Shot in the Dark

by Tracy Solheim

  “The other night, you said we have mutual interests. I can’t imagine what those could be aside from David.”

  “Aw, David. He isn’t good enough for my cousin.”

  Josslyn’s chin jerked up at his unexpected comment. “David adores her. And he is very successful in his career.”

  “What’s not to adore about Lin? She’s a very wealthy young woman.” He waved his hand when Josslyn opened her mouth to defend her friend again. “But she claims to adore him, too. She will marry him because she always does what she wants. Lin is willful.” He paused before taking another drink from his cocktail. “Much like you.”

  The only thing Josslyn was trying to will was the waiter to return. Or even better, David and Lin.

  “Why were you in my office the other night?” Tseng uttered the question quietly, but his tone meant business.

  “I told you—”

  “You lied.” Tseng’s smile turned to a sneer. “The man with you that night is not your father’s nurse. He is a Secret Service agent.”

  Josslyn leaned back against her chair quickly trying to come up with a viable story. “I don’t like people to know I have a detail. It can be intimidating.”

  “Do you kiss all the members of your detail that way?”

  Her cheeks burned. “They would reassign him if his boss knew about what we were doing in your office,” she improvised.

  Tseng’s eyes narrowed. Josslyn tried to appear as if she had nothing to hide.

  “The media would love that information.”

  As threats went, Tseng’s was a good one. But two could play at this game. And, as Adam pointed out, Josslyn was very good at the game of chicken.

  “Then I guess I’ll tell the authorities about the collection of illegal and endangered artifacts in your office,” she countered.

  “Finally, we get to our mutual interests.”

  She tamped down on the bile that rose in her throat. “My interest is to preserve those animals you so cavalierly display in your office,” she snapped.

  Tseng didn’t flinch. “How badly do you want to preserve those animals?”

  Her heart beat faster. Finally! She didn’t dare reach for her water because she was pretty sure her hands would betray her by shaking. “If you’ve read anything about me, you know that I do whatever it takes.”

  “That’s what I am counting on.”

  He wanted something from her. No surprise there. Most people did when they found out who her brother-in-law was. Well, Josslyn wanted something, too. She wanted names of suppliers. And she wasn’t leaving without them.

  “What’s it going to cost me?” she asked.

  Tseng’s face relaxed into a smug smile. “I stand corrected. Lin is just spoiled. You are something else altogether.”

  “I’m passionate about what I believe in. And I don’t believe innocent animals should be slaughtered simply for their tusks or pelts.”

  He waved a hand at her while he took another swig from his drink. “Relax, Dr. Benoit. I am not the bad guy here.”

  Josslyn balled her fingers into fists. Was he kidding?

  “Everything in my office belonged to my late uncle,” he continued. “I have no interest in collecting dead animals.”

  The air left her lungs in an audible whoosh. Was Tseng just toying with her in hopes of a political favor? If so, he was about to find out she didn’t appreciate being used.

  “If it’s a contribution you’d like to make, I can give you the website for the GWC. You don’t need a favor from me to do so. Make it a wedding gift for David and Lin.” She rose from her seat. “If you’ll excuse me, I don’t think we have any additional ‘mutual interests’ to discuss.”

  “Sit down,” he ordered.

  She contemplated her options, including calling out to Agent Groesch. But in the end, she sat. Perhaps Tseng’s late uncle had left notes.

  “I trade in information, Dr. Benoit. You give me what I want and I’ll give you the name and address of the person who’s funding the animal traffickers.”

  Josslyn felt like she was on a roller coaster. “You haven’t said what it is you want.”

  He rested his elbows on the table and leaned closer to her. “Five days from now, the animal trafficking ring will sell fourteen rare tigers to a broker in Taipei, Taiwan. Two of the tigers are pregnant. You can only guess what their future is.”

  The bile was back in Josslyn’s throat.

