by Ronie Kendig
His gaze hit hers. Her heart raced. Though she couldn’t see the color of his eyes, she remembered the way they sparkled like Mumbai Harbor. His nearness made her feel safe instead of suffocated.
Outside noises invaded her thoughts: blaring horns, metal scraping metal, yelling voices. Shiloh flinched.
“They’re gone,” Brutus whispered. He moved and squinted through the crack in the door.
Shiloh shuddered and exhaled deeply. She suddenly felt cold from the absence of his body heat.
“You okay?”
“Fine.” She fought the nausea swirling in her stomach and wrapped her hands around herself as Brutus considered her for a moment.
“Sit tight.”
“You’re not leaving me here alone.” Shiloh hurried with him as he slipped out, remaining in the shadows.
Past him and beyond the curb, a crowd gathered around the mangled wreck of two cars. A small child raced through the onlookers as two men shouted and shook fists at each other. Barking amplified in the narrow street. Smells of rotten food and sewage filtered into her senses.
She scooted behind Brutus. He reached back and clamped a hand on her, catching her waist. “Come here.” He pushed her back inside the store.
“Look, Brutus, I’m not a slab of beef.” Wriggling free, Shiloh worked to steady her voice and pounding heart.
Pausing, he scowled. “What did you call me?”
Heat licked at her cheeks. “Shouldn’t we be running for our lives?”
“We’ll take a few minutes, put more space between us and them.” His hands slid around her neck. Heebie-jeebies skated down her body as he secured her hair and tucked it into the band of her choli.
She jerked back. “What’re you doing?”
He caught her arm and held her firmly. “It’ll help if we can alter our appearances.” His fingers swept the sides of her face as he smoothed the strands away.
This was too bizarre. Shiloh forced herself to nod, to let him know she heard him over the drumming of her heart. “Where did you get the pill?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“I will worry. How does it stop the seizures?”
He checked over his shoulder. “Dunno. They said it’ll reestablish the neural connections or something. Taken long enough, you’ll be seizure free.”
“Impossible.”
He winked. “Go out, around the corner to the right, through the fence, down the alley and past the church. Your hotel is on the right.”
“We’re splitting up?”
“Not unless I’m dead.”
“That's not exactly reassuring.”
Chuckling, he arched his hands over his head, gripped the back of his shirt, and removed the hoodie, revealing a thin, green T-shirt. “Put this on. Your choli and sari make you an easy mark. We need to throw them off .” Scrunching up the hoodie, he slipped it over her head and tugged it into place.
Whoa. Okay. Too much touching. Shiloh stepped from his grasp, glaring as she positioned the shirt.
Was he grinning at her? “I’ll escort you to the courtyard. It's up to you to get to your room. If you see them, don’t stop.”
“Exactly who is ‘them’?” Threading her arms into the heavy material, she tried to think past the cologne tingling her nostrils.
“Why don’t you tell me?”
She arched her eyebrows. “Me? You’re the spy.”
“You have instincts or you wouldn’t have figured out what I am. So, pop quiz: Who are the men after you?”
This little test tightened the rope of agitation and frustration inside her. If he knew, why didn’t he just cut to the chase? She shrugged to adjust the hoodie, peeking up at him. It wasn’t any use. If she didn’t spill her thoughts, he’d never open up with his. Somehow, she also didn’t want to be shown an idiot in front of this man. The thought alone drew her chin up an inch.
“They aren’t Maharashtra state police.”
“Brilliant.”
He was mocking her. She gritted her teeth. “Whatever this is about, they—and you—think I have or know something.” She glanced at him, hoping he’d confirm that.
“I’m the good guy, remember?”
“Well, you’re good. Whether or not you’re on my side remains to be seen.”
“I’m helping you now, aren’t I?”
Lips quirked, Shiloh tried to stop the smile. “I don’t know, are you?”
He raked a hand over his short military crop. “All right. Back to the men. Think. What put them on your trail?”
Did she frustrate him? Or was he avoiding that question? Shiloh refocused her thoughts on his interrogation. A competitiveness rose from within her to figure this out. “The dive site—when I was out there a week ago.”
“Go on.”
She huffed. What could it have been? “That cylinder …”
Reece gripped her arms. “Hold up. What cylinder?”
12
WILD BLUE EYES STARED UP AT HIM. FROZEN IN HIS GRIP, SHILOH PARTED her lips.
He shook her. “What cylinder?”
“I—” She swallowed. Scowling, she jerked out of his hold.
“Just tell me what you found.”
Defiance flared on her face. “On the bay, I located what I thought was an artifact. I thought I’d finally got one up on Mikhail Drovosky.” Her vibrant eyes clouded. “It was a tube of some sort. At the time, I was irked, wondering who’d compromised the site, who’d been there before me.” She sighed. “But now? Now I know everyone's after that thing. I mean, that's what this is all about, right?”
“What did you do with it?”
She flipped her hair out from beneath the hoodie that draped her torso and hips. “I had to leave it when the shooting started.”
