He stood up. “Do I have to lock you out of my room so you won’t steal any more of my stuff?” he asked, looking down at her.
She sniffed. “A girl borrows something and gets this horrible reputation.” She stretched. “This bed is more comfy than mine.”
Oh, she was good. Always trying to distract him. “Nope, not falling for that again,” he said, and went to his dropped luggage.
“What are you doing?” she asked, propping her head up, watching him with narrowed eyes.
“Taking my stuff with me to the bathroom,” he told her. “I believe you got us some food. Why don’t I meet you there, across the other end of the table, just to be safe?”
“Ha ha, very funny. I’m going to short sheet your bed.”
He closed the bathroom door. Only then would he allow a small smile. Minx. Her mischievous streak was going to make his orderly life hell. Again.
He’d been out of sorts since she’d disappeared, feeling adrift when he stopped working. He’d chalked it up to some kind of strange infatuation with a mysterious woman that he’d forget about soon enough. So he’d kept busy. And with recent news and the funeral this week, life had been more serious than usual.
Surya’s sudden reappearance brought back a splash of color. This. He’d missed her vibrancy. It seemed to hold him by the neck and demand his attention. He wanted to explore why she affected him this way, why he was feeling so much lighter since walking into the suite, why knowing she was nearby made his heart clench.
He exhaled, shaking away the thoughts, then gave a low whistle at the sight of his surroundings. He was sure the bathroom was bigger than his small bedroom at home. The sink and counter stretched a mile long. The tub was a matching grey marble, tinted with gold. The shower area next to it could fit three or four people.
He looked at it longingly. Perhaps later tonight. Surya was sniffing at him like he’d been on a stuffy plane for over half a day. Which he had. He reached down and unzipped the side pocket of his carry-on, pulling out his bag of amenities. A cowboy wash and shave and a change of clothes would have to do for now. He needed to get his mind back on course to talk to Surya. He was sure she was an experienced translator between hostile negotiating parties, but he also needed to gauge her experience in locating and extracting prisoners. How good was she with weapons? He looked around again. Could she hike in a jungle? In those hot pink panties? No fucking way.
His body reacted to the image of Surya in those panties out in the Asian jungle. Mental groan. One ice-cold cowboy bath ahead.
* * * *
Dec clicked on the link. Jed McNeil’s image popped up.
“Uncle JD. Really? A private video chat from a social media server?” he asked, incredulous.
Jed looked back at him solemnly. “Right now, other than face to face, it’s more secure to talk to you via social media than on your phone.”
That made Dec sit up. “Explain.” He flicked some keys on the keyboard and critically surveyed the huge screen on the wall. “My end is secure. I would know if there’s a bridge.”
“Yes, but one of your agents communicating with you has a trojan in his. One that doesn’t spread, but just collects data. The moles are piecing information by checking and comparing the location of each communication between your operatives. One call from where I am right now and they know you’re on to them.”
“I’ll get my IT team on this,” Dec said grimly. “Meanwhile, what do you have?”
“We’ve managed to get intel about a single missile sale exchanging hands on international waters by the Philippines. Abu Sayyef pirates run the piracy cartel there, so we’re going to trace any sailing activity heading toward Bali from that area.”
“Keep me posted. My guy just arrived in Bali. He checked in with me at the airport. Since he is not in my operations, his devices should be clean.”
He watched Jed’s light eyes glance off-screen, as if he was looking for confirmation from someone. He nodded and returned his attention to Dec. “Surya’s chief says she will make sure of it.”
“Is the interpreter just a front for other espionage duties, then?” Dec asked, a tad cynically. His file on GEM contract work showed mostly third-party interpreters and observers, such as contractors for the World Health Organization in third-world countries, concentrating mainly in areas where women and children were victims. Not that these areas were any less dangerous, since many of them were in some of the main hotspots of unrest. “I heard about a merger with your commando unit. That raised a few eyebrows, I’m sure, seeing that they’rejustinterpreters.”
Jed looked off-screen again, then back to him. “GEM operatives go where the commandos and SEAL teams can’t go,” he said simply. “Interpret that as you will.”
“Who’s that you’re making eye contact with over there? Got a name for me?” Dec asked. He wanted to know more.
“T is the chief of operations for GEM. She wants you to know Surya and Kirk have worked together before, so they should be getting along in their hunt.”
Dec frowned. “Kirk hasn’t mentioned it.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know her by that name. I’m sure he’s recognized her by now.” The corner of Jed’s smile was faint. “GEM operatives are full of surprises that way.”
Dec glanced at his watch. “I’ll give Kirk a few hours to get his links and contacts set up before he calls. Should be interesting to hear the plans he and his partner have come up with. I’ll let them know what you told me. It’s unlikely he’ll make any calls to any of my operatives.”
“His cousin is your in-law,” Jed pointed out quietly. “I’d check out all devices, Dec. No exceptions.”
