Inked [From the CIA 1] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Dawn Kunda

  Mary waited with her head down, a new hijab wrapped around her head and neck, and a casual beige outfit to fit into the scenario of a tourist. “We’re on a lucky streak seeing as we’ve gotten our list completed so far.”

  “Yeah, well the call to Grant will be detected the fastest, so let’s find a taxi first.” As he said this he raised his hand to the air for the oncoming cab. Another score. It pulled over immediately.

  Opening the back door for her, he deposited Mary into the seat and slid in beside her. “We need a ride to Alexandria, and then you never saw us. Got it?”

  “I do not drive that far,” the driver protested.

  Cal threw half a dozen bills into the front seat. The driver didn’t reply, but rather turned his vehicle north and headed out of town.

  Cal turned to Mary as he pushed in a set of numbers on his phone. He felt the heat of her thigh as it rested dangerously close to his. “It’s ringing.”

  Keeping her voice low, she suggested, “If you’re connected, I don’t think Grant should know exactly where we are right now. Maybe someone will listen to your conversation, even if he’s on the up-and-up.”

  Cal nodded as he turned his attention to the connection. “Yes, this is Re Omar. We are out of bounds and have no connection.” Grant would understand the coded words.

  Mary moved in closer to hear the conversation of which she still only caught fragments. The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. It must be an Egyptian habit as the former driver did the same.

  After listening for less than two minutes, Cal gave no response, closed the phone, and turned it off. He rolled the window down and tossed it to the street. Leaving the window down to create noise, he turned toward Mary and spoke in a whisper. “He wanted us to go to Alexandria, also. Said he’d check on our situation.”

  “He knows what’s going on here?”

  “I doubt he knows the entire situation, but he indicated he knows there’s a problem. He swore his allegiance to his team, us, and wants us to evacuate Cairo until he comes up with answers.”

  “Who all is going to know about this?”

  “Said not even his secretary would know where we’ll be. Also, he gave me a name of a hotel.” Something about the word “hotel” made him notice their closeness in the backseat along with her woman scent materializing with the heat of the rising sun. “We won’t be going to the hotel he mentioned. There’s more. I’ll tell you later.”

  She stole him a quick glance before looking out her side window. “At this time we can’t trust anyone.”

  As the words left her mouth, a huge boom in the distance behind them sounded through the early-morning haze. A slight tremble of the ground vibrated through the cab. The driver shot another suspicious look to the back seat as if his passengers caused the racket.

  Leaning forward over the front seat, Cal asked the driver, “What was that?”

  The driver shook his head. “Don’t know.”

  Cal leaned back, glanced at Mary who had stiffened and moved to the far side of the seat. He turned his attention out the back window. “I can’t see what caused the explosion.”

  “Did it come from the embassy?” Mary’s voice quavered.

  “There’s a big cloud of smoke. Looks like it could be the embassy, but it’s too hard to tell from here.”

  Cal reached across the space of the seat and rested his hand on her thigh. She flinched, glanced his way, then returned her stare out her side window. He looked straight ahead. They remained quiet for the rest of the ride, hoping nothing else would rock the bumpy ride.

  Chapter 14

  The old stone buildings of Alexandria, Egypt emerged under the skyline. The taxi merged into a mixed flow of traffic. The other paid leisure rides had to be tourists seeing the historical sites with the faster autos rushing to work. The road traffic in Alexandria seemed later than an American schedule.

  “What hotel?” Apparently the cab driver didn’t deem tact necessary.

  Mary glanced to Cal as it would be the proper thing for him to answer. “Let’s try the Montezah hotel.”

  Traveling slowly amongst the other motorists, the driver brought them to the entrance of the requested hotel. Mary kept her head lowered as Cal jumped out of the car and walked to her side to open the door. His politeness could only be part of his plan to be anonymous amongst the cabbies’ other customers parked at the hotel.

