back.
They glared daggers at each other. She could be just as stubborn and pigheaded as he could. If he was determined to do this supremely stupid thing, he damned well wasn’t going off by himself alone to do it and die.
A little voice in the back of her head whispered that this wasn’t the way to demonstrate her trust in him. She shoved away the realization that her declaration was partly based on desperation. If he decided to leave her, there wasn’t a darned thing she could do about it, right? Mentally, she knew that. But way down deep in her gut, she was forced to acknowledge that her ultimatum had as much to do with clinging to him as anything.
“What else aren’t you telling me?” she demanded.
“I don’t know anything more than I’ve told you.”
“If you’re dragging me off to Cuba, I have a right to know everything.”
“I don’t want to drag you to Cuba, dammit! I want you stay here and be safe.”
“Which is exactly what I want you to do, too.”
“Not happening.”
“Then I’m going to Cuba, whether you take me with you or not.”
He stared at her in frustration. She crossed her arms defensively and stared back. It was a long standoff, but she was a McCloud, and they were a tenacious bunch.
He finally declared, “You are the most stubborn, unreasonable female I’ve ever had the misfortune to know.”
Hah. Capitulation. She heard it in his voice. Gracious in victory, she murmured, “And that’s why you love me.”
He scowled, and she didn’t press the point. Instead, she asked, “Why is André going to all the trouble of infiltrating us into Cuba to hunt for something the CIA isn’t even sure exists? Does this have something to do with your father?”
“Maybe,” he answered candidly. “The close Cuban connection to Russia lends credence to the notion. Several of the ships that have been spotted belong to Russian front corporations, and some intelligence traffic has been tracked between Cuba and the FSB that corresponds to the appearances of the ships.”
“Is that why you’re so set on going on this wild-goose chase, then?”
“I’d definitely rather know what Peter’s up to than be operating in the blind.” He added quietly, “And so would the CIA.”
“Are you ever going to give up this never-ending battle against him?”
“I will if he will.”
She snorted. “Like that’s gonna happen.”
“Exactly.”
“Cuba, huh?” she said in resignation.
“ Please stay home,” he tried one last time.
“Please stay here with me,” she retorted.
“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “I can’t.”
“There are things going on around us I don’t understand, Alex, and I’m worried. My gut says something or someone’s closing in on us. Whoever took that shot at me on the terrace did not do it randomly. I think it would be best if we both got out of Washington and stayed off everybody’s radar for a while. Call it crazy women’s intuition.”
He stared at her for a long time. Secrets swirled in his turbulent, unwilling gaze. But in the end, keeping them to himself won out over talking her into staying home. She gathered, however, that he agreed with her intuition.
He released a long, unhappy sigh. “Are your parents going to be okay with keeping Dawn for a few weeks?”
“Lemme think,” she drawled. “More time to spoil their adorable only grandchild rotten? Gee. I don’t know.”
Alex smiled briefly, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. He had some inkling of who’d taken that shot at her and why. What about that had him so freaked out? Enough to give in and let her come to Cuba with him? Was it really going to be safer for her in a hostile country where being caught meant arrest or even possible death?
Wow. Not reassuring.
CHAPTER FOUR
A LEX LEANED BACK in his uncomfortable airplane seat and pretended to sleep. Why hadn’t CIA satellites picked up anything at all on the shooter at his condo yesterday? He’d been on the phone no
They glared daggers at each other. She could be just as stubborn and pigheaded as he could. If he was determined to do this supremely stupid thing, he damned well wasn’t going off by himself alone to do it and die.
A little voice in the back of her head whispered that this wasn’t the way to demonstrate her trust in him. She shoved away the realization that her declaration was partly based on desperation. If he decided to leave her, there wasn’t a darned thing she could do about it, right? Mentally, she knew that. But way down deep in her gut, she was forced to acknowledge that her ultimatum had as much to do with clinging to him as anything.
“What else aren’t you telling me?” she demanded.
“I don’t know anything more than I’ve told you.”
“If you’re dragging me off to Cuba, I have a right to know everything.”
“I don’t want to drag you to Cuba, dammit! I want you stay here and be safe.”
“Which is exactly what I want you to do, too.”
“Not happening.”
“Then I’m going to Cuba, whether you take me with you or not.”
He stared at her in frustration. She crossed her arms defensively and stared back. It was a long standoff, but she was a McCloud, and they were a tenacious bunch.
He finally declared, “You are the most stubborn, unreasonable female I’ve ever had the misfortune to know.”
Hah. Capitulation. She heard it in his voice. Gracious in victory, she murmured, “And that’s why you love me.”
He scowled, and she didn’t press the point. Instead, she asked, “Why is André going to all the trouble of infiltrating us into Cuba to hunt for something the CIA isn’t even sure exists? Does this have something to do with your father?”
“Maybe,” he answered candidly. “The close Cuban connection to Russia lends credence to the notion. Several of the ships that have been spotted belong to Russian front corporations, and some intelligence traffic has been tracked between Cuba and the FSB that corresponds to the appearances of the ships.”
“Is that why you’re so set on going on this wild-goose chase, then?”
“I’d definitely rather know what Peter’s up to than be operating in the blind.” He added quietly, “And so would the CIA.”
“Are you ever going to give up this never-ending battle against him?”
“I will if he will.”
She snorted. “Like that’s gonna happen.”
“Exactly.”
“Cuba, huh?” she said in resignation.
“ Please stay home,” he tried one last time.
“Please stay here with me,” she retorted.
“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “I can’t.”
“There are things going on around us I don’t understand, Alex, and I’m worried. My gut says something or someone’s closing in on us. Whoever took that shot at me on the terrace did not do it randomly. I think it would be best if we both got out of Washington and stayed off everybody’s radar for a while. Call it crazy women’s intuition.”
He stared at her for a long time. Secrets swirled in his turbulent, unwilling gaze. But in the end, keeping them to himself won out over talking her into staying home. She gathered, however, that he agreed with her intuition.
He released a long, unhappy sigh. “Are your parents going to be okay with keeping Dawn for a few weeks?”
“Lemme think,” she drawled. “More time to spoil their adorable only grandchild rotten? Gee. I don’t know.”
Alex smiled briefly, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. He had some inkling of who’d taken that shot at her and why. What about that had him so freaked out? Enough to give in and let her come to Cuba with him? Was it really going to be safer for her in a hostile country where being caught meant arrest or even possible death?
Wow. Not reassuring.
CHAPTER FOUR
A LEX LEANED BACK in his uncomfortable airplane seat and pretended to sleep. Why hadn’t CIA satellites picked up anything at all on the shooter at his condo yesterday? He’d been on the phone no
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