Oh, I get it. He snorted. Youre one of those kind of women.
She tilted her chin upwards. What kind of woman is that?
The kind that make promises they have no intention of delivering on.
I deliver on my promises!
When he only looked at her, she flushed but went on. And besides, it wasnt a promise, it was a business offer. You can blame your own bad judgment for not taking me up on it when I laid it on the table.
Yeah, right.
She was getting mad now, and temper turned her sky-blue eyes stormy. He wondered why he was deliberately provoking her. He should count himself fortunate that he had a replacement for the charter that had canceled. But something about the woman got under his skin, and he remained unconvinced that she hadnt had something to do with the cancellation. Dont worry about it. Sure, you were in a yank to hire me this afternoon when I was booked, but now Im free. Youre not the first person to take advantage of a situation like this.
Im not taking advantage. When he only raised his brows and reached for his bottle again, she ground her teeth together. Surely you can see that the situation this evening is completely different from the one this afternoon.
Two and a half times different.
I honestly dont know what the big deal is. You lost a charter, Im offering one to replace it. Mine will be worth more money anyway because its going to be longer.
Yeah, youre right. Thats fair. Its not your fault the other group pulled out, is it? He folded his arms on the table and leaned toward her. You cant help the fact that the fishing group decided at the last minute to book with someone else. And theres really no reason why that should concern you. But me, Im still kinda wondering. So while were waiting for the wire transfer to go through tomorrow, I think Ill mosey over to Ranacheks and see if one of the group wants to be a little more forthcoming.
Either she was a world-class actress or she really hadnt had anything to do with the canceled charter. There was only a flicker in her eyethere and gone so quickly he couldnt be sure hed seen it at all. Suit yourself. But I think your time would be better spent getting your ship ready for the charter you do have. And since it seems to mean so much to you, Ill agree to one and a half times your normal fee, for the first three days only. Thats how long the other charter would have lasted. I have to warn you, though. Im going to expect exemplary service, and if you fall short in any way at all, Ill be deducting a suitable amount from whats owed you at the end.
Honey, my service is always exemplary. Satisfied, he reached over and caught her hand in one of his, unmindful when her eyes widened and she would have pulled away. Solemnly he shook it, cementing their bargain, certain that she knew more than she was saying about the canceled fishing outing, or shed never have offered him more money.
And he was equally sure that despite the inflated fee shed agreed to pay him, he was still the one whod gotten hosed on the deal.
Analiese paced her motel room, the specially made phone to her ear. It looked like a normal cell phone, except that a regular one would have been useless on an island without even one transmitter tower. This unit relied on waves from a government satellite to transmit signals to a totally secure line in a location that was kept secret even from her.
Cmon, cmon, pick up, she muttered with each stride she took, and then stopped, relieved when the familiar fussy voice answered. Sterling? Did I wake you?
There was silence, then a long-suffering sigh. Analiese. I trust this is urgent. It didnt escape her attention that he hadnt answered her question, nor was she surprised. He was too well trained to give away even that much about his whereabouts.
All she knew of the man was the sound of his voice, which had helped paint the mental picture she had of him. From his proper British accent she had an image of a slender man in his midfifties with impeccable tailoring and a David Niven mustache. The reality was likely to be just the opposite. For all she knew, the accent was affected only for his phone conversations as a way to maintain his cover. Have you had any word from Sam yet?
His hesitation was its own answer, and desolation swirled in the pit of her stomach. As I said before, Ill contact you when
You still dont know where he is, she said flatly. Her nerves churned and clashed like grating gears. And despite Sterlings effort at an impassive tone, she knew he was as worried about her brother as she was. Or else he would never have called her at home several days ago to inquire, oh so discreetly, about the last time shed spoken to him.
I know the waiting is difficult, but I have no doubt that Sam will work himself free of any sticky situation he might have encountered. If hes able. Although the words remained unspoken, they eddied between them. The best thing you can do is remain at home and wait for
Im on Bontilla right now.
His sharply inhaled breath was evidence of more emotion than shed ever heard from him. Analiese, listen to me carefully. I want you to go home immediately.
I was able to hack into Sams computer files and trace him this far, she said recklessly, stopping before the window to stare out at the waves with a sightless gaze. She didnt bother to tell him that shed been chipping away at her brothers computer security for over two years now. While a great deal of it remained maddeningly encrypted, shed pieced together enough to have a good suspicion that his cover as an international lawyer hid a career much more dangerous, much more covert. And that Sterling knew every detail about it. Ive set up a charter to go to Laconos tomorrow. She thought, but couldnt be sure, she heard a low groan coming from the other end of the connection.
I dont think that would be prudent.
She whirled from the window, concern suddenly turning to anger. I dont give a damn about prudent, Sterling. My brother has been missing two weeks, and you dont have the faintest idea where he is. Now, unless youre about to tell me that youve got a search-and-rescue plan lined up, youd better get used to the fact that Im going in.
And just what is it you think you can accomplish there? Sterlings voice was harder than shed ever heard it. Sam has years of experience handling difficult matters while youyouve done only occasional courier work, which, I might add, would be totally against your brothers wishes if he were to find out.
Ill let you worry about that, since youre the one who enlisted my services on those occasions.
A fact Ive often regretted.
If she werent so anxious about Sam she would have been offended. As it was she pressed her hand to her stomach in an effort to calm the nerves there. You arent sending anyone in after him, are you?
I had some inquiries out a few days ago, he admitted. I learned nothing.
She winced at the news, but if anything it made her more determined. Then its not going to hurt for me to poke around a bit.
Silence stretched, so long that she began to wonder if theyd been disconnected. When Sterling spoke again, there was a note of resignation in his voice. It has to be done discreetly, or you could jeopardize his position if hes still on the island.