  Cal tossed the driver another handful of bills. “I have your name and ID number. You never saw us.” He slammed the door and quickly ushered her to the entrance.

  Instinctively, Mary pulled away from him as they walked into the tiled and palm-tree-enhanced lobby. “I’ll wait by the elevator.”

  “I’ll hold up my fingers to indicate what floor we’ll meet on.” He turned to the admissions desk.

  She had limited time to observe more décor of the lobby. After a brief visit to the front desk, she noticed Cal walk in the opposite direction from her. He had one hand in his side pocket while the other rubbed the front of his chest, a part of him she remembered well. Her heart thudded against her ribs. It wasn’t from nerves or apprehension. The memory of the other hotel. A sleazy hotel where she actually touched his body in all the inappropriate spots. His naked, hard chest still damp from the shower had acted as a magnet to her hands, and she couldn’t stop herself from exploring lower. She stroked his lips and his sex with her mouth and hands. By exciting Cal, she assured herself physical satisfaction. It had been more than an act of lust for her.

  As he turned to survey his surroundings as most tourists do, she saw him raise three fingers and tap them against his chest. His eyes ran over her, past her, and back to a painting in the lobby that he wandered past.

  She picked up the small bag of shopping articles from earlier that rested against her foot. The restrooms were near. She needed to cool off and delay her reaction to the signal.

  Tentatively, she pushed a swinging door open. The bathroom had tiles centered on the walls portraying hieroglyphics. Her mind briefly conjured up meanings for the crude engravings. Her thoughts were interrupted as she approached the sink with a spotless mirror positioned above to reflect down to her knees.

  The perspiration that clung to the cotton blouse surprised Mary. If she tried to attract male attention, this outfit would definitely be a bomb under cleaner conditions. The patches of worn fabric touched her skin in many places, leaving little to the imagination of a viewer. Noticing this, she pulled the material off her skin and hoped the air would dry the dampness and leave it hanging away from her body.

  She and Cal escaped the last treacherous part of their dilemma. Alexandria appeared to offer more safety than she felt since the beginning of this operation. Her nerves should ease, yet heat radiated from within for another reason. She pictured his chest without a shirt. His masculinity and his power overrode her better judgment. She liked to be the powerful one, but he had it all no matter how much she kidded herself about being in control. Watching herself, she walked up to the sink. She stared and studied her features. Did Cal like her long dark hair and her dark eyes? Did he care? Did he care about the late-night seduction? She was sure he considered it only sex. That’s how she had intended him to feel. He wouldn’t want more and neither did she. She repeated this thought in her head to convince herself.

  A splash of cool water over her face finalized her analysis. She wiped her hands and face dry, avoiding another look at herself. Enough time had elapsed and it’d be good to get to their room. She needed a mental break as much as physical downtime.

  Most visitors descended early in the day, so to be alone going up to their room proved an easy task. Cal had taken the stairs and waited for her a few feet from the elevator. A family exchanged places with her as the doors opened.

  “This way.” Mary stayed a good distance behind as he led her to their room. He entered. Turning in the hall to make sure no one had seen them, she followed.

  With the door shut, she noticed a bit of frustration cross his f
eatures. She questioned, “Is something not…?”

  “No. No, this has gone well so far.” He held up his hand while he located the television. Grabbing the remote from the stand, he flipped it on and located a news program. Not caring what the report held at this time, he left it. “This’ll drown out our discussion. I doubt anyone knows we’re here, but it’s possible.”

  “You’re not so sure about Officer Grant anymore.” It wasn’t a question. “Cal, what else did he say when you talked to him?”

  Cal paced in front of the television. “He mentioned a report from over here. About our operation.”

  “We didn’t turn in any report.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Another leak or the same one?” Not expecting an answer, Mary tossed her bag to the end of the bed nearest her. She wondered if he requested two beds. “We got this far, but we either need to go back and finish the job or get out of the country, is my guess.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking. Although, Grant also told me we still need to find Chenzira’s supplier. It doesn’t make sense because he inferred that he knew we had a problem over here. Maybe he thinks the problem is solely with the operation and not with our safety.”

