Lethal Affairs (8 page)

She had to set the tone for the rest of the night, arrange for further contact, string her along without crossing lines that might jeopardize her mission. Though she had been drilled in the art of social conversation— how to engage anyone’s interest—she felt unprepared for this kind of intimate interaction. For the first time, she had to operate on a more personal level, answering as Luka Madison, not as some fictitious persona with any history she wanted to create. And the past that had been created for her as Luka wasn’t one she wanted to discuss with a potential target.
“Come on in. Throw your jacket anywhere.” Hayley headed toward the kitchen. “What do you take in your coffee?”
“Cream, please.” Domino removed her jacket, folded it carefully, and set it neatly on the edge of Hayley’s desk. Her nearby appointment book and her absence allowed Domino a quick perusal of a few pages of it. She knew, from Pierce’s call, Hayley was supposed to meet Vasquez Tuesday evening. But she had written nothing in her calendar to indicate the event. Domino wasn’t surprised, because she also knew a search of Hayley’s place had turned up no sign of the assassination tape. She was being very careful.
Domino stepped back. Her jacket didn’t look right. Not casual enough. Like she was still at the Organization. She picked it up and hung it carefully over the chair. Her orderly mind rebelled, but she knew it was still too perfect. Reluctantly, she picked it up again, threw it over the armrest of the couch, and forced herself to let it go.
What the hell.
Hayley reappeared with two mugs of coffee. “So tell me all about yourself. Start with family. Do they live here? Any siblings?”
They settled onto the couch. Hayley kicked off her heels and put her feet up on the coffee table, atop a haphazard stack of magazines. Yet another difference between them, Domino noted. She took her boots off only when she went to sleep, because you never knew when you might have to run for the nearest exit.
They stay on.
“I’m on my own. My mother gave me up for adoption when I was born, and I grew up in foster care. They told me she was young and I was born out of wedlock, but that was all.” That’s what Luka’s bio said, anyway. Only the EOO knew she had really come from an orphanage in the Balkans when she was three. They never told her whether she had parents or siblings still alive.
“Did you ever try to track her down?” Hayley asked. “Nowadays, there are all sorts of ways to—”
“No,” she said. “I have no interest in dredging up the past. She must have had her reasons.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without my family.” Hayley certainly looked relaxed, but expertly reading the nuances of body language, Domino could tell she wasn’t entirely so. She’d been touching her hair and chewing on her lower lip all evening. Domino was comforted that she wasn’t the only one nervous and a bit self-conscious.
“We’re your typical close-knit Scottish clan,” Hayley continued. “Dad’s overly domineering, not to mention that he has really antiquated ideas about what women should and can do. We’re expected to appear at all birthdays, holidays, and other special events. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for you.”
“It was rough. Still is at times, but I found a way to move on. Or so I tell myself. You’re lucky to have such a close family.”
“Yeah, I am. Even when I’m exasperated with one of them, or dreading yet another niece’s pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey party when I’d rather be working. All I have to do is look around at some of my friends and co-workers.” Hayley sipped her coffee.
“How do you reporters work, anyway? Do you pair up with anyone on your assignments, or do you work alone?”
“Depends,” Hayley replied. “Mostly I work alone on stuff the paper assigns me—features and local events that are quick to turn around. A photographer may come along if the story has good picture potential. Now, on investigative pieces, that’s different. Those can take days or even weeks. So a lot of times I’ll use a colleague. Someone to bounce ideas off of, make phone calls. Use their resources. In journalism, there’s a lot of ‘it’s who you know’ that helps you get the story. You develop contacts in the police and fire departments, city hall, hospitals, snitches on the street. The longer you’re on the job, the easier it is to track down what you need, because you have more sources to call upon or feed you information.”
Like Manny Vasquez.
Domino wondered who else Hayley had talked to
.
“What about this big story you’re working on now? Getting help with that?”
