One-Off (15 page)

“No.”

“Earlier appointment?”

“No,” I said distracted, looking back through my calendar to see if I could rearrange things to get on a plane. I felt helpless sitting here.

“I didn’t rush down here at Tori’s insistence to have you ignore me.”

“Huh?” I looked up and focused on her. She was wearing her glasses today. It made me wonder if I’d gotten her calendar wrong. Usually she only wore glasses if she was working or had a lot of reading to do.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“No, sorry. No.” I jumped when the phone rang and snatched it up not bothering to excuse myself first.

“We’re moving the budget meeting to tomorrow,” my boss said into the phone.

I wanted to tell him to shove his budget meeting for bothering me with such trivial crap, but I made note of the new time like a professional. “That’s fine.”

When I hung up, Ainsley was shooting daggers at me. “Did you ask me here to try to impress me with how important you are?”

I held up my hand to keep her from digging herself further into a hole that she’d feel guilty about for ages. “Dallas is missing.”

“What?” Concern clouded her face and she inched closer.

“Long story, but she broke security protocols, ended up alone with her interview subject, and they lost the follow cars in traffic.”

“She’s…is there news?”

“Not yet. I’m waiting on an update. I thought if Colin needed someone to talk to, you should be here.”

She nodded. “Quite right. I’m glad you asked me in.”

Twenty

My eyes itched and felt heavy. I’d been close to tears all afternoon. Still no word about Dallas. Everyone in the office had stopped in for updates and to pass on concern. As much as I liked to keep my life professional here at the office, there was no hiding that Dallas and I were friends.

I glanced over to the cluster of club chairs and spied the biggest surprise of the afternoon. Ainsley sat on one of the chairs, her legs stretched out onto the coffee table. She had a book open on the table and was taking notes on a legal pad while glancing at her laptop where other research was open.

She wore khakis and another pink blouse. Her favorite shade of pink, light, more blush than pink. The gold of her glasses was as delicate as the pink of her blouse. I wondered if the U.K. had access to a different caliber of metals that made the gold less garish. Their shape was elongated oval. No part of them eclipsed the blue of her eyes. Unlike her hair. The unruly mop was only partially pinned back today. Several curls flopped onto her forehead and dangled in front of her vision. I’d never known her to have bangs, not when I roomed with her and not in any of the photos she’d shown. It was all the same length, which accounted for the bulk. Hairdressers had probably told her all her life that they could thin it out. What they neglected to say was how they’d guarantee repeat business every three weeks to maintain the sleeker look.

Back in college, she was good looking. Now, I considered her beautiful. One more thing about her that drove me nuts. It was so much easier to ignore her if she wouldn’t look so damn delectable.

“Damn!” I exclaimed when my computer dinged. “The DJs.”

Ainsley looked up from her text, propping the pen behind her ear. “I’ll cancel.”

“We can’t.” My mind spun with ways to handle this. “I can’t leave. Why don’t you go on without me?”

“No.” Her eyes were steel.

I studied her and didn’t have the energy for another fight. “Please, Ainsley.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“If we don’t see DJs tonight, we might not have one for the ceremony.”

“Who cares?”

It was the first time I could remember her raising her voice about something other than annoyance with me. “We have to.”

“I’m not going anywhere. We have to wait for good news. Colin is still a mess, and you—” She stopped and collected her thoughts. “You’re so damn worried you haven’t even bothered to insult me today. I’m not leaving you when you’re in such a state.”

I stared at her, taking in what she said, and started to laugh. That was exactly what I needed to hear right now. “What about the DJs?”

“We’ll have Gary decide. Let him earn his fee instead of making us do all the work.”

“Can we do that?”

She gave a single definitive nod and snatched up her phone from the coffee table. “Hello, Gary. We’re unable to make the appointments with the two DJs you recommended. You’ll have to handle them.”

“What?” His voice came through the speaker on her phone. “Absolutely not. I get you the appointments. I don’t make decisions.”

“You’ll have to. We can’t get to the meetings, and you’ve told us we can’t postpone. They’re just bloody DJs. How different could they be? Make a decision and let us know. Thanks, darling.” She hung up before he could protest.