  “Why don’t you tell me the whole conversation, so I can quit guessing at what Grant wants from us or what he might be thinking.”

  “First, he wants us in Alexandria, although it wasn’t because of him that we came to this hotel. He picked a different overnighter. Said the phone line would be safe and that we’re supposed to contact him with the details when we arrive. He’ll have a new plan for us, but it’s with the same operation. He’ll be waiting for our call, so we don’t have long to decide who to trust.”

  “Do you trust me?” The question popped out. She shouldn’t have to ask.

  He held still and looked into her eyes. “At this time you’re the only one I can trust.”

  “In another words, you’re not too sure about Grant anymore?” This time she asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s not his fault if he got a false report, yet…”

  “Yet…?”

  “It didn’t sound right. He sounded off in some way. We should visit the other hotel and call him from there. We might be able to find out a little more of what’s going on.”

  At this time, Mary turned her attention to the news program. “Turn the TV up. It’s showing a blast. Possibly the explosion in Cairo.”

  “…the south side of the American Embassy crumbled. The explosion appeared to be planted on the first level. Four bodies have been located along with three Americans sustaining nonfatal injuries. An investigation…” Cal flipped channels, leaving the volume at the same level.

  “Looks like our prisoner, Ali, wanted to kill someone.” He spoke low, just loud enough to hear.

  “Let’s make a list of who we have to watch out for. First, we don’t know about Agents Baier and Ranier at the compound along with Hoffer who helped us get out. One or all of them could’ve set us up.”

  “Right. We don’t have to worry about Ali. I’m sure he was part of Chenzira’s men, but most likely acted as a suicide bomber. Although, we need to know what part the three guards who let him into the embassy played in this and if any are still alive.”

  “And then there’s Grant.” Mary paused. “He could go either way, too.”

  Cal rubbed his jaw. “We haven’t figured out anything except that everyone can be the leak.” They both remained silent for a moment.

  Mary felt a personal tension invade their space with the extended silence. She needed to keep her mind away from anything personal between them, as if their safety and lives were easier to deal with. “Let’s call Grant, but from a different hotel. Not this one or the one he wanted us at.”

  “That might be a good idea. Someone will definitely be watching for our next call. Also, even if Grant is on our side, I don’t think we should go back to Chenzira’s. Not yet, anyway. We don’t know about the other agents and I’m sure Chenzira won’t put out a welcome mat.”

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  Cal sighed heavily. “Let’s get the call to Grant and then make a quick decision. Let’s bring our few things with us in case we can’t come back here.”

  “I checked into the restroom downstairs already, so I’m ready to go whenever.”

  He rubbed his eyes, the lids heavy from lack of solid sleep. “Might as well find out where we’re at with homeland. We both need a few hours of sleep soon, so we’ll make sure the next stop is safe for at least half a day.”

  They looked around the room, grabbed their small articles, and headed for the lobby. Outside they hailed another taxi and directed the driver to another hotel three blocks down the street. Daily business and tourism crowded the midmorning roads. No one gave special attention to the agents on a mission.

  A single courtesy phone occupied a corner vestibule of the similarly decorated entrance to this hotel. Cal pulled out one of the disposable cell phones instead of using the pay phone. As he turned his back, he punched in the familiar numbers. Mary walked to a front window as she watched the mix of people enter and leave the building.

  She raised her brows in surprise when he came up behind her, tapping on her shoulder. “That was fast. You didn’t get ahold of him?”

  “Quite the opposite.” He glanced around. Businessmen eyed the female tourists. Most didn’t acknowledge the need for a scarf to cover their neck and hair. The tourists laughed as they busily studied travel guides and made decisions for the day. “We need to leave. Now.”

