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Authors: Veronica Forand
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objective.”
By the time Simon had returned to the foyer, Tucker had wrapped his arm around Cassie and pulled her in close. She focused her gaze away from him. Rushing to comfort her would give Tucker too much ammunition to use against them. Humiliation was his specialty.
Simon took a sip of the vodka, his temper almost at the boiling point, and focused on his guest, ignoring the trembling woman in his arms. “Where’s Pauline? I don’t recall inviting you into my home.”
“I prefer a more personal approach lately, so I reassigned her.”
Cassie straightened up to her full height, a good three inches taller than Tucker. For a moment, Simon thought she’d fight him, but she remained passive. Tucker held her tight.
“Too bad. She’s more competent than you and has better legs.”
“This is for your partner .” Tucker released her and then threw the large envelope in his hand at Simon’s head.
Simon caught it with ease and opened the package. A U.S. Passport and a California driver’s license for Cassie Watson. They’d made her an American. He’d prefer she was British, but wouldn’t challenge Tucker. Not yet.
“I want her to accompany you on the Sierra Leone transaction. She’ll benefit from the experience,” Tucker said. He wore a grin that someone would punch off his face someday.
“She’s not ready.”
“ If she’s not ready now, she won’t be ready for Jordan, which means she’s expendable.” The prat had enough authority to hamper Simon’s efforts as well as to pull Cassie out of his operation and place her in some even more dangerous assignment.
A deep-rooted desire to protect her overwhelmed Simon, despite the professional instincts that urged him to let this beautiful weak link in his team fade into obscurity.
“On the other hand,” he said, “I could use a beautiful woman to accompany me.”
She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready. Beautiful, smart—and at the same time stupid enough to open the door for a stranger with a gun. She’d be a liability. Maybe Henry could watch her while he and Alex made the exchange. On a good note, Tucker had no idea who Simon worked with when he made the transactions, and he never would. The service didn’t want a direct connection to him, or to know too much about how he structured his deals. The arrangement protected both him and the SIS.
He passed Tucker and placed his hand on the doorknob. “I have all I need. You’ll hear from me after the exchange.”
As soon as he was out the door, Simon locked it.
“I’m so sorry. He woke me up, and I forgot the protocol.” Cassie’s words came out between heavy breaths that bordered on sobs.
Anger at Tucker ignited his temper. Fury at Cassie’s passive personality fueled it further. Most of all he was mad at himself for wanting to protect her. He stormed toward her. “You forgot to think? You forgot to pause before allowing a potential enemy with a gun into our fortress? You forgot you’re working and not taking an extended vacation?”
“He woke me up and had a package. I didn’t think it should be left in the hall.” Her voice trembled and revealed just how unprepared she was for this assignment. The tear on her cheek put him over the edge.
He tried to contain his snarl, but he could feel his lips tighten and curl. “I have two days to fix you before we leave for Bulgaria.” He needed a new plan to keep them both alive.
“Fix me?”
“You’re broken.” He shook his head. “Don’t leave the flat. And change into something less like that.” He pointed at the nightgown he wanted to rip off her body, then headed to the bedroom to put on some running clothes. After a few kilometers, he’d regain control of his emotions.
An hour later, when he returned from his run, sweaty, but still tense, Cassie sat in the middle of the floor in tight black shorts and a jog bra—still dressed in a manner that could drive a man crazy with desire. He tried not to stare. Her legs
By the time Simon had returned to the foyer, Tucker had wrapped his arm around Cassie and pulled her in close. She focused her gaze away from him. Rushing to comfort her would give Tucker too much ammunition to use against them. Humiliation was his specialty.
Simon took a sip of the vodka, his temper almost at the boiling point, and focused on his guest, ignoring the trembling woman in his arms. “Where’s Pauline? I don’t recall inviting you into my home.”
“I prefer a more personal approach lately, so I reassigned her.”
Cassie straightened up to her full height, a good three inches taller than Tucker. For a moment, Simon thought she’d fight him, but she remained passive. Tucker held her tight.
“Too bad. She’s more competent than you and has better legs.”
“This is for your partner .” Tucker released her and then threw the large envelope in his hand at Simon’s head.
Simon caught it with ease and opened the package. A U.S. Passport and a California driver’s license for Cassie Watson. They’d made her an American. He’d prefer she was British, but wouldn’t challenge Tucker. Not yet.
“I want her to accompany you on the Sierra Leone transaction. She’ll benefit from the experience,” Tucker said. He wore a grin that someone would punch off his face someday.
“She’s not ready.”
“ If she’s not ready now, she won’t be ready for Jordan, which means she’s expendable.” The prat had enough authority to hamper Simon’s efforts as well as to pull Cassie out of his operation and place her in some even more dangerous assignment.
A deep-rooted desire to protect her overwhelmed Simon, despite the professional instincts that urged him to let this beautiful weak link in his team fade into obscurity.
“On the other hand,” he said, “I could use a beautiful woman to accompany me.”
She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready. Beautiful, smart—and at the same time stupid enough to open the door for a stranger with a gun. She’d be a liability. Maybe Henry could watch her while he and Alex made the exchange. On a good note, Tucker had no idea who Simon worked with when he made the transactions, and he never would. The service didn’t want a direct connection to him, or to know too much about how he structured his deals. The arrangement protected both him and the SIS.
He passed Tucker and placed his hand on the doorknob. “I have all I need. You’ll hear from me after the exchange.”
As soon as he was out the door, Simon locked it.
“I’m so sorry. He woke me up, and I forgot the protocol.” Cassie’s words came out between heavy breaths that bordered on sobs.
Anger at Tucker ignited his temper. Fury at Cassie’s passive personality fueled it further. Most of all he was mad at himself for wanting to protect her. He stormed toward her. “You forgot to think? You forgot to pause before allowing a potential enemy with a gun into our fortress? You forgot you’re working and not taking an extended vacation?”
“He woke me up and had a package. I didn’t think it should be left in the hall.” Her voice trembled and revealed just how unprepared she was for this assignment. The tear on her cheek put him over the edge.
He tried to contain his snarl, but he could feel his lips tighten and curl. “I have two days to fix you before we leave for Bulgaria.” He needed a new plan to keep them both alive.
“Fix me?”
“You’re broken.” He shook his head. “Don’t leave the flat. And change into something less like that.” He pointed at the nightgown he wanted to rip off her body, then headed to the bedroom to put on some running clothes. After a few kilometers, he’d regain control of his emotions.
An hour later, when he returned from his run, sweaty, but still tense, Cassie sat in the middle of the floor in tight black shorts and a jog bra—still dressed in a manner that could drive a man crazy with desire. He tried not to stare. Her legs
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