by Kylie Brant
"Honey, the way you smell, you're not hurting my feelings."
His remark had her slamming open her cabin door, in search of her toiletries. She planned on using every drop of the hot water. Every last drop. And she hoped that Jones froze in the water she left for him. If she decided to leave any at all.
He was still in the hallway, struggling with the lock on his stateroom. She paused to sneer at him. "You stopped to lock up your valuables before deciding to burgle the capitol?"
"No, Pappy must have locked it, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why he would…" He finally got the lock released and pushed the door open, only to stop in midsentence. Giving him a curious look, she peeked inside to see what had him suddenly speechless.
And stared, jaw agape.
"Sam!"
The bearded, gaunt figure lying in Jones's bed froze in the middle of a grin he was greeting Jones with. "Analiese?"
"Sam!" Pushing beneath Jones's arm she leaped across the room and threw her arms around her brother. The same brother she'd sometimes feared she'd never see again. "My God, how did you get off the island? I knew you were hurt … oh!" She drew back suddenly, searching his form with anxious eyes. "Where are you injured? Do you need medical attention?"
Two hard hands held her away from him as he surveyed her. "What in God's name are you doing here?"
She opened her mouth to answer, looked at the man still watching them silently in the doorway, then snapped it shut again.
Short on patience, Sam Tremaine followed the direction of her gaze. "Jones? What the hell is my sister doing with you?"
"Your sister?"
When two incredulous narrowed male gazes swung to her, Ana detected a surge in testosterone in the room. The kind that boded ill for the lone female focus of their regard.
For some reason it was Jones's gaze she chose to meet. His eyes were flinty. "You're Tremaine's sister?"
"Well, technically…" she hedged.
"What do you mean, technically?" Sam roared. "Dammit, Analiese, will you tell me what's going on here?"
"Analiese? Tremaine?"
Jones could have been spitting the words like bullets. Ana nodded miserably. "I came to find Sam. I knew you were his way to Laconos, and I thought if I could retrace his steps, I'd stand a better chance of figuring out where he was."
"You'd better start at the beginning, Ana. How'd you know where I went on … vacation? And why in hell would you take it into your head to follow me?"
Sam's imperious tone was a little too familiar to be tolerated. "You weren't on vacation, you were on assignment," she snapped. "If you want me to tell you the whole story, at least do me the courtesy of saving the fairy tales. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little cranky at the moment."
"I can attest to that," muttered Jones.
She didn't spare him a glance. She was too busy glaring at her brother. "I don't know what agency you're working for. Given the level of encryption in your files, I figure CIA, but it doesn't matter. I've kept quiet about it for this long and will in the future. But don't try patting me on the head and feeding me a line of bull while you castigate me for the chances I take. I'm a little old for that kind of behavior, in case you haven't noticed."
Both men were looking at her wide-eyed, caution blooming on their faces. "Ana, you've always been too dramatic." The soothing note in her older brother's voice had her clenching her fists. If he hadn't already been injured, she'd have lunged for him. "You've blown this whole thing up into something clandestine when there's a rational explanation…"
"She's not going to buy it." Jones's tone was flat, his gaze hard as it rested on Ana. "She set this whole thing up, set me up precisely because she's too damn smart for her own good." He waited until Ana's gaze met his before going on, in that same expressionless voice that made something inside her cringe. "I knew all along that something about you didn't add up. So this doesn't come as a total shock. What'd you think you were going to accomplish with this charade?"
"When I found out that Sterling had no idea where Sam was, I was desperate—"
"Sterling!" Sam's voice was panicked. He straightened up in bed, wincing at the effort it took, and stared hard at his sister.
"I've been doing courier work for him for two years," she said simply. It would have been impossible to miss the two men's reaction. But somehow it was the vile curse that Jones muttered that sliced the deepest. "I didn't think you'd want me unleashing Cade and James on you, so I thought I'd trace your steps, see if I could discover something about your whereabouts."
