Henry glared. “You better not be late. In and out, an easy transaction. I swear, Simon I’ll kill you if she gets hurt.”
Alex laughed. “I’ll be fine. I’m so excited. I’ve spent too many months in museum basements. Do I get a new identity?”
Simon flashed Alex a smile that lit up his face, a smile he’d never directed toward Cassie. “You’re Italian and a gemologist. You’ll only speak to me, and your hair and face will be partially hidden. Capisce?”
“Si, caro.”
Henry frowned. “Don’t caro him.”
“It’s all a game. Relax. You’re my only caro.” Alex leaned forward and kissed him. He held her close and deepened the kiss until watching them became uncomfortable.
Simon interrupted the newlyweds. “It’s not a game, and I expect everyone at this table to take it seriously.” He stared directly at Cassie as he said it, like she believed the whole thing was a joke.
“What about me?” she asked.
“You stay in the hotel with Henry.”
She didn’t want to sound insubordinate, but what was she doing in Sofia if her assignment involved sitting in a hotel room with a stranger? “I’m not leaving the hotel?”
“No.” He looked as though he wanted her a hundred miles away from Sofia.
Great. Alex had transformed from fun friend to capable operative, and Cassie still got treated like arm candy. A knot formed in her stomach, caused by frustration and jealousy. Lots of jealousy.
Stop whining and do the job, Wallace, or Watson, or whoever I am.
As Simon and the countess discussed more details for the next hour, Cassie poured herself some wine. She didn’t want to be on the assignment, yet she didn’t want Alex replacing her. Alcohol would calm her down. Just a glass. When their meeting ended, Simon disappeared into the bedroom.
Alex and Henry sat together on the couch, unable to keep their hands off each other. They eventually took their groping into the second bedroom. Cassie sat in a chair by the window, looking out over the city. Simon approached her and lifted the half empty wineglass from her hand. After taking a sip, he placed it on the bar, out of her reach.
“You’ll be safe with Henry. I trust him with my life.” He rubbed her shoulders and eased her stress.
“I guess.” Confusion swirled through her brain, making everything unclear. “Why am I here? Tucker made it sound like I needed to accompany you.”
“Tucker needs to feel necessary, and he does that by messing with other people’s lives. I usually travel with a female companion, and Henry doesn’t like Alex acting as my lover. You’ll have your moment, but this trip doesn’t involve anything more technical than some diamonds, assault rifles, and ammunition.” His thumbs pressed into the spot between her neck and shoulder blades. Heaven. Her head fell back into his solid chest, and she closed her eyes, enjoying a few minutes of his attention.
He stepped back and took her hand. “Come on. It’s time for bed, and you can’t sleep on the couch when we have guests.”
Helping her stand, he led her to their room. Was he going to continue his seduction behind closed doors? She wanted him, but knew deep down he’d overwhelm her. She simmered, and he blazed.
After slipping inside the bathroom to change into her nightgown, she froze at the door to the bedroom. Simon, hands behind his head, torso exposed, lay on the bed wearing only his boxer shorts. One muscular leg hid under the sheets. The other hung off the bed, with his boxers pushed up his leg an inch below exposure. Not one tattoo on his body, just smooth tan skin stretched over well-developed muscles.
She climbed under the covers and tried not to touch any body parts, especially the unclothed ones. The scent of minty toothpaste and some lethal combination of soap and Simon drew her face in his direction. The temptation was too great. Her foot stretched toward his. As soon as she felt his leg, he pulled her to him. Her head tucked into his shoulder, and his hand caressed her hair. She tried to sleep, but his presence aroused her. What would a more competent agent do? Have sex and enjoy Simon’s company with no commitment or regrets, or fall asleep next to the hottest guy she’d ever met and act as though he was her brother?
She opted for the latter. By morning, she’d counted three hundred and twenty-eight ceiling tiles on the right side of the room.
