Traitorous Attraction (11 page)

Kate looked back and forth between the two of them. She had an idea—a risky idea, but an idea. “Let me float something. I don’t want to make this harder for anyone, but my alias Kate Swiss still works for the United States State Department. As Kate Swiss, I can contact friends I have in the Tumaran government and within the embassy and find out what I can about Aiden.”

“Won’t your cover already be blown? Sphere knows you’ve turned against them,” Connor said.

Kate shrugged. “Could be. They might have contacted the embassy and told them I was fired, but they wouldn’t have told them who I really was. That flies in the face of their plans. They could have said I was replaced.”

Connor set the rifle on the ground and took a sip of the tea Ariana had made. “You want to go undercover as Kate Swiss.”

A more thorough plan was formulating in her mind. “We need to get back to the city. Ariana can drive us and leave us as close as she feels comfortable. She can return the vehicle to her brother with our apology.”

Connor looked sheepish. “Yes, with our apology.”

Kate’s mind was in overdrive. “I’ll need a cell phone and I’ll need a computer. I’ll spoof my email address to look like it’s coming from the State Department. I’ll send out some feelers to my government contacts and see if anyone was alerted to me being fired. If no one knows anything, I’ll tell them I’m making a trip to Tumara. When we meet in person, I’ll do all the digging I can.”

“And if everyone believes you were fired?” Connor asked.

“Then I’ll tell my friends I’m planning to make a trip to Tumara and I’m looking for another job. If anyone asks about the reasons I was fired, I’ll pretend it was my ego or that I argued with my boss.” She could make herself sound disgruntled without sounding hostile. “If I can get my hands on the right equipment, maybe I can get inside the Tumaran government’s databases and look around for information about the AR and about Aiden. If I had known Aiden was being held prisoner by the government, I would have infiltrated their systems from back in the States.”

Connor hugged her, throwing his arms around her and clutching her to him. Then he kissed her full on the mouth. It was the most honest and exuberant display she had seen from him. The kiss wasn’t just excitement. She caught the passion simmering in Connor.

“I’m glad you made yourself a thorn in my side and insisted on coming along,” Connor said.

“Thorn in your side? I like to think I’m tenacious and that’s a good thing,” Kate said.

Connor ran his finger lightly down the side of her face. “I guess it is a good thing. You’re a good thing.”

Ariana cleared her throat as if reminding them she was there. Kate took a step back from Connor.

“How can I get to a computer?” Kate asked. Once her hands were on a keyboard, her work could begin.

Part IV: The City

Chapter 8

I
n her element, Kate had more confidence than she’d had the rest of the trip. Connor arranged financing for the tools she needed from an account unmonitored by Sphere. Trading the clothes she had worn in the jungle for a few suits and a nice pair of heels, Kate checked into a hotel and paid cash for a room for several nights. After she showered and changed into her new clothes, she found a retail technology store and acquired a laptop and the accessories she needed to present herself as Kate Swiss. Connor accompanied her on every errand, keeping watch for Sphere agents and making sure she was safe.

Now that she was working and had more control, she felt better and stronger than she had in days. It took her under five hours to spoof a State Department account and send a few tentative emails to her friends in the State Department and within the Tumaran government. The responses she received were largely business as usual.

“I don’t think they know anything about me leaving the State Department,” Kate said.

“Not yet. If anyone from Sphere realizes you’re actively using the alias Kate Swiss, they’ll put a stop to it,” Connor said.

“That’s why we need to move as fast as possible. I’ll arrange to meet with my friend from the government for dinner tonight and find out if he knows anything more about Aiden.”

“Wouldn’t it be safer to hack into the system first and look for information?” Connor asked.

Humans inadvertently divulged more information than computers did. The best way to go after the information was a socially engineered attack. “The Tumaran government updates their security measures every thirty days. Hacking the system and staying undetected will take time. Plus, there’s no telling if information about Aiden is even in the system or if the information is tied to Aiden’s real name.”

“How much do you trust your friend?” Connor asked.

Marcus was the contact who had initially passed her information about an American being held by the AR and the government wanting to keep it quiet to avoid any alarmist reaction. Marcus had a good heart even if his information had turned out to be wrong. “If he knows anything about Aiden or any other American citizens being held against their will, he may tell me. Meeting with him in person, I’ll be able to watch his reactions to my questions and know if he’s holding anything back.”

“Have I thanked you yet for doing this?” Connor asked. He sat next to Kate on the bed.

Kate was afraid to remove her hands from the keyboard. Close quarters, high stakes and Connor made the temptation to kiss him impossibly high. “You haven’t thanked me. This might be the first time I deserve any thanks.”

“Thank you. Thank you for finding me when you had information about Aiden. Thank you for not turning around and running when I tried to scare you away from my door. Thank you for putting up with me and my accusations about having an affair with my brother. Thank you for putting yourself at risk and using your computer skills to do this.” Connor leaned in, running his nose along the underside of her jaw.