“You’re brilliant,” I complimented.

“Cheers.” She tipped her head and did a small curtsy.

“I think you just curtsied me.”

“I’m British and specialize in history. Curtsies are a part of my life.”

I didn’t want to go back to thinking about what could be happening to Dallas, so I cast about for something else to discuss. “Do you like living in Bathgate?”

“Aye. It’s small but large enough to see different people every day. About halfway between where I work and my parents in Glasgow.”

That explained why she lived twenty miles from work. “Do you rent?”

“I bought a cottage a few years ago. I love it.”

“Any land?”

“A wee bit. Don’t ask after any sheep. I know you.” She did know. I used to ask her about the sheep on her parents’ farm when I’d seen the pictures back in college. It seemed like the ideal way to grow up. A small farm on the outskirts of a major city, close enough to enjoy the comforts of city life with enough space to experience country living. Having grown up in a city, I probably romanticized the country life.

“I know there’s more to Scotland than sheep. Your parents have enough on their land to include you for the census anyway.”

“Quiet, you.”

I laughed again. It really was too bad we had this hate at first sight thing going on. She’d make a wonderful friend.

The phone rang and my laughter died. I scooped it up. “Yes?”

“We’ve heard from her,” Van said.

I pressed the speaker and set the earpiece down. “She’s safe?”

A long pause before Van repeated, “We’ve heard from her.”

“What’s that mean?” My brow furrowed at the phone.

“Her contact didn’t want anyone following her, didn’t want them to be interviewed in the presence of her crew, and didn’t want to use our cameras.”

“He abducted her?”

Another long pause on his end. “Technically.”

“Are they asking for something?”

“They’re doing the interview now.”

“Are you saying that she’s not there against her will?”

“They’re still calling it an interview, but they’re keeping her overnight.”

“Where?”

“The rebel compound.”

“Did you talk to her or the interviewee?”

“Both.”

I waited, expecting him to continue. “What did she sound like? Was she afraid?”

“She sounded like she usually does.”

“But?”

“The K&R people think she’s saying what she needs to say to assure them they’re in charge. K&R thinks it’s possible if she asks the wrong thing, it could turn into a ransom situation.”

I swore loudly. Ainsley’s hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed.

“Yeah. We’re trying to trace the call. We have a general area and the K&R guys are working their contacts to see if a known compound is nearby.”

“Good, yes.” I thought for a second. “What about Colin? Is he okay?” I caught Ainsley’s eyes and she smiled nervously.

“Pissed that he’s stuck in his hotel room, but he’s safe.”

“What about his other contacts. Could he work them for a lead?”

“We thought of that. The K&R guys think if his calls go wrong, she’ll be in worse danger. We have to leave it to Dallas right now.”

If anyone could pull off an interview that turned into a kidnapping back to an interview, it was Dallas. “Okay, but call me on my cell if anything else happens tonight.”

“We’re not going to stop looking for her, but I have to believe that by tomorrow morning Dallas will be back here safe in the hotel.”

“As soon as she’s back, you get her on the phone to me. I’m going to yell so loudly at her.”

He laughed.

“Does Colin want to talk to his cousin?”

“Let me get him.”

Colin came on the line, and I left the office to give them some privacy. I paced, only slightly less anxious than I’d been. It was likely that Dallas was being treated as a guest. The rebel leader probably just wanted to make sure she knew she was at his mercy so that she’d behave during the interview. I sent up a little prayer for her safety just as Ainsley stepped out of the office.

“Colin okay?”

“Going mad because he didn’t get to talk to her.”

“We’ve had power plays like this happen before.” I was trying to assure myself as much as her. “He’s a military man who doesn’t think women are his equal. He wants to put a little scare into her to make sure she’ll behave during the interview.”

“You think she’ll be back safe.” She held up a hand. “Yes, she will. I feel it.”

I nodded and glanced around the empty outer office. It was Friday and people cleared out right at five before the weekend. “I don’t have the heart to listen to DJs even though we could still make the appointments.”

“We’re having none of that,” Ainsley said and disappeared into the office. Seconds later she resurfaced with our bags. “A good scotch is what we need.”

