Accidental Commando (18 page)

“Sounds too convenient.”

“That’s what I said.” Esposito ejected one tape and started up another. It showed the corridor outside the grand ballroom. The time stamp indicated the footage had been taken two hours before the reception had begun. Figures in catering uniforms moved past purposefully. So did the canine team from the palace guards. “They all cut off ten minutes after the first guests started to arrive.”

“Who had access to the security system, Duncan?” Tyler asked.

“In that section of the palace, the feed was split between the regular police force and Gorrell’s guards.” His jaw worked as he suppressed a yawn. “I already showed them how to tweak the setup so it can’t happen again.”

“You figure El Gato had help from the police?”

“He had to. We didn’t find any stripped cop in the area, or any chubby woman missing her dress. That means he didn’t play it by ear by acquiring his disguise once he got in. This was planned beforehand.”

Esposito rubbed his face. Stubble rasped under his palm until he moved his hand to his bald pate. “Gorrell’s got some more housecleaning to do. Someone on the inside is playing on the other team.”

“Did anything come back on those security checks your pals reran, Dunk?” Tyler asked

“The staff all checked out. We’re still waiting for more background on some of the politicians. Oh, and we did get an ID on the prints we sent them from El Gato’s body. His real name is Miguel Castillo. He’s originally from Rocama. Used to work for the Juarez family as an enforcer before he tried his hand at freelance work and went international.”

“Which means he’d have connections all over the island. Any one of them could be the one who helped him get past security.”

“Yeah. We can’t relax our watch on the envoy. There could be more trouble to come.”

“Let me know if anything pops up from Intelligence.” Esposito got off his stool and stretched. “I’m going to catch a few hours’ sleep before the major’s briefing.”

“Sure thing, Chief.”

He looked at the mug that Tyler held. “Careful with that stuff. It’s been cooking all night.”

Duncan waited until Esposito’s footsteps had faded, then swiveled to face Tyler. He regarded him in silence.

Tyler set the coffee down without tasting it. “You got something you want to say to me, Duncan?”

“What’s the point? I’m not your keeper. I’m not hers, either.”

There was no reason to ask whom he was referring to. Kurt and Gonzo had seen him go into Emily’s room. They’d also seen what time he’d left. Word traveled fast among the team. It wouldn’t take a trained observer to put the pieces together.

Tyler wasn’t going to make any excuses. For one thing, what had happened between him and Emily wasn’t anyone else’s business but theirs. For another, he had enjoyed it too much to pretend he was sorry. Making love with her had been inevitable. Though the timing had been bad, he couldn’t honestly regret the act. Or acts. He only hoped that eventually, she would feel the same way.

He checked his watch, then emptied his mug and put on a fresh pot of coffee. He watched as the coffeemaker burbled. “Any meetings on the envoy’s schedule before she leaves?”

“Only one. It’s the payoff.”

“Why?”

“Seems she got what she wanted. Gorrell’s going to sign the deal for the base.”

Tyler turned, surprised. “When did that happen?”

“There were some midnight phone calls while you were busy. The incident with El Gato knocked most of the president’s cabinet off the fence. The general consensus was that any group who has the capability to get an assassin through palace security and stage a direct attack is a serious threat to the government itself. They realize they need help to stop the Juarez cartel.”

“Politicians can see the advantage of having a powerful friend.”

“The annual rent for the base won’t hurt, either. The cartel won’t find it so easy to buy support once we move in.”

“The major must be pleased,” Tyler said. “I heard he’s been wanting to finish the job against the Juarez family for seven years.”

“Uh-huh. Looks like everyone got what they wanted last night.”

It was the second swipe. “I thought you had nothing to say.”

“Hell, Tyler. Emily was hanging on by a thread after Jack finished with her. We all saw that. You were supposed to be the one who was concerned with her feelings.”

“I was and I still am, Duncan.”

“She’s earned our respect. She deserved better.”

Tyler fought to hang on to his temper. He wasn’t going to let Duncan provoke him, because he would need all his resources for the battle that was yet to come. It was the only one that really counted.