  “In four days, your brother-in-law is going to impose sanctions against several makers of microchips. This will hurt my family financially. Make sure that doesn’t happen and I’ll give you the information to stop the sale of the tigers.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I have no influence with the president.” Why did everyone assume the president listened to her? “It doesn’t work that way. You have to ask me something that I can do.” Josslyn reached for her wrap. She’d find another way to stop the sale of the tigers. At least they had a date and a location now.

  Tseng manacled her wrist with his fingers. “It works the way I say it works,” he snarled. “I told you I trade in information. And now, you have too much information about me. Make this happen or I’ll share the list of names of all the advocates within the GWC to the animal traffickers. I’m sure they have an easy way of dealing with your activists. Secret Service protection or no.”

  She tried not to react to his second threat of the evening. But this one had the potential to put her colleagues in peril. It wasn’t so easy playing chicken with her friends’ lives.

  Josslyn snatched her hand back. “If you want help with your sanctions so badly, why not ask your girlfriend’s husband. It would be more believable coming from him.”

  The man in front of her grew eerily still.

  “Don’t look so shocked. I trade in information, also. And, so far, no one knows I saw you two together at the Kennedy Center last night,” she lied.

  Tseng shot to his feet and headed for the exit. “I would suggest you don’t go down that path, Doctor Benoit. She is a formidable opponent. She isn’t likely to let your friend Ngoni live.”

  Stunned by his parting words, Josslyn stared at the velvet curtain trying to gather her scattered wits.

  Agent Groesch charged into the room, heaving a sigh of relief, presumably that Josslyn was still alive.

  “You might have mentioned you were meeting that guy,” the agent admonished her.

  “Would you have let me come?”

  “Of course not!”

  “Then you know why I didn’t mention it. But let’s keep this between us girls,” Josslyn insisted. “No need to let Agent Lockett know about my little dinner party.”

  “Oh, I think it might be too late for that.”

  A commotion in the dining room drew both women’s attention. Josslyn’s stomach flip-flopped at the sound of a familiar voice. A very sexy familiar voice. Only it didn’t sound sexy at the moment. It sounded peeved.

  The curtain was nearly yanked from the rings anchoring it to the ceiling when Adam stormed into the alcove. The maître d’ was doing his best to stop him. Josslyn could only imagine the image he cut making his way, wild-eyed, through a room full of influential people, all of them dressed to impress, while Adam wore faded jeans, a weathered bomber jacket that concealed his weapon but did nothing to hide his broad shoulders, and those damn battered combat boots. The intense expression on his face softened for a brief moment when his eyes landed on Josslyn. But just as quickly his nostrils flared and he was gearing up for a serious tirade.

  Josslyn held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t say a word.”

  His hands went to his hips, but he thankfully kept quiet.

  “And I’m going on the record right here and now to say Agent Groesch was unaware who I was meeting with until he exited the room a few moments ago. She is not at fault. So if you’re going to be furious with anyone, be furious with me.”

  It was several tense moments before Adam spoke.

  “Finished?”
r />   She bit her lip. “Yes, it would seem that I am.”

  “Christine, could you wait outside with Griffin, please?”

  Agent Groesch shot her a questioning look. Josslyn shrugged and nodded at the same time.

  The curtain had barely closed before Adam advanced on her.

  “Can we table this until we get back to the White House?” Josslyn backed up until she was against the wall. “There are too many ears and cell phones in the other room.”

  Adam’s hands came up around her neck. “I plan on doing this very quietly.”

  And then, much to her relief, he kissed her.

  *

  He couldn’t seem to get enough of her. During the fifteen agonizing minutes between when he discovered her not at the Crown and when he arrived at The Jefferson, Adam swore he was going to strangle the infuriating woman at first sight. He ended up kissing her instead. Adam was so relieved to see her alive and behaving like her frustratingly annoying self he couldn’t not kiss her. Best of all, she kissed him back.

  “Pita,” she breathed when he left her mouth to trail his lips along the elegant column of her neck. “You should probably just go with that code name because I am a pain in the ass.”