“Some. Not enough. But things are looking up.” Hayley extended her arm along the back of the couch to Domino’s shoulder. The touch of her fingertips was light, but Domino was hyper-aware of it. “What about you? Are you working on something now?”
She shook her head. “I usually freelance, and I don’t have anything lined up at the moment. I thought I’d take a time-out, and perhaps get to know you better, although I get the impression you’re a very busy woman.”
“Busy, yes. But I think I can find a break in my schedule now and then.” Hayley continued to trail her fingertips very lightly along Domino’s shoulder as she talked, and though the touch delighted her, she had a hard time thinking.
“I hope you make time to see me because I...your hand on me is distracting...in a good way. I’d like to see you again soon.” She glanced at her watch. “I should get going. When are you free for another dinner or whatever else?”
“Hmm. Well, I have an appointment Tuesday. But I’m free tomorrow night. Too soon?”
“Tomorrow’s perfect.”
“I get off at five, home shortly after. Pick me up around six?”
“Just leave everything to me.” She reached for her jacket and got to her feet. Hayley saw her to the door.
At the threshold, Domino faced her. “I had a great…” Her voice trailed off when Hayley laid a hand on her chest, palm down, above her right breast. They were a foot apart.
“I hope I don’t have to wait for
eventually
for a kiss,” she said. “Has anyone ever told you, you have the most wonderful lips, Luka?”
Domino didn’t get to reply before Hayley closed the distance and kissed her.
Their lips met, soft, sweet, and apparently altogether too briefly for Hayley, who let out a soft groan of disappointment when Domino withdrew.
“That’s all I get?” She stuck out her lower lip in a pout, but her eyes were smiling. “Boy, you do move slow, don’t you?”
“Like I said,” Domino grinned at her as she reached for the door, “all good things are worth taking your time. See you tomorrow, Hayley. And thanks for a lovely evening.”
“Tomorrow, Luka. And thank
you
. I had a great time, too.”
She left, but she could feel Hayley watching her as she walked away, so she turned back for a last look and a wave. With her bare feet, slightly tousled hair, and dimples framing that pout of a smile, Hayley embodied the definition of sexy and irresistible. She had to will herself to continue toward her car.

ierce summoned Domino to his Arlington home at nine the next morning. When she arrived, the blinds were already drawn and no lights were on in the living room. It was akin to meeting in a cave.

“Find out anything relevant yet?” he asked, pouring coffee for both of them from a carafe on his coffee table.
“At this point you know as much as I do. You heard most of it, didn’t you?” She took a seat beside him on the couch.
“And what about what I didn’t hear?”
“Nothing significant. I haven’t found any evidence she’s a threat, Monty. As far as I’m concerned, she’s oblivious.”
He pivoted to face her, his pale blue eyes like glacial ice. “She’s no innocent. Stop kidding yourself. She’s burning up the phone lines trying to find out about you, and about us, and she won’t just stop and let it go.” Pierce watched her reaction as if he wasn’t aware Domino knew exactly why he was looking at her like that. “As you know, she’s meeting Vasquez tomorrow. You’ll be with Reno. He’ll be inside the diner with them, you in the van outside.”
“Why am I going? You said this guy’s no threat.”
“As far as we know he’s not. But he’s a fanatic, and who knows what he’ll do if she’s got information he wants. I don’t want that tape passing from a reporter to someone even more unpredictable. If a situation arises, I want to be able to contain it immediately.” He softened his tone. “And if you hear her digging for information about you firsthand, you won’t think she’s such a harmless innocent.”
“What if Vasquez does get the tape?” Domino reached for her coffee and took a sip. “Who’ll believe him? He lost his job because his own people think he’s crazy. He’s an unreliable alcoholic. Besides, if anyone could get anything off the tape, don’t you think someone would have recognized me by now or come after me? Operatives have been taped before, and obviously those tapes alone haven’t been enough evidence to harm us.”
