SLEEPER (Crossfire Series) (21 page)

His smile told her he wasn’t fooled by her quick cover-up. She’d better be more careful while sparring words with him. She had no intention of letting him know that her motivation was selfishness rather than concern over doing her job well. She’d wanted to return home in triumph, to ensure that her record ended not with a hurried escape but with an operation befitting someone of her caliber.

“Why would you want to test an old lady?” she continued, trying not to choke on that word. “For ten years I’ve delivered, so my record speaks for itself. I don’t have anything to prove.”

“Forgive my curiosity then, but why did you want to be the one to demonstrate the device to headquarters? You were willing to take a big risk, sneaking in that device. My way was much better. I’d have sacrificed a stupid girl, instead of an experienced operative like you. There are people blowing themselves up all over the place these days. What’s one more? Therefore, there’s less suspicion someone else planted a bomb.” Gunther tapped his cheroot on the ashtray. “So, from my perspective, you wanted to show you still have the skills. My question is, why, if you’re retiring.”

He really was quite a sharp and observant man. It was a shame she was planning to get rid of him.

“I like to do things personally because there’s less chance of failure.” She smiled nastily. “After all, if I’d been allowed to do my job, the device wouldn’t have disappeared with the girl, would it? And we wouldn’t be wasting all these months tracking after her and looking for the damn thing now, would we?”

He studied her as he smoked, seemingly unperturbed he was the one who had failed. Greta wondered whether he was in trouble with headquarters, since he was the one who had deviated from the original orders. However, that still didn’t explain why he was trying to stop her every time she got near Llallana Noretski. No, there was more to this than mere competition. He’d mentioned doing business together.

“Actually,” he said, as he exhaled another puff of smoke, “I was under orders to try something different. There are people higher up who thought it would be too much work for someone who’s just returned to action. So they asked me to activate another one of ours in the CIA to see whether there was another alternative.”

Greta looked at Gunther with as little facial expression as possible. So she’d been right. Some of them did think she wasn’t capable anymore. That was what she was afraid of. Apparently, being ten years older meant she wasn’t up to carrying a simple device into a summit of politicians and getting close enough to plant it on a target.

She patted her newly dyed hair. She’d taken care of her face and body all these years, but, of course, there were no pictures of the new look. All they saw was the dowdy old secretary she’d played so well. Too damn well, it appeared, because they’d begun to believe she really looked like that.

“Now you need me for some reason,” she said. “What can an old lady like me do for you and the agency? I might as well pack up now and go home. I have many relatives I want to visit.”

Maybe she should forget triumph and glory. She could be just as happy at the
dacha
, enjoying meeting her family. She could finish knitting the shawl for her niece. And maybe even travel around.

“No need to be so dramatic, Greta. You were never this unreasonable when you were in D.C.,” Gunther chided. “Why, you were always businesslike. I’ve enjoyed your professionalism whenever we communicated, but, now, I’m seeing a different side of you. I must say you’re looking very attractive.”

“This is me,” Greta said. She darted him a quick glance. Was he flirting with her? “That was Greta the secretary. I assure you, I’m a lot more capable than that woman.”

“I’m afraid your letting out the word in the market about a missing special weapon has caught a lot of interest. She’s after the device. I want you to lure her out and make her a partner or something. She can’t have the device. Or Lily. They’re both important for our operations.”

“My niece?” Greta frowned. “I haven’t been in touch with any of my relatives for years. Security protocol, as you know. They’re all kids still in school. Why do you think they’re involved?”

“Ah, Greta, Greta. Ten years, my dear,” Gunther said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “Your young nieces and nephews are all grown up. Don’t tell me you still think they are teenagers? The niece I want you to contact was married to one of our generals, but you know how that is—poverty has turned her to more lucrative business. It seems female empowerment runs in your family genes.”

“What are you talking about?” Her niece. Greta frowned again. Which one? There were three that she remembered and they’d been the sweetest little kids when she’d left them. But…Gunther was right. They weren’t kids anymore. “What’s she doing now?”

“She was married to a general, I told you. That means she’s been making money selling all the Russian weaponry that she could get her hands on. She’s quite notorious back home, let me tell you. Our government indulges her because she does bring back some items for them and she’s promised them the device. We, of course, don’t want certain parties in the government to have it. We are, after all, trying to rebuild the old system.”

In many ways, her agency was just like the CIA, an entity with its own agenda apart from the government. “How do I contact this niece then?”

“I’ve done it. I’m the handler, remember? She’ll be here later today, because she’s just as curious about meeting the legendary Aunty Greta, as she called you. We have plans for her and we need your cooperation.”

“My niece. What’s her name?” She wasn’t happy about being caught by surprise again. It seemed Gunther had more advantage over her than she’d anticipated. “And how come I didn’t know about this before?”