Cassie’s body fit Simon’s perfectly. He fell asleep holding her in his arms, her blonde hair draped over his shoulder. His successful sleep technique included reciting the countries of the world in alphabetical order and picturing Nicola’s dead body, a single bullet hole in her chest, flames all around her. The memory made him sick and cut off the lust he felt for her replacement. He awoke alone.
Quickly dressing in jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black leather jacket to hide his Kevlar vest, he strode into the living room. Cassie, wearing a blue dress that made the most of her long legs, stood next to Henry. They each held a glass of orange juice.
Her bare feet, the ones that rubbed against his legs all night, caught his attention. She wore bright red polish on toes begging to be sucked. If that didn’t destroy his concentration, nothing would. Why couldn’t they pair him with a middle-aged bloke with bad breath and a beer belly?
“Morning. Coffee?” she asked.
“Please. Where’s Alex?”
He heard her enter the room and turned to see a mysterious woman in a loose black sheath dress and high black heels strolling toward him. The vest he’d provided her was barely noticeable. Her hair was hidden under a long white scarf and large round sunglasses covered part of her face. Her lips drew the most attention, covered in a crimson red lipstick. Cassie seemed like a country cousin next to her.
“Sono pronta.” Alex, the faux Italian beauty, moved with poise and control. She’d better be on her game so they could keep the transaction quick and simple. Teodor had met her a year before when she’d worked as an art appraiser for her dead husband, may he rot in hell, and Simon didn’t want her new life as his brother’s countess exposed.
“Perfect.” He meant it. She never failed to create a unique persona and personality. If he could recruit her full-time, he would in a heartbeat. She knew over twenty languages, could appraise art and jewels quickly and accurately, and kept calm in the most stressful situations. Her only imperfection was Henry’s love for her. A love that often curbed her lust for adventure.
Cassie handed Simon some coffee and kissed him on the cheek. He kissed her back and rested his cheek against her damp hair. She smelled like the hotel shampoo, a citrusy scent. A scent he’d never inhale in the future without thinking of his California girl. One last kiss and then he guzzled his coffee, retrieved his briefcase, called down for his car, and headed to the door.
“Eleven. Be here,” Henry barked at Simon.
Alex hugged her husband, but didn’t kiss him, probably to keep the lipstick from smearing. “We’ll be fine. See you in time for lunch.”
Cassie would be safe with his brother. Henry, a former member of the British equivalent to the U.S. Navy SEALs, could extricate them from some of the most extreme situations. In this case, all he needed to do was keep her in the hotel and take her back to the U.K. if Simon and Alex were delayed.
During the hour’s drive out of the city, Alex stared out the window, hummed a French folk song, and tapped her hand on her leg. When she bit her bottom lip, Simon’s gut told him he’d screwed up in using her. Something was wrong. She never acted anxious. The car pulled down the dirt road leading to the exchange area. The point of no return.
“What’s wrong? Are you nervous?”
She lifted her eyebrows and tried to smile. “Me? Nervous? Never.”
“It’s too late to go back, but I get the feeling you shouldn’t be here with me.”
“It’ll be fine. Really.” Her smile struggled to stay in place.
He lifted her chin to force her to look into his eyes. “Everything that affects this assignment is my business. What’s wrong?”
She tried to shift her face away from his,
but he held her chin and wouldn’t let it go until she talked. The forest and farmland flew by outside the window, and Alex remained silent.
Enough. She wasn’t in control of this transaction, he was. “Spill it, or I abort the mission.”
“It’s not a big deal. I’m just pregnant.”
The statement pole-axed him. He released her chin for fear he’d hurt her. “You’re pregnant with my brother’s child, and you decide to travel to Bulgaria for an arms deal. Are you out of your mind?”
She faced the window and refused to turn toward him. “I need this. One more adventure before the baby’s born. Looking at diamonds is safer than drinking coffee according to all my mum-to-be manuals.”
“Baristas, however, aren’t armed and willing to gun down people who change their orders. Does Henry know?” Of course he didn’t. He would have tied her down if he knew, although it wouldn’t have been necessary. Simon would never have asked her to come had he known about her condition. Damn.
