the airport, at least not to try to catch a commercial flight. We’ll confuse him.”
“Which is the exact state we want him to be in. Doing the unexpected jars the framework, it forces the other players to adjust their planning. It ups the chances that something or someone might slip up, at leastenough to give us another piece of the puzzle. It’s important we use what leverage we have to our best advantage.”
She nodded again, but her gaze was more intent on him.
“What?” he asked, when she continued to regard him in silence.
“Nothing. I just…” She trailed off, lifted a shoulder. “You’re so focused in all this, clearly in your comfort zone, very confident and methodical. On the one hand it reassures me, makes me feel like I can trust you.”
“You can,” he said automatically. “Always.”
She nodded right away, and it was almost ridiculous how good that made him feel. “I know that, in ways that aren’t necessarily rational or even proven.” She held his gaze. “But I do know that.”
“Good,” he said, trying like hell to keep the situation all about business. This was hard to do when his heart was celebrating what felt like an important milestone in their relationship. A relationship that didn’t exist because it had nowhere to go, he reminded himself.
“On the other hand,” she went on, “it scares me. I’ve had a lot of loss in my life, Max.” It was the first time he’d seen her look truly vulnerable. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
He wished he could outright guarantee her he would be fine. But he couldn’t do that. She trusted him, and that meant telling her the truth, even when it was a truth she didn’t want to hear. “I’ve pledged to keep you safe, Rio. I’ll do that no matter what it takes.”
She held his gaze, and then nodded. “That’s the thing that scares me the most.”
7
P RETENDING TO BE the Ghost’s lackey, when, in fact, he was the Ghost, sometimes had its drawbacks. Like now when he was questioned every step of the way. Jammer had learned that hiding in plain sight was all about perception. The Ghost had never been caught because he didn’t really exist. He was Jammer’s fabrication that had effectively thrown off the DEA, FBI, CIA and all the other alphabet-soup agencies who’d put the Ghost on their ten-most-wanted lists.
Jammer stood on the balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The water was a glittering aquamarine. The warm breeze brought with it the smell of the ocean, and he breathed deep.
With quick flicks of his wrist, he toyed with a butterfly switchblade, flipping the razor-thin blades in and out of the handle. The scissoring sound a soft snick.
He could see a woman on the beach with a small girl, digging in the sand. The woman threw her head back and laughed at something the child said and his heart clutched in his chest. Grabbing up the child, the woman hugged her until the child squirmed.
For a fleeting moment, Jammer wondered what itwould be like to have that. Someone who gave a damn. Her name, her presence was always there at the edge of his mind. Gina.
Had it only been two weeks ago that he’d last seen Gina lying in the hospital after a rival arms dealer with a personal beef had tried to kill her by running her over? He’d met her in Paris about a month ago. It was still hard to believe that the delicate woman had put together a major buy with what had been a lethal arms dealer.
Because of her accident, the deal they had planned had been finished by her twin sister and the sister looked so much like Gina, she had almost duped him. But he knew Gina on such a deep level that a double couldn’t fool him.
He’d fallen way too fast and way too hard for Gina and now he doubted he’d ever get her out of his heart or his head. He let her go for the moment and focused on his purpose.
He was here to capture a woman, a DEA agent, and use the knowledge she possessed to get what he needed to complete this job.
“Which is the exact state we want him to be in. Doing the unexpected jars the framework, it forces the other players to adjust their planning. It ups the chances that something or someone might slip up, at leastenough to give us another piece of the puzzle. It’s important we use what leverage we have to our best advantage.”
She nodded again, but her gaze was more intent on him.
“What?” he asked, when she continued to regard him in silence.
“Nothing. I just…” She trailed off, lifted a shoulder. “You’re so focused in all this, clearly in your comfort zone, very confident and methodical. On the one hand it reassures me, makes me feel like I can trust you.”
“You can,” he said automatically. “Always.”
She nodded right away, and it was almost ridiculous how good that made him feel. “I know that, in ways that aren’t necessarily rational or even proven.” She held his gaze. “But I do know that.”
“Good,” he said, trying like hell to keep the situation all about business. This was hard to do when his heart was celebrating what felt like an important milestone in their relationship. A relationship that didn’t exist because it had nowhere to go, he reminded himself.
“On the other hand,” she went on, “it scares me. I’ve had a lot of loss in my life, Max.” It was the first time he’d seen her look truly vulnerable. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
He wished he could outright guarantee her he would be fine. But he couldn’t do that. She trusted him, and that meant telling her the truth, even when it was a truth she didn’t want to hear. “I’ve pledged to keep you safe, Rio. I’ll do that no matter what it takes.”
She held his gaze, and then nodded. “That’s the thing that scares me the most.”
7
P RETENDING TO BE the Ghost’s lackey, when, in fact, he was the Ghost, sometimes had its drawbacks. Like now when he was questioned every step of the way. Jammer had learned that hiding in plain sight was all about perception. The Ghost had never been caught because he didn’t really exist. He was Jammer’s fabrication that had effectively thrown off the DEA, FBI, CIA and all the other alphabet-soup agencies who’d put the Ghost on their ten-most-wanted lists.
Jammer stood on the balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The water was a glittering aquamarine. The warm breeze brought with it the smell of the ocean, and he breathed deep.
With quick flicks of his wrist, he toyed with a butterfly switchblade, flipping the razor-thin blades in and out of the handle. The scissoring sound a soft snick.
He could see a woman on the beach with a small girl, digging in the sand. The woman threw her head back and laughed at something the child said and his heart clutched in his chest. Grabbing up the child, the woman hugged her until the child squirmed.
For a fleeting moment, Jammer wondered what itwould be like to have that. Someone who gave a damn. Her name, her presence was always there at the edge of his mind. Gina.
Had it only been two weeks ago that he’d last seen Gina lying in the hospital after a rival arms dealer with a personal beef had tried to kill her by running her over? He’d met her in Paris about a month ago. It was still hard to believe that the delicate woman had put together a major buy with what had been a lethal arms dealer.
Because of her accident, the deal they had planned had been finished by her twin sister and the sister looked so much like Gina, she had almost duped him. But he knew Gina on such a deep level that a double couldn’t fool him.
He’d fallen way too fast and way too hard for Gina and now he doubted he’d ever get her out of his heart or his head. He let her go for the moment and focused on his purpose.
He was here to capture a woman, a DEA agent, and use the knowledge she possessed to get what he needed to complete this job.
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