“I’m not much of a drinker.”

“That will change tonight.” She gave me a sly grin.

“I need to be on point in case something changes.”

“Fine. One scotch. It’ll do ya wonders, lass.”

I nodded and smiled, following her out of the office. She’d acted like a true friend today and it wasn’t just to help Colin. Her concern for me had been as genuine as her concern for Dallas.

Twenty-One

The phone rang before dawn. I fumbled for it on my bedside table only it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Neither was the table. I pushed up onto my elbows and looked around. I was sleeping on the couch. My phone was on the ottoman. I grabbed it and answered just as I spotted Ainsley sitting in my recliner, blinking her eyes awake.

“Where are you on the plans, MOH?” She sounded tired but cheerful.

I glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even four in the morning yet. Was I dreaming? “Dallas?”

“Wake up.”

“Where are you?”

“Back at the hotel. We had an early morning. More push-pull antics, but I’m back now.”

“Jesus, Dallas. You have to be careful.”

She gave a tiny chuckle. “I heard you were worried. Colin didn’t sleep at all. You both worry too much.”

“You were—” I cut myself off because we couldn’t say what we needed to say over a phone line. If the general had the power we thought he did, he could listen in easily. “Away. Your crew got ditched. Tell me you’re all right.”

“I’m all right. Really,” she assured calmly. She wasn’t that calm, but she could fake it for my sake. “Now, tell me how the planning is going.”

“We’re not talking about that.”

“Please, Skye. I need some normalcy.”

“It’s fine. We’re getting everything done. It’ll be a lovely affair,” I rattled off all the platitudes I could think of.

“You’re hating every minute of it, aren’t you?” She giggled and I knew then that she might have been shaken up and scared, but she’d always be Dallas. “I wish I could be there to see it.”

“Come home. You guys should have enough.”

“We’re almost done. We’ll be home soon enough.”

I watched as Ainsley came back from using the bathroom. Her hair was frizzier and fuller than I’d seen since sharing an apartment with her. “Is Colin’s head still on?”

“Yeah, he’s calmer now.”

“Ainsley’s here if he wants to talk to her.”

“You’re sitting on that kind of news and you didn’t tell me?”

Even if it weren’t so damn early, I’d be confused. “What kind of news?”

“You and Ainsley? Hot damn, friend, that’s lightning fast for you. Of course, you did know her before.”

“Huh? No. No.” I swallowed and tried to contain my rapid heartbeat. I hadn’t done anything wrong and yet it felt like she’d caught us naked together. “She was worried about you and Colin. We went for a drink after work. It was late, so she stayed.”

“On the couch?” Dallas’s teasing tone came through loud and clear.

I glanced down at the couch I was lying on. “In a chair.”

“You made her sleep in a chair?”

“We fell asleep—” I cut myself off. “Stop it. We were worried sick about you, Dallas. Wrap this project up and get home safely.”

“I will, here’s Colin for his pretty cousin. She’s pretty, right?”

I just sighed loudly.

“Yeah, thought so.” She laughed as she handed the phone over to Colin. I gave mine to Ainsley. I headed to the restroom to give them some privacy and hide the blush I knew was on my face.

When I resurfaced, Ainsley was just hanging up. Her eyes glittered with happiness. My stomach tingled at the sight. “I’m so glad she’s okay.”

“Me, too. I didn’t realize how worried I was.”

“You don’t hide it as well as you think.”

I felt the ire rise in me again. She always managed to do that, but her expression was neutral. She wasn’t baiting me this time. “Why didn’t you sleep in the guestroom?”

“We were out here and you fell asleep. I was going to wake you but I fell asleep, too.”

“You could have taken the guestroom. How’s your back?”

“I’ve slept in chairs before.”

I could picture her falling asleep while pulling an all-nighter doing research. She shouldn’t have had to do that here. The least I could do was offer her some comfort now. “I’m calling in late to my office and getting some real sleep. You’re welcome to the guestroom.”

Her gaze slid to the staircase and blinked, slow and sleepy. “I’ll take you up on that. I could do with a few more hours.”