“I didn’t want to stress him out.” She shook her head. “He’s going to kill me.”
“No. He’s going to kill me.”
She stared at her hands clasped together on her lap. “I’m sorry for putting you in such a lousy situation. The past few months with Henry have been wonderful, but professionally, I don’t feel challenged, and then you offered me an adventure. I should have told you my limitations sooner.”
“Let’s get you safe. Then I’ll lecture you on the benefits of honesty and loyalty.”
The entire plan needed to change. He didn’t give a damn what it cost him in terms of his reputation or money. He had plenty of both to cut this transaction short if needed. MI6 refused to place him on the payroll, in order to keep all connections with this operation outside the law. He’d pocketed the profits from the arms deals he’d arranged over the past seven years, but had never received a penny from the government. The set up provided him enough money to handle huge transactions with high profile players, including medium size nations looking to acquire arms not otherwise available because of treaty restrictions.
“When you appraise the diamonds, approve them if they are, in fact, diamonds. I don’t care about the quality. I’ll cover any shortfall. I don’t want to wait around and argue values. In and out.”
She shook her head. “I’ll cover any shortfall. It was my decision that changed everything.”
“I’m responsible for everyone who works with me, especially the mother of my niece or nephew.” When he placed his hand over hers to assure her he wasn’t mad, he felt another pang of jealousy toward Henry. Not for his wife, but for his growing family and a life that would involve football games on Sunday afternoons and children and eventually grandchildren gathered around a dinner table. A real family. Something Simon had never experienced.
The car slowed at the side of a field large enough to fit two helicopters with room to spare. They’d arrived at the transfer site before Teodor, but a black Mercedes was idling nearby. The location in the hills outside of Sofia protected the transfer sites with open fields surrounded by lush forests.
The door opened in the other car. Arif Tejen Bio, the buyer from Sierra Leone, exited the vehicle with two huge bodyguards holding AK-47 rifles. The man had reason to be paranoid. He’d lost several family members to assassins in the past two years, including his father.
Simon stepped out and shook his hand. Several minutes later, Teodor’s Maybach came down the dirt road.
“Simon, my friend, where have you been?” Teodor approached with Jarek, his head of security.
“Busy.”
“I’m glad you’re back. Things go more smoothly with you involved.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way.” Simon approached Bio, nodding his head to the guns pointed in his direction. “I need to confirm the authenticity of the diamonds. Once Teodor has them in his possession, he’ll arrange for the arms to arrive. We’ll transfer them to your boat upon receipt of the cash. Any questions?”
Bio shook his head. In Bio’s world, gunning colleagues down for economic gain was an acceptable option. He’d have to respect the rules in this larger international game if he wanted to remain a player. His men stood down with their weapons.
Simon waved Alex out of the car. She strode to his side, completely at ease amid assault weapons and leering men. Thinking about the safety of his niece or nephew would only make him do something stupid, so he tried to focus on the deal. “Gentlemen, this is my colleague from Rome. She’ll be appraising the diamonds.”
They didn’t need to know anything about her, so he didn’t provide her name.
Teodor stared at her as though appraising her for value. A slight smile appeared on her face, but she didn’t speak. Her eyes were hidden behind the large sunglasses, and the scarf covered her hair. The disguise should work, because no one cared about her, only that she approved the value of the diamonds.
When one of Bio’s men handed her a black metal box, she placed it on the hood of the Bentley and pulled a jeweler’s loupe from her pocket. She opened the box and lifted a silk cloth to reveal hundreds of diamonds of varying size and color. She peered at several of them through the loupe, although she didn’t need it to do her job.
“Well?” Simon asked. Everything should be perfect. Everything needed to be perfect.
She nodded. She tapped the side of her glasses three times and then shrugged. The diamonds were all real. Good quality. Excellent. It should be an easy transaction.