Pierce scowled. “But it is the first time someone aside from us has tried to retrieve a tape,” he replied. “There’s something different about this. What exactly I don’t know, but I don’t care whether you’re visible on it or not. If you are, we can send you elsewhere, change your appearance.” He was balanced on the edge of his seat, his posture anything but relaxed. “I do know this tape is important enough for someone to go to the trouble to steal it and send it to this woman, and therefore jeopardize our entire organization.
My
concern is who the hell
is
this son of a bitch who stole the tape and sent this note, and what the hell is he—or she—trying to accomplish? He’s the threat, not Hayley Ward, and it’s him I’m after. But if some innocent has to go down for the sake of the Organization, then so be it.”
“This anonymous person has chosen Hayley because she’s dispensable,” Domino said. “He doesn’t want to involve federal or local law enforcement to do his dirty work because he wants to be able to eliminate her once she’s done her part. If we don’t get her, he will.”
“Why do you think he’d want to dispose of her?”
“He’s obviously not playing by the rules or working within the law. If he was, why bother stealing the tape? The right people would already have it. He could simply feed them whatever information he has on the EOO. Whoever took it is trying to save his ass.”
Pierce eyed her with admiration and nodded. She had just confirmed his own thoughts, and she knew it. “What are you saying?”
“Nothing you haven’t already considered. It might be an inside job? That’s why you didn’t brief me before the benefit.”
He nodded again and reached for his mug. “And while that remains a possibility, I want you to keep this to yourself.”
“As with all things. I know. You don’t have to remind me.”
Pierce took a big sip of his coffee, then grimaced. “It would appear Miss Ward is genuinely attracted to you.”
“Yes, it would appear so. Your point?”
“Keep in mind this is work and she’s your target.” He set the mug back noisily on the table as if to emphasize his remark. “As untraditional as this approach may be, you’re a professional, and I expect you to act as such.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Up to now, Domino had maintained direct eye contact with him. But as she said this, she looked away.
“You know what you have to do.” Pierce got to his feet, dismissing her. “It’s for the good of us all, Domino.”

When Hayley returned from lunch with a colleague, she found a single yellow rose on her desk, along with a note penned with a meticulous hand.

I want to share one of my favorite places with you this evening. Please meet me at the Anchorage Marina on Boston Street at six thirty. Look for slip D63. Bring a swimsuit— preferably a very brief bikini—and your appetite.

Hayley knew the marina near Fort McHenry. The bustling, lively place was near a myriad of romantic restaurants, and imagining what Luka might have planned for her there made it difficult to concentrate on work the rest of the afternoon. Promptly at five, she darted home and changed into shorts and a tank top because, though the sun was already lowering, the thermometer still read eighty degrees.

She had a difficult time choosing a swimsuit since she didn’t know exactly where and under what circumstances she’d be wearing it. If they were alone, the white bikini might speed up Luka’s
eventually
, but that scenario required her most provocative choice. She wouldn’t wear it if they were going to be among a lot of other people.

Hoping she and Luka were on the same wavelength, she plucked the nearly transparent and very skimpy garment off its hanger and tucked it into her purse. With a smile still on her face, she set off toward Chesapeake Bay.

The vessel moored at slip D63 was a sleek sailboat, a thirty-foot Catalina C-30 sloop named
The Seawolf
. As Hayley admired its clean lines, Luka appeared from below, her finely toned body so enticing in a black bikini she could focus on nothing else. “Hey there, good lookin’.”

“Hey. Hi.” Luka leaned over the side of the boat and offered a hand.
Hayley carefully stepped over and into the cockpit, where she took in her surroundings with a pleased nod. The boat was probably fifteen years old or more, but didn’t look it. Its chrome accents had all been polished until they shone, and the bimini shielding them from the sun was new. So were the plush cushions on the benches surrounding the navigation equipment. Peeking down into the main saloon, she could see the teak cabinets had also been well cared for. “Nice boat. Does it come with paddles?” she asked playfully.
“Oh, damn. I knew I forgot something,” Luka replied.
