Soldier for Hire

by Kimberly Van Meter

Scarlett returned, opening the door, carrying a shopping bag. He ignored the bag, knowing full well it was for her date, and said, “Did you get ahold of your FBI friend?”

  “Yes, and he managed to send me the schematics. He also did me a solid and actually managed to get me a blind date with the man who might be able to give us some intel on the DOD bill.”

  Xander perked up. “Wow, that’s definitely a solid. He must be a pretty good guy to go through all these hoops for an ex. How serious was this again?”

  “I already told you, it was serious for him, not so much for me. Move on.”

  He knew that dance. Too many women had been on the opposite side of that equation when it came to him. Being tied down to one person... It just didn’t track with his personality or his career choice.

  But to hear Scarlett echoing his own situation made him realize that maybe they were too much alike to make anything real work.

  Why was he even thinking about this? He needed to focus.

  “What’s in the bag?” he asked, deliberately changing the subject.

  “Oh! Yes, check it out.” Scarlett pulled the slinky black dress from the bag along with the accompanying black heels and Xander forced his expression to remain neutral. She was going to wear that sexy dress...for someone else. “What do you think?” she asked.

  “I think it’s...uh, great.”

  Scarlett laughed. “Ye of so little words. I’m going to start getting ready. I opted for an early dinner with drinks so I need to get moving.”

  “Drinks? Do you think that’s a good idea?” Xander asked with a scowl. “Not sure mixing alcohol in an already tense situation is a recipe for success.”

  Scarlett leveled a pointed look his way. “This coming from the man who lied about his drug addiction and ended up getting framed for a bomb he didn’t plant? Sorry, but I think your opinion on this particular matter is invalid.”

  Ouch. Couldn’t argue with her logic. Besides, if he pushed things much further, he’d have to admit that the only reason he was throwing a fit was because he didn’t like the idea of Scarlett getting dressed up for someone else.

  And neither of them were ready for that level of honesty.

  “Fair enough,” he conceded, shrugging off his attitude for her benefit but inside he was still churning with discomfort. “Do what you think is best.”

  “I will.” She disappeared into the bathroom and emerged a half hour later transformed into a smoking goddess with unbelievable curves. It was all he could do not to drool like a Saint Bernard.

  “How do I look?”

  Like a goddamn vision. He unstuck his tongue from the roof of his mouth and nodded. “Uh, good. Decent.”

  “Decent?” she repeated wryly. “Excellent, that was exactly what I was shooting for. Do you think if I change my earrings I might pass for slightly above average?”

  He tried not to stare at the curve of her hips and the nip of her waist because he’d surely give himself away if he couldn’t stop fixating on the fact that she was dressed to impress for another man. Xander cut his gaze away and pulled an earpiece from his duffel. “Make sure you wear these. They are equipped with GPS and I’ll be able to hear everything that’s being said.”

  “What else you got in that bag of tricks?” Scarlett accepted the earpiece and pushed it into place. “Did you raid the tech closet before going on the run?”

  “Can’t go on a picnic without a fully stocked basket,” he quipped with the flash of a grin.

  She chuckled, saying, “Testing, testing,” and Xander gave her a thumbs-up when it came through loud and clear on his end. Her cell dinged and she checked the notification. “My Uber is here. Cross your fingers that this leads to something,” she said, moving to the door, but he couldn’t let her leave just yet.

  “What are you doing?” she asked with a frown as he caught her arm and pulled her to him.

  “Something stupid,” he muttered before closing his mouth over hers, her tongue immediately darting to dance with his. They were playing with fire but he was coming to realize that he was more than willing to burn for Scarlett.

  * * *

  Scarlett entered the swanky restaurant and was immediately ushered to a table reserved by a lanky man with a Roman nose and large owlish glasses in a suit.

  The man, James Doakler, rose to greet her, his eyes lighting with obvious surprise at his good fortune. “I have to say, you’re not the usual blind date that I get stuck with,” he said, giving her a lingering once-over. “You do not disappoint in the least. My only question is...where have you been my entire life?”

  Scarlett pretended to appreciate his awkward praise when in reality she wanted to stomp on his insole. She forced a light laugh as he helped her to her seat, pulling out her chair like a gentleman, which was, at least, a point in his favor.

  James took his seat opposite Scarlett, his gaze still undressing her to the point where she had to demurely look away on the pretense of laying her linen napkin across her lap.

  He’d taken the presumption to order red wine, which fortunately for him, Scarlett enjoyed but she didn’t like anyone making assumptions on her behalf.

  “If I’d known you were going to be so hot I would’ve ordered their best Cabernet.”

  He chuckled as if he were funny and she merely smiled as she sipped the wine. It was no mystery why this man was single. She felt sorry for any woman who hitched her wagon to this numskull.

  “Mmm, delicious,” she murmured, realizing she was going to need an entire bottle to get through a night with James Doakler.

  CJ had managed to copy the man’s cell contacts and use a coworker’s contact information so that Zak’s texts looked as if they were coming from his buddy, then rerouted any responses to CJ’s server so that their cover wasn’t blown.

