Read Online Mission: Irresistible by Lori Wilde - Free Book Online
Authors: Lori Wilde
Tags: FIC027020
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you very much. At least someone else had confirmed Cassie’s suspicion that Phyllis hated her guts.
“Would Adam hang me out to dry?” she asked. “He doesn’t seem the sort of guy who would do something like that.”
“I would hate to believe it of him, but honestly I don’t know. The murder mystery theater is our best temporary solution. If Adam is just pulling a publicity stunt, we successfully nip it in the bud. If not . . .” He didn’t complete the sentence, leaving the rest of his unspoken words up to her vivid imagination.
Cassie’s pulse spiked and a surge of excitement shot through her. Her exploits with the art thief last year had given her a taste for crime solving.
“All I’m asking is for three days to locate my brother,” Harrison continued, “and straighten this whole thing out. It’s probably a simple misunderstanding.”
“And what happens if we can’t find Adam or the amulet by Saturday?”
“I’ll report it to the police and explain what happened. I’ll tell them I coerced you into going along with me. In the meantime, you’ll still have your job, and the guests will get a big kick out of playing sleuth. And if everything turns out okay, I’ll make certain you get that recommendation to the Smithsonian. Adam’s father is Tom Grayfield, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and he has a lot of influence in Washington. He could pull strings.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Whichever way you decide to go,” Harrison said, “lie or tell the truth, you’re already in trouble.”
That was true. Even though she wasn’t involved with the theft of the amulet, Phyllis was ready to hang her from the highest tree based on circumstances alone.
“So what do you say?” He argued a good case, but she was still afraid to trust him.
“I’m not sure I can.”
She saw that he wasn’t a man accustomed to asking for favors. But she could also see he was very worried about his brother and his career. She was worried too. Empathy could do terrible things to a woman.
“And if everything doesn’t turn out the way you foresee it?” Cassie murmured, bracing herself for the answer she did not want to hear.
Harrison grimaced and shook his head. “Then we’re both royally screwed.”
CHAPTER 5
R oyally screwed indeed.
How had he gotten entangled in such an abysmal state of affairs?
Impulsive behavior didn’t solve problems, it created them. Rational men thought before they spoke. Tonight, he had been anything but rational, and now he was paying the price.
Following the disappearance of Kiya’s amulet, Ahmose Akvar had taken him aside and privately reiterated his earlier warning:
If anything happens to the amulet, your visa will be rescinded and you will never again be allowed inside Egypt.
Exiled.
For Harrison, who had devoted his life to the study of ancient Egypt, banishment from his adopted country was unimaginable. To top things off, Phyllis Lambert had cornered him and issued a similar veiled threat, whispering that if she discovered he was covering for Cassie, she would report him to the head of the archaeology department at the University of Texas at Arlington, where Harrison taught as an adjunct professor. Hinting that she would make certain he lost his job.
Thanks a lot, Adam. I hope you have a damn good reason for absconding with the amulet. Because if you’re not in trouble now, you will be when I get my hands on you.
The guests had finally departed the museum after Cassie’s briefing. She’d concocted a spur-of-the-moment murder mystery tale so brilliant in detail, she’d mesmerized even Harrison. Her cock-and-bull story was one-third legend of the lost lovers, one-third reality, and one-third creative fabrication. Grudgingly, he had to admit the woman, however irritating, possessed an incredible talent for adapting to shifting circumstances.
A skill he sorely lacked.
He resented his need for her help. If he had his way, he would ditch her posthaste and go in
“Would Adam hang me out to dry?” she asked. “He doesn’t seem the sort of guy who would do something like that.”
“I would hate to believe it of him, but honestly I don’t know. The murder mystery theater is our best temporary solution. If Adam is just pulling a publicity stunt, we successfully nip it in the bud. If not . . .” He didn’t complete the sentence, leaving the rest of his unspoken words up to her vivid imagination.
Cassie’s pulse spiked and a surge of excitement shot through her. Her exploits with the art thief last year had given her a taste for crime solving.
“All I’m asking is for three days to locate my brother,” Harrison continued, “and straighten this whole thing out. It’s probably a simple misunderstanding.”
“And what happens if we can’t find Adam or the amulet by Saturday?”
“I’ll report it to the police and explain what happened. I’ll tell them I coerced you into going along with me. In the meantime, you’ll still have your job, and the guests will get a big kick out of playing sleuth. And if everything turns out okay, I’ll make certain you get that recommendation to the Smithsonian. Adam’s father is Tom Grayfield, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, and he has a lot of influence in Washington. He could pull strings.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“Whichever way you decide to go,” Harrison said, “lie or tell the truth, you’re already in trouble.”
That was true. Even though she wasn’t involved with the theft of the amulet, Phyllis was ready to hang her from the highest tree based on circumstances alone.
“So what do you say?” He argued a good case, but she was still afraid to trust him.
“I’m not sure I can.”
She saw that he wasn’t a man accustomed to asking for favors. But she could also see he was very worried about his brother and his career. She was worried too. Empathy could do terrible things to a woman.
“And if everything doesn’t turn out the way you foresee it?” Cassie murmured, bracing herself for the answer she did not want to hear.
Harrison grimaced and shook his head. “Then we’re both royally screwed.”
CHAPTER 5
R oyally screwed indeed.
How had he gotten entangled in such an abysmal state of affairs?
Impulsive behavior didn’t solve problems, it created them. Rational men thought before they spoke. Tonight, he had been anything but rational, and now he was paying the price.
Following the disappearance of Kiya’s amulet, Ahmose Akvar had taken him aside and privately reiterated his earlier warning:
If anything happens to the amulet, your visa will be rescinded and you will never again be allowed inside Egypt.
Exiled.
For Harrison, who had devoted his life to the study of ancient Egypt, banishment from his adopted country was unimaginable. To top things off, Phyllis Lambert had cornered him and issued a similar veiled threat, whispering that if she discovered he was covering for Cassie, she would report him to the head of the archaeology department at the University of Texas at Arlington, where Harrison taught as an adjunct professor. Hinting that she would make certain he lost his job.
Thanks a lot, Adam. I hope you have a damn good reason for absconding with the amulet. Because if you’re not in trouble now, you will be when I get my hands on you.
The guests had finally departed the museum after Cassie’s briefing. She’d concocted a spur-of-the-moment murder mystery tale so brilliant in detail, she’d mesmerized even Harrison. Her cock-and-bull story was one-third legend of the lost lovers, one-third reality, and one-third creative fabrication. Grudgingly, he had to admit the woman, however irritating, possessed an incredible talent for adapting to shifting circumstances.
A skill he sorely lacked.
He resented his need for her help. If he had his way, he would ditch her posthaste and go in
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