  “Mmm,” he murmured against her skin. “Right now, I’m just happy that creep didn’t touch you.”

  “Well . . .”

  Adam’s entire body tensed up. He held Josslyn at arm’s length. “Tell me that bastard didn’t lay a finger on you,” he growled.

  Josslyn’s eyes grew wide. “He did grab my wrist,” she whispered.

  “Which one?”

  She held up her right hand.

  Releasing her shoulders, Adam gently caressed her wrist between his fingers, inspecting it for bruises. If Tseng had left a mark on her, he was a dead man.

  “Does it hurt?”

  She shook her head.

  He lifted her hand to his mouth, skimming his lips over her wrist. Josslyn’s sigh was full of lust.

  “You shouldn’t have been alone with him,” Adam told her. “He’s a dangerous guy.”

  “Yes, but he’s not the one financing the animal trafficking ring.” Josslyn suddenly became more agitated. “But he gave me some information we need to act on immediately. I need to talk to Shaw.”

  “Shaw is dead.”

  Josslyn swayed toward him, her hands landing on his chest. Adam covered them with his.

  “When? How?”

  “Earlier today.” Adam drew in a deep breath knowing what he was about to reveal would alarm her even more. “He was killed with a poison dart. One with markings from the Nambi tribe.”

  “Ngoni!” she cried. “We have to get him to a safe place. She could hurt him next.”

  “She? Who is this she?” he demanded, but Josslyn was already trying to skirt around him out of the alcove.

  “I’ll fill you in on the way. We don’t have time now.”

  Adam blocked her path. “Joss, you haven’t told me everything you know. I can’t help you or Ngoni or the damn elephants if you don’t come clean. We have to work together.”

  Josslyn nodded. “I will. I promise.” She smiled serenely as she cupped his cheek with her palm. “We’ll be a team. But first, we need to get Ngoni.”

  Grabbing his hand, she led Adam out of the alcove. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole “team” notion, but if it got Josslyn to stop keeping secrets, he’d roll with it.

  For now.

  Griffin and Christine were waiting to escort them out. Of course, the dining room was packed with guests, all of them taking in their exit as if it were some sort of floor show that went with dinner. With her chin high, Josslyn strolled through the restaurant, her fingers laced firmly through Adam’s. For the life of him, Adam didn’t know why he wasn’t more concerned about breaching protocol in such a public way. At the moment, his only care was she was safe. If he had to hold her hand to keep her that way, then he’d do that, too.

  “Back to the Crown?” Griffin asked.

  Adam sighed. Tactically, the plan should be to enclose Josslyn within the White House as quickly as possible. But she’d never go for it. Besides, the boy would be more likely to come with him if Josslyn was the one to do the asking. “We have someone to pick up first.”

  John was waiting at the curb with the SUV.

  “Marin’s in New Orleans tonight doing wedding stuff,” Griffin said after Josslyn climbed into the back seat. “Why don’t I circle back over to Interior to see what Detective Gerkens can tell me? I can fill Ben in as well.”

  “That would be great.” Adam made his way to the other side. “For every piece we try to put into this puzzle, there seems to be two more that show up.”

  Griffin clapped him on the shoulder. “Be safe.”

  “We’ve got twenty minutes,” Adam said once the car was in motion. “Start talking, Joss.”

  By the time they reached the working-class neighborhood in Bailey’s Crossroads, Adam knew about the rogue Post-it note, Tseng’s threats, and the man’s warning about Sumner’s wife.

  “Tseng implied she would hurt Ngoni. It’s all my fault he’s involved in this. I have to make sure he’s safe.”

  Somehow during the car ride, Josslyn’s hand had found his again. Adam gave her fingers a quick squeeze. “We won’t let anything happen to him.” He didn’t dare tell her Ben’s theory that Mandla was somehow protecting her. She didn’t need any more additional guilt weighing her down.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “This is it,” Christine said from up front.

