True Deceptions (True Lies) (25 page)

The next morning, she was up before him and practicing yoga in the living room. He’d take advantage of her flexibility later. When she saw him, she jumped up and gave him a kiss before pouring them each some orange juice. Damn, he’d love to wake up to that every morning.

“It’s so beautiful here.” Her hands pressed against the glass, and she stood still as though absorbing the view like a photograph.

“I’m glad you like it. We’ll be here for a few days while I find a way to blackmail Dane into releasing our cargo.”

“Dane stopped the shipment? I don’t understand why he’s being so difficult.” She sounded surprised. Dane had been her hero in the past month, and it made sense she wouldn’t see him as the jerk who was holding up the deal. She didn’t know he was CIA.

Simon stared through the windows at the huge city in front of them. “If Pelican is listed as a supplier to a country that has an arms embargo imposed on it by the United Nations, the company could be fined heavily, and in some cases, officers of the company could be arrested.”

“He’d get arrested?” Cassie approached him from behind and slid her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, the only woman he’d been with who was tall enough to do that in bare feet.

“No. He’s not an officer, but his bosses could be interrogated, and the company doesn’t need that kind of press.”

He held her arms in place as he pivoted to face her. A lift of her chin and they were locked in a delicious kiss. A kiss from her morphed his screwed up world into heaven on Earth. Her lips opened, and her sweet breath took him to a place where a beautiful woman could reside with him forever, filling his life with comfort and passion. In his dream, he’d do the cooking, and she’d heat up his nights.

“I want you so badly, but I need to go downstairs to see someone who might be able to get the drones out of France.” He pulled away with difficulty, his own body fighting his efforts, her body trying to seal itself to his.

Cassie’s moan turned into a deep sigh. “Okay. But understand I’ll be sitting next to you during the meeting with the North Koreans, completely horny and frustrated. And just maybe without my
knickers.
”

He rested his head on hers and kissed her forehead, refusing to let himself become lost in her. Not right now. “I’m glad you told me that, because my job isn’t difficult enough.”

Chapter Twenty-One

S
imon slipped away from Cassie for his one-hour meeting. Dane opened the door to his room and gestured him inside before Simon could knock.

“Nice place. Remember back in 2010, meeting Miss Philippines and her sister? Good times.” Dane’s smile revealed nothing of his current mood.

Simon stepped closer to him without a smile. “I want the drones.”

“I have conditions.”

“If this deal falls through, you’re o
ut of a job.”

“First, I want to know your purchaser.”

“No.”

“Second, I need to know how you plan to keep the weapons from detonating. Third…”

“There’s acid located behind the explosives, it incinerates the drone upon detonation. In the test, we found only the smallest, unidentifiable fragments.”

“And finally, is Cassie with you? Because I have need for a long legged blonde tonight.”

Simon held back. Dane was goading him, and he wouldn’t take the bait as he had in France.

“You’ve trusted me in the past. You need to do so right now,” Simon replied.

“My gut tells me this one is different, and it’s going to be my ass that will be burned.”

“I’ll give a few details in exchange for the release of the crates. But you can’t interfere.”

“I’ll stay out of it unless I feel my interests are compromised. At that point, I can’t promise anything.”

“Deal.” Simon sat on the couch and mapped out the basic plan in exchange for Dane’s phone call to the French authorities.

An hour later, Simon and Cassie met their contacts at the restaurant called Above and Beyond. They had a private room and a very discrete waitstaff. Simon described the drones to the men, but he couldn’t provide them the technical minutia without revealing gaps in his knowledge. He invited Cassie to go over some of the technological details, without revealing a few extra modifications they’d made to the machines. Their clients didn’t need to know about the acid hidden under the explosives to eradicate the evidence.

Mr. Lee appeared to be the most technically minded and barraged Cassie with questions. “Ms. Watson, do you believe these drones can transmit payload imagery to a remote position?”

