excitement has resulted in a great deal of perspiration. A shower was in order.
“I had an associate visit your villa and pack a bag. You really should not leave your passport in an unlocked desk drawer. It would sell for thousands of dollars on the black market.” This was her day to get lectured by overbearing males—ones with very valid and logical arguments. She couldn’t complain. One had saved her life and the other brought with him a set of clean clothes.
The look she gave Jason must have been pitiful. He shook his head and grinned. “The shower is through the bedroom on your right.”
* * * *
“There’s a shower in the bedroom to her left too,” Dan observed after Nulli disappeared behind the solid wooden door.
Jason leveled a stare and lifted a challenging eyebrow.
Dan raised his hands in mock surrender. “Enough with the death glare. I got the message loud and clear when I came back and saw you two cuddling.”
“You have a flair for exaggeration.” The defensiveness in his own voice surprised him.
“So she’s not taken?”
Their gazes met.
Dan shook his head. “As I’ve said—you’ve got serious issues.”
Not comfortable with where the conversation was headed, Jason changed the subject. “What are we dealing with?”
His friend knew when to shift gears. “They’ve got eyes on the hotel. There’s no way you can drive her out without having half a dozen cars in hot pursuit. If it were my operation, I’d set off an improvised explosive device as a distraction before storming in.”
Jason agreed with the assessment. That’s exactly how he would infiltrate a location with this level of security. “How long do we have?”
“A few hours at the minimum. Bombs are easy to make but they don’t grow on trees. They’re using local thugs, so it’ll happen after evening prayers. I have our surveillance detection folks watching them. Once they plant the bomb, we’ll have at least half an hour to get out. Plenty of notice.” Dan didn’t sound too concerned. They had a good plan—they just needed to pull it off.
“How’s our friend Tom?” The man ran a floundering security consultancy. Jason didn’t like working with amateurs, but World Protective Services was the only game in town with enough assets to do what was needed.
“Surprisingly helpful.” Dan seemed to mull over recent negotiations before continuing. “Then again, business has been shitty. I offered him a huge chunk of change. Zahra is sending over her father’s private jet. They’re fueling in Dubai as we speak. As soon as it lands, I’ll call Tom and he’ll fly his helicopter to the roof.”
Jason didn’t like putting all his eggs in one basket. “What kind of helicopter is it?”
Dan looked as if he was suppressing a shudder. “The ancient MD 500. I trained on the military Defender version back in the day.” With those words, Dan unfolded from his seat. “I’ll go and arrange ground transport just in case the rotor doesn’t start. It’ll be dicey, but if we’re forced to go over land we won’t be in a position to be choosy.”
“I’ll—”
“You’ll stay here.” His friend’s tone was firm. “It’s where you want to be. I’ve got the situation under control, and I’ll call you the moment things go sideways.”
Jason crossed his arms. “What am I supposed to do here? Knit?”
Dan snorted. “From the looks of it, you’ve got some unfinished business with this girl. I’m giving you a few hours to iron out the kinks.”
Jason lifted his gaze upward. “There are no kinks.”
“Yeah. That’s why after saving her life and getting her all grateful and goo-goo eyed, I found you two cuddling on the sofa like an old married couple.” If Dan had a point, Jason couldn’t decipher it.
“She’s…an acquaintance.”
“Acquaintances don’t stay in daily contact for six months, and they don’t snuggle after a high-speed chase through the world’s most dangerous city. Whatever you
“I had an associate visit your villa and pack a bag. You really should not leave your passport in an unlocked desk drawer. It would sell for thousands of dollars on the black market.” This was her day to get lectured by overbearing males—ones with very valid and logical arguments. She couldn’t complain. One had saved her life and the other brought with him a set of clean clothes.
The look she gave Jason must have been pitiful. He shook his head and grinned. “The shower is through the bedroom on your right.”
* * * *
“There’s a shower in the bedroom to her left too,” Dan observed after Nulli disappeared behind the solid wooden door.
Jason leveled a stare and lifted a challenging eyebrow.
Dan raised his hands in mock surrender. “Enough with the death glare. I got the message loud and clear when I came back and saw you two cuddling.”
“You have a flair for exaggeration.” The defensiveness in his own voice surprised him.
“So she’s not taken?”
Their gazes met.
Dan shook his head. “As I’ve said—you’ve got serious issues.”
Not comfortable with where the conversation was headed, Jason changed the subject. “What are we dealing with?”
His friend knew when to shift gears. “They’ve got eyes on the hotel. There’s no way you can drive her out without having half a dozen cars in hot pursuit. If it were my operation, I’d set off an improvised explosive device as a distraction before storming in.”
Jason agreed with the assessment. That’s exactly how he would infiltrate a location with this level of security. “How long do we have?”
“A few hours at the minimum. Bombs are easy to make but they don’t grow on trees. They’re using local thugs, so it’ll happen after evening prayers. I have our surveillance detection folks watching them. Once they plant the bomb, we’ll have at least half an hour to get out. Plenty of notice.” Dan didn’t sound too concerned. They had a good plan—they just needed to pull it off.
“How’s our friend Tom?” The man ran a floundering security consultancy. Jason didn’t like working with amateurs, but World Protective Services was the only game in town with enough assets to do what was needed.
“Surprisingly helpful.” Dan seemed to mull over recent negotiations before continuing. “Then again, business has been shitty. I offered him a huge chunk of change. Zahra is sending over her father’s private jet. They’re fueling in Dubai as we speak. As soon as it lands, I’ll call Tom and he’ll fly his helicopter to the roof.”
Jason didn’t like putting all his eggs in one basket. “What kind of helicopter is it?”
Dan looked as if he was suppressing a shudder. “The ancient MD 500. I trained on the military Defender version back in the day.” With those words, Dan unfolded from his seat. “I’ll go and arrange ground transport just in case the rotor doesn’t start. It’ll be dicey, but if we’re forced to go over land we won’t be in a position to be choosy.”
“I’ll—”
“You’ll stay here.” His friend’s tone was firm. “It’s where you want to be. I’ve got the situation under control, and I’ll call you the moment things go sideways.”
Jason crossed his arms. “What am I supposed to do here? Knit?”
Dan snorted. “From the looks of it, you’ve got some unfinished business with this girl. I’m giving you a few hours to iron out the kinks.”
Jason lifted his gaze upward. “There are no kinks.”
“Yeah. That’s why after saving her life and getting her all grateful and goo-goo eyed, I found you two cuddling on the sofa like an old married couple.” If Dan had a point, Jason couldn’t decipher it.
“She’s…an acquaintance.”
“Acquaintances don’t stay in daily contact for six months, and they don’t snuggle after a high-speed chase through the world’s most dangerous city. Whatever you
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