Reece mentally paced up and down the news. What was in it? Who’d planted the cylinder? He’d watched that site for weeks. He hadn’t seen anything. Divers swam to the drop. Still, nobody had come within a mile of there until the—
The college team. A perfect cover. Was it the professor? Khalid Khan? The stunning woman before him?
Head tilted, she looked at him. “What?”
Reece let his mask of indifference slip back into place. “Nothing.” He reached for her arm, but she swung away. “We should get you back to the hotel. Wouldn’t want your fiancé to worry.”
“Wait. I—” She closed her mouth. Finally, she jutted her jaw as if summoning her courage. “Since you’re a spy—”
“Operative.”
“Whatever. Can you check up on people?”
He paused, surprised by her question. “What do you mean?”
Her eyes seemed to probe his, and then she bunched her shoulders. “Nothing. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Double-speak. A line that meant I’ll tell if you ask again. He wouldn’t.
Seconds stretched between them as she shifted away a few paces and cradled her body with her arms. She pivoted and dropped her arms to her side. “Can you check out Khalid's father?”
Reece kept his expression impassive.
“See if he is … if he has …” She huffed. “To see if he's on the up and up? Can you do that?”
“And why would I?” Something akin to pride trickled through his veins. The girl blew him away. How did she nail Baseer Khan? Toby Roberts, experienced consular grunt, didn’t even see it coming.
She scratched her temple and wrinkled her nose. “I know, it's crazy. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“Tell me what you saw.”
“It wasn’t so much what I saw as what I felt.”
“Go on.”
Uncertainty tiptoed across her face as she shifted on her feet. “He seemed a bit aggressive the other night. Then, earlier today, I bumped into him on the street near the government offices.” Kneading a muscle in her shoulder, she looked as distraught about the information as if she’d caught the guy red-handed in something illegal. “What would he be doing over there when the train station is on the other sid
e of town? He knows people have been killed and someone probably wants me dead.”
“No probably about it. I’ll look into Mr. Khan.” He checked his watch. “Time to head back. Once inside the hotel, trash my shirt and hoof it to your room. Lock the door and don’t come out for anyone you don’t know.”
She nodded. “Who exactly am I hiding from?”
He started for the door. “Bad guys.”
“Bad guys?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a child. Tell me who we’re dealing with.”
“Do names matter when the guy in front of you is holding an AK-47?” He cleared the stoop and stepped out.
She was right with him, staying at his elbow. “I guess I lied in the courtyard.”
He reached behind her, caught the hood, and tucked her hair back under the material. Sweat slid down her face. “How so?” He slipped the hood up.
“I said I wasn’t in danger.” She tugged at the strings hanging down the front of the navy sweatshirt. “Pretty stupid when they’ve murdered my friends and seem to know where I am.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He swept a few stray strands of hair from her face.
Her eyes fluttered.
What was that? Reece shrugged off her reaction. “Let's go.”
Getting her to the Taj Mahal proved much easier than he’d expected. Hopefully, they ’d delayed long enough to throw off their tail, but he wouldn’t count on that.
Reece waited until Shiloh appeared on the balcony and gave him the all clear before he sped away from the hotel. At his place, he powered up his laptop, hit the secure site, burrowed into a nested site, and scanned the taps he’d planted. The satellite images waited. He opened them, zoomed in, and hung his head.
Perry's friend had been right. India had sent nukes into Kashmir—the perfect location to launch a strike against Pakistan and avoid the blame. He prayed that wasn’t the plan. Prayed they weren’t that stupid.
He closed it out and scanned his inbox. Another email provided the tap results on the fax line. He read the document, a standard business letter to an unspecified recipient. At least, that's the way Abdul wanted it to look. Reece knew enough about the way networks worked. One glance told him it referred to a meeting. He forwarded the information to analysts, who would decipher the code words and figure out the when and where.
Tonight, while the ministry offices were closed, he’d sneak in and surf the files in Abdul's office. Baseer, his son, and Shiloh would board the train at one a.m. Reece exited the nested sites and grabbed the phone to call his sister. With the way things were heating up, he’d better catch a few moments with her before this case took him to Pakistan. After changing into a fresh tunic, he headed out the door to meet up with Julia.
Strong spices overpowered him as he strode into the restaurant and spotted his sister in a booth.
“A quick dinner?” Julia burrowed into her seat and crossed her arms. “Since when do I get crammed between events? And you’re late.”
“I can leave now.”
She clicked her tongue. “You’ve lost your sense of humor. I ordered for us.”
Soon the hostess set three platters of food between them. The curried spices rose in a spiral of steam, tingling his nose. Without a moment's hesitation, Reece piled some rice onto his plate, followed closely by a mound of the yellow chicken and sauce.
A vegetarian, Julia served herself a portion of the curried vegetables, nibbled on the food, and then set down her fork.
Mouth full, Reece glanced at her. “What?”
“I’m going to marry Toby.”
Reece tried not to choke. He swallowed and hurriedly drank some water. “He proposed?”
“We talked about it after you left the other night.” She sighed. “We haven’t agreed on my job, but we’re both willing to compromise.”
“Whoa.” Reece eased back, wiping his mouth with a linen napkin. “When did you get so domestic?”