“The way they’ve been programmed, the only video interface is with the driver. If you want additional views broadcast to an isolated command center, I’ll need a few additional days.” Cassie explained. She seemed to have garnered the respect of the men in the room with her breadth of understanding.

Mr. Lee shook his head. “I don’t think that will be necessary. We want the shipment within the week. Time is the enemy. What about the explosive materials? Can they be stored anywhere?”

“A typical munitions warehouse or storage unit would suffice for a few days, until you decide to engage in your mission.” Simon tried to reaffirm their use of safe storage methods to minimize the loss of life.

“We cannot store them with the military units, as there are too many men willing to be bought off for better living conditions for their families, a promotion, and the gratitude of the government. We’ve identified twenty men who can carry out our objectives. The drones will stay with them in special backpacks until they are deployed.”

“That’s not optimal. Could you keep them in one location until the mission?” Simon pushed, but the businessmen were fairly stubborn about this point.

Mr. Lee shook his head and scowled as though Simon had asked him to blow up his own family. “No. Keeping them apart from each other ensures we will have enough to succeed in the mission, even losing a few.”

Cassie sat stunned. Simon could see the lines on her forehead revealing her stress. She hadn’t foreseen any casualties at all in this operation. She was still a pacifist, despite her employment with a hard-ass agency that justified murder when the need arose. He could feel her foot tapping in nervous waves against his leg. They’d figure out a solution when they returned to the hotel. After all, they didn’t even have possession of the drones right now. Although according to Dane, they’d be shipped out of France to South Korea in a few hours.

The first thing Simon did upon arriving in their suite was to pour himself a drink. A vodka, no ice. Nirvana in a glass.

Cassie stretched out across the sofa and stared into the harbor lights. She didn’t talk much at all during the ride to and from the meeting. Something was bothering her, and it wasn’t the storage of the drones.

“Care for some wine?”

“No, thanks.”

He moved a step closer to her and lifted his glass toward her. “Vodka?”

She laughed. “No. I’m fine.”

“You’re acting like something’s wrong. As your boss, I need to be informed of everything that concerns me and the assignment.”

“My issue has more to do with you than the assignment.” She was no longer laughing.

“Am I too much for you in bed?”

“Not enough.” She pulled on his arm so he was seated next to her on the couch. A smile emerged, but didn’t engage all her facial muscles.

He placed his drink on the table and then nuzzled her neck until she purred. His hand dropped to her chest, and he paused at the intensity of her breathing. Too deep and erratic. Her heart was also beating at a speed much faster than it ought to be while snogging. Something more was going on. He sat up, pulled his hands off her, and took a swig of the vodka to prepare for whatever she needed to say. “Spill it, Watson. I hate puzzles and games.”

“I’m pregnant.” The hesitancy in her voice explained everything.

Pregnant?
He could handle a lot of crap thrown at him, and anticipated all sorts of obstacles preventing him from completing missions, but he wasn’t expecting that. Did she realize what this meant? He didn’t.

Could he marry her? Should he marry her? Was the baby okay? Was she okay? No wonder she was so sick. Her body held an additional occupant. He’d be sick as hell if he had another being living within him, too. His brain spun around at a million miles an hour. Then he looked at her.

A deer in the headlights, waiting to see his response. He held his breath a moment, said a quick thank you to God for bringing Cassie into his life, and then smiled. He’d found his match, and she was more amazing than he’d ever imagined. And now she was carrying his child.

“You’re good with this?” she asked. Tears streamed down her face, perhaps in relief.

“We’re going to have the tallest child ever. I hope she has blonde hair and blue eyes like her mother.”

“A girl?”

“I’ll take a boy, but he has to promise to become a professor like his uncle.”

She stared at him, and then her eyes lit up, “Henry’s your brother.”

“Half brother, on our father’s side. So Alex’s baby will have a cousin.”

“I’m an only child, so I think that’s wonderful.” She sniffled.

