hurricane victims.”
“There always is, isn’t there?” she replied rhetorically.
He merely rolled his eyes at her.
When he didn’t speak, she demanded, “You’re not seriously going to put your neck on the line again, are you? I thought we agreed this stuff was over. For both of us.”
He sighed and moved toward the edge of the big deck. “Things have changed. My...role has changed.”
She wanted to shout at him that his role was to be Dawn’s dad and her lover and eventual husband. But she bit the words back. She’d known going into this relationship what his priorities were. But she’d thought she could change him. Or at least change his priorities. Foolish her. Yup, that was her heart cracking just a little bit more in her chest. How long until it shattered completely?
He continued. “Cargo ships have been seen making unscheduled stops in small ports along the east coast of Cuba. No off-loads or on-loads have been observed. We’ve been asked to poke around. Talk with the locals. See if they know something about any smuggling that might be going on.”
“What kind of smuggling?”
“No idea. Could be drugs, weapons, human trafficking...hell, it could be cigars for all I know.”
She snorted. “If the CIA wants to send us in to have a look, they think it’s more serious than cigars.”
He exhaled hard. “You always have been too smart for your own good.”
She took a step closer to him, to where he stared out at the woods. “It’s not our problem anymore. Other people with a death wish can go check it out.”
“But I’m uniquely qualified—” he started.
“Why? Because you’re practically a Russian agent yourself?”
He spun to face her. Something dark and cold emanated from him. This was the side of James Bond the movies never portrayed. They might get the fun and games right, but the movies mostly ignored what it meant to be a trained killer. A couple of her brothers were trained killers. She knew the signs of it in the way Alex held himself now. In how he watched everything and everyone, in the way he moved, always coiled, always ready to spring. He was a living, breathing hair trigger.
Alex spoke low and hard. “My father’s telling the powers-that-be in his government that I’m working for him. I can use that against him. I ought to be able to use his name to move around with impunity.”
“Until they get wind of you working for the CIA,” she retorted. “If your father thinks D.U. is a CIA front, you have to expect the Cubans to think the same thing. We’d end up in danger regardless of who your father is.”
He shrugged. “I have the skills to evade the Cubans. I know exactly how they’ve been trained. It’s how I was trained, dammit.”
“The CIA can find someone else to do the job,” she said implacably. She felt bad about coming across as a pushy bitch, but no way was she going to show him the true depth of her terror at the course shift his life had taken. He was heading down a path she and Dawn could not follow him down.
He huffed, sounding exasperated.
“What aren’t you telling me, Alex?”
“I already accepted the assignment.”
“Well, un accept it!”
“I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.”
“I mean I gave my word, and I’m going to do this.”
“And I’m supposed to sit at home like a good little woman and wait for you maybe not to come back? Ever?”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Yes,” he finally answered. “That’s about the way of it.”
“You expect me to sit around doing nothing while you sally forth to your possible death? Not a chance. If you go, I go.”
“That’s crazy. You’re not trained for this kind of mission.”
“And yet, Doctors Unlimited asked me to go on it.”
“You need to stay home.”
She planted her fists on her hips. “No. If you go, I’m going, too. And that’s an ultimatum.”
“I don’t deal well with ultimatums,” he snapped.
“And I don’t withdraw mine,” she snapped
“There always is, isn’t there?” she replied rhetorically.
He merely rolled his eyes at her.
When he didn’t speak, she demanded, “You’re not seriously going to put your neck on the line again, are you? I thought we agreed this stuff was over. For both of us.”
He sighed and moved toward the edge of the big deck. “Things have changed. My...role has changed.”
She wanted to shout at him that his role was to be Dawn’s dad and her lover and eventual husband. But she bit the words back. She’d known going into this relationship what his priorities were. But she’d thought she could change him. Or at least change his priorities. Foolish her. Yup, that was her heart cracking just a little bit more in her chest. How long until it shattered completely?
He continued. “Cargo ships have been seen making unscheduled stops in small ports along the east coast of Cuba. No off-loads or on-loads have been observed. We’ve been asked to poke around. Talk with the locals. See if they know something about any smuggling that might be going on.”
“What kind of smuggling?”
“No idea. Could be drugs, weapons, human trafficking...hell, it could be cigars for all I know.”
She snorted. “If the CIA wants to send us in to have a look, they think it’s more serious than cigars.”
He exhaled hard. “You always have been too smart for your own good.”
She took a step closer to him, to where he stared out at the woods. “It’s not our problem anymore. Other people with a death wish can go check it out.”
“But I’m uniquely qualified—” he started.
“Why? Because you’re practically a Russian agent yourself?”
He spun to face her. Something dark and cold emanated from him. This was the side of James Bond the movies never portrayed. They might get the fun and games right, but the movies mostly ignored what it meant to be a trained killer. A couple of her brothers were trained killers. She knew the signs of it in the way Alex held himself now. In how he watched everything and everyone, in the way he moved, always coiled, always ready to spring. He was a living, breathing hair trigger.
Alex spoke low and hard. “My father’s telling the powers-that-be in his government that I’m working for him. I can use that against him. I ought to be able to use his name to move around with impunity.”
“Until they get wind of you working for the CIA,” she retorted. “If your father thinks D.U. is a CIA front, you have to expect the Cubans to think the same thing. We’d end up in danger regardless of who your father is.”
He shrugged. “I have the skills to evade the Cubans. I know exactly how they’ve been trained. It’s how I was trained, dammit.”
“The CIA can find someone else to do the job,” she said implacably. She felt bad about coming across as a pushy bitch, but no way was she going to show him the true depth of her terror at the course shift his life had taken. He was heading down a path she and Dawn could not follow him down.
He huffed, sounding exasperated.
“What aren’t you telling me, Alex?”
“I already accepted the assignment.”
“Well, un accept it!”
“I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.”
“I mean I gave my word, and I’m going to do this.”
“And I’m supposed to sit at home like a good little woman and wait for you maybe not to come back? Ever?”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Yes,” he finally answered. “That’s about the way of it.”
“You expect me to sit around doing nothing while you sally forth to your possible death? Not a chance. If you go, I go.”
“That’s crazy. You’re not trained for this kind of mission.”
“And yet, Doctors Unlimited asked me to go on it.”
“You need to stay home.”
She planted her fists on her hips. “No. If you go, I’m going, too. And that’s an ultimatum.”
“I don’t deal well with ultimatums,” he snapped.
“And I don’t withdraw mine,” she snapped
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