“Looks like art restoration pays well.”
“Let’s just say I had to make a deal with the devil.”
“I could use a few deals like that on my salary, too,” Hayley said. “Maybe you could give me his number.”
“Shall I show you where you can change?” Luka gestured below. “It’s warm in the sun.”
“Sure.”
Luka led her down past the U-shaped galley and head, and stopped before the door to the forward cabin, which could sleep two in a bed shaped to fit the vee of the bow.
“Cozy. Very cozy.” Hayley squeezed past her, delightfully aware of Luka’s sharp intake of breath when their breasts brushed each other.
“Uh…can I…can I get you something to drink?”
When she pivoted back to face Luka, she caught Luka staring at her ass.
“Sure,” Hayley replied, pleased to see Luka color slightly in embarrassment. “Whatcha got?”
“Beer, soda, wine?”
“Wine. White, if you have it.”
As Hayley slipped into her bikini, she couldn’t help but notice that everything seemed a little
too
perfect. The bed was made up with an almost military precision, the cover carefully tucked and stretched to eliminate any trace of wrinkle. The clothes in the open shelves on either side were meticulously folded and stacked according to type and color.
She didn’t see many personal touches to give her any insight into Luka. A handful of seascape photographs she’d probably taken herself hung precisely above her pillows, and art supplies were tucked into a built-in niche by the door. She resisted the urge to glance through the sketchpad that lay on top, though the temptation was fierce.
But she did note a year-old ticket stub to a Formula One event in England sticking out of the sketchpad like a bookmark, and she wondered if it had any particular significance since Luka hadn’t mentioned any interest in the sport.She finished changing and emerged to find Luka in the galley, pouring chardonnay into two wineglasses.
“Have you had the boat long?”
“Yes, it’s…” Domino froze when she caught sight of Hayley’s swimsuit.
Hayley smiled. “Well, you did specify a very brief bikini.”
“I did. And you do it absolute justice,” Domino said, unable to take her eyes off Hayley’s body.
“Glad you think so.” Hayley stepped closer and reached for one of the wineglasses, allowing her a very close-up view of the nearly transparent triangles of material that pretended to cover her breasts. “Have to say I’m enjoying that bikini of yours, as well. Very sexy.”
Domino swallowed hard, her grip around the wineglass dangerously tight. The close proximity was about to break her. She made herself redirect her attention to the small cabin window behind Hayley.
“So, tell me. Where do you plan to take me?” Hayley’s voice was mischievous. “Somewhere we can get wet, I hope?”
I don’t know about you but I’m already there
. “I thought we’d sail for a while and then stop to eat. I have dinner on board.” She wanted to throw Hayley down on the deck right then and there.
“Sounds great. I’m sure we can find a way to work up an appetite.”
They cast off, and Hayley settled onto one of the long benches in the cockpit as Domino raised the sails and maneuvered through the bay and out to sea, paralleling the coast. The sky was a brilliant blue, and once they were away from other boat traffic, she luxuriated in the wind against her face, the smell of the salt air, and most especially, the rare company.
She knew she had a job to do. And Pierce had been clear that she should use any means necessary to stay close to Hayley. But today, she realized, she was doing this for herself as well. She really genuinely liked Hayley and enjoyed being with her. That was one reason she’d brought her here, away from intrusive ears. She didn’t know why, nor could she explain what at this point made her disregard her need to follow orders and, more importantly, her self-imposed rules.
The boat was and always had been more important to her than her own home. She had never felt attached to anything or anyone in her life except
The Seawolf
. It was the one place where she felt free yet anchored, as she chose. She was taking a chance bringing Hayley here, and she wasn’t in the habit of doing so. But something deep within her kept answering the question of Hayley’s presence onboard in the same way. A simple yet profound answer that confused her already complicated life.
It just feels right.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a carefree day. Though she often took to the boat when she needed to relax, memories of past events often haunted her time aboard, or the prospect of what was next preoccupied her.
Today was different. She felt
alive.