"You haven't told them any of this, have you?" When she shook her head, Sam relaxed a fraction. "Thank God for small favors. And Sterling?" Something in his voice alerted her. She searched his face carefully. "How much does he know?"
"I haven't been able to reach Sterling since the first night I hit Bontilla. There's no answer, and I only have the one number for him."
"Christ." Sam rubbed both hands over his face. "This is like a bad dream. Honey, I think Sterling is the one who set me up."
"What?" Jones's and Ana's words came simultaneously. Sam dropped his hands, looked at them. "I came on a … fact-finding mission. But I didn't get very far, because someone tipped off the Laconos government."
"Icanno Shala claimed you'd breached the security at the capitol," she said.
"Shala." His voice was hoarse, his expression dazed as he swung his gaze to Jones. In a few succinct sentences Jones relayed Ana's involvement with the man, beginning with the drug deal she'd witnessed and ending with their escape from the building.
"I never accomplished my mission," Sam said grimly. "Because they were waiting for me as soon as I'd gotten inside the capitol. That's when I was wounded, when one of the men knifed me."
"How many did you take out?"
Ana sent Jones a disparaging glance. What difference did that make now?
Sam brightened. "Six were down at last count, but there were at least twenty others. I didn't like my odds, so I took off."
They actually shared an amused grin. Ana wanted to brain them both. Were they stupid enough to find that brush with death something to revel in? Their attitude took male idiocy to new heights.
"Let's dust off our testosterone chargers for the moment and focus, gentlemen," she said dryly. "Sam, what makes you think Sterling would set you up? What's in it for him?"
"Money. The right price can buy betrayal and treachery regardless of position." It was Jones who answered, and somehow Ana knew that he was speaking from personal experience. But her mind refused to leave the matter alone.
"Then why wouldn't he answer his phone once he knew I intended to follow Sam to Laconos? It would have been a perfect opportunity for him to keep track of me."
Sam shrugged, obviously bothered by the question. "I don't know. But he was the only one who knew of my mission, unless this goes a lot higher than him. That's why I stuck around and waited for you to get back here. I'm not real sure who else I can trust right now."
"The joys of living in the shadows," Jones said sardonically. "Never knowing who you can trust or where the bullet's going to come from. You should have gotten out when I did."
Suddenly everything clicked into place for Ana. She turned to face Jones, accusing. "Research? You were in the Agency, too."
"You weren't exactly forthcoming yourself, so you can drop the recriminations. And the fact that I was in the life once means that I know exactly how dangerous it was for you to even dabble in it. What the hell were you thinking letting Sterling talk you into doing courier work for him?"
"It's not exactly rocket science," she said acerbically. "Getting an envelope or a briefcase from point A to point B doesn't usually involve much glamour or intrigue." She thought it prudent not to mention the one time the assignment had nearly gone awry. She doubted either man was in the mood to deal with that news rationally.
Sam was pinching his brow. "I don't even want to think about what James would have to say about this."
<
br /> "I'll make you a deal, bro. You don't tell him what I do on my 'minivacations' and I don't tell him that being an international lawyer is only a front for you."
He dropped his hand to glare at her. "You're not in the position to be cutting deals, Annie. Don't push it."
"Yes," she said quietly, "I am. Look at me, Sam. I'm all grown up. I'm not a little girl anymore, and I don't need around-the-clock protection."
"We had reason to protect you."
"Yes." She hated the defensiveness in her brother's tone. Hated herself for putting it there. "But there came a time when I could choose either to smother under all that protection or go my own way and live life. Which would you have chosen?" When he remained silent, stubbornly so, she sighed, a wave of weariness overtaking her. The damned Tremaine code of honor was so ingrained in her brothers that she doubted it would allow them to see anything outside their perception of events. And while she returned their love, she wouldn't allow them to use those feelings as a mantle to suffocate her. Not anymore.
"How did you get off Laconos? Try as I might, I couldn't figure out how I was going to let you know I was there and could help you."
