by Cat Johnson
They also suspected Smith could get his hands on weapons-grade uranium if the incentive was high enough. Trey had a feeling that particular commodity was what this little rendezvous was about. If only he were here alone, things would be so much easier.
Trey thought he was doing a pretty good job of ignoring Carly and concentrating on the information until she threw the clothes in her hand to the floor with a huff.
“What the hell am I supposed to wear?” She turned and looked accusingly at him, as if it were his fault Candi hadn’t packed the proper clothing for a meeting with a terrorist.
He’d done a lot of undercover ops in his years with the team and never once had he gotten stressed out over choosing an outfit, but she was a woman. All woman. A really, really hot woman. He had first-hand experience and could definitely attest to that.
Laying the laptop on the bed, he walked over to the suitcase. After a moment of careful consideration and searching, he handed her a short black skirt and one of John Smith’s white button-down collared dress shirts. Now for the shoes…
His eyes landed briefly on the heels she’d worn last night. Those held way too many memories for both of them. He didn’t need further distraction during this meeting. There must be another pair in there somewhere. Candi was a stripper. Shouldn’t she have packed more than that one pair of high heels? When he didn’t find another pair and boy did he try, he picked up the ones on the floor and thrust them at her. “Here. Put all that on. You’ll look fine.”
She looked doubtfully down at the bundle he’d handed her and carried it all into the bathroom. When she emerged again, she was looking pretty damn hot in the outfit he’d picked. She wasn’t supposed to look hot. He’d given her the white men’s shirt to cover her up, but somehow she made the damn thing look sexy.
All he needed was for the target to take a fancy to Carly. Then Trey would be forced to kill him with his bare hands. That might get him into trouble though since they needed the man alive. He considered that for about a second and then decided if the scum touched Carly, he’d still kill him.
His contemplation of the possible ramifications of going against a direct order and killing the one person this entire operation hinged upon was interrupted by Matt’s voice. “Our goose has flown the coop, Trey.”
“What?” Trey asked Matt, but looked at Carly when he said it in case surveillance was still in place.
She frowned at him. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Oh, I thought you did. Sorry.”
Matt continued. “You heard me right. Elvis has left the building. Packed up, took most of his goons and pulled away in a big limo about ten minutes ago.”
Just when Trey was deciding what to do with this information, the phone on the nightstand next to the bed rang. He shot Carly a look he hoped told her to be ready for anything and then answered it. Trey put the receiver to the ear with the implant so Matt could record the conversation.
“Hello, my friend.” The voice coming through the phone line sounded smooth, too smooth. The kind of voice that made you immediately suspicious.
“Hello. It’s nice to speak with you.” Years of training kept Trey’s voice sounding calm.
“Yes, yes. You too. I trust you had a good night?” Did the bastard sound smug?
“Yes, thank you. The room is lovely. My wife and I are enjoying it very much.” He swallowed hard and glanced at Carly, regretting all over again the bastards had seen them together.
“I’m sure you are.” There it was again, an amused, knowing lilt to the bastard’s voice.
Trey had no doubt the target had a video copy of his and Carly’s bedroom escapades in his slimy hand. He hoped that was all he held in his hand at the moment. The thought of him taking physical pleasure while watching Carly on tape had Trey mad enough to spit.
The target continued. “I must apologize, my friend.”
You’re no friend of mine. “Oh? Apologize for what?”
“I was called away suddenly. I’m not sure for how long I’ll need to be away.”
The coward was running scared. Jimmy disappearing without a trace had made him nervous, made him realize he was not untouchable. It was probably bad for the successful continuance of the mission, but somehow Trey was taking great satisfaction from it.
The fleeing bastard went on talking. “I’ll not be able to make our meeting this morning. I’m afraid you traveled all this way for nothing. However, please stay and enjoy the room for as long as you and your beautiful wife wish. Order whatever you please from the hotel and whenever you are ready to leave, contact the front desk. They will arrange transportation to the airport.”
Yeah, like he was going to get into his limo with that armed bruiser again now the target was suspicious. He wished the guy would stop talking so they could get the hell out of there. In particular, Trey really wanted him to stop referring to Carly.
“That is very kind of you. My wife and I appreciate it. Will I be hearing from you again soon?” Come on. Give me something, you schmuck.
“Yes, my friend. I’ll be in touch as soon as I’m settled. I look forward to doing business with you in the very near future.”
“I look forward to it also. Have a good day.” Trey was starting to get itchy. His eyes strayed to the open suitcase and the clothes all over the floor.
“You too, my friend.” The line went dead.
“Pack the bag, sweetheart. We’re going home.” Trey hung up the phone and grabbed the laptop.