He’d told the major he would see his duty with Emily through to the end. Now that the envoy was going to get her deal, it appeared the end had arrived.

“You’re right about one thing,” Tyler said. “Emily did deserve better, but you’re wrong about the other.” He poured a fresh mug of coffee and walked to the door. “I didn’t get what I wanted. Not by a long shot.”

Emily lay on her back and listened to the distant rumble of thunder. The stars had disappeared behind a bank of clouds hours ago, so the only way to judge the time was from the gradual lightening of the gloom. She wasn’t sure whether she’d slept after Tyler had left, yet she didn’t feel fatigued. She felt energized. All she needed was to think about the things they’d done together and an echo of pleasure went zinging through her body. If she felt any shame, it was because an evening that had ended so tragically for others had ended so perfectly for her.

Well, not quite perfectly. Perfect would have been waking up to see Tyler’s face on the pillow beside hers. She moved her arm to the place where he’d lain. His warmth had faded hours ago. She rolled to her side and pressed her face to the sheet. Only a trace of his scent remained. She closed her eyes and inhaled what there was of it, then flopped onto her back again and draped her arm over her face. “Damn,” she whispered. “You’ve got it bad.”

So much for not letting her emotions get involved. She’d almost convinced herself that it was going to be strictly sex. After all, any healthy woman would have had a hard time remaining physically unaffected by a man like Tyler.

Yet as much as he’d pleased her physically, it was his words that had made the deepest impact. It took a very secure man to admit his vulnerabilities. It also took a secure man to admit that he did want a stable, loving partnership for life. That wasn’t fashionable for most guys. There was still a double standard in society. Men, particularly handsome, sexy ones, were expected to play the field and to avoid commitment like the plague. Yet Tyler had spoken readily about admiring his parents’ marriage. It amazed her that no woman had snagged him before this.

Not that she could consider him snagged now. One night of sex, especially an incomplete one with a whole truckload of extenuating circumstances, did not a relationship make. She’d been the one to say she wasn’t expecting a commitment. She knew full well that she shouldn’t let her imagination get away from her. She needed to be cautious. She was still on the rebound from the most disastrous relationship of her life. Her judgment was impaired.

Yet if she wasn’t already half in love with Tyler, it wouldn’t take much to push her the rest of the way over the edge.

As if on cue, there was a gentle rap on her door. Emily rolled off the bed and drew on her robe. She winced when the sleeve caught on the edge of her bandage, but she’d already dismissed the pain before she’d crossed the room. She knew of only one person who would seek her out at this hour. She also felt as if she could sense his presence.

She stopped to take a steadying breath before she touched the doorknob. Sensed his presence? God, she did have it bad. She fluffed her hair, pulled her robe closed and tied the belt. “Emily?”

Tyler’s low voice sent another one of those pleasant zings through her body. She reminded herself to at least attempt to keep her cool. She didn’t have too much experience with morning-afters, and she’d had no experience whatsoever with mornings after nights like the one she’d just had. How was she supposed to act cool when the thought of seeing him again was already making her melt?

She opened the door.

“Good morning.” He held up a mug of coffee. The aroma drifted across the threshold like a spiced kiss. “It’s not as good as Chief Esposito’s but it should do the job. Can I come in?”

Oh, yes. She was teetering right on the brink. She closed the door behind him and went to turn on the bedside light. He’d showered and shaved. His hair was still damp and rumpled by his typical finger-combing. He was wearing his jeans and a blue golf shirt instead of a suit. It reminded her that the mission would be ending today.

Some of her pleasure dimmed. “Thanks, Tyler.” She took the mug from his fingers. “I could use some coffee.”

He glanced around the room. Instead of going to the bed, he walked to the window seat.

The clouds beyond the window flashed with lightning. Emily tried to ignore the chill she felt as she moved toward him. It was probably the weather. “What I’d really like is a good-morning kiss.”

He cradled her face in his palms and gave her a long, thorough kiss. Yet when she pressed closer, he caught her elbow and stepped back. “We need to talk, Emily.”