Sam said, "I had someone helping me. She was watching the pier and letting me know which ships were docked, and their ports of origin. I thought I was dreaming when I heard the Nefarious was back in port."
Suddenly something else clicked. Ana looked at her brother. "And you sent a message to Jones the last night, letting him know you were there." If she had to guess, the message said more than that. Enough to encourage him to break into the capitol and finish whatever assignment Sam hadn't completed. Neither man answered, but they didn't need to. She was certain she was correct.
She saw the way Sam's hand went to rub his thigh, and concern took precedence over curiosity. "Have you seen a doctor since you got back?"
He nodded. "My leg will be fine. There's not much muscle damage. I'll still be able to beat you in a race, even hopping one-footed."
A powerful surge of gratitude welled up inside her. Things had turned out much better than they'd had any right to expect. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the forehead. "It's time you learned that I only let you win those races because you're such a poor loser."
"Just keep telling yourself that, honey." He caught her hand in his, gave it a squeeze. "You've never lacked heart, Annie. I can be thankful for what you tried to do, while still wanting to paddle your butt for doing it."
"You could try, anyway. And just remember…" She pulled away, deeming it best to remove herself from his side in case he was tempted to try. "If it hadn't been for me, the Nefarious wouldn't have been in port. Think about that while I shower."
On her way out the door she risked a glance at Jones. His stoic mask had her heart dropping to the vicinity of her shoes. From all appearances he was taking her revelations with even less grace than her brother. And for some reason that fact wounded far more deeply.
* * *
"Hell." Sam's voice was weary after Ana closed the door behind her. "Her involvement is the last thing I figured. If I hadn't been slowed down by this damn leg, I'd have gotten off the island sooner, and maybe prevented Ana from jumping into this mess."
"You could have tried, anyway," Jones replied. "She doesn't take orders very well."
Sam gave a short laugh. "Figured that out already, have you? Never took direction worth a damn, to tell the truth. 'Bout wore us out trying to keep her in line. Maybe she's right, we might have tended to be a little overprotective, but we had plenty of reason."
"Yeah, she told me about the kidnapping." Jones paced to the porthole, peered out sightlessly. He didn't want to think about the vulnerability that had nearly shredded her control the night she'd told him that story. Didn't want to feel the surge of emotion again that the news had elicited. It was far more comfortable living with a lid on all emotions. Easier not to feel at all.
Certainly he wouldn't be feeling this bubbling fury at her deception, fury that was slightly irrational. Annie, Ana, he corrected himself bitterly, hadn't kept any more from him than he'd kept from her. Hadn't trusted him any less. Or more. It was that fact that burned the most.
The feeling was familiar. It wouldn't be the first time he'd lowered his guard with a woman only to find out she was completely different from what he'd thought. The first experience had nearly cost him his life. He wasn't going to pay any type of price this time. He made himself that vow, and meant to keep it.
Shaking off that line of thought, he turned back to Sam. "You said you had help. Who was she?"
Amazingly, the man went red. "After I was ambushed, I was bleeding like a pig. I wrapped a tourniquet around my leg, but I knew I was going to bleed to death if I didn't get help quick. Broke into a house close to the edge of town. A widow was living there alone. I scared her to death, but she patched me up. Was actually more help than I expected."
Something in the man's tone alerted Jones. "Don't tell me the Tremaine charm worked its magic again?"
Sam grinned, but looked a little uncomfortable. "I could never match your reputation with the ladies, Jones. But she, uh, seems she had a beef with the government. When she guessed who her houseguest was, she was more than cooperative."
"What kind of beef?"
"Her cousin was part of the royal family that was murdered six months ago by Osawa Bunei. When the new government took over, apparently the surviving family members were given short shrift. She's not the only one who has an ax to grind with them."
"And once she'd nursed you back to health you sent her strolling the docks."
