“There is no need to go looking elsewhere, Edric. I told you I would find the woman, and I will.”
“When?” Edric’s demand mimicked that of a small child. “I am running out of time, Achim. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but my future hangs in the balance until we find that fucking file.”
“Well, maybe you should have thought about your future a little more before making deals with a nuclear weapons dealer at the same time you were supposed to be making a public appearance.”
“I told you before,” Edric snapped back. “The press had already left the area, and Shamir was close to the village I was in. It only made sense that we meet then to get the deal finalized.”
“In a fucking alley like some two-bit criminal? There were still American soldiers present, Edric. And not just any soldiers, but SEALS. I’ve known you to make some mistakes in the past, but allowing yourself to be photographed while making an arms deal not two weeks after meeting with the President of the United States about signing a treaty with them is by far your worst.”
“How was I supposed to know one of them would be outside snapping pictures for some goddamn government report?”
“It is your job to plan for such things,” Achim bluntly pointed out. “Instead of waiting to be certain you were secure, you let your greediness and impatience overshadow your common sense. Now, as usual, I’m left to clean up your mess.”
“You get paid a hefty sum to clean up my messes, so quit your incessant whining and find Gracelynn McDaniels.”
Achim looked around Nathan Carter’s living room. Like the rest of the man’s apartment, he’d turned it upside down, but found nothing.
“She and Carter are in the wind. So is the sister.”
“Surely there is something there that would tell us where Carter would take her to hide.”
Achim rolled his eyes again. “The man is former Naval Intelligence, Edric. He’s not going to leave us a map with a big, shiny arrow pointing to his hideout.”
He’d no more said the words when his attention was drawn to a picture on the fireplace mantle. Kicking a throw pillow out of his path, Achim made his way across the disheveled room.
He studied the picture of the two boys in the woods. The lake in the background looked oddly familiar, as did the cabin. A few moments passed before he realized why.
The night before last, Achim had been sitting in his hotel room flipping through the multitude of useless television channels when a local advertisement for cabin and canoe rentals came on. He remembered thinking maybe, when this job was done, he’d take a few weeks off and go there.
Then, he’d laughed at the thought of someone like him hiding out amongst a bunch of normal, unsuspecting families.
Achim looked at the photo again. The commercial for the lake had mentioned it was only a short drive from the city. Knowing it must be a special place for Carter to have a framed picture of it on display, he realized he may have just found that shiny arrow, after all.
“I think I found something. I’ll be in touch.”
“What is it? What did you—”
Edric was still talking when Achim ended the call. Yavuz may be the Turkey’s president, but Achim knew he was really the one with all the power.
* * *
What the fuck were you thinking?
The silent question burned through Nate’s mind again as he stared at the mouthwatering site before him.
Sitting on the seat opposite him, Gracie’s head was tilted back and her eyes were closed as she soaked up the sun’s rays. He clearly hadn’t thought this plan through.
Not. At. All.
When he’d first mentioned spending the day on the lake, Nate’s entire focus had been on giving her a relaxing, normal day outside the cabin. What he hadn’t taken into consideration was the fact that the most beautiful woman he’d ever known would be wearing a bathing suit the entire time.
This wasn’t just any bathing suit, either. It was yellow, which complimented her golden skin tone perfectly, and was made from the tiniest scraps he’d ever seen.
The woman was gorgeous in a pair of running shorts and his old t-shirt. Gracie in a bikini? Holy fuck, he was so completely screwed.
His dick jumped behind his shorts, reminding him he hadn’t actually been screwed byanyonein quite a while.
The combination of the canoe’s shallow bottom and his long legs had Nate’s knees drawn up closer to his chest than when he normally sat. Between that and his baggy swim trunks, the raging hard-on he was sporting was incognito. He hoped.