Even if only for today, even if just for this minute. She existed in the moment, with no past and no future. Like she could pretend the rest wasn’t there, that nothing else mattered, that Hayley could be the object of her desire, not her objective.
She couldn’t give in to those desires. Not yet. If this turned into a one-night stand before she found out what she needed, she might jeopardize the job. But as difficult as it was to maintain some distance between them, especially with Hayley in that damned delicious bikini, it was certainly worth it. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t have to force herself to smile or pretend to enjoy herself. She didn’t have to feign amusement at someone’s witty remark or fake being aroused. She
was
, for
real
. And the feeling, although unfamiliar, exhilarated her.
“What are you smiling at?”
Domino turned her head toward the inquiry. Hayley lay stretched out to her left, all languid and lazy.
“You,” she answered honestly. “Your ability to make me feel like this.” She knew Hayley could probably never understand how rare it was for her to experience this kind of contentment. “How about you? What are you smiling at?”
Hayley shrugged. “What’s not to smile at? Beautiful weather. Splendid setting. Great company. So, tell me…I make you feel like
this
?” She said the word provocatively, as though substituting something highly sexual for the term. “Care to explain what you mean by
this?
”
She stared toward the horizon and answered honestly, from her heart. “Like nothing else matters. Or ever has.” She directed the assessment as much to herself as to Hayley, because her state of being was so unusual and surprising.
“That has to be one of the most incredibly romantic things anyone has ever said to me.”
She gazed at Hayley, then away, unable to bear the sweet joy she saw on her face. She wished it could be so, that this beautiful day and their time alone together consisted only of romance, something she actually knew nothing of. But she was fooling herself, and Hayley’s wistful answer had snapped her back to reality, reminding her that Hayley was her assignment. Her target. She didn’t answer and kept her eyes on the horizon. She sensed Hayley studying her.
After a long while Hayley said, “You’re not the easiest woman to figure out, Luka Madison. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
She turned back to Hayley. One look at her and she was once again back in the moment.
Alive.
“You didn’t.” She brought
The Seawolf
close to shore, in a secluded alcove far from the crowds and pollution of the city. “Feel like a swim?”
“Sure.” Hayley dove in as soon as she dropped the mainsail, then returned to the deck for another dive as she secured the anchor. “The water feels great.”
Domino glanced at her as she took off her sunglasses, then immediately wished she hadn’t. Hayley lingered, watching her, one foot on the edge. Getting her sheer bikini wet had enhanced its nearabsolute transparency. And no way in hell could she keep from staring at those wonderful breasts, outlined in vivid clarity, the rosy areolas distinct and compelling.
“Coming?”
“How could I not?” The words were out before she registered what she was saying. As soon as she did, she started moving and had made it into the water before Hayley could respond.
But Domino saw the smile out of the corner of her eye.
They swam for a while, playful and flirtatious, Domino moving in for brief kisses and light caresses, then darting out of reach again to keep things from going too far. As the sun began to edge toward the horizon, they climbed back on the boat, where a close-up view of that irresistible bikini promptly confronted her again.
“Why don’t you relax, and I’ll start dinner.” She tried not to show the effect their kisses and the sight of Hayley nearly naked were having on her. “Can I get you some more wine?”
“I’ll be happy to help cook.”
She waved her off and headed toward the galley. “Not necessary, but thanks. Leave it to me.” She turned at the door and repeated, “Wine?”
“Yes, please.”
She got Hayley settled comfortably back onto the cushions aft and set to work on the recipes she’d brought along. The fish was the only certain success. She rarely cooked, but she routinely cleaned her catch and made it palatable, a necessity when you spent a good amount of time on the water. She’d bought some flounder at the marina and knew she could do it justice.
Normally, though, she ate prepackaged potato salad or some other easy convenience. Food was seldom high on her priority list, but she wanted to make a good impression on Hayley, and her desire had nothing to do with her assignment.
