“Yes.Is there a problem?”
She turned to face him full on, and he was taken aback at the pure rage burning in her stunning silver eyes.“Is it true that you’ve just bought the big parcel of land on Cedar Point for another development project?”