Something twinkled in her eyes. A light he didn’t recognize.
“I love him. Despite his quirky, almost nerdy mannerisms, he's the only person I feel comfortable and complete with. He's not demanding or forceful.”
Reece grunted. “I don’t need to know this, not about Roberts.” He rested a hand on his leg and leaned to the side. “As long as you’re happy—you are happy, right?”
She smiled. “Yeah, I am.”
He nodded. “Thought so.”
“Don’t sound so depressed.” She tossed her napkin at him.
Laughing, he pressed his spine against the chair. “I just didn’t expect you to ever get married—and definitely not to someone like Toby. We made a pact, remember?”
With a loud half-groan, half-laugh, she shoved her hands into her dark hair. “I was twelve. You were nine.”
“So?”
Giggling, she reached across the table and tapped his head. “Yep, still as hard and thick as ever.”
Reece dug into his food and tried to ignore her knowing look, but he anticipated her next topic of conversation. Toby had planted ample fodder in her mind. She probably had it all planned out—him madly in love, married, and expecting a baby. With Shiloh, of course. Finally, he let his fork clatter against the plate and folded his arms on the table. “Go on. Get it out of your system before you explode.”
“Tell me about her.”
He grunted. “Jules …” Tossing his napkin down, he exhaled again, stifling a grin. “She's tangled up in a mess. I was already involved, but things came to light that made her the asset. I have to admit, she's tough. Smart too. She pegged something even Toby hadn’t figured out.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If I were still training, I’d recruit her in a heartbeat.” Was she buying his story?
Julia sat back and chewed her lower lip. “Wow, she got your attention, didn’t she? What does she look like?”
“Stunning. Reddish-brown hair. Out by the bay, it looked almost golden, like a goddess on a Grecian urn.”
She smacked his arm—hard. “You’re playing me.”
He burst out laughing. Fist over his mouth, he tried to stop, but he couldn’t.
“Reece Jaxon, you are pure evil.”
He wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. “You asked for that one.”
“You can be a jerk, but at least Toby showed me her picture.”
His smile vanished. “He what?” He drew back, pulling up his shoulders.
“Oh, don’t get all protective.”
“He compromised her safety. I’m barely keeping the sharks off her tail.” Shaking his head, he balled his fist. “I could kill that puke.”
“Hey!” Julia's brow furrowed over pouting red lips. “That puke is going to be your brother-in-law.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me. What a stupid—he knows better. Those files are confidential. She's been through too much already.”
“I thought you said she was tough.”
He shook a finger at her. “Don’t even go there.”
“Why would Toby say you had a thing for her? She's very pretty.”
He nudged his plate aside. “What do you want from me, Julia? To say I’ve fallen madly in love with the girl and we’re running off to Paris together?”
“No.” She smiled that sweet, big-sister smile that had more syrup than Saturday morning waffles. “Just to know that you won’t die the way our father did.”
The little food in his stomach soured. “I’m not our father.”
“I hope not.” She crossed her arms and leaned on the table. “Have you let go of what mom did? Or is that still eating at you too?”
Reece tapped the table and raised his hands in surrender with a snort. “What is this? Suddenly you’re a shrink?”
Julia's dark brows wrinkled. “Will she be in danger?”
“She already is.”
“You like playing the hero, don’t you? I think that's your way of trying to prove you’re not like dad.”
“I need to get
going.” Scooting his chair back, he waved over the hostess for the bill.
“Not so different from Dad after all, are you?”
Despite the soft tone of her words, they pummeled him all the same. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“He ran when Mom's scandal broke. Left us, left her. When things got tough, he walked.”
He hunched his shoulders. “What exactly am I running from? Besides an overly romantic big sister.” When the petite Hindu woman arrived, he handed her enough rupees to pay for the meal and stood. “I’ll tell Shiloh you’d prefer I bed her than protect her to make sure she makes it back to the States alive.”
“Shiloh, huh?”
Reece froze. Had he really said her name? In public?
“I like her already.”
Reece stomped off , grateful a trip to Pakistan would put distance between him and his nosy sister … and her fiancé.
Dampness pervaded Shiloh's senses as she sat back against the hotel room headboard. Rain threatened the ending of a day that had started out with sunshine and peace. Drawing the comforter up to her shoulder, she glanced at the hoodie on the bed next to her. She had looked for a place to trash it, but all the bins in the lobby were too small. Even in here she didn’t have a place to hide it. Khalid and his father were down in the restaurant eating. Feigning illness, she had stayed in the room, her mind buzzing from the encounter with Brutus.
She walked her fingers across the silky spread to the cotton sweatshirt and tugged it closer. Soaked in the scent of him, she inhaled. The shirt gave her a strange comfort, one she hadn’t felt since she was a child … before her mother's death.
Her mind whipped back to the present. The little adventure with Brutus slammed home the danger that surrounded her. She’d thought herself alert, cognizant of what was happening around her. But he’d pointed out more than twice the number of goons she’d sighted. How foolish to think leaving the other hotel and taking up residence under assumed names would be enough! Had she put Khalid and his father in jeopardy?