Carly’s eyes opened wide, but she didn’t question him and did what she was told, obviously as anxious to get the hell out of there as he was. She packed the clothes into the suitcase so fast, he’d barely gotten the laptop put away and the toiletries from the bathroom and she was finished. She only stopped long enough to rip off the skin-tight skirt and pull a pair of leather pants out of the suitcase. Good idea. All she’d have to do was kick off those shoes. Much easier to run in pants should bullets start to fly. Though with neither of them in body armor, he really hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
He swallowed and tried not to stare at her ass in the thong as she yanked on the pants right there next to the suitcase. That was another clue Carly was as anxious to get out of there as he was. She’d dropped her skirt while standing in front of him without batting an eye.
In record time, Carly was changed and zipping the suitcase. Impressed, relieved and feeling so many other things he couldn’t begin to put a name to them all, he grabbed the bag and the laptop. Opening the door, he took one last look around the room and gratefully left.
When the elevator doors opened into the lobby, Trey took Carly’s hand and led her out onto the sidewalk without looking left or right. Making eye contact with an employee might inspire them to try and help them. There was nothing Trey wanted from any employee of the target’s hotel.
Outside, he could feel the anxiety radiating off Carly and kept a tight hold on her hand so she wouldn’t sprint down the road, heels and all. He couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t breath freely again until they were landing on US soil, but every step away from the hotel lightened the feeling of his burden, that burden being getting Carly home safely.
They walked silently for about a block before he stopped them in front of none other than a McDonald’s. Quintessential American fast food in the middle of Kosovo. Go figure.
In addition to the chain restaurants, Pristina, like any other capital city, had no shortage of taxis. Trey had no trouble hailing a cab to take them to the airport. Once inside the car, he took out the untraceable disposable cell phone he’d been given by Matt and called the pilot to make sure the jet would be ready and waiting when they arrived.
Trey’s feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop didn’t dissipate until they were on the private jet and in the air. Then the other issue on his mind had time to surface. Carly and the fact this op was over and so were they.
Matt, most likely dressed as a maintenance man, had swept the aircraft and radioed to Trey it w
as clean so there was no further excuse for him to delay this conversation with Carly. He gathered every bit of professionalism in his being, even sitting straighter while strapped in next to her in the plane’s seat.
Measuring his words carefully, Trey focused on keeping his voice even. “We need to go over a few things regarding the op.”
She turned and looked at him. “Okay.”
“We need to talk about last night.”
That caused her to pause a bit before nodding. “All right.”
He found himself staring at the magazine in her lap like it was the most interesting thing in the world before he wrestled his eyes up.
Trey cleared his throat. “I need confirmation you’re on birth control.”
Her eyebrows rose sharply. “Excuse me?”
“I need con—
“I heard what you said.” Gone was the casual demeanor, in its place one angry-looking woman.
“Carly. It’s important.”
“What was last night about? Really?”
“The mission.” The lie flowed smoothly off his tongue, just like he’d been trained.
“The mission? And that’s it?”
Trey nodded. “The mission.”
He saw the pain cross her face before she looked away.
Swallowing hard, he tried to clear the lump from his throat. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you on any sort of birth control?”
Her head swiveled sharply toward him. “That detail is not part of this mission.”
“Yes, actually it is. We had unprotected sex in the course of this operation.” Twice.
“Just forget it ever happened.”
Forget about it. Yeah, not likely. He shook his head and let out a deep breath. “If you don’t answer me now, you’ll just have to answer the commander when we return.”
The look she shot him was filled with hate. “Fine. I haven’t had sex in over two years, Trey. So no, I’m not using the pill or anything else for birth control. What would be the point since when I’m not ordered to by the US military, I don’t normally sleep around?” She returned to staring blindly at the same page open in her lap since this conversation had begun.
She obviously hated him now. That was probably for the best. Safer for all involved. Trey could stay professional in the face of anger. If she cried, her tears would break him.
“I’ll arrange to have the morning after pill waiting for you when we land.”
Carly, still not looking at him, blushed bright red. “I’ll take care of things myself.”
“I’m afraid standard operating procedure states in cases such as this—”
She spun on him. “Exactly how long will the military be in control of my personal life from this one favor I was stupid enough to agree to?”
“As soon as we land, we’ll go over the mission details with the commander at the base. After we get you the pills, you’ll be free to go.” Trey tried to make it all sound so routine, though nothing felt routine to him right now. “It’s for the best. The sooner you take it the better. Matt can arrange a prescription for you with Medical.”
“Matt?”
Uh, oh. That got her attention. “You knew he was on surveillance for this op. I told you before we landed.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He wasn’t just listening to us on that thing in your ear, was he? He could see us. Now it all makes sense. Dance for me. Face the mirror. Spread your legs for me, baby. You were putting me on display. Tell me, Trey. How many were in the audience for your little lecherous peep show last night?”
There was so much truth in Carly’s accusations, Trey felt sick to his stomach. “Too many and I’m sorry, but it wasn’t my choice and it was absolutely necessary.”
That, at least, was true for the first half of the night. The second half she was totally right about. He was a letch. There had been no reason for him to make love to her in the dark after Jimmy had already been rescued except for the fact he’d wanted to. That was something he could never tell her. He needed to maintain a strictly professional relationship with her, then maybe she’d be able to pick things up in her life and with Jack as if nothing had happened.