  He didn’t wait for an answer or more questions. Picking up Mary’s small travel bag, he firmly grabbed her elbow and led her to the front exit.

  Chapter 15

  Their next taxi pulled up in front of a Mediterranean pub near the water. Mary stared at the blue-green tumble of water behind the stucco building. “No wonder people come here for vacation. I could almost enjoy this, if we weren’t working.” She looked down at her lap, finishing, “Or running for our lives.”

  Already on her side of the car, Cal stopped with her taxi door half open. She saw a glimmer of anger, then acceptance in his eyes. “That’s right. We’re not here for a vacation.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her quickly to the sidewalk. Letting go, he turned and headed for the entrance.

  “That’s not what…Wait up.” She quickened her pace as Cal disappeared inside the pub.

  Nearly running into him, he had stopped at the edge of the bar. A mix of wicker and iron tables and chairs crowded the floor. Few patrons had settled in this early. Large arches opened to a patio in front of the beach. Trays and bowls of fruits filled a breakfast bar along with seafood and grain dishes.

  “They opened about ten minutes ago.” He kept an eye on the bar. “When a bartender appears, I’m going to ask to use the business phone. I’ll tell him it’s a local call to my hotel. Tell him I forgot to lock my door or something.”

  “Okay.” She drawled the word out as she wondered what plan he made on his own. His mood had turned cold and objective after her comment about a vacation here. “Cal, I didn’t mean that I wouldn’t want…”

  “Doesn’t matter, Reiss.” They were back to being two agents again. “We have work to do. Work that someone or possibly many don’t want us to finish and they know something about our operation.”

  She raised her chin. “You’re right.” With her eyes trained to catch any emotion he would offer, Mary asked, “Why are we calling Grant from here?”

  “On the last call I told him that I would call in one hour at his home.” Her brows drew together. “He knows what ‘his home’ means. It’s our personal code for the Sanctuary Pub. As you know, all calls to the agency are recorded. I need to talk to him off the record, and then I’ll know if he’s with us or not.”

  She glanced around for a clock. Behind the bar a clock read 8:15. “That’s in about ten minutes.”

  He nodded as a bartender appeared with a bucket of ice. Cal signaled
the shorter man with the ice. “Mind if the lady and I bother you for an orange juice?”

  The bartender smiled and set about preparing a tall glass with fruit garnishes before splashing blended juice to the rims. As he filled the last glass, Cal mentioned, “I see you have a phone back there. Do you think I could make a quick call to my hotel? We’re not sure if we locked our door.”

  Cal paid for the drinks and thanked the man as he set the phone on the bar. He returned to the back to finish his morning prep work.

  They sipped their drinks until an hour from the last call passed. “After this call, we’ll have two choices.”

  “Live or die?”

  “Sort of.”

  * * * *

  “Is Vic Grant at your establishment? I need to give him a quick message since I can’t join him.” Cal played the friend who’d hate to miss out on such a fine day at the pub.

  “Hold on. I think I see him.”

  He waited for the connection.

  “Hello.”

  “Grant.” He didn’t need to say it was himself. “What’s going on?”

  An extended heavy breath came across the line. “If you’re at the hotel I told you to go to, which I’m sure you’re not, you’re in big trouble.”

  “Go on.”

  “The plan at Chenzira’s compound backfired. There’s a leak.”

  “Tell me something I haven’t figured out, yet.” Cal purposely didn’t mention that Mary sat with him.

  “I’m assuming they don’t have Reiss, so where is she?”

  “What do you want me to do?” He purposefully ignored the question.

  “You’re smart.” A lengthy, static-filled pause ensued. “Whatever I tell you and Reiss to do, do the opposite.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Stay in the country and make frequent contacts.” The phone buzzed the end of the conversation.

  Glancing at the receiver, Cal set it in its cradle. He turned to Mary who appeared to be holding her breath. “We need to get out of here. Out of the country.”