Close Quarters by Lucy Monroe

his matter-of-fact way, “So, who?”
    â€œHow public is the schedule for the traveling clinic?” Roman asked, assuming his communications expert would have an answer.
    He wasn’t disappointed. “Pretty public. They like to get the word out in advance, so people can travel from the surrounding villages to attend the clinics.”
    â€œAnyone could have known she would be on that trip then?” That didn’t give them squat.
    â€œWell, as to that, the team originally assigned did not include her,” Neil put in, reminding Roman of what Tanya had told him in the Rover. Neil must have found it after they’d left. He was the information king and for that, Roman was always grateful. “She decided to go and Fleur did not overrule her.”
    â€œThat’s interesting,” Kadin mused.
    Roman pulled the odd electronic device he’d taken off the Zimbabwean soldiers out of his pocket. “So is this. Any clue as to what it does?” he asked Neil.
    Neil put his hand out and Roman gave him the device.
    The other man turned it over and examined it closely. “It has a nonstandard outgoing USB port, but nothing for input. This looks like an on-off button,” he said, pressing part of the shell. “I’m going to have to take it apart to figure it out for sure, but my guess would be it is some kind of hand-held, wireless transfer device. The fact that it doesn’t have any input mechanism implies it is storage only.”
    â€œConsidering the miniaturization of storage devices, it could hold a hell of a lot, right?” Roman asked, his gut twisting at the implications.
    Neil nodded. “Unless it’s old technology, which it doesn’t look like, it could easily hold the JCAT software.”
    â€œWell, damn,” Kadin grumbled.
    Roman agreed. Nothing about this assignment, or the woman who was supposed to be their target, was simple and straightforward. Not one damn thing. “If it was meant to make the transfer, Tanya had to have the program on her in the Rover.”
    And what were the chances she had and didn’t know it? Zilch, right? Damn. Shit. Piss. He released a frustrated growl as Kadin started glaring again. Not that the man’s usual expression was all that pleasant, but he looked ready to kill someone and Roman didn’t have a death wish. Or the desire to hurt his friend protecting himself.
    â€œShe might not have been the one with the JCAT software, even if the roadblock was put in place to make the transfer.” Neil didn’t look like it mattered much to him either way. He had that “lost in thought” expression on his face that he got when faced with a unique computer problem.
    â€œRight,” Kadin said. “It could have been one of the other two.”
    â€œIt could, but I have to make sure it wasn’t Tanya.” Roman sighed, and debated not telling them his plan, then decided they’d figure it out once he started it anyway. “I told Corbin I would perform my own strip search.”
    Kadin opened his mouth, but Roman forestalled him. “Don’t. First, I’ve done worse and so have you to protect our country’s interests. Second, Corbin wanted me to let the soldiers do the search. I convinced him it was my operation and that a public strip search wasn’t in our country’s best interests.”
    â€œYou’ve ignored Corbin before,” Kadin accused.
    â€œWhen I thought he was wrong, yes. But I don’t think he is. We need to know and we’ve already searched her domicile and workplace.”
    â€œThere are still the other computers in the compound.”
    â€œYeah, but that little gizmo implies that if she is the target, she had the plans with her today.” He rolled his shoulders, trying to release tension that did not want to let go. “Look, she’s attracted to me. I’ll seduce her and she’ll never even know I did the