“How do the Americans put it—need-to-know basis?” Gunther put out his cheroot. “Do you remember Talia?”

Talia, dark hair and pink cheeks, with snow all over her hat when Greta had last seen her. Talia wouldn’t be a gawky teenager anymore.

“Of course,” she said coolly.

Gunther tapped on his computer. “Here’s our last photo of her. Except for the scar, a beautiful woman.”

This would be the first time Greta had really looked at a member of her family. “Does she know why we want to talk to her?” she asked, pretending not to look too eagerly at the screen. From this distance, her niece looked absolutely beautiful. Dark hair and pretty smile, just as she remembered. “I don’t see any scars.”

“You’re sitting too far away. It’s not that noticeable, especially when she has makeup on. I’ll print a hard copy for you after breakfast. She suffered some cuts on her face some time ago from a homemade bomb. It didn’t exactly disfigure her, but you know how it is with beautiful young women. She went for plastic surgery to repair the damage.”

“She’s gorgeous,” Greta murmured. But then the women in her family had always turned heads.

“There’s a thin scar from there to there,” Gunther told her, moving his finger on the screen. “Other than that, she’s managed to come out of that incident more beautiful than ever, I must say. With her new-found wealth, I’m sure she’s enhanced a little bit here and there.”

CHAPTER 12

“That’s a beautiful hotel. Your friend must be really wealthy to be able to afford a private suite.”

It wasn’t just a regular hotel suite, not when there was a private elevator that led straight to the parking garage. Lily slanted Reed a sideways glance. She’d never met a gunrunner who had such highly placed friends. An art dealer, yes.

“I’m guessing that’s what those passports are for.” Reed drove the car out of the garage, turning into the side street. “It’s still illegal.”

Too late to deny it. It wasn’t that difficult to put two and two together. “He’s friends with you,” she pointed out, “and he lets you stay at his place. So he isn’t as lily white as you make him sound.”

Her comment obviously amused him. He had the most devastating smile when he used it. She barely knew the man, but she noticed little things about him—that he didn’t smile much, that he knew exactly what to say to fluster her. He also knew how to arouse her.

She looked out the window, trying not to think about his hands and lips. Yes, she barely knew him, but, somehow, in the short time they’d been together, she had gotten to know his touch too well. And, unlike other times, when she’d been the one who’d left her partner satisfied, she was now on the receiving end.

She recognized it because she’d done this to others. He’d deliberately pleasured her intimately but had held himself back. Of course, no available protection had played a part, but he was the first man she’d met who had let that stop his own pleasure. That told her a lot about Reed.

A few days with him. She shivered at the thought. Would she hold herself back like she always did when it came to intimacy?

“Cold? Do you want the heater higher?” Reed asked.

Lily shook her head. She didn’t want to let him know that his foreplay in the suite had been a success. For months all her thoughts had been focused on the girls and survival. How could one man’s touch change all that? It was embarrassing.

She could trace it step by step. He’d seen her naked. He’d touched her. He’d kissed her intimately. And he’d dressed her. But it wasn’t as simple as that. Seeing her nudity and touching her weren’t the same as taking off her clothes and washing her body. She could still feel his hands on her nakedness. And then he’d managed to be even closer this morning when she’d woken up. She felt as if she’d given control of her body to him. He’d put on this sweater. He’d zipped up these pants. And he hadn’t brought up underwear. She knew why. He wanted her to think of him all day.

She listened to the quiet purring of the car for a few moments. “Betrayal.” She hadn’t said that word aloud to anyone. It was almost a relief. “The kind that’s unforgivable. Have you done anything like that to someone you love?”

“No, but it’s happened to me,” Reed said. Stopping at a red light, he turned to her. “It isn’t a nice feeling to be kicked in the teeth.”

Lily laughed humorlessly. “Well, I kicked my friends in the teeth.”

“Have you talked to them about it?”

“Of course not. I betrayed them, and then I ran.” She shoved a hand through her hair. “Besides, it’s not so simple. The light’s green.”

She looked around too. There were several other cars parked there, but no one was in the vehicles. “Do we get out or stay in here? What are you looking at?”

“Making sure there isn’t anyone targeting us.”

She couldn’t see anybody. She felt bad she was putting him in danger. “I’m sorry to be so much trouble,” she said.

He reached out for her hand and laced her fingers with his. “I’ve been in worse,” he told her. His eyes warmed as his gaze traveled down the length of her. “And never with such lovely company by my side.”

“Hah, flirt.” She enjoyed the way he looked at her. “So what did you say to your friend who told you to forgive?”

He studied their entwined hands. “His name was Arch. He was sort of a father figure. Forgiveness is earned, Lily. I can’t forgive when everything’s not in the open, when no one talks about it.” He shrugged. “It’s a secret, so I can’t talk about it.”