Page 62 of Her Chosen Protector

“A translator, huh? What else have you done?”

“I told you, I trained with my brother, Pete. I grew up in Montana. I’m not a girly-girl if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Asher snorted. “Uhm, Earth to Eden. You are too a girly girl. I’ve had my hands and mouth all over your girly parts.”

“You know what I mean,” she said as she snuggled closer. “Now, tell me the plan.”

“The plan is, I’m supposed to call back in a half-hour. Right now, we’ve got eyes on the secret police. According to Kane, they don’t know shit-all about explosives. What they’re putting together is likely to blow backwards and do them a hell of a lot more damage than make any kind of dent on the vault.”

“And how can he be sure, and how soon before that happens?” Eden demanded to know.

“That is the rub. Kane has been monitoring their channels. They’re bringing in all of the pentolite and dynamite that they have from one of their coal mines. Apparently, when they bought their tanks and RPGs from Russia, they were shorted on the PVV-5A.”

“They’re bringing their what and dynamite and were shorted on their what?”

“Almost every country uses a different kind of plastic explosive. C-4 is the best, because we can mold it into a specific shape that will force the blast to where we need it to go. PVV-5A, the Russian version, does the same thing, just not as well.”

“And that other stuff, the pennylight?”

“Pentolite is a step above dynamite, and a step down from plastic explosives. It won’t get the job done for this vault. My guess is, Maduro’s men are thinking that with enough of that shit, they can blow the vault.”

“What will really happen?” Eden asked.

“A huge fucking crater with the vault falling into it, and people on the outside dying.”

“And us?”

“The concussion in here is going to be bad. Real bad.”

Eden gave him a smile. A real smile. “Okay. I understand now. Thank you. I really appreciate you not sugar-coating the smelly stuff.”

She put her hand on his thigh and used it as leverage to push herself up. She walked over to the table, and Asher would bet his bottom dollar that there was more swing in her walk than was normal.

She pulled out the chair at the far end of the table and then sat down on it and daintily crossed her legs. Then she put her elbow on the table, and chin in her hand. He wasn’t absolutely sure because he couldn’t see that well, but Asher was pretty sure she was batting her eyelashes.

“So, sir, do you have any food in that handy-dandy vest of yours? If not, I think I would like another bottle of that fine Fiji vintage, if you don’t mind.”

How in the hell can she make me want to laugh? He really liked the idea of a little make-believe.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“I don’t have a menu for you, but I can tell you about today’s specials.” He picked up his vest, went back to the room and grabbed a couple of things, then wandered closer to Eden. Her skirt had ridden up high on her leg. He might not have been able to see her eyelashes, but he sure as hell could see her toned thigh. She knew it too, the little vamp.

“Uh-um. You were going to tell me something?” she reprimanded with a knowing grin.

Asher shook out one of the tablecloths and covered the table, then placed a bottle of water in front of her and bowed.

“Your drink,” he said in French.

“Thank you,” she responded in kind.

He grinned at her ease in getting into the game. “For the appetizer, I would suggest that you start with our wild seed option. It has a hint of salt, while providing that satisfying crunch for the most discerning palette.” Asher rustled around in his pocket.

“Not sunflower seeds,” she begged in English. “My brother Bobby lives on those, I can’t stand them.”

“I said discerning palette, Mademoiselle,” Asher continued in French. “I would only provide the best options in such an exquisite establishment.” He pulled out a baggie of corn nuts and Eden burst out laughing.

“Monsieur,” she switched back to French. “I stand corrected. I should have realized that of course, you would continue to provide me with only the best this evening.”