Read Online Guardian Agent by Dana Marton - Free Book Online Page B

vans.
    He filled the colonel in on his suspicions.
    The man gave him a displeased, narrow-eyed look when Gabe was finished. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s dirty politicians. You better be right about this.” He strode to the door, turned back from the doorway. “Neither of you go anywhere until I say so.”
    They stared after him.
    Then they stared at each other.
    “Are we grounded?” she asked, her tone uncertain.
    “Welcome to the army. I’m sure we’ll find something to do.” He grinned at her, happy to see her, happy that the op was over and they were both safe, happy that she’d come to see him.
    That had to mean something, right?
    “Jasmine, honey?” He stepped closer to her again.
    “Yes?” She stepped closer to him.
    “Do you still feel the same about me as you did when you wrote that diary?”
    To his disappointment, she shook her head. But then she said, “I feel much stronger.”
    He took her into his arms. “Thank God. Because I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you here.”
    She gave him a tremulous smile. “I want to feel good things again instead of fear when a man touches me.”
    He furrowed his forehead. “No other man better touch you or I’ll give him reason to fear.”
    She smiled.
    He took her lips in a passionate kiss, running his hands lightly down her back then up her ribcage, using great control to stop under her breasts. “How is it so far?”
    A smile of pleasure bloomed on her full lips. “Good enough to record for all prosperity. Maybe I should start a new diary.”
    He thought about all the things he wanted to do with her. “You better get one with a key.”
    * * *
    The sky turned dark outside by the time the colonel came back, his expression just as grim as when he’d left. Gabe’s stomach sank.
    “The congressman is denying knowledge of the half dozen crates we found on board of his yacht. He claims they must have been smuggled on board when he wasn’t looking. And that’s not our only problem. We can’t take the gold to the U.S. That would be out and out theft from the people of Afghanistan. Not to mention, we can’t have a U.S. congressman implicated in something like this when half the Arab world believes we’re only warring over there to steal everything that’s theirs.”
    He seemed to have aged five years since he’d left the room earlier. “We can’t give the gold back to the warlord, either, or he’d use it to buy arms against us. And we can’t give it to the Afghan government without confessing everything.”
    He took off his hat and sat, his eyes tired as he looked up at Gabe. “Any ideas what in hell I’m supposed to do with eleven million dollars’ worth of gold coins?”
    Gabe swallowed hard. “Eleven?”
    “Could be more,” the man said in a tone of disgust. “They’re still counting.”
    “There’s this garment factory I heard of in Afghanistan. In North Village,” Jasmine spoke up. “It’s a non-profit gig to give work to widows and support orphans.”
    The colonel shot a questioning look to Gabe, then nodded. “There’s one more thing,” he said after a moment. “I had a quick teleconference with the FBI about this. They’ll be investigating. They want a small team, preferably people who are already on the ground and already know the case.”
    Gabe thought those words over long and hard. As long as Congressman Wharton was flying free, people who knew the truth about him would never be safe. They needed to figure out what Brent had been blackmailing the man with and bring him down.
    “The pay won’t be what private security promised you, but it’ll be decent,” the colonel said. “Do you know anyone who might be interested in the job?”
    Gabe looked at Jasmine. The expression on her face said she’d been thinking the same thing as he had. They needed to tie up all loose ends to have any chance at a normal life together.
    “I waited ten years already. I can wait another couple of months,” she told