tunnels that ran beneath the city, called the Odessa Catacombs. It took them a month and a half of walking and hiding within the secret corridors, which hadn’t been turned into a tourist attraction. They did not speak aloud the entire time, and they fed on a diet of rats and insects, drinking dirty rainwater that leaked down into the murky and labyrinthine corridors. Since that time, Tyka had found that tunnels, or any enclosed spaces, caused her to panic.
So she’d deal with the desert, the hot sun, camel hide, and Mahmoud’s slick pretensions any day.
“Would you like some water, Ms. Tyka?” he asked with that same amused grin. “It looks like you are a bit warm.”
“I’m fine,” she shot back, turning to look at him with a sneer. “And I really don’t find this amusing. Not only that, but it feels like you have compromised our mission just to watch me ride a camel.”
“Don’t underestimate me,” he said in a voice that was considerably more serious. “This was the only way for us to get where we need to be without alerting any suspicions. Surely you don’t think I’m that desperate. I assure you, if I wanted to watch beautiful women riding camels, it wouldn’t be difficult.”
Tyka turned back around with a shrug. She’d bide her time. They’d do what they needed to. And as soon as possible, she’d get as far away from him as she could.
‡‡‡
AJ HAD SET UP an awesome version of mission control in the dining room of Mahmoud’s villa, if she did say so herself. She was pleased with her work, having established a global network on the fly in no time flat. This was what she excelled at, and suddenly, being asked to do the most difficult setup imaginable, she could feel the cells of her body come alive, the neurons within her firing quicker, electrical currents moving from her brain all over her skin. She was so excited about her own personal genius that she was drinking red wine and smoking a cigarillo while blasting a tune that reminded her of her youth: Judy Garland singing “Almost Like Being in Love.”
Mahmoud was right. It was one hell of a speaker system.
Finding a moment of peace for the first time since the interrupted wedding, AJ lit up a second cigarillo and continued to revel in her talents.
‡‡‡
LISA BEE WAS TRYING to run a brush through her hair and failing. It seemed to be turning into bright red dreadlocks. She was standing up because she thought she’d fall asleep if she sat down. So she was not only standing but sashaying from side to side. She hadn’t slept for a while, and in addition, it had been a really emotional time. She was about to give up and pass out when she heard Jackson say from behind her, “You look like you’re hoppin’ to go. Ready, L’il Bee?”
She turned to glare at him, and he looked down at the ground like he’d been punished. Hell, she didn’t want to be angry with him; he was just acting so strange all of a sudden. And now she was stuck with him for the next few days, or however long this was going to take. And then she was pissed about being pissed: The person who normally calmed her down was now annoying her. “I’ll be ready in a couple minutes, Jackson. I’m just really tired—I gotta sleep at some point, don’t you?”
“Ah, you know me,” he said with a cautious smile. “I never need to sleep.”
“Well, some of us actually do.”
“You want me to make you a coffee? I can make you a strong one.”
“That’ll be great,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll be down in a few.”
“Hey, Bee,” he began. “I’m really sorry about what happened before. I just got kinda thrown off. Yeah, so I wanted to talk to you about—”
“Cool it, Jackie,” she said, cutting him off. “Whatever it was, I’m glad it’s done. Let’s just keep our eyes on the job, okay?”
“Okay,” he said after a pause, looking uncertain. God, this was so unlike him! “Sure. So I’m relying on you to keep me on task here—we gotta
So she’d deal with the desert, the hot sun, camel hide, and Mahmoud’s slick pretensions any day.
“Would you like some water, Ms. Tyka?” he asked with that same amused grin. “It looks like you are a bit warm.”
“I’m fine,” she shot back, turning to look at him with a sneer. “And I really don’t find this amusing. Not only that, but it feels like you have compromised our mission just to watch me ride a camel.”
“Don’t underestimate me,” he said in a voice that was considerably more serious. “This was the only way for us to get where we need to be without alerting any suspicions. Surely you don’t think I’m that desperate. I assure you, if I wanted to watch beautiful women riding camels, it wouldn’t be difficult.”
Tyka turned back around with a shrug. She’d bide her time. They’d do what they needed to. And as soon as possible, she’d get as far away from him as she could.
‡‡‡
AJ HAD SET UP an awesome version of mission control in the dining room of Mahmoud’s villa, if she did say so herself. She was pleased with her work, having established a global network on the fly in no time flat. This was what she excelled at, and suddenly, being asked to do the most difficult setup imaginable, she could feel the cells of her body come alive, the neurons within her firing quicker, electrical currents moving from her brain all over her skin. She was so excited about her own personal genius that she was drinking red wine and smoking a cigarillo while blasting a tune that reminded her of her youth: Judy Garland singing “Almost Like Being in Love.”
Mahmoud was right. It was one hell of a speaker system.
Finding a moment of peace for the first time since the interrupted wedding, AJ lit up a second cigarillo and continued to revel in her talents.
‡‡‡
LISA BEE WAS TRYING to run a brush through her hair and failing. It seemed to be turning into bright red dreadlocks. She was standing up because she thought she’d fall asleep if she sat down. So she was not only standing but sashaying from side to side. She hadn’t slept for a while, and in addition, it had been a really emotional time. She was about to give up and pass out when she heard Jackson say from behind her, “You look like you’re hoppin’ to go. Ready, L’il Bee?”
She turned to glare at him, and he looked down at the ground like he’d been punished. Hell, she didn’t want to be angry with him; he was just acting so strange all of a sudden. And now she was stuck with him for the next few days, or however long this was going to take. And then she was pissed about being pissed: The person who normally calmed her down was now annoying her. “I’ll be ready in a couple minutes, Jackson. I’m just really tired—I gotta sleep at some point, don’t you?”
“Ah, you know me,” he said with a cautious smile. “I never need to sleep.”
“Well, some of us actually do.”
“You want me to make you a coffee? I can make you a strong one.”
“That’ll be great,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll be down in a few.”
“Hey, Bee,” he began. “I’m really sorry about what happened before. I just got kinda thrown off. Yeah, so I wanted to talk to you about—”
“Cool it, Jackie,” she said, cutting him off. “Whatever it was, I’m glad it’s done. Let’s just keep our eyes on the job, okay?”
“Okay,” he said after a pause, looking uncertain. God, this was so unlike him! “Sure. So I’m relying on you to keep me on task here—we gotta
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