Page 70 of Dangerous Liaisons

Chapter Fifty-Two

Jesse looked up when Tom entered, wrapping the ear-bud cord around his sniffer. “The house looks clean,” he said.

“Drink?” Cole rose from where he’d planted himself on the arm of the loveseat beside her.

“Later.”

Cole sank back onto the loveseat arm and Jesse willed her heartbeat to slow as Tom sat on the eight-foot sofa opposite Jesse. He set his sniffer on the teak coffee table between them and split a glance between her and Cole.

“You two look like hell.”

Jesse scowled. “Thanks a lot.” She set her drink on the coffee table next to an issue of Southern Living magazine. “Any news on Perez’s death?”

Tom shook his head. “I checked all the way up to level seven at OIA. Nothing there or in the media.”

He hadn’t uncovered the truth about Maria. Maybe his contacts weren’t as good as they used to be. Or maybe Lanton was one crafty son-of-a-bitch. “Greed is a predictable vice,” she said. “The cartels are keeping quiet. I wonder if they’ll find Perez’s money.”

Tom leaned forward, his expression eager. “Jesse, you’ve never told me what you have that has Green Leader running scared.”

She paused, surprised by the change in subject. “You said Perez murdered Maria Hamilton. Perez said he never had her.”

Tom looked startled. “The reports said she was dead. That’s what—” He broke off, and Jesse finished with, “Lanton said.”

Tom whistled. “What do you know? Green Leader sucker punched me.” He gave an appreciative nod. “If someone is planting misinformation, I’ll find out who.”

“We know the why,” Jesse said.

Tom’s gaze intensified. “I’m all ears.”

Jesse related Perez’s story, and Tom whistled again. “Green Leader was using his own men to assassinate Perez? I wouldn’t have believed it if anyone else told me.”

“Truth is, I didn’t have enough on Lanton to put into a thimble,” Jesse went on. “His membership in Submissions.”

Tom’s brows shot up. “The BDSM club? You never mentioned that.”

“That was a more recent discovery I was focused on the two missions that went bad. Three years ago in Madrid, the only way the gunrunners could have been waiting for you is if they were tipped off.”

Tom nodded. “You never said anything about a second mission.”

“Hong Kong. I was on lone recon. A shipment of Chinese Silkworm missiles were outbound to Iran. I was there to find out what ship and their route so we could quietly intercept them in international waters. I tracked the shipment to a warehouse, reported by satellite phone, and went in. Fifteen minutes later, a gang of armed men showed up led by a Chinese Secret Service type. Fortunately, the men were inexperienced mercenaries. The leader, however, nearly killed me hand-to-hand.” Jesse paused. “Someone tipped them I was there—just like with you in Madrid.”

“Could be coincidence,” he replied. “It does happen.” Tom shifted his gaze to Cole. “You know Lanton. Ever suspect he was on the take?”

Cole shook his head. “He recruited me seven years ago, but I worked under him for only a year, then was moved to Chambers’ unit. We’re all Green Teams, but we’re compartmentalized even more so than Blue Team. I haven’t worked directly with him until Colombia.”

Jesse reached for her drink. Heat filled her cheeks when Cole’s blue eyes followed her movements. Dammit, if Tom noticed…Cole slid from the arm of the loveseat into the seat beside her. She caught the scent of Drakar, and the memory of the Newark hotel and his hands on her leg returned.

She took a sip of her drink, then addressed Tom. “Did you bring the info I asked for?”

He reached inside his back jeans pocket, pulled out folded papers, and handed them to her. Jesse unfolded them to reveal a fifteen year old, fuzzy photo of Perez on the top page.

She set the photo on the table. “That’s the only photo we have of Perez. With the right nudging, it’s enough for Lanton to jump to the conclusion he’s seeing Perez in Langley.”

Tom raised a brow. “Langley?”

Jesse nodded. “We’re cranking up the heat. Lanton’s going to believe Perez and I made a deal.”

Tom’s eyes registered surprise, then he looked at Cole. Jesse could see the wheels inside his head turning. He didn’t have five Ph.D.s for nothing.