Diha sighed and rolled her eyes. “I know these things.”
He wanted to camp out here with her, but knew that was likely too much. For several moments he just looked at her, committing everything to memory. First, they had to find Valentino and sort out the mess made of her team. And then he could pursue her.
Her gaze lowered to his mouth and he saw the stirrings of lust. “I guess—”
“Hey!” Cat called out.
Inwardly Miles groaned.
Diha sprang away from him and whirled to face the other woman.
Cat grinned at them. “Sorry, Zora called.”
Diha glanced at Miles. “I...should talk to her.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
He watched the two women hurry back into the room and waited for the room to shut.
Diha was wary of him. He hadn’t given her reason to suspect his intentions. The only thing he could chalk that up to was that her opinion of men in their field had been damaged somehow. Considering the company she kept, he wasn’t all that surprised, though the men on her team did seem to hold her in high regard.
Miles would have to make his move thoughtfully. An intelligent woman like Diha would need actions, not just words and moments of passion. He’d show her. Somehow. Just as soon as he figured out what it was that bothered her.
THURSDAY. SLOUGH, UNITED Kingdom.
Valentino squeezed the stolen car between two others at the curb. If a cop came by, she’d likely get a ticket, but the reality was that she didn’t want to return to this car.
“We’re here,” she said.
Viggo didn’t so much as grunt.
Had he passed out?
She leaned over him in the passenger seat, taking in how pale he was. If it weren’t for the rise and fall of his chest, she’d be worried.
“I’m getting help. Just hang on.” She unfastened the seatbelt and got out of the car, drawing the hood of her jacket up to cover her face.
She had nothing to go on except a referral. She hated not knowing what to do or where to go, but they hadn’t planned for either of them getting wounded. Normally she might be willing to chance a hospital visit, but not now. Not with the cops following her so closely. Which meant they needed an alternative. Something that was safe for people like them.
It was also, unfortunately, hours away from the site where Viggo had been shot.
With any luck, now that the bleeding had stopped, he could be patched up and sent on his way fast.
The way their luck was going, she wasn’t going to plan on that.
Valentino strode down the quiet street toward an herbal shop with a sign in the window touting Eastern Medicine.
This had to work. Viggo was the only family she had. Sure, he might annoy the hell out of her and spend weeks brooding, but he put up with her. He talked her through her paranoia. He was there to listen to her ideas. He cautioned her when she’d take things too far on her own.
He couldn’t die on her.
She opened the shop door and stepped inside.
The smell of fragrant herbs, teas and spices greeted her along with the tinkling sound of water.
An older woman with a graying bun stood behind the counter assisting two women with a purchase of something she was pouring into glass canisters.
Valentino bit back her impatience and turned to examine a display of packets in languages she couldn’t understand. She remained there, as if making some important decision until the two women left.
“Can I help you?” the older woman asked.
“I hope so.” Valentino approached the counter and placed her hands on the glass. Only then did she realize she had a bit of blood on her little finger.
The old woman stared at her, and Valentino knew she’d seen it.
“I was hoping the Surgeon was in? I was told this was his waiting room. I can pay.” Desperation leaked into her words.
The older woman remained silent, weighing her.
Finally she made some sort of decision and reached over, flipping the Open sigh to Closed.
“Is the patient you or someone else?” she asked.
“Someone else.”
“Is the patient here?”
“In a car a block away. He can’t walk this far.”
“What are his wounds?”
“A gunshot to the stomach. It happened a few hours ago. He’s feverish, in and out of consciousness.”
“We require a down payment of five thousand pounds for a condition like this. It will be expensive.”
“I don’t fucking care. He’s my brother. Are you going to help us or not?”
“Money first, then the patient.” The old woman held out her hand.
Valentino muttered curses under her breath but dug the cash out of her pocket. It had taken her time to get her hands on that much currency. She hadn’t dared use fake bills, not when Viggo’s life was on the line.
The old woman didn’t count the bills, she simply pocketed them in her apron then picked up a phone. With a few short words she summoned three men from upstairs who took Valentino’s keys and left.
She didn’t know how she’d pay the rest of the bill. All her other money was tied up and she’d just handed the old woman everything except a couple hundred pounds.
Valentino would need to do something. A job. A scam. Whatever it took to get the money. Viggo was too important to lose.
THURSDAY. UNDISCLOSED.
Skilton swiveled his chair toward the assistant at the conference table to his left. He’d moved the man in here last week so Skilton could handle tasks more efficiently. Things were in motion and he didn’t have control over all of them. At least not yet. Everything was manageable if he put the right people on the task. To do that, he had to be able to respond immediately to new information.
“Have we heard from Aleksandr?” he asked. The assassin had missed his last scheduled check-in. With someone like Aleksandr, that could only mean trouble.
The assistant turned from one task to find the answer.
Skilton had plenty of other things to concern himself, but this kept stealing his attention. He needed it handled. Now.