“What’s wrong?”

A volley of rain hit the windowsill and drummed on the notebook she’d left on the seat. Tyler shut the window, drew the curtains closed, then picked up her notebook and moved it to the floor, along with her stack of printouts and her camera. “Please, sit down.”

“If you’re getting delayed conscience pangs about whether or not you took advantage of me, just forget them. I thought we got that settled.”

“No, this concerns something else. I need to clear the air.” He took her hand and guided her to the cushion. “Please, sit. This may take a while.”

She did as he asked because her legs were beginning to feel wobbly. “You’re making me nervous, Tyler. My experience with morning-afters is pretty limited, but I don’t think they’re supposed to go like this.”

“I’m sorry. I realize I should have discussed this before we slept together, but once I touched you I couldn’t bring myself to stop.”

Emily raised the mug of coffee to her lips to give herself something to do with her hands. “I’m not going to get pregnant,” she said against the rim. “I had just finished…” She cleared her throat. “It was the wrong time of the month.”

He looked startled. “Damn. I can’t believe I hadn’t even considered that. What an ass I am. I never thought to bring a condom.”

“One wouldn’t have been enough anyway, but it sounds as if that’s not what’s on your mind, either. I could play this guessing game all morning and not get it right, so you might as well just say it before I end up telling you more stuff you didn’t really need to know or spilling this coffee all over myself.”

He sat beside her and cupped her shoulders. “What I want to talk about has absolutely nothing to do with you and me, or what we did last night. It’s about our mission.”

That was the last thing she’d expected. She gulped a mouthful of coffee and set the mug on the windowsill. “What about it?”

“Now that El Gato’s dead, the reasons we brought you into the mission are over. We don’t need you to identify him, and he’s no longer a threat to your safety.”

“Okay. That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that the Rocaman government has agreed to the proposed base, too.”

“So the mission was a success.”

“Right.”

“That’s great.”

He didn’t look like a man whose mission was coming to a successful close. His expression was growing grimmer by the second. “You made a deal with Major Redinger. You’d give us your help in exchange for our cooperation with your story.”

“Ah, and now that you don’t need my help, you don’t want me to feel obligated to hang around anymore, is that it? Well, I don’t mind tagging along while you do whatever it is you do to finish up after Helen leaves. It would give me the chance to get some closing quotes for my article.”

“There can’t be an article, Emily.”

“Oh, no. I have plenty of material.” She gestured to her notebook. “Enough to stretch it into a whole series if someone buys it.”

“There’s no easy way to say this.” He took both of her hands between his. “We can’t allow you to publish anything about us or our work here. It would create political difficulties for President Gorrell. It would also compromise our safety on subsequent missions.”

It took a few beats for his words to register. She shook her head fast. She couldn’t have heard him correctly. “No, you’re mistaken. The major and I had an agreement. I said I’d hold off trying to sell my story only until your mission was over.”

“You can never publish it, Emily. Not our names, our backgrounds, our photos or any details about our actions. The special ops teams like Eagle Squadron have to remain anonymous.”

“But—”

“It’s standard operating procedure. It’s why there was no record in the papers of what we did the last time we were in Rocama.”

“No, this time’s different. Redinger agreed.”

“He needed your cooperation. To keep the mission confidential he felt he had no choice but to agree to your demands.”

“But it was his suggestion to embed me with the team. You’re making it sound as if he knew all along he wasn’t going to keep his word.”

Tyler regarded their joined hands. More rain hit the window. The curtains did little to muffle the sound. “He was concerned that you would alert the media to our presence here before our mission was finished. He wanted to keep you close.”

“Keep me close,” she repeated. “Under surveillance, you mean. So it wasn’t my imagination. You didn’t trust me. You were supervising me. That’s why you were restricting my movements.”

“I was also protecting you.”

“My God, I saw it but I didn’t put it together. That’s why there’s no phone in this room. That’s why the guards at the palace gates had orders to stop me from going out.” She tugged her hands but he hung on. She shifted her legs so they no longer touched his. “What about all those interviews? What about the talks we had?”