  The end result? James had no idea his buddy Carl was completely clueless about this supposed blind date and it would stay that way. Once the subterfuge was discovered, she’d be long gone.

  James adjusted his tie and gestured to the waiter with impatience. Scarlett recognized right away that James felt more important than he was, which was something that would work in her favor. Men like James fed on the adoration of others and their egos were insatiable. All she needed to do was play to his appetites and he would sing like a bird in his attempt to inflate his own worth.

  Scarlett suffered through an appropriate amount of excruciating small talk before she inched her way into sensitive territory. “James, I find it so fascinating that you work for the Department of Defense in such an important position. How long did it take to work up to being the Secretary of Defense’s right-hand man?”

  “Five years,” James answered, proud of himself. “It’s not an easy position but it’s worth it. I’m doing something that matters. I truly believe that.” Scarlett nodded as if she agreed, which only encouraged James to keep sharing. “We’re on the precipice of major change and it’s exciting times, especially when someone who knows what they are doing is at the helm.”

  Scarlett pretended interest. “How exciting. What an incredibly interesting job you have.”

  James puffed out his chest. “Indeed. I could tell you some things but I wouldn’t want to scare you away. Classified things.”

  Scarlett pretended to be aghast. “Now you’re scaring me. What kind of things?” she teased with mock seriousness.

  “Oh, you have no idea. But it’s not all bad. We have some real smart people putting things into play that will not only help this nation but will help take care of some of the social problems that have been running amok in this country. Too much liberal nonsense if you ask me.”

  Ahh, the clichéd liberal versus conservative argument. Honestly, Scarlett was neither. She liked to think of herself as more well rounded and leaned neither to the right or the left. She liked to reside somewhere in the middle because that’s where common s
ense was usually found.

  However, she wasn’t going to say that to Mr. Doakler. She was going to play to his cues. As such, she agreed vigorously, seeming to appreciate his viewpoint. “That’s incredibly good news to hear. The world has gone to hell in a handbag. Honestly, I would love to see a return to faith in our lives.”

  James nodded, pleased. “It is so refreshing to hear a beautiful, intelligent woman say what needs to be said. Yes, let’s just come right out and say, we need God back in our lives. The minute the Almighty was no longer allowed in our classrooms out went the good strong morals and ethics that built the foundation of this great nation.”

  Scarlett held a dim view on all organized religion but it seemed an easy jumping off point, particularly for people who clung to certain belief structures. All it took was a small tidbit of bait for James to snap it up, revealing the way he leaned.

  James waited for the waiter to leave after taking their orders, then said, “Don’t you worry. Like I said, big change is coming and it’s going to be good.”

  Scarlett smothered the shudder at the implication but she had to stay on task. If this were a real date, she would’ve shut him down within seconds of meeting. But if somehow the date had managed to progress to this point, she would’ve reminded him that their forefathers were big proponents of separating church and state. Furthermore, she’d fought in way too many countries against people who committed atrocities in the name of religion and wanted no part of it.

  But she was playing a part and affected a confused expression while toying with the rim of her wineglass with her finger. “So tell me, what does the Department of Defense have to do with the current political climate?”

  James clucked his tongue as if finding her ignorance adorable but needing correction. “Politics are played on many different stages,” he explained with a wink.

  “Interesting,” she murmured, wondering what the hell that meant. “Care to elaborate?”

  But clearly he wanted to talk about something else. “Enough about me. I want to know how is it that a beautiful, sexy woman like you is still unattached?” he asked, his gaze dipping to her cleavage before returning to her eyes. “I mean, you are a ten. I have to be honest, it’s not often that I find another person at my level.”

  Scarlett nearly choked on her wine. The man was aspiring to be a five, at most, but men like him were blind to their own faults.

  “I guess I just never met the right person,” Scarlett answered with a coy smile, glancing up through her lashes.

  “I guess that’s lucky for me.” He grinned, revealing uneven, slightly stained bottom teeth from either too much coffee or too many nicotine breaks.

  With her flirtiest smile, Scarlett said, “Tell me, what’s it like working for the Secretary of Defense? I must confess I’m so intrigued by what you do and the fact that you’re the right-hand man of such a powerful person in this country. What an honor.”

  If there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes that she kept steering the conversation back to his job, it was gone once he had the opportunity to keep talking about himself and his importance.

  “The security clearances alone would make your head spin.” He shrugged as he said, “I know where they hide the nukes and you’d be shocked at some of the locations.”

  Scarlett tried not to laugh. This man was following the self-important blowhard playbook to the letter. “Nukes? Just saying the word scares me. I don’t like to think of a world where we live in fear of nuclear weapons.”

  James reached across the table to grasp her hand as if protecting her. “Don’t worry, honey, you’re safe. There’s no one more powerful than the good ol’ US of A. Not even Russia.”

  Now she really wanted to gag. Stay on topic. “You know, it’s so funny that you should say that. I ran across some pending legislature that really caught my eye but I confess I don’t really understand all of it. Maybe you could help put it into terms I can understand.”

  She gently withdrew her hand to place it in her lap, surreptitiously wiping away his damp touch with her napkin.