She was determined to cook an elaborate meal for two for the first time in her life. After all, she had successfully navigated through unfamiliar terrain all over the world. How hard could it be to follow a recipe?
An hour later Hayley called down from the cockpit, “Sure I can’t help?”
“Yes.” Her answer came out louder and more panicky than she intended. “No…uh, it’s all good. Thanks, though. Be right up.”
Thank God she hadn’t told Hayley what she’d planned to serve. She wouldn’t have to explain that the wild-rice pilaf had turned into a gluey, overcooked mess while she tried to figure out what constituted “medium high” heat on her tiny galley burners, which was why they were having instant mashed potatoes instead. Or that the mediocre coleslaw she was serving was a last-minute substitute for the fancy salad spoiled by burning the pine nuts and dropping the goat cheese.
At least they would have plenty to eat, because she had seriously miscalculated portion control. She had cooked enough to feed Hayley and several members of her extended family.
In fact, the food wouldn’t all fit on the small round table she’d put topside, so she placed the overflow on one of the benches.
“Are you expecting company?” Hayley asked with amusement as she set down the heaping pile of runny potatoes.
Domino was both relieved and disappointed to discover Hayley had put her shorts and tank top back on. Though the temperature was still mild, it was cooling off quickly as dusk neared, and there was a moderate breeze. She, too, had thrown on a T-shirt and shorts while waiting for the troublesome rice to cook. “I know it’s quite a bit but…”
Hayley laughed. “Too much is better than not enough?”
Domino refilled their wine. “That, too. But I was going to say I’m no culinary princess.”
At least the setting couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun was very near the horizon and painted the western sky with brilliant, warm hues—from burgundy red to bright orange. And all of the colors were reflected perfectly in the placid water beneath.
She watched anxiously as Hayley dug into the food.
“This is great,” Hayley enthused, after taking a bite of everything.
“Right.” Domino laughed, for she had tasted everything while she was dishing it up and had debated whether to serve any of it. The Count Chocula cereal in the cupboard had begun to look like an appealing alternative.
“Hey, I mean it,” Hayley replied, and Domino could tell she was serious. “After having to put up with my grandmother’s cooking, I can easily say everything else tastes great.”
“Not the domestic princess either?”
Hayley chuckled. “God, no. But you know what? I’d suffer through anything she cooked to have her back.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” Domino recalled the pertinent details she’d read in Hayley’s file. Her maternal grandparents were both deceased, so she was talking about her grandmother Margaret, who had died of a heart attack at the age of 84.
“It’s okay. It’s been a year now, though it doesn’t seem that long.” Hayley got a faraway look in her eyes, which grew moist with emotion. “Grammy was the one person I could turn to who never judged or pushed. And coming from a family whose members had militant beliefs and frequent arguments, it was a relief to hear an unbiased opinion. I didn’t have to constantly defend my every thought and decision to her.” Hayley gave a sad smile. “It wasn’t easy to constantly have to prove you’re as good as any guy and you weren’t put on the planet to marry a comfortable existence and breed soldiers.”
“Is your father in the military?” She knew the answer to this one, too, but she enjoyed hearing Hayley’s take on her family. Even though her words conveyed her frustration with them, her tone and expression told Domino what a loving, caring clan it was.
“Dad
was
—four years. Brother
is
, he’s a lifer—and my sister’s married to a marine. All very stubborn men. For a while I did what Dad expected—went to nursing school, worked in a hospital. He saw nursing as respectable preparation for being a wife and mother. But I didn’t want any of that.”
“What did your mother say?”
“Oh, Mom is great, but she’s so busy playing peacemaker she doesn’t dare pick sides,” Hayley said. “So she just stands on the sidelines, and when any conflicts arise, she pretends to remember she has something to do in the garden.”
Hayley gestured absentmindedly with her hand, emulating her mother, and knocked her wineglass off the table.
Without thinking, without even looking, Domino caught it before it hit the deck. Then she placed it back on the table without comment or change of expression, as if she had done nothing special.