by Dianna Love
“Think the Orion Hunters can find Jin?”
“Not where I’m taking her.”
Dingo pulled on his ear, thinking. “What about the little girl your family wanted to adopt?”
Tanner’s grin dimmed a bit. “Her mother died last night, but Sabrina wrapped clearing the adoption into the deal. When things were looking bad for cashing in my deal with the State Department, I contacted a former Delta buddy and asked him to go down to Mexico. He’s kept an eye on Martina and he’s handling the funeral arrangements for me. Once that’s done, he’ll escort Martina to my mom’s home this week.”
Dingo found a real smile for that. A sharp pang of jealously punched him in the gut, but Tanner had believed in Jin when no one else did.
He’d earned her.
And from what Dingo had figured out about Jin, she would protect her cowboy whether he liked it or not.
Chapter Forty-Four
Chatton sat in her Lexus rental and watched a jet taxi down the runway for takeoff at the Ogallala airport while she waited on Wayan to come on the cellular call.
“I hope you have news for me,” he said when he answered.
“I do.” News came in two forms. She doubted he was going to like his. “Har is dead and Pang was captured and taken into custody during a raid on an Orion Hunter complex.”
Wayan’s silence slithered around, looking for a victim. “What of the woman?”
“She was on the aircraft sent up to seed toxin-laced silver iodide into a storm. The airplane exploded. The only bodies found were a woman whose chute failed to open and a man who took the dive without a parachute.”
Wayan could form his own conclusion about Jin. Chatton watched Sabrina Slye’s jet soar into the skies and fly away with Chatton’s only hope of fulfilling this deal with Wayan.
Tanner’s woman had battled the odds to escape North Korea and saved millions of people. She deserved her freedom, and Wayan had lied to Chatton about Soo Jin’s wanting to defect to China.
Wayan finally said, “That is unfortunate, Chatton. This means you have broken our agreement.”
“I did what I could, Wayan. I lost, too.”
“I do not lose, Chatton. And when someone fails me, they must pay a price.”
She lifted her sunglasses and sat them on top of her head, thinking. “Are you threatening me, Wayan? I proved my value to you by keeping an eye on The General so he doesn’t screw you.”
“I do not threaten. It is a waste of energy. I make promises. Here is my promise. You will never find the person you are searching for, but I will. And once I do, you will regret having disappointed me.”
The call ended.
Chatton gripped the steering wheel, admitting she might have made a mistake she’d never thought possible.
She might have underestimated Wayan.
~*~
Wayan ended the call with Chatton and sat quietly for a moment. He had not expected Chatton to cross him, but she must think him a fool to believe her story. She was far too capable to have missed capturing Soo Jin.
He pressed a button on the control center built into his onyx desk.
In less than ten seconds, one of his most trusted men entered, dipped a brief bow and asked, “What might I do for you?”
“Lee, who did you say had located the Orion Hunter doctor in Los Angeles just before the doctor was killed?”
“A woman by the name of Valene Eklund. She is an independent contractor who locates items or people of high value. She is paid very well for her work and considered to be exceptionally skilled.”
“I want you to arrange for someone who has no tie to us—and who is American—to contact her on my behalf.”
Lee nodded. “What will be the reason for this contact?”
“I have a job for her.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Ten intense days had passed and Tanner had only one more hurdle to cross, but this one would be his toughest.
He let his favorite gelding move at an easy gait toward the meadow that overlooked a spring-fed lake on the back fifty acres of his five-hundred-acre spread. His father had given him this piece when Tanner told him he wanted the spot to build a house on this hill for Mary Lou.
Of course, Mary Lou had been twelve and Tanner had been eleven at the time.
Things changed when she hit high school and football players were more exciting than the cowboys she’d grown up around.
He smiled at the distant memory.
But he wanted that house more than ever now. He just needed someone to want it with him.
Jin had never been given a choice. Once he’d finally convinced her that with her new identity and word leaked that she’d died when the aircraft exploded, her presence was not a danger to him, Tanner had spent the past week looking into possibilities for her while Jin stayed at his mother’s house. His mama took a liking to her, but then his mama had always had sound judgment. She’d warned him about Mary Lou and Allie.
He should have taken his mama’s advice more often.
But he’d gotten his stubborn attitude honestly from the same woman.
Jin shifted in his arms, taking in everything they passed. “This is beautiful. When can I get my own horse?”
“You can ride this one.”
“No, I mean once I learn how to ride by myself.”
He’d picked out a sweet mare for her, but changed his mind before he told her about the horse. He didn’t want to take even that choice from her. “Just say when you’re ready for a riding lesson and to go shopping.”
“I’m ready.” She twisted around and smiled at him. “Not right this minute. But when we go home. Okay?”
Home. He felt that word deep in his soul. “Okay.”
When they reached the meadow, the sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon. He’d taken her riding almost every day for the past week, but they always seemed to end up here. She whispered with reverence, “I love this spot.”
