fumed silently beside him, but he could almost hear her mind clicking away, looking for an argument to beat his. Too bad for her, he already knew there wasn't one. This was his op, damn it. He'd do it his way.
"Is there anything I can say to change your mind?"
"No."
"Then drop me off at the Ra," she told him far too mildly. "Why spend my last night in Cairo in a dump when I can sleep in a bed without fleas?"
"Nice try. But forget it. You won't find him on your own," Kane informed her coldly. Not surprised that she wanted to do what he would have done in the same position. "And if you were stupid enough to try, you'd be looking for new employment within the hour."
She turned to him. "But I—"
"Quit while you're ahead. Cooper. Nothing you say or do is going to change my mind."
She blew out a frustrated breath. "Know one of my favorite games I played with my brother when we were kids?" AJ asked, apropos of nothing, and far too sweetly.
Kane didn't give a damn, but he snapped out, "What?" anyway.
When he shot her an annoyed glance she smiled that annoying Julia Roberts smile that drove him nuts and raised an eyebrow. "Chicken."
CHAPTER FOUR
« ^ »
Kane Wright was intractable.
Stubborn.
Pigheaded.
And in charge, AJ reminded herself, let's not forget in charge .
Great White Shark. Minnow.
Got it. Didn't like it. But got it.
She would have given a lot to be able to read his mind right now. Then again, she wasn't wearing asbestos. She was probably better off not knowing. What he'd said already was just the tip of his iceberg, but the gist stung quite enough. And the knowledge would probably give her more performance anxiety than she already had.
She mulled over how she could go about convincing him she was invaluable after she'd proved herself just the opposite mere hours ago.
It was before dawn, but the Cairo streets were already teeming. Life went on. Kane's disguise was so effective that between the iffy streetlights and the pancake makeup he wore, she couldn't read his expression. Displeasure, however, radiated off of him in waves. She felt like a kid twho'd disappointed her favorite teacher.
And to be absolutely fair, she'd have felt the same way in his position if an unseasoned rookie had been foisted on her in such an all-fired rush. On the other hand, she thought grimly as Kane took a corner and narrowly missed three kids riding a single bicycle, which wobbled all over the road, if the rookie was exactly what the mission required, if the rookie was top in her sniping class, if that rookie could be used as bait to set the trap, if that rookie was 100 percent right for the job…
AJ sighed. She'd send the rookie home for screwing up!
Crap. She hated being logical about this.
God only knew Kane Wright was a brilliant field operative. But T-FLAC sure as hell hadn't hired him for his people skills. Besides, he had plenty of reason to be cranky with her.
People skills or not—in his case, a big not— the hero worship she'd been feeling for months had slipped a cog into something a little more personal when she'd met him for the first time three days ago at the briefing for this op.
While she had devoured his reports and his analytical papers on terrorism at the Academy, AJ hadn't thought of him as a man so much as an icon she'd set on a pedestal. Someone she would try to emulate. Someone whose career was everything she wanted her own to be. When they'd called her in from a training exercise to inform her she'd be going on assignment with Kane Wright, her heart had pounded so hard, she'd figured she might pass out with excitement at the great man's feet.
She'd wanted nothing more than to get out of that meeting and prove herself.
Then Kane strode into the briefing room. Dressed from head to toe in unrelieved black, he was a striking man, and her heart had done a different kind of hop, skip, and jump just looking at him. Heat speared into her from head to toe. The kind of hot awareness she'd never
"Is there anything I can say to change your mind?"
"No."
"Then drop me off at the Ra," she told him far too mildly. "Why spend my last night in Cairo in a dump when I can sleep in a bed without fleas?"
"Nice try. But forget it. You won't find him on your own," Kane informed her coldly. Not surprised that she wanted to do what he would have done in the same position. "And if you were stupid enough to try, you'd be looking for new employment within the hour."
She turned to him. "But I—"
"Quit while you're ahead. Cooper. Nothing you say or do is going to change my mind."
She blew out a frustrated breath. "Know one of my favorite games I played with my brother when we were kids?" AJ asked, apropos of nothing, and far too sweetly.
Kane didn't give a damn, but he snapped out, "What?" anyway.
When he shot her an annoyed glance she smiled that annoying Julia Roberts smile that drove him nuts and raised an eyebrow. "Chicken."
CHAPTER FOUR
« ^ »
Kane Wright was intractable.
Stubborn.
Pigheaded.
And in charge, AJ reminded herself, let's not forget in charge .
Great White Shark. Minnow.
Got it. Didn't like it. But got it.
She would have given a lot to be able to read his mind right now. Then again, she wasn't wearing asbestos. She was probably better off not knowing. What he'd said already was just the tip of his iceberg, but the gist stung quite enough. And the knowledge would probably give her more performance anxiety than she already had.
She mulled over how she could go about convincing him she was invaluable after she'd proved herself just the opposite mere hours ago.
It was before dawn, but the Cairo streets were already teeming. Life went on. Kane's disguise was so effective that between the iffy streetlights and the pancake makeup he wore, she couldn't read his expression. Displeasure, however, radiated off of him in waves. She felt like a kid twho'd disappointed her favorite teacher.
And to be absolutely fair, she'd have felt the same way in his position if an unseasoned rookie had been foisted on her in such an all-fired rush. On the other hand, she thought grimly as Kane took a corner and narrowly missed three kids riding a single bicycle, which wobbled all over the road, if the rookie was exactly what the mission required, if the rookie was top in her sniping class, if that rookie could be used as bait to set the trap, if that rookie was 100 percent right for the job…
AJ sighed. She'd send the rookie home for screwing up!
Crap. She hated being logical about this.
God only knew Kane Wright was a brilliant field operative. But T-FLAC sure as hell hadn't hired him for his people skills. Besides, he had plenty of reason to be cranky with her.
People skills or not—in his case, a big not— the hero worship she'd been feeling for months had slipped a cog into something a little more personal when she'd met him for the first time three days ago at the briefing for this op.
While she had devoured his reports and his analytical papers on terrorism at the Academy, AJ hadn't thought of him as a man so much as an icon she'd set on a pedestal. Someone she would try to emulate. Someone whose career was everything she wanted her own to be. When they'd called her in from a training exercise to inform her she'd be going on assignment with Kane Wright, her heart had pounded so hard, she'd figured she might pass out with excitement at the great man's feet.
She'd wanted nothing more than to get out of that meeting and prove herself.
Then Kane strode into the briefing room. Dressed from head to toe in unrelieved black, he was a striking man, and her heart had done a different kind of hop, skip, and jump just looking at him. Heat speared into her from head to toe. The kind of hot awareness she'd never
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