“Necessary?” Her voice reached a level that told him exactly how unhappy she was. “Why? Why was it necessary, Trey?”
He hesitated, deciding what he could and couldn’t reveal. “We saved a man’s life last night, Carly.”
She crossed her arms and stared at him. “Forgive me if I don’t understand how what we did last night saved a life.”
Trey owed her an explanation, even if he was treading a fine line regarding the rules. “This information can’t leave this plane, but Jack’s brother was being tortured in the basement of our hotel. We provided the distraction that allowed his escape. That’s all I can tell you and I probably shouldn’t have even said that much. I truly hope it’s enough.”
He watched her react as the expression of her face changed from anger to shock to understanding.
She was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “Did your commander watch us too?”
“Um…” Trey wasn’t sure about that answer. The rest of the team, except for Matt on surveillance and Jack because he was too close to the situation, would have been occupied getting Jimmy out. The commander, however, could have very well been sitting there watching the video feed of both the guards in the basement and their room upstairs. Good thing he hadn’t thought of that last night.
“No, Trey.” Matt’s voice filled his ear. “The commander was on sight with the team.”
Carly still watched him, waiting for his answer.
“He didn’t see.” Relieved, Trey relayed that news to Carly.
She still didn’t look happy. “Will he?”
“I don’t see any reason why he should need to see it.” Unless the commander wanted to see if he and Carly had somehow compromised their cover and sent the target running. Though most likely he ran because of Jimmy’s escape, not anything they’d done in their room. Trey couldn’t tell her any of that so he left it alone.
“Will the recording of us be shown at the next boys’ night out so you can all laugh about it?”
Ow. That one hurt.
“No, Carly. Matt’s a professional. We’re all professionals.” Thinking about sliding into her the second time for no good reason didn’t make him feel very professional.
She let out a big sigh. “If you could arrange for the prescription, I’d be willing to take it.”
He nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
Matt was obviously still eavesdropping. His voice filled Trey’s ear once again. “I’ll take care of it, Trey.”
Nothing like living life on constant display.
He should tell her the rest too, though he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Carly, there’s one more thing.”
When she spun her head to face him again, he saw the weariness in her. They both needed a good night’s rest, but she looked like she couldn’t take much more on her shoulders right now and he was about to dump more on top of her.
How he would love to say never mind and forget about the whole thing. Unfortunately, he couldn’t.
“He wasn’t supposed to, but Jack walked in and saw the live feed of us last night.” Trey felt like he needed to explain and apologize even though there wasn’t anything he could have done about it. “I’m pretty sure it was only for a few seconds before Matt got him out of there, but I thought you would want to know. I’m sorry.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head.
“Yeah, me too.” Her voice was soft and full of regret.
Chapter Nine
Carly stepped onto the tarmac and fought the urge to drop to her knees and kiss the ground. She had never been so happy to be on American soil in her life. More importantly, she was one step closer to being free of this military bullshit and Trey so she could get back to her bar and her life and forget any of this had ever happened. As if she could really do that.
Trey must have seen the need to bolt reflected on her face. He touched her arm for just a second and then dropped his hand. “You’ll have to come back to the base with me to be debriefed by the commander. Then you can go home.”
The thought of how Trey had already “debriefed” her in Kosovo flew into Carly’s head. A short, bitter laugh burst out before she could control it. That juvenile reaction made her realize she was most likely starting to lose her mind. Either that or she was giddy from lack of sleep.
She glanced at Trey as he raised a brow over her outburst like the staid poster boy for military protocol that he was. His words on the flight echoed in her brain, fueling her anger.
Standard operating procedure clearly states…
How could he be so cold and businesslike after the night they’d shared? His quoting SOP to her after what they’d done together had left no doubt in her mind that what she’d been stupid enough to assume was a real attraction between them had been nothing more than a job to him. Maybe it was her pride hurting more than anything else, which was exactly what she deserved for breaking her own rules and letting herself succumb to temptation.
In any case, he was still waiting for her to say something. “I know I have to go in. You already told me. Believe me, I’m as anxious as you are to have this thing over and done with so I can get back to my life and forget it ever happened.”
His calm demeanor didn’t crack at her comment or the less-than-nice tone in which it was delivered. No surprise there.
At least she’d been able to change into her own clothes on the flight. That helped her feel more grounded, more normal. She’d had enough of Candi’s clothes, especially those damn high heels. They caused too many memories, not to mention blisters.
With blisters that made even her sneakers hurt, Carly limped into the meeting room behind Trey. There she faced five men whose heads all swiveled immediately in her direction when she entered. Wishing she could crawl beneath the linoleum, she wondered again exactly how much they all knew.
From the doorway she spotted Matt and felt her face heat at the knowledge he for certain had watched the whole sordid performance Trey had put on the night before. That pissed her off all over again until the sight of Jack made her forget her anger and embarrassment took over.