“Fine, you’re the boss.”
She didn’t sound happy about it, but I just gave her a big, sunny smile. “Great!”
That afternoon I skipped the training sessions to participate in a roundtable meeting with Canadian allies including the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Norway. I was in my element, talking through partnerships and common goals that we planned to recommend to the political leaders in our respective countries.
By the time we finished, we only had an hour to get ready for so-called “Friendship Dinner”. Security was high due to the presence of several high-placed government officials from the United States. As the host country for this year’s event, they were making an appearance to further diplomatic relations.
Greta found us during the cocktail reception, once again sitting at our table during the meal. She’d brought along her colleague Ulrich, who settled himself on Marilee’s other side. He was a bit older than us, maybe late forties, with blond hair and a receding hairline, but handsome and fit.
“Did you know the name Ulrich means ‘wolf ruler’ in our language?” Greta asked Marilee.
That was the second time she’d made a wolf-related comment in relation to Marilee. Did Greta know that my bodyguard was a shifter? I could tell by the slight narrowing of Marilee’s eyes that she was wondering the same thing. But that didn’t make any sense. Her wolf side had just come out of hibernation the last few days. How would some random German diplomat know about it?
“Mind if we join you?”
I looked up as Martha and Allie came to the table. Throughout the event they’d stayed away from us, keeping their eyes on the crowd, so I wasn’t sure why they were so close tonight. Was it because they felt safer relaxing with the higher security at tonight’s event? When Boris took the remaining chair at ourtable, politely introducing himself to everyone, I figured that was the case.
Throughout dinner Greta focused on me, often switching to German, her tone increasingly flirty. I didn’t mind. She was smart and funny and friendly, seeming to take everything in stride. She’d make a good friend, someone I could visit when I traveled to Europe.
“Where should we go for a drink after this?” she asked near the end of dinner.
Behind me I felt Marilee stiffen, even though Greta spoke softly enough that I had to strain to hear her.
“I don’t really know the area,” I said. “I’ve mostly stuck to the hotel other than the tours on our first day. We could go to the bar here in the hotel.”
I didn’t mention that someone tried to kidnap me that day, which was a good incentive to stay close.
“I need to get out of this hotel,” Greta said with a fake shudder. “There’s a cute little bar about three blocks from here, very intimate. Let’s go there.”
“Sounds good.”
When dinner was finished, we decided to put on more casual clothes before heading out to the bar. I was grateful for theopportunity to put on comfortable shoes, even if it was a short walk.
Marilee still was not happy about my decision to go for a drink.
“It’s too dangerous,” she said. “Anyone could snatch you on the street.”
“They can snatch me from the hotel too,” I reminded her. “Hell, they tried to snatch me in the middle of a busy tourist attraction. Greta is going to be a good contact for me, and our office is always trying to improve our ties with Germany. I’m going.”
“Fine,” Marilee sighed. “But I’m coming with you.”
“I know, and I want you to. I already told Greta you were, and she invited Ulrich as well.”
“Of course she did. I’ll have the rest of the team follow us.”
“How are we going to explain our entire table showing up at the same bar?” I asked.
“They can say they heard you talking about it. Or I can have them come later, and act like they just stumbled upon us. They’re good at being stealthy. Don’t worry.”
I appreciated the protection, especially with so many threats against me, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t chafing at the way it was interfering with my ability to do my job. Relationshipswere a huge part of my work. If it wasn’t for the bounty on my head, I would have been going out with other delegates every night, getting to know people better. I needed to do this. My boss wouldn’t send me on a trip again if I came back with nothing to show for it.
I changed into dark washed jeans, low-heeled boots, and a white button up that I covered with my brown leather jacket. Meanwhile Marilee traded her dress pants for jeans and her blazer for a leather jacket of her own. We met Greta and Ulrich in the lobby. Greta grabbed my arm, pulling me close and leaving Ulrich and Marilee to follow us as we walked the short distance to the bar.
It was a cool evening, the air damp, and while the pavement was wet, it wasn’t raining. The four of us settled into a booth close to the door, Greta pulling me in to sit next to her. Ulrich tried to make Marilee slide in first, but she insisted on sitting on the outside of the booth, much to his annoyance. I met her eyes across the table, giving her a little smile.
We ordered drinks and a basket of fries, and fell into conversation, switching between English and German. Ulrich spoke English, but not well, while Marilee didn’t speak German at all. Greta and I did our best to translate the conversation as we went along, but a few times we fell into German, forgetting that not everyone could understand.
To the casual observer, Marilee would look like she was lost in thought, but I knew her well enough now to know that she was on high alert, her eyes moving constantly as she scoped out the bar, looking for threats. I hadn’t seen the rest of the team yet,so either they were delayed or something else was going on. Marilee pulled out her phone, frowning and shooting off a text before resuming her watchful assessment of the bar.