  John stopped at the end of the block of small row houses, parking behind a silver sedan. Inside was one of the FBI agents who’d accompanied Shaw to the White House the other day. He stepped out of the car and met Adam beneath one of the two working streetlights on the block illuminating the worn sidewalk.

  “How many people are in the house?”

  “Hard to tell,” the agent replied. “We’ve seen mostly women and children going in and out this evening. It looks pretty domestic. We sent word to our informant you’re coming. She’ll do her best to smooth things along.”

  “How do you want to play this?” Christine asked from the front seat.

  Adam leaned in through the car window. “I don’t suppose Ngoni would just come with me, no questions asked?”

  Josslyn shook her head. “Let me go get him. Agent Groesch can come with me.”

  His concussion had scrambled his brains because he was opening the car door for her. She shivered briefly in the night air before pulling her cashmere wrap over her shoulders.

  “Our contact inside is Yolanda,” the FBI agent explained to Josslyn. “She’s a cousin of Mandla and Ngoni. From the sound of it, the women holding down the fort for this crew will be all too happy to have one less mouth to feed.”

  “Agent Groesch has her comm,” Adam added. “She can alert us if necessary. Just go in and get the boy and come right back out.”

  “Got it.”

  With the ease of an operative going into an enemy encampment, Josslyn paraded along the dark street to the end of the block. She turned up the sidewalk to the door the agents indicated. Christine followed closely behind her. It took everything Adam had to keep his feet rooted to the ground. Especially when the door was opened and Josslyn and Christine disappeared inside.

  “She’ll be fine,” the FBI agent beside him said. “According to our informant, the women are unarmed.”

  “I don’t care. We give them five minutes and then I’m going in.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  A woman in scrubs opened the door. Judging by the look she exchanged with Agent Groesch, they had found Yolanda. Josslyn’s heart rate settled a little bit.

  “I’m sorry to bother you so late in the evening,” she explained for the benefit of anyone behind the door listening. “But I’m a friend of Ngoni’s. I just wanted to stop by and check on him.”

  “It’s almost his bath time.” Yolanda was playing her role to
the hilt.

  “Please. It will only take a minute.”

  Yolanda relented, pulling the door open wide to admit them into the crowded townhouse. From the looks of it, several families were living there at once. Given what the agent said earlier, she was hopeful the tight living arrangements would play into her favor.

  “Miss Josslyn!”

  Ngoni charged down the stairs and wrapped his hands around her waist. Josslyn held him to her, saying a silent prayer the boy hadn’t suffered from his involvement with the GWC. His chocolate eyes were shining when he looked up at her.

  “You found me.”

  “I’m so glad I did.” Josslyn ran her hand over his head. An audience of children ranging in age from toddler to teen was staring at them from the stairwell.

  “Mandla was looking for you. Did he find you?”

  Josslyn swallowed roughly. Mandla had found her alright. Fortunately, Adam had been around to prevent anything from happening. Still, her heart ached that Ngoni didn’t know his brother was dead.

  “No.” Josslyn figured it was best to avoid the topic of Mandla right now. “My friends helped me find you. Do you remember I told you my sister lives here in Washington? And when you came to the United States, you were invited to visit her house? Would you like that?”

  Ngoni anxiously glanced toward the kitchen where a trio of elderly women were sizing her up. “What if Mandla comes back?” he said.

  “I’ll leave my number,” Josslyn reassured him. “He can call us.” She clucked his chin. “My sister has a basketball hoop.”

  The boy whooped. “I’m definitely coming!” He raced up the stairs, presumably to grab his things.

  The women in the kitchen remained silent. Josslyn pulled a business card from her purse and handed it to Yolanda. “He’ll be fine,” she said to the women in the kitchen. They didn’t respond.

  Ngoni flew back down the stairs, a Golden State Warriors backpack on his shoulder. Josslyn remembered the day Trevor gave it to the boy. It was part of their efforts to buy his trust. But that trust had come at a cruel price. His brother was dead. The family Ngoni thought he’d find in the United States was handing him off to strangers without a second thought.