He held her in his arms and listened to her heart beating slow and steady, as it should. Plans had to be changed, the assignment modified. The most important thing now was to keep her away from the crazy bastards who had just purchased the drones. She had no idea how ruthless these men could be. They wanted success at all costs and would throw anyone under the bus to prevent their exposure to their government. Too bad he might lose the heart of the woman he loved in the process of keeping her, and their child, safe.

C
assie enjoyed the afternoon at the spa at Simon’s insistence, while he tried to needle Dane into freeing up the drones sooner rather than later. He’d told her about Dane’s involvement in the CIA and most of the pieces of their friendly rivalry came into focus. No wonder Dane had tried to steal her away. They’d played this game over the course of the many assignments they’d shared. The outcome didn’t matter because the women were willing and th
e men were horn dogs. The fact that Simon never stopped her from going to Dane’s office to obtain the codes meant he trusted her to outfox a CIA operative, and she had. She smiled to herself. Simon did trust her as a field agent.

Nice
.

When she arrived back at the room, a huge bouquet of red roses and a small wrapped box sat in the middle of the round glass table in the foyer of their suite. His true colors were revealed. He was a romantic. She opened the card next to the gift.

Cassie (that’s your name from now to the end of time, because I don’t want our child being confused if someone calls you anything else),

I may seem heartless and cold at times, but I promise I will always protect you and take care of you and the little person you’re carrying. Nothing is more important to me than your health and safety. When this assignment is over, I’d love it if you would become my wife. I’ll understand if right now you refuse me, but the offer stands for as long as I’m alive.

With love and an apology,

Simon

An apology? Why would he have to apologize?

She opened the box and pulled out a ring. A huge square-cut aquamarine in a platinum setting. Her favorite stone. She slid the ring onto her finger. Of course she’d marry him. Why wouldn’t she marry the man who made her feel beautiful and loved and intelligent and alive?

The flowers also contained a small note. She opened it.

Stay in the hotel until I return from Korea. I should be back in a week. I’ve paid for your room and anything else you may need. Take care of yourself, angel.

Love, Simon

He just kicked her off the assignment? That controlling jerk. He couldn’t do that. She was essential. She grabbed her cell phone.

Simon answered and spoke in a straight-business voice. Not the best voice for a proposal, but perfect for an abandonment. “Cassie. How are you feeling after your spa day?”

“Where are you?”

“At the airport.”

“No. Don’t leave me. I need to be there.” She ran back to the bedroom and noticed Simon’s things were no longer there. She grabbed her bag. Her heart thudded into a gallop as she raced to get to him.

“It’s my call. This is the last thing I want to do, but tensions are running high with all parties. If the businessmen suspect that I, or the team, are prepared to rat them out to their government, they could cut ties and try to eliminate the evidence. You’ve completed your job and can wait there safely until I return.”

He sounded calm. He had no idea how much she hated being abandoned like this in a strange country. She needed to be with him. Pregnancy was not a disability. She could still use her mind. How dare he make that decision for her?

She threw her things from the closet into the suitcase in a huge pile of unfolded chaos. “I’m packing my things and meeting you at the airport. You have no right to leave me behind. You need me. If there’s a malfunction, I can fix it on the spot.”

“My flight leaves in ten minutes, you won’t make it.”

“I’ll take the next one.” She grabbed her toiletries and shoes with shaking hands.

“Not without your passport.”

She paused. “You took my passport? Seriously.”

“I’m dead serious. There’s a problem. Nothing to do with you, but I don’t want you to be here if this whole thing implodes. Something’s not right. I can feel it, and I can’t be worried about you and effectively perform my job.”

“This is ridiculous. You can’t hold me here against my will.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. Heat rising through her body. “Someone needs to train the troops so they don’t blow themselves up when using the drones. You don’t understand the program well enough to keep people safe.”

“I’m not as worried about them as I am about you. You’re my responsibility, and now Junior is as well.”

This is about the baby
. He couldn’t help being an overprotective jerk. It was part of his nature. But she wouldn’t let him do this.