Valentino was a wild card. The hacker had flare and had served his purpose for quite a while. Their organization would miss his ability to do the impossible. Valentino had never met a challenge he couldn’t overcome. He was remarkable, possibly even surpassing his mentor. But with great success came notoriety, and at this point Skilton could not risk Valentino becoming a liability. They’d had too many of those recently, and now Valentino had become a weakness. One Skilton would see cut off before it infected the body.
The assistant turned toward him. “Sorry, sir. No word.”
Damn.
That had to mean Aleksandr was dead. Or as good as dead.
Skilton nodded and picked up a pen, clicking it several times as he thought through the issue at hand.
Their success as an organization relied on their ability to operate freely across all continents and countries. They used others to move when they could not, thereby remaining an anonymous, powerful entity. Over the years, various government investigations had cut off a limb of their organization from time to time. And now they were meeting a new challenge.
It was the same thing Skilton had thwarted in the past, only this time he was in a better position to deal with it. He had a person on the inside keeping him appraised and taking care of loose ends.
It had been working until recently.
He needed to wrap up this business with Valentino. He’d sent Aleksandr because he was the best, but like Valentino, Aleksandr had his own style.
What Skilton needed was someone who could do the job quick, dirty if possible, and end things. They’d allowed these pesky Americans to get too many pieces of the puzzle.
That stopped now.
“Bring me Ramon,” Skilton said.
His assistant stood and immediately strode out of the room.
Ramon had a lot to prove after the di
saster with Obran. The Four Horsemen were now one. If Ramon couldn’t make himself valuable, he needed to go.
What a waste.
Skilton had invested a lot of money in freeing the Horsemen of their previous lives and setting them up to work for him. They’d been a very effective tool. Until they weren’t and now three were dead. If Skilton lost Ramon in this conflict, it wouldn’t be the end of things. No, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
12.
Thursday. Hotel. London, United Kingdom.
Diha tried to wrestle her mind back to the task at hand, but all she wanted to think about was Miles. The way he’d looked at her. The feel of his hand wrapped around hers. That desire to kiss him.
She’d pushed him out of her mind and managed to lose herself in work, but now he was right there at the forefront of her thoughts.
Why did men have to be so distracting?
“Where’s my phone?” Diha asked as the door shut behind her. She couldn’t allow herself to be sidetracked. Not now.
“Here.” Cat picked the phone up from the dresser and handed it to her.
“Yes?” Diha said.
The room door clicked shut behind her.
Zora launched into the meat of the matter, no greeting necessary. “I just got word that a body was found at a location where Brighton police once busted up some sort of hacking ring.”
“Oh, that sounds...”
Promising? Suspicious?
“I got one of the officers to send me a picture of the body, but it’s going to take a while to find out who he is. There’s too much damage to the face. I fear we’re going to have to use dental records.” She sighed. “I know you just came back from Brighton, but would you consider going back? I’d like one of us to see the scene. We might pick up on something they don’t.”
“Sure.” Diha figured she and Cat could get on a train and be there in a few hours. But was that safe?
“I had to head up to Manchester to meet with some people or I’d do this myself. With the team in custody, it’s just the three of us.”
“The delivery.” Diha groaned.
She and Cat couldn’t go.
One of them would have to stay, which meant spreading them very thin.
“Has it arrived yet?” Zora asked.
“No. I’m putting you on speaker. Cat’s still here with me.” Diha turned to face the other woman and tapped the speaker phone button. “You’re indisposed. One of us needs to stay in London to receive the equipment. And one of us needs to go to Brighton.”
“Get Mr. Green involved. It’s his job to back us up,” Zora reminded her.
Diha swallowed and ignored the way her body heated.
“Green was just here,” Cat said. “If we hurry I bet we could catch him before he leaves.”
“Get him,” Zora ordered.
“I’ll call him, it’ll be quicker,” Diha said. “Call you back.”
She ended the call with Zora as abruptly as the conversation had begun.
“Taking another trip with the sexy spy guy?” Cat crooned.
Diha turned toward the windows to keep Cat from seeing just how much the idea made Diha squirm.
She couldn’t fall under his spell. It was a terrible idea, and yet she wanted to.
The phone barely rang once.
“Hey, something wrong?” Miles asked.
“Yes. Not really. No, sorry. Have you left yet?”
“I can be back to you in a minute.”
She winced. “Is that a problem?”
“No. What’s going on?”
She leaned against the windowsill and looked down on the street below. Was he one of those tiny figures? “I’ll tell you when you get here. Any chance your overnight bag has another change of clothes?”
“I’ll make do. See you in a minute.”
Miles hung up.
Diha tossed the phone on the bed, then hauled her overnight bag out to remove her worn clothes and pack clean ones. It wasn’t even up for discussion which of them was going.
Cat gasped and yanked the ripped open box of condoms from her suitcase.
Diha stiffened, her eyes going wide as Cat stared at her in shock.
She pointed at Diha and grinned. “You did it. You did him!”
Diha opened and closed her mouth, alternating waves of embarrassment and pleasure sweeping through her.
“You totally didn’t kick him out of bed.” Cat danced in place and squealed.