Kate’s body heated. “Don’t thank me too much. When he’s home safe, we’ll both have reasons to be grateful.”

The truth about her role in Aiden’s disappearance was on the tip of her tongue. If she had alerted Aiden about the raid, he could have better protected himself. If Ariana was right and the Tumaran government was holding him as their prisoner, were they using him as a bargaining chip to control Sphere? Making an example of him to members of the AR?

Kate should have told Connor from the beginning the role she had played in Aiden’s disappearance.

How would Connor react if she told him the truth now? They had been through so much and a bond had formed between them. How much damage would the truth do?

Keeping it to herself felt like a lie. Connor had deep trust issues and lying to him had to be the worst option she could pick. She opened her mouth to tell him, but the words wouldn’t form on her lips.

“Speechless?” he said. He slid his hand around the back of her neck and rested his forehead on hers. “Aiden found a good friend in you. I hope I can return that favor.”

Her heart swelled, and thoughts of ruining the moment with an admission fled to the dark recesses of her mind. She slid the computer away. “Aiden was a good friend to me. You don’t need to do anything to repay me for helping him. But I am happy to have your friendship.” Or perhaps more than friendship.

Connor lifted her and placed her in his lap. He put his arms around her waist. She fit against him, snug as if her body was meant to be folded against his. She threaded her fingers into the back of his hair and let them run down his neck.

Connor smiled and his eyes softened. “You’re one of the most courageous women I’ve ever met. You’re loyal and smart and beautiful. I’m lucky to have you in my life.”

She had never seen him so relaxed and open. His mouth captured hers in a slow, sensuous kiss that she felt from her lips to the tips of her toes. She kicked off her heels and crossed her legs, tucking herself against Connor.

There was magic in the moment, some undefinable quality that harnessed her to him. His hand slid up her leg, over her knee, to her thigh, moving a few inches under her skirt. Her body sang with relief. She was finally alone in a private space with him. His touch made it obvious he wanted her, and she had wanted him for so long that giving in to those sensations felt long overdue.

Her computer beeped, alerting her to an incoming email. With half a mind to ignore it, she thought about Aiden. What if the email was from one of her contacts?

A groan sounded in Connor’s throat.

She and Connor would have more private moments later. Aiden took priority now. Kate pulled the laptop closer. “It’s from my friend at the consulate. He wants to meet us tonight.”

“Us?” Connor asked.

She hadn’t told Connor that part of her plan. “I told my friend that I was bringing my boyfriend. I told him we were talking about relocating and you wanted to check things out.” She needed Connor with her tonight. “I didn’t feel safe going alone. What if Sphere shows up and we have to run again?” She put her arms around him.

Connor lifted a brow. “Never in all my years as an operative have I played the part of someone’s boyfriend. I don’t know how good I’ll be at it.”

Did he have to pretend? They’d acknowledged the heat between them. Couldn’t he play off those emotions? “Why don’t you make the part an extension of what just happened? Not as much pretending.”

“Are you suggesting we make out all through dinner?” His eyes sparkled with amusement.

Teasing her, but her body heard the words and she was turned on by them. Heat pulsed through her in waves. “Something could happen after the dinner. Most men look forward to the ending of a date much more than the date itself.” She would be counting the moments until she was again alone with Connor. Prying information from Marcus couldn’t take longer than a couple of hours. With any luck, they’d be alone by midnight.

“I assume I’ll need to wear something more formal than jeans and a T-shirt?” he asked.

Connor looked good in whatever he wore, but the place where she would suggest to Marcus they meet had a formal dress code. “I’ll call the concierge. We’ll rent a suit for the night.”

She typed a reply to her friend, telling him they’d meet in a couple of hours. “We’d better get ready.”

“Maybe you can spare another twenty minutes?” Connor asked.

“What I have in mind will take longer than twenty minutes,” Kate said.

Connor groaned and ran his hands over her body. He brought his mouth to her neck and she let her head fall to the side. His teeth nibbled and sucked at the sensitive skin, and lust spiraled through her. She threw her leg across his lap and her skirt slid up her thighs. Connor kissed her mouth—long, slow, deep kisses—and Kate melted against him. Rolling her hips against his, she felt the length of his hardness press against her core.

After a few moments, Kate broke away, panting and straining. If he got much further, she wouldn’t be able to leave this hotel room tonight.

“You have more discipline than I do,” Connor said.

It was taking everything in her not to rip off their clothes and make frantic, wild love to him. It would be good for both of them, taking the edge off their stress. The completion she knew she’d find in Connor’s arms would be, oh, so satisfying and needed. “We can’t be late.”

Connor released her, and Kate hurried to the bathroom to get ready before she canceled plans with Marcus and, instead, spent the night finding new and exciting ways to make love with Connor.

An hour and a half later, Kate was sticking a few more bobby pins in her hair to hold it into a chignon. The navy dress she’d purchased off the rack fit well enough without needing alterations. She tapped on the door to the bathroom. Connor was inside getting ready.