Sam nodded. "I was going to smuggle myself aboard one with a homeport closest to the U.S. When she mentioned yours, I couldn't believe my luck." He grimaced. "Of course that was before knowing you'd brought my sister to the island."
His sister. Jones neatly sidestepped the flicker of guilt that threatened. Somehow he thought Sam would be even less understanding if he knew just what had transpired between him and Annie. To distract them both, he told Sam about their run from Shala and the militia, resulting in their trek through the jungle. "You traveled back in a bit more comfort than we did, though."
Sam gave an exaggerated sniff. "Yeah, I was too polite to mention it before, but … you reek, buddy. Big-time. When my sister finishes, you could use a shower."
"It's all yours." Ana strolled in the room, toweling her hair. She was wrapped in a terry-cloth robe that wasn't the least bit revealing. So there was no explanation for the sudden clenching in Jones's gut when he looked at her. Except that her skin was dewy and faintly moist, her hair wet and tousled, reminding him all too clearly of the last time he'd seen her damp. When he'd held her wet, writhing body against his and filled her, over and over again.
With an effort he tore his gaze away from her, only to find Sam eyeing him narrowly. To divert the man he said hastily, "Well, you might have come back with nothing to show for your assignment, but I covered your ass for you." He dug in the backpack he'd dropped on the floor, and retrieved the sheet he'd stolen from the capitol. "I sprang a safe in Shala's office. Maybe this will give us an idea of what he's up to."
Sam studied the sheet for a moment. "What I wouldn't give for my computer."
"I may be able to help," Ana said. She disappeared for a moment, came back with that infernal notebook of hers.
"Have another grievance to write down?"
She frowned at him. "Keep cruisin', Jones." Flipping through some pages, she stopped when she found the one she'd been looking for. "I think I've figured out a little. It's not much, but maybe you can make sense of it." She handed the notebook to Sam, before seeming to notice that both men were staring at her again.
"You went through my bag?" Jones's tone was low and lethal, the dangerous rage trapped inside. "Mind telling me when this was?" She didn't, he noted savagely, directly answer the question.
"Considering the fact that you pawed through my things on several occasions, it's a little hypocritical to be crying fou
l, don't you think?"
"Where'd you…" Sam flipped through the notations she'd made. "These can't be right. This isn't junior decoders, Ana, it's top secret encryption. You can't expect to just sit down with a pencil and figure it out."
"Have you forgotten what I do for a living?" she snapped.
Pieces clicked together in Jones's mind. I work for a software company. Tremaine Technologies. His mouth flattened. Analiese Tremaine, aka Ann Smith, was just full of surprises. He knew from his long friendship with Sam the nature of some of the company's more confidential jobs.
Her words had Sam looking intently at her work. He stopped, peered closer at some of the notations she'd made, and looked back at the sheet Jones had handed him. When he didn't respond for a long time, Jones said, "Well? Does any of it make sense?"
"Maybe." Sam's tone was cautious. "If this is right, there are dates of deliveries noted here. Quantities. Points of origin and of delivery." Slowly he raised his gaze to theirs.
"We've already discovered that Shala and probably Bunei are involved in drug smuggling," Ana said. "I suspect I was taken to the capitol only to be interrogated again by the king. I think I convinced them I was harmless until I spotted Shala with the drug dealer who threatened me."
Her words had fire leaping to Sam's eyes again, so Jones skirted the upcoming argument by saying, "We know Laconos is petitioning the Global Trade Organization for an increased role in the international marketplace. I think they're supplementing their income by running drugs, possibly from South America, cutting and repackaging the cocaine before shipping it elsewhere."
He succeeded in distracting Sam for the moment. "We suspected the same. I was trying to gather information on it, and about whether the Osawa Bunei multiple murder suicide was staged to bring about a shift in power."
"So they got rid of the royal family and the old cabinet to cover up what they were going to be doing," Ana surmised. "I wonder who the visiting dignitary was and if he had anything to do with their plans."
"What dignitary?" Jones asked.