“Repackage them, and let’s go.” He shook hands with Bio. “Your cargo will be delivered through Greece. Expect the shipment in twelve hours.”
“Your thoroughness is appreciated. I will contact you when we need more shipments.” Bio jumped in the back of his car with his bodyguards, and the car sped away.
Covering the remaining gems with the cloth before sealing the box, Alex handed it to Teodor. Never one to ignore a beauty, he lifted her hand and kissed it.
“Thank you, my dear.”
She graced him with a smile that tolerated his advances, but did not invite them.
“Come here, cara.” Simon ordered her to his side and away from Teodor’s attempts at seduction. He touched her back in a possessive move. Alex never flinched. She stood stable and confident, waiting for Simon’s next order. The perfect spook.
Within five minutes, Teodor’s Arpia Black Hawk thundered to a landing in the field. Simon called his own pilot. Ten minutes later, his team’s Mi-17 landed. The Mi-17, a Russian transport helicopter, was one of several aircraft Simon used to ferry merchandise around the world. Simon always preferred a less flashy mode of transportation than Teodor.
The transfer of the green boxes filled with arms and ammunition lasted twenty minutes. One of the men on Simon’s team gave him a thumbs-up, indicating the correct contents in each of the boxes. By nightfall, the weapons would reach their destination in the middle of Africa. Teodor always came through, which was why he worked so well with Simon. They trusted each other more than normal business associates would in this field.
Still standing near their cars, Jarek, his phone to his ear, strode over to Teodor, speaking in Ukrainian with a sense of urgency. Simon had no clue what he was saying, but Alex understood Ukrainian. He’d rely on her translation.
When Jarek hung up the phone, he turned back to Simon, ignoring Alex. “We have a problem. Bio’s been detained by Ground Forces patrolling the area. They may be moving in this direction.”
Alex gave Simon a subtle nod, affirming what he’d said.
Shit. Someone must have alerted the authorities to extra activity in this normally quiet area of Bulgaria. Alex, in her condition, wouldn’t do well spending even a day in a prison cell. The risk was too great.
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be in touch.” As a safety precaution, he needed to fly Alex away from here with the cargo, instead of driving her back to the hotel. He called Derek, the pilot of the Mi-17, and told him to wait. They had two more passengers. “Care to s
ee Greece this afternoon?”
Alex shrugged, as though deciding on a restaurant for lunch. They trotted across the field. She moved well despite the heels. Both ducked under the rotors. Two of his men assisted them into the back of the helicopter.
Once inside, she yelled over the noise. “Henry is going to kick your ass for the delay.”
“This is the safest way home. He’ll respect my decision.” Simon leaned back on the bench and buckled in. Alex was wrong. Henry wasn’t going to kick his ass. He was going to murder him.
The deal had not gone according to plan. At one p.m., Cassie and Henry boarded a plane for Heathrow without Alex and Simon. Where was he? She didn’t want to worry, but her entire existence had become braided into Simon’s life. Without him, what would she do? Where would she go? Watching Henry attempt to contain his anger toward Simon didn’t help calm her frazzled nerves.
“I will never allow that irresponsible pain in the ass to so much as talk to Alex again, never mind see her, and if he dares to show his face in Oxford—or Ripon, for that matter—he’ll need a wheelchair to leave.” Henry raged on and on and on. He provided gory details on the torture he was going to inflict upon Simon, and cursed more than an English gentleman should.
Several passengers stared at him, and it wasn’t with admiration or respect.
“Shhhhh. If the flight attendant asks you to leave the plane, I’ll say I never met you before in my life.”
He glared at her for a split second and then his expression softened, and the furrows between his eyebrows almost disappeared. “I’m sorry for taking this out on you. You did nothing wrong except fall for the wrong man.”
Fall for Simon? Ha. He was her boss. And yes, he was gorgeous, smart, full of confidence, and endlessly fascinating, but he had too many secrets, was too much of a control freak, and… a ton of other stuff that made him completely inappropriate for her.
True Deceptions (True Lies) Page 7