“Everything okay with the suit? Does it fit?” she asked. Last-minute arrangements left them with a limited selection.

“It fits. I feel ridiculous. Like I’m wearing another man’s fatigues.”

“In a way you are.” She hoped the suit wasn’t too small across the shoulders or too short in the arms and legs or...

She lost her train of thought when he stepped out of the bathroom. He had showered and shaved, his hair combed away from his face. The suit fit him well. Too well. It accented his wide shoulders and trim hips. He turned, looking over his shoulder with a strange expression on his face. The pants fit around the waist and the legs of the pants were perfectly tailored, not too baggy or too tight.

“Does this look right? I feel odd and you’ve got a funny look on your face,” Connor said.

A funny look? Was desire being written plain on her face funny? She schooled her expression. “You do not look strange. You look amazing.”

“These don’t have enough pockets,” he said, patting the pants legs.

“Why do you need pockets?” she asked.

“Where will I put my gear?” he asked.

He didn’t need gear in a five-star restaurant, the only one in the city. “You can leave the rope and knife here.”

He frowned. “You want me to venture out without my equipment?”

“You’ll have your good looks and your charm.” Both of which could disarm her. When he wanted to, Connor could talk someone into doing whatever he wanted.

“Those are hardly my best tools and we both know it.”

He underestimated himself in that regard. “You’ll have me and I’ll have this,” she said, holding up her clutch bag. “I’ve got my new smartphone inside, but I have more room. If there’s anything you cannot live without, I’ll carry it.”

He looked at the small bag. “Not much will fit. But we’ll do this your way.” His eyes drank her in. “You look pretty great, by the way.”

Kate was glad he’d noticed. “I want my friend to be impressed. This is the first time we’re meeting in person.”

“Won’t it be awkward for me to be sitting across the table from a man who wants to sleep with you?” Connor asked.

Kate set her hand on her hip. “What makes you think he’ll want to sleep with me? We’ve spoken on the phone and over email a hundred times. He’s never once said anything inappropriate to me.”

Connor gave her a skeptical look. “Do you joke with each other?”

Some of their conversations had a light overture to them. “Sometimes.”

Connor deliberately raised his eyebrows. “And he’s never seen you?”

“No. He could have looked up my State Department information, which has my employment picture.”

Connor adjusted his suit jacket. “He wants to sleep with you. He gets that you’re funny, he knows you’re pretty, and when he gets a look at you in that dress, it will be the first and most persistent thing on his mind.”

Kate shook her head. “You’ll be there. You’re my boyfriend.”

“He’ll be thinking of ways to get rid of me and have you to himself.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Not everyone is out to get you. You’re such a conspiracy theorist.”

“Not a conspiracy. One man. Him. Trying to get in the pants of one woman. You. Which is going to royally annoy one person. Me.”

“When you meet him, you will see how wrong you are,” Kate said.

“Shall we make it a wager?” Connor asked.

“Name the stakes,” Kate said. Marcus might want to sleep with her, but he would never say anything or do anything unprofessional. As a high-ranking Tumaran government official, he had a lot to lose if he behaved inappropriately.

“When I’m right and he makes a pass at you, then you owe me breakfast in bed.”

“We’re in a five-star hotel. You can order breakfast in bed.”

“No, the deal is that you order it, bring it to me and serve it to me.” He waggled his eyebrows and Kate laughed.

“And when I’m right and nothing untoward happens, what do I get?”

“Name it.”

A list of lewd suggestions came to mind. She dismissed them for something that would be harder to entice Connor to do. “I want to ask you ten questions and get honest, straight answers to each and every one.”

Connor smirked. “Done. When you order my breakfast in the morning, tell them I prefer my eggs over easy with a little bit of salt on the side.”

* * *

They were dining at the most exclusive restaurant in the city. It was quiet, dimly lit, and the chances of running into Sphere agents were low. Connor liked those odds.

The moment Connor laid eyes on Marcus, Kate’s Tumaran government contact, he knew Kate would be serving him breakfast in bed. He wouldn’t go so far as to demand she wear anything in particular, although requesting she wear just his T-shirt or something to show off her shapely legs did cross his mind. He’d just enjoy his eggs, gloat and then share them with her, of course.

Marcus approached her. A slow smile built across his face as his gaze took her in from head to toe. “Kate?”

Connor wanted to punch that look off his face. Marcus moved closer to her, extending his arms to hug her.

“Marcus?” Kate asked, joy erupting across her face.

She was good. Connor didn’t know if she was genuinely happy to meet him or pretending. He guessed the former. Although Marcus was their mark and they were using him to get information about Aiden, Kate had spoken highly of him. He had been the person who had clued Kate in to the possibility that Aiden was alive. Though his information had been inaccurate and it was the Tumaran government that was holding Aiden prisoner, that didn’t mean Marcus had intentionally misled her. Connor wouldn’t decide either way until he had a chance to talk to Marcus.