He laughed. “I’m sorry about that. You forgive me, don’t you?”
“Yes, I forgive you.” Lauren leaned into him slightly as she talked. “You had no way of knowing my weakness.”
He studied her with a serious expression on his face. “We all have our weaknesses. No big deal.” He stood and stretched. “You ready to move on?”
“Let’s go.”
As they made their way back down the Boardwalk, their gazes seemed to fall simultaneously upon the Ferris wheel ride rising up from behind the gates of the Jolly Roger Amusement Park.
“Speaking of childhood memories,” Rad said, nodding toward the ride. “I haven’t been on one of those in years.”
“Me neither.” Lauren linked her arm in his, somehow eager to take another trip down memory lane. “Let’s do it.”
She felt oddly comfortable with this man she’d just met, and delightfully carefree and happy for the first time in years. Her lighthearted and relaxed manner was partially due to the sunshine pouring down from overhead and the fresh scent of salty air, but it occurred to her the man beside her had a little bit to do with it too. He was the kindest, most genuine and persuasive person she had ever met—the kind of guy who could steal a woman’s heart. Her thoughts drifted back to the odd twist of fate that had led their paths to cross, until the clanging, ringing, and buzzing sounds of more games tore her from her reverie.
“Keep walking and look straight ahead.” Lauren held onto Rad’s arm so he couldn’t get away as they strolled through the entryway to the park.
“Aw, can’t I play water pistols? Or balloon darts?” He strode with childlike impatience toward the booth. “Check out this huge stuffed bear I could win for you.”
“Just what I need to get through airport security.” Lauren pulled him back. “Maybe on the way out. We’re riding the Ferris wheel, remember?”
“I think you’re afraid I’ll beat you.” Rad glanced over his shoulder at the balloon darts they had passed.
“Like at Target Town?” Lauren smiled up at him. “In case you’ve forgotten, I beat you, quite convincingly I might add, two out of three times.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to use that against me all night.” Rad’s expression turned serious.
“Can I help it if you refused to take my advice about when to pull out the grenade launcher? I tried to help, but you just kept sawing away with a machine gun.”
“I didn’t want to use up my big stuff.” Rad sounded offended. “You never know what’s coming next.”
“An armored robot-man in a video game requires the big stuff.” Lauren laughed. “Even I know that.”
“Well you still haven’t promised you won’t tell anybody.” He came to a stop in front of the ride and stared at the top, the seriousness in his expression turning to a sparkle of amusement.
“Like I said, it’s my ace in the hole.”
After standing in line, it was finally their turn to climb into the seat. Lauren’s heart pounded, partly from nerves, but mostly excitement. She was afraid of heights, and yet she loved being scared. She knew it was a strange combination, but thrill seeking was part of her DNA. Everything alarming and unnerving to most people seemed to energize and excite her. Everything except tight, enclosed spaces that is. Then it was pure girlie panic and terror.
Lauren felt her breath catch in her throat as the Ferris wheel began its ascent, and smiled with delight at what could be seen from the top. The bird’s eye view of the park below them and the Boardwalk stretching out on each side was breathtaking. Before she could get a good look, the ride began its descent and picked up speed, causing her breath to whoosh out of her. The flashing lights and sound of the music blaring from below made Lauren half-dizzy, yet she felt like a teenager again. She wished it would never end.
They had only completed a few full revolutions when the ride slowed down. “I hope we don’t have to stop at the top.” Lauren gazed up at Rad with wide eyes, but saw only an amused smile playing on his lips.
Slower and slower they revolved until they reached the summit, and then the ride stopped with a sudden jerk. Instead of being sympathetic to her plea, Rad rocked the cart with childlike glee.
Lauren shrieked and grabbed him, telling him to stop. When he quit, she laid her head on his shoulder. “That’s so-o-o scary. Don’t do that.”
Rad chuckled as the giant wheel descended again. “That’s the oldest trick in the book,” he said as he wrapped his arm protectively around her. “I can’t believe it worked.”
When they circled around and were at the top again, Lauren scooted over to the edge of the seat and leaned out for a better view.
“Wait a minute.” He pulled her back in. “You weren’t really scared when we were stopped at the top, were you?”
She shot him a mischievous grin. “I saw you talking to the operator before we got in and assumed you were going for the oldest trick in the book. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
Rad put his head back and laughed. “Next time I’ll think twice about spending the day with a woman who’s smarter than I am. I think you are always two steps ahead.”
“Part of my nature, I guess.” Lauren looked away as her thoughts turned to her job for the first time all afternoon.
“It sure is a great view.” Rad took a deep breath, inhaling the clean, salty air. “I haven’t relaxed this much in years.”
“Me neither,” Lauren said as the Ferris wheel slowed to discharge passengers. “It’s not going to be fun heading back to work.”
“Yeah, let’s not think about that.” Rad helped her down the gangway, putting his hand on her back as he guided her through the maze of people milling around the park.
“It’s a little crazy in here.” Lauren stepped aside as some children with cones of sticky cotton candy scurried by. “Let’s go out this way.”
As she pointed Rad toward the back of the park where a pier jutted into the ocean, Lauren’s phone vibrated in her pocket.
“Sorry, I need to take a call. Do you mind?”
Rad shook his head and motioned for her to go ahead while he continued toward the pier.
“Hey, what’s up?” Lauren held her one ear closed so she could hear the voice on the other end of the line over the noise of the amusement park.
“You’re all set.” The voice sounded low and steady but conveyed a sense of concern. “The details aren’t worked out, but as soon as you get confirmation it’s him, they’ll be ready to move. They’ve already activated an elite group to handle the mission.”
“Wow.” The breath rushed out of Lauren. She backed up to a bench behind her and mechanically sat down.
“You still there? You can still change your mind, you know. That’s why I sent you there—to think about it.”
“Are you kidding me?” She forced a laugh. “This is the best news I could get.”
“Look, Lauren. No one will think any less of you if you decide to call it quits, but you need to do it now. Once we set this thing in motion, it will be too late.”
“No way.” She stood and paced as she talked. “This makes all the time spent living in that hell-hole worth it.”
There was silence for a moment. “That’s what I told them you’d say, but they wanted me to ask.”
“Tell them I have my Koran to protect me,” she said, trying to make a joke. The comment drew nothing but a long pause.
“I know you know what you’re doing—but this is Non-Official Cover. We’ve bypassed standard operating procedures so there’ll be no diplomatic protection.”
Lauren understood completely. She would not be a coddled diplomat in the safety of an American Embassy. She would have no official ties to the United States government if caught.
“I know. I’m going to be on my own. No room for error. And no cavalry coming to rescue me.”
“You got it.”
“I prefer it that way. I don’t want anyone risking their lives to save me if things go south.”
&nbs
p; Lauren waited, but heard nothing except static from the phone and silence on the other end. “You still there? Did you hear me?”
“Yes, I heard.”
“I mean it, Hank. Promise me.”
She heard him swallow loudly on the other end. “I’m not in the habit of making promises, but I can tell you I intend to respect your wishes.”
“No extractions in Pakistan. No matter what. I know how fast things can get screwy. Put it in my file.”
“You should never say never,” he argued. “And anyway, no one’s going to do an extraction. The United States is going to deny they even know who you are or that you ever existed.”
“Okay, but put it in my file and make me feel better.”
Again an awkward pause. “I penciled it in. It’s there.”
“Good. Thanks for that. So I’ll be flying out of Dover, I hope.”
“Yeah. A regular military transport to Bagram as part of one of the cooperating relief NGOs, which fits your profile. From there you’ll go to Kabul. I haven’t quite worked out the details on the final leg yet, but it’ll be a quick skip back into Pakistan.”
“Sounds good,” is what she said. A quick skip to hell, is what she thought.
“This is probably the last time I’ll talk to you… until it’s over… so good luck.”
“Yep. Don’t worry. I’ll be talking to you again before you know it. Get some Champagne, and we’ll celebrate long distance.”
“Deal. Be careful, Lauren.”
“You mean, Aminah.”
“Yeah, be careful Aminah. Do what you gotta do, but be careful.”
“Roger that. See ya.”
Click.
“Sorry about that.” Lauren strolled up beside Rad who was leaning over the railing of the pier, staring down at the waves splashing against the pylons. “My travel agent wanted to go over my itinerary.”
He glanced at her sideways. “Really? Looked a little more serious than that.”
His manly intuition took Lauren by surprise, scattered her thoughts, and melted away her composure. “Yeah, well, um, I have a lot of layovers and ahh, stuff.”
Rad studied her intently, his steady gaze piercing through her in silent concern. “You could just say it’s none of my business.”
Lauren found it somehow comforting he knew she was lying, yet also disconcerting that after all the years she had worked alone, someone knew her that well—cared to know her that well. Yet how could he, dammit? She had just met him. Her emotions were suddenly all knotted up and strained almost to a breaking point. Under his unyielding scrutiny, she could not think.
“There you go again.”
She started to walk away, but he pulled her to a stop. “What do you mean?”
“Trying to read my mind.”
“I’m not reading your mind, Lauren.” He had a tight grasp on her wrist. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the strain on your face. Look, you’re practically shaking.”
“It’s adrenaline, that’s all.” Lauren pulled her hand away. She wished she could explain to him that everything she had been working for over the past five years was finally paying off. The end game was near, and she could hardly wait. But it was all so complicated, that even if she could divulge the information, she wouldn’t know where to begin.
Lauren knew one thing. She didn’t want to lie. Not to this man. Not with those sincerely concerned eyes staring down at her.
She masked her inner turmoil with deceptive calmness and told him the truth—a slice of it anyway. “The thing is, I have a really important meeting as soon as I get back. I get shaky thinking about it.”
“Okay, just so it’s not fear.” His face appeared troubled and tense.
“No, it’s not fear. Believe me, I’m not afraid.” Lauren took a deep breath and stared out over his shoulder, irritated at herself. She had to conquer this involuntary reaction to that tender, worried look of his. What had happened to the level-headed, independent, young woman of yesterday?
Rad walked in silence for a moment as they headed around the outside of the park toward the Boardwalk, but there was an almost imperceptible note of anguish on his face. “I get the feeling you’re not afraid of much of anything. That can be dangerous.”
“You have a short memory,” Lauren said. “Remember the Mirror Maze?”
That brought a smile to his face—but it was short-lived as he seemed to continue to dwell on the topic.
“I guess I should be flattered you’re worried about me, but there’s no need. I’m a big girl.”
“I know.” He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her into him protectively. “Even so, I kind of wish I could go with you.”
No you don’t. She gave him a solemn smile. Believe me. You don’t.
Chapter 5
Lauren noticed Rad was so deep in thought he didn’t argue about not getting to try his hand at the games he’d wanted to play on the way into the amusement park. His brow was creased as he stared straight ahead, his jaw was set, and his expressive face now seemed somber.
She wondered what to say or do to get him to smile again when a booming voice with a strange accent broke the silence. “Stop. Let me tell your fortune.”
They both turned around at the same time and stared at the turban-headed mechanical man inside an ornate fortune-telling booth. “Your fortune is mine for the telling and yours for the hearing.”
Rad nudged her. “You game?”
Lauren didn’t want to have anything to do with a fortune teller, but since Rad was almost smiling again, she consented and stepped closer.
“I can see your future.” The fortune-teller wore a bright yellow silk shirt with a black vest and numerous jeweled necklaces. “Step closer and you shall see it too.”
“Okay.” Lauren pulled a bill out of her pocket and stuck it in the slot. “I’ll give it a shot.”
“Zoltar the Gypsy, at your service.” The supposed fortune-teller inside the booth came alive, waving his jeweled hand back and forth over a crystal ball. “Today is your lucky day, my friend.”
Rad stepped closer, smiling broadly now.
“Never forget that you can tell a wise person by what they don’t say as much as by what they say. Sometimes it is wiser to say little rather than much.”
They looked at each other with quizzical expressions.
“Give me your treasure,” Zoltar continued. “I have much wisdom to share.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means he wants another dollar. Let’s go.”
Before they turned around, a ticket popped out of the machine that said, “Your Fortune.”
Lauren tried to grab it, but Rad had it in his hand and was reading out loud before she had time to react. “Okay, this is more like it. It says: When you pull a card and receive a heart, you and your beloved will never part.”
He held up the piece of paper for her to see. “Look, you got a heart.” He showed her the artwork of an Ace of Hearts.
Lauren attempted to grab the ticket, but he deftly avoided her and began reading again. “Hold on. There’s more.” He cleared his throat. “‘You are a strong believer in fate. You feel you have no control over your destiny.’”
He raised his gaze to hers. “True?”
Before she had time to answer, he continued, “Fortunately, you are destined to be very happy indeed.”
“Wow,” Lauren said, making one last attempt to snatch the paper from his grasp. “I feel better already.”
“But wait, there’s more. It says down here at the bottom you have a graceful walk and a determined step.” Rad smiled reflectively. “I can vouch for that.”
“Now you’re just making things up.” Lauren crossed her arms and stared at him.
“No, I’m not.” He pointed to the paper. “It says, ‘you always walk as though you know exactly where you’re going.’” He nodded. “Um hmm. Right again. Now, let’s see here.”
The next words made Lauren’s heart p
ick up its pace.
“‘You will endure a great hardship in the near future, but everything will turn out for the best, and unending happiness will be yours.’”
Lauren wrinkled up her nose and pretended to be unaffected. “That’s silly. You don’t believe in that stuff, do you?”
“Seemed to be right on target until the end.” He stared at her thoughtfully. “By great hardship, it’s probably talking about a late flight or something.”
“Geez. Hope that doesn’t happen.” Lauren pretended a long layover would be the worst thing in the world that could happen, even though she knew she faced hardships of far greater consequence. “Good to know everything will turn out in the end.”
Amusement flickered in the eyes that met hers. “See? You do believe.” He took her hand and started walking. “You got this little obstacle coming, this little hardship, and then, bam—unending happiness is all yours, baby.” He squeezed her hand. “Zoltar has spoken.”
Lauren laughed, partly because of his words and the optimistic way in which they were spoken, and partly because of the sensation of her hand in his. The contact had produced an unexpected jolt that was almost electric, but Rad just whistled as if he didn’t have a care in the world—as if it was perfectly natural for him to be walking hand in hand with a girl he’d just met.
He nodded toward the far end of the Boardwalk. “Think we can make it all the way to the end?”
“If you’re up to it.” Lauren said the words jokingly as she ran her gaze over him. Frankly, he looked like he could walk to the Pacific Ocean with her on his back if the need arose.
“Let’s give it a whirl.”
Lauren tried to keep her mood light and imitate his carefree demeanor, but she didn’t have much practice in the art of cheerfulness, especially over the past five years. She found her thoughts drifting to what tomorrow would bring and the endless and difficult tasks that needed to be accomplished once she landed. When Rad’s protective hand tightened and pulled her closer, she knew he was reading her mind again and drawing her back to the present moment. She smiled up at him, thanking him wordlessly as a warm glow flowed through her.
Meant to Be Page 4