  James didn’t seem to notice and was more than happy to educate her with his knowledge. “I’m at your service,” he said.

  She responded with a smile, saying, “You are so sweet,” and he beamed, his gaze riveted on her as if she were the Virgin Mary on a world tour.

  “Only with you. You bring out the sweetness in me. I feel this is fate. We were meant to meet. Do you feel that?”

  All that Scarlett could feel was the pressure of a ticking clock and how she had to make this date seem somewhat believable so as not to raise alarms but she nodded as if she agreed with him. “I definitely feel we were destined to meet.”

  “You know I don’t always say this but...this is kismet.”

  Not trusting herself, Scarlett drained her wine and James dutifully refilled her glass. If she weren’t careful, she would be drunk by the end of dinner.

  “So tell me, honey, what legislation is confusing your sweet little mind?”

  She ignored the patronizing tone and said, “Actually, it’s a spending bill, H.R. 720, I believe, and I just don’t understand what the big fuss is all about.”

  James looked pleased by her knowledge. “Look at you, being informed. That’s cute. Well, this bill is very important and we have a pretty good idea that it’s going to pass the Senate.”

  “Oh? And why is that?”

  “I don’t know if you’ve been following the news lately but there was an incident in Tulsa that tragically took the life of a US senator.”

  Scarlett pretended to be horrified. “How did I miss that? How awful. What happened?”

  He shook his head dramatically. “It’s the saddest story really. One of our own—an American hero—went crazy and took out his anger with the world on an innocent man.”

  It took everything in Scarlett not to stab James with her fork. “That’s horrible. What did he have against the senator?”

  “Who knows? Unstable people rarely have logical motivations. However, I can say that this bill might ensure that something like this never happens again.”

  “I don’t understand... How?” she asked with real confusion. “It’s a spending bill. How would a spending bill prevent domestic terrorism?”

  “On the surface, I know that’s how it seems but this nation needs to funnel more money into our country’s defense and the only way to do that is to make it matter to the American people. You might not know this but the Department of Defense is woefully underfunded. We need more money being funneled into protecting the nation and our people. That crazy unhinged fool who planted the bomb in Tulsa, that never would’ve happened if we’d had access to the man’s background. He could’ve been put on a watch list and any purchase that could have been used to create a bomb would’ve been flagged. We could’ve prevented a tragedy simply by having the ability to monitor his purchases.”

  Scarlett felt sick to her stomach. What a nightmare. It was worse than a violation to the right of privacy—it was an evisceration.

  She hid her true reaction and said, “That makes sense,” even though she disagreed.

  She had many more questions, but she pretended as if she were naturally losing interest in the subject. She couldn’t seem too eager to pry or else she risked blowing her cover.

  Seeing as James thought she was a bubbleheaded idiot with great boobs anyway, she decided to play the part a little more deeply.

  “It’s terrible of me but I heard some interesting gossip. I probably shouldn’t repeat it but it’s just so fantastically ridiculous that I can’t even imagine that it’s true.”

  James smiled, interested. “Oh? Trust me, I’ve heard them all. What is it?”

  Scarlett pretended to blush as if it embarrassed her to even repeat the gossip, which only drew him in further. His smile widened as if she were the cutest thing he’d ever seen
. The man was an idiot. Scarlett leaned forward to whisper in a conspiratorial tone, “I heard this crazy rumor that the secretary was having a secret affair. Can you believe that?”

  James chuckled but his vibe changed. “You know, you can’t believe everything you hear. The secretary is a good, solid family man. Just the kind of man who should be in charge of our nation’s defense. Strong, solid morals. That rumor was just plain ugly gossip probably spread by liberals looking to topple the applecart.”

  Scarlett nodded, pretending relief. “I thought so. I mean he seems so virile and powerful, much like you. I can’t imagine that he would be having an affair...with another man.”

  She let that last part drop and watched for James’s reaction. She wasn’t disappointed.

  James coughed, fumbling with his linen napkin to press against his lips. “Yes, ugly gossip. Like I said, he’s a solid family man. And I’m sure you can understand that there are many people who would use any means necessary to discredit him and his work.”

  “Of course,” she said with a supportive nod. “Why do you think somebody would say that? It’s just so mean.”

  James sighed, troubled by her comment. “That’s the problem with today’s country. People don’t think before they speak. They don’t realize how hurtful words can be. There are real threats out there. Threats to our way of life, threats to our families, to our loved ones. The secretary is trying to prevent any further threat and trying to preserve our way of life. If that’s not heroic, I don’t know what is.”

  Scarlett smiled, watching him closely. “You respect him,” she said. “He must be a very good man.”

  “The best.”

  Was it hero worship? Or something else? James’s posturing told Scarlet he actually did know something about the secretary’s private life, but he wasn’t going to give it up just because she kept poking here and there. He needed a little more persuading.

  Perhaps from an unstable American hero.

  Chapter 20

  Scarlett walked through the motel room door and before he could say a word, she said, “That was excruciating,” as she kicked off her heels and went to the bed to rub her feet.