“Will you stop it?” Diha managed to snatch the box out of Cat’s hands and shove it back into the suitcase under her toiletries. It was the closest hiding spot. At least that was what she told herself. It wasn’t like she’d need them again.
“Okay, so I know he’s about to be here, but when you get back, you have to tell me everything.” Cat plopped onto the bed. “Felecia is going to die.”
“I need you to stop right now,” Diha said with as much control as she could manage. Her whole body was practically quivering with feeling. “Right now I’m your boss and this is serious.”
“Yeah, you got seriously laid.” Cat snickered.
“What about this is serious, do you not understand?” Diha snapped. Her composure was fraying. If she let Miles and Cat get to her, she wouldn’t be of any use to the team. Diha had to stay on task.
The grin faded from Cat’s face. “Sorry, you’re right.”
Diha couldn’t get caught up in her personal life right now. What had happened with her and Miles was new and uncomfortable. She didn’t see a way for it to end well. If there was more time, she’d very likely want to talk to Cat and Felecia about it. They were her friends. But they had work to do.
Maybe she’d squeeze in a call to Priya. Her sister could be less intrusive and would have better advice. Felecia only had relationship experience with her husband and Cat was, well, Cat.
“I’m sorry I snapped,” Diha said. “I just... I have to focus on work. This is all... It’s a lot and I’m out of my element being here and not in the lab. Miles is intense. The team is counting on us to not screw up and I barely know what I’m doing.”
“It’s fine. I’ve forgotten about it already.” Cat waved a hand and smiled.
This was the great thing about Cat. She adapted. She knew she took things too far and owned her faults. She didn’t hold grudges either, especially in moments like these when Diha could have behaved more like a manager and less like a panic stricken girl.
“Thank you and I’m sorry,” Diha said.
“Stop it.” Cat grinned wider. “I like pushing your buttons. You can’t apologize to me when I do it. I’ll only do it more often.”
A knock at the door made them both stop.
Diha blinked. How much time had passed? Could Miles be there already?
Cat got up and went to the door. She grinned over her shoulder before opening it.
Miles stood on the other side. His lips were parted and he was breathing a little heavier.
“Did you run?” Diha asked.
“It sounded important.” He strode into the room.
Diha hurriedly finished throwing the last few changes of clothes into her suitcase, then scooped up her phone. “I’m calling Zora back so she can tell us.”
Miles sat in the desk chair while Cat returned to her nest of pillows and work.
“Are you all there?” Zora asked by way of a greeting.
“Yes, and you’re on speaker.” Diha set the phone down and zipped her suitcase.
“I told Diha that a body was found by police earlier today. What caught my attention was that some sort of hacking ring was busted up there over a year ago. We know Valentino has gone by other names. This man doesn’t fit our description of Valentino, but given the proximity to where Valentino was—”
“I get it. I’d like to see the body and the place, too,” Miles said.
“Diha? If you’d like to wait for the equipment, I’m sure Cat could go.”
The immediate sense of jealousy and possessiveness that
surged up in Diha was foreign. She was completely blindsided by the feelings and froze.
Miles wasn’t hers. She shouldn’t feel this way, and yet she did.
Cat smothered a laugh, and Diha was acutely aware of Miles’ stare.
“Actually I’m already packed,” she managed to say evenly.
“Okay, it’s settled then. I’ll send you the report and everything I have on it. If it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere, head back to London.”
“Anything on getting the rest of your team released?” Miles asked.
“I’m letting the lawyers handle it right now. It’s better if our focus is on finding Valentino. If this drags out much longer, could you get us more manpower?”
“In a heartbeat,” Miles replied.
They covered a few other details before Zora hung up. As usual, it was abrupt.
“I take it Zora’s not in the city?” Miles peered sideways at her.
“Uh, no. She had a meeting,” Diha said.
Miles checked his watch. “It’s going to take us longer to get out of the city at this time. I suggest we take the train to save some time. We should get going.”
Diha scooped her laptop and note book into her bag. “I’m ready.”
“Okay, I’m not as fast as you.” Cat laughed and gestured to her mess. She thrived in chaos and had to bring it with her wherever she went.
“You have a key to my room. Pack up when you’re ready and check in with me later.”
Diha paused then.
They were leaving Cat on her own.
Miles picked up her suitcase and headed for the door.
Cat seemed to sense Diha’s hesitation and got up, crossing the room to give her a quick hug. “I’ll be fine. And careful. I know what we’re dealing with and I won’t take any risks. If I’m worried at all, I can call over to the office like we discussed and get an escort in. I’m a big girl. I’m not afraid to ask for help if I need it.”
“Call if anything happens?” Diha asked.
“Sure.”
That was all Diha could ask.
They were each working in roles they hadn’t expected to fill on this trip. All they could do was make the best of it.
Diha followed Miles out and to the elevator. They walked so fast there wasn’t the opportunity to talk before they reached the car. Miles spent most of the drive from where he’d parked to the train station arranging things with his team, including someone to keep an eye on Cat and check-in on her to ensure she was safe. All without asking.
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