“You gave the contract to Basia.”
“Yes. She’d done translation work for the firm before, so it seemed a natural choice. But a few days later when she disappeared along with the contract, I knew something was very wrong.”
“That’s when I entered the picture.”
“Yes. I was desperate to find her. I hoped at the very least you could give me a lead on her whereabouts.”
I took another sip of coffee and stared out the front windshield. Mrs. Wolansky was walking her dog like she did every morning precisely at nine o’clock. She saw me sitting in the convertible and waved cheerfully. I waved back, but not so cheerfully. In a way, a part of me mourned for the days when I’d lived my life in blissful ignorance of stomach-churning realities like human cloning, terrorist shoot-outs and people using me for their own gain.
“So, when did you tell MI-6 about Basia and the missing contract?”
“After you gave me the CD. I passed it on to MI-6 to make sure what was on it. They analyzed it and realized at once it was the work of the NSA. MI-6 immediately contacted the agency and was told an operation was already in progress.”
“Gee, why am I always the last to know these things?”
“Well, they figured the NSA was working you blind. In a way, I was working blind, too. I had very little information to go on. After all, I wasn’t a real agent, just a recruited one. I didn’t know how Al-Naddi’s group figured and I certainly had no idea that young women were being murdered.”
“They let us muddle along together.”
“Yes, and in a way, we played right into their hands. They needed you to get the cooperation of the Zimmerman twins to come up with a bloody brilliant hack to get into CGM’s files, and me on the inside to plant it.”
It still hurt to hear that, especially because I had not only allowed myself to be used, but the twins, too. “And once that was accomplished, they decided it would be helpful to use me as terrorist bait.”
Finn ran his fingers through his hair. “It looks that way now, doesn’t it? Truthfully, they’re just bloody happy that they got what they wanted, which was to shut down the cloning operation and nab Al-Naddi and his lieutenant. Then, as an added bonus, we also came out of this alive somehow. Hurrah for the home team and all that.”
“If this was such a delicate matter, why did they let you handle me?” I asked. “Why didn’t they pass me off to a more experienced agent? Or did you tell them you’re good at handling women?” I hadn’t intended to say that, but I had, and now it lay between us.
He literally winced. “Ouch. I guess I deserved that. By no means was I their first choice, Lexi. But events were moving quickly and they thought I could manage you because we seemed to be in this together. We were in it together. But just in case, the Americans said they had another man on the inside to guide you. You never mentioned anyone else, though, unless it was one of the Zimmerman twins.”
“It wasn’t,” I said glumly. It was Slash. They’d surrounded me, an ordinary, predictable, not-so-pretty math major, with handsome, dashing men, hoping I’d fall for at least one of them and spill my guts. In fact, I’d fallen for both of them, and in the end neither had been trustworthy. I guess it was a lesson well learned.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the headrest. “You saved me from Harry Jorrell. Was that a set-up, too? To get me to trust you more?”
“No bloody way!” he exclaimed. “If you must know, that fiasco took me ten years closer to my grave. Your surveillance was left to the FBI, who thought you were an easy mark. Only they mucked it up royally. Everyone underestimated you, including me. No one considered you’d risk your job at the NSA to try to rescue Basia alone. It was truly a stroke of luck that I happened to be watching Jorrell. It was doubly good fortune the bloke had a heart attack before he could kill us or I had to shoot him.”
“How did the NSA or MI-6 eventually make the connection between Al-Naddi and CGM?” The NSA had been stingy with details and I hoped to get more information out of Finn.
“The CIA was pretty sure the hit in Genoa was the work of Al-Naddi’s followers. But they wasted a lot of time trying to connect Al-Naddi to Al-Asan and the Saudi royal family.”
“When the only connection was that Al-Naddi switched his DNA with that of Al-Asan to get himself some clones free of charge,” I mused. “Macabre, but pretty ingenious.”
“Bloody disgusting, in my opinion.”
“Yeah, in mine, too.” Having lost my appetite, I set the chocolate donut aside and wiped my mouth with a napkin.
“The break came when the young women supposedly impregnated by Al-Asan started showing up dead,” Finn continued. “One of the hits was on a young British citizen, Sarah Cunningham, who was one of Al-Asan’s volunteers for what she thought was a surrogate pregnancy. Her murder and that of the other women were professional hits, but it was puzzling because MI-6 was convinced those murders were not the work of Al-Naddi’s followers. That’s when they started to take a completely different look at the events.”
“It was Bouker and his Yemeni agents conducting the hits,” I said. “They somehow found out about the cloning and that Al-Naddi had switched DNA samples with Al-Asan. More than likely, they have their own plant among Al-Naddi’s followers. Then they started eliminating the young women one by one.”
“Until there was one woman left. Judyta Taszynski. And you were the only lead to find her.”
“So, as we headed for Sweden, you kept MI-6, and by extension, the NSA abreast of my whereabouts.” I glared at him.
He sighed and looked away. “Yes. I’m sorry I had to deceive you, Lexi. I was just trying to protect you. This was bloody rotten stuff and I didn’t like the fact they were working you blind.”
“Yeah, just another day at work,” I scoffed. “What about Al-Asan? Did he ever find out his DNA had been hijacked?”
“Apparently he’s been informed. Understandably he doesn’t want word of his involvement to get out. Needless to say it would prove quite embarrassing to the Saudi royal family.”
“And as a result, the U.S. and British are keeping it a secret to preserve the important and delicate ties between our three countries.”
“I couldn’t have said it better.”
I took another sip of coffee. “What about Harry Jorrell? Did he survive his heart attack?”
“He’s alive and singing to FBI agents. He’ll help nail the coffin shut on CGM’s cloning operation for good.”
“One can only hope,” I said. “But I guess we both know it’s only a matter of time before some other firm starts cloning humans and this whole mess will start all over again.