“Me, too.” He had to get this over with. “I want to talk to you, Jin.”
“Yes?”
“You’re as safe as you can be out here where a driveway is five miles long. With your new identity as Jennifer, I can help you get set up in a job once you figure out what you’d like to do,” he clarified, determined to let her know her future was hers. “And a place to live. You just have to tell me what you want.”
She sat so still he might have thought she’d gone to sleep if not for the deep sigh. “Is that what you want me to do?”
“The point is not what I want for you, but what you want. I love you and I want you very much. But you’ve never had a chance to make your own decisions. I’ll be around as long as you want to see me.” He swallowed. “Just tell me what you want.”
She pushed a leg up and started moving like she intended to stand up in the saddle. Tanner grabbed her at the waist. “Where are you going?”
“To see you.”
He laughed and lifted her, turning her around until she sat with her legs hanging over his thighs. She sported new blue and white leather boots that she’d squealed over picking out. “Thank you for all the thought you put into what would be good for me. Now, I want to know, what about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you want?”
He stared off into the distance at the sun rising further up into the sky above his land. “I plan to keep working with Sabrina, but only domestic jobs. I’ve had enough of going overseas. I want to build a house on this spot and watch the sun rise and set as often as I can with—” He looked down at her. “The woman I love.”
Her eyes smiled back at him. “The course of true love never did run smooth.”
“Is that more Shakespeare?”
“Yes.”
“What does it mean?”
“That I should like to now tell what I want.” Her eyebrows lifted. “Is that all right?”
“Yep. That’s what I’ve been trying to get you to do this whole time.” He loved looki
ng into her eyes and seeing love, but he had to give her a chance to stretch her wings. “What do you want, darlin’?”
She lifted her fingers to touch his cheek. “I want to learn what it is like to be free to get up every morning and choose how to spend my day. To go wherever I want and not answer to anyone.”
Wasn’t that what he wanted for her too? Then why did his chest hurt with the possibility of losing her? He’d done this before. Not that he’d ever compare Jin to Allie again, but this felt too familiar. What was that old saying about setting something free and if it loves you it’ll come back?
He could do this.
Jin stroked his face and he’d miss that as much as everything else about her. Her touch had brought his heart back to life and he feared if he couldn’t keep her close the damn thing would shrivel and die completely.
She smiled and her eyes held contentment. “I want to live in a house where I’m happy and with people who love me.” She looked around her, then back at him, and tears had pooled in her eyes. Her sister’s body had been found with a parachute that failed to open. Jin grieved for her on so many levels. He’d stood with Jin as she’d said goodbye at a private funeral in a cemetery that Sabrina had arranged. It was nowhere near here for Jin’s safety. The worst part had been watching her grieve the sister she’d believed in, when the real Patty had been something completely different.
She’d mentioned having a ceremony for her mother, but not when or where. He’d be there for her then, too.
He caught her hand in his and kissed her fingers, talking past a ridiculously huge lump in his throat. Damn he’d fallen so hard for this woman. “Go on.”
“I want to have children who will always know they are loved and wanted. I don’t know what work I will choose to do, but I want it to benefit others.” She took a moment then said, “I want a man I can trust and believe in who I know will stand guard over all he loves. You are that man. I love you, cowboy. I want children with our blue eyes. Will you build me a house here?”
He couldn’t speak for a second. “Your mother was right when she named you. You’re my treasure. I’ll build a house worthy of the one thing I value above all else. Your love.”
Then he kissed her as the sun rose on a new beginning.
The End
A
Word From Dianna
Dear Reader,
This book became very personal for me, and I wanted to give you a little background. I absolutely loved giving Tanner and Jin their story, but this was also one of the toughest stories I’ve written. There isn’t a more difficult place on Earth to research than North Korea, in my opinion. With DECEPTIVE TREASURES, I tried to share a bit of the world I spent so much time in while writing this story so that you could see it through Jin’s and Tanner’s eyes, but first and foremost my books are to entertain, not to be a news report on international politics. If this story has piqued your interest, I encourage you to do your own research to find out more about North Korea, and please say a prayer for those who are not as fortunate as we are (I speak of the US, since that’s my home ) to live in a country where we enjoy a level of freedom that some people have no idea even exists.
Thank you for reading my books. I hope you enjoy the Slye Temp series. Visit http://www.AuthorDiannaLove.com to find all my books. And please visit me on Facebook at Dianna Love Fan Page and on Dianna Love Street Team where I hope you’ll join the team! To collect free “signed” cover cards, visit www.KeeperKase.com
If you have a moment to leave a review at the online bookstore, GoodReads, BookLikes, Shelfari or anywhere else I’d really appreciate it.
Dianna
Acknowledgements
I am blessed to have a team that starts with my amazing husband, Karl. He takes care of so much for both of us every day and throughout the year that allows me to write my stories, plus he teaches motorcycle safety. The world is a better place because of him.
Cassondra Murray is the first to read every story and she sees it more than once. In fact, she’s the last one to touch it before I make the final run through. She never fails to surprise me with her insight and how spot on she is with details from one book to the next. I love the opportunities we have to make trips together and readers are always happy to see her with me.
This story started with a discussion I had with Steve Doyle, a former Special Forces soldier who is always willing to be my weapons and operational specialist on the Slye Temp books. I so appreciate the initial brainstorming he and I did to choose North Korea as the opening setting and suggestions he offered for my black ops team. I am thankful every day for men and women like Steve who keep us safe and free.
Once I have the seed of an idea, my characters and a backbone for the story, USA Today bestselling author Mary Buckham (www.MaryBuckham.com) and I brainstorm our books together a couple times a year. That is incredibly valuable to me. The rest of the time, Mary is working on a new Invisible Recruit story.
I would be nowhere without my amazing beta readers. Joyce Ann McLaughlin is always ready to read these books during the early “not quite polished” stage and share her feedback. I love her notes and the way she’s just as quick to tell me what she loves as what needs a second look. Manuella Robinson is always willing to read anything I ask of her and she’s so fast. I appreciate her honest opinion and constant support.
Judy Carney is yet another beta reader when she performs the first copy edit read. Her enthusiasm for the project comes through in everything she notes. It’s always a joy to work with her.
Thanks to Kim Killion who designs all the covers for my Slye Temp series, which I LOVE! She is so talented!! Thanks also to Jennifer Jakes for running her magic formatting wand over my files every time. I’m always happy to see an email from Kim or Jenn!
Any mistakes made or adjustments for fiction are my own, because every one who helped me went above and beyond the call to give me the best information.
Thanks also to Leiha Mann, Su Walker and the RBLs for supporting all authors! Love and appreciation goes to my amazing Dianna Love Street Team who support me all through the year. If you’re interested in joining my team, just stop by my Facebook group page. If you’d like to contact me, email cassondraATauthordiannalove.com or snail mail to Dianna Love, 1029 N. Peachtree Pkwy, Suite 335, Peachtree City, GA 30269 ~ www.AuthorDiannaLove.com
***
Turn the page for a Sneak Peek at another Slye Temp novel…
Another Slye Temp romantic suspense
LAST CHANCE TO RUN
(Book 1)
To an undercover agent, she’s a Person of Interest. He’s interested.
Escaping the compound of a deadly international felon –with a fortune in rare, stolen coins hidden on her body –elite athlete Angel Farentino has to make the most important run of her life. Literally. With her father in prison, where he belongs, and a prior undeserved conviction hanging over her head, she has nowhere to turn and no one to trust. Definitely not law enforcement who railroaded her through a judicial nightmare. One step ahead of lethal men and dogs on her trail, she runs into the arms of a dark stranger willing to help her if she’d let him. But that would only get the sexy pilot killed.
Between figuring out who’s sabotaging his undercover work for the DEA and trying to save his baby sister from herself, Zane Jackson has enough on his plate. The last thing he needs is to get entangled with a woman who’s treading on the wrong side of the law. But when the long-legged distraction races into the middle of his operation and stows away on his plane, a primal need to protect forces Zane to risk everything, starting with his heart.
***
A SNEAK PEEK AT
LAST CHANCE TO RUN
Lightning crackled nearby. Close, but not close enough.
Escape tonight or ... there was no second option.
“Come on, God, please.” Angel whispered the desperate prayer for the hundredth time since midnight. But lights still burned through Mason Lorde’s opulent compound where she’d been impr
isoned for the last ten days.
She had to get over this compulsion about being honest. The last time she’d done the right thing, she’d landed in a real prison with a warden and crazy female inmates threatening her life. That had been thanks to her father.
One more thing she had to get over. Trusting any man.
Wind howled across the beveled panes, rattling the French doors and sounding cold when August weather was anything but.
“I should have asked for a hurricane instead of a thunderstorm,” she muttered under her breath. But hurricanes weren’t as prevalent along the North Carolina coast as lightning storms. All she needed was a brief power outage. Not that she had any reason to believe in divine intervention at this point in her life.
A short life if she didn’t get out of this place now.
She rolled a golf-ball-shaped compass in her hand, a dangerous stress reliever. She’d stolen it from his office, and to hell with any guilt she felt.
It would get her fingers snapped like twigs if Mason caught her with his solid gold desk toy.
No chance he’d let her off easy.
She’d learned that the hard way. Just like everything else in her life.
Mason Lorde, her dream employer. The bastard had turned into her worst nightmare. But with a conviction in her past, who could blame her for jumping at a chance for a job with a highly reputed firm? Assisting the manager in one of the warehouses for Lorde’s revered import enterprise beat cleaning toilets or scavenging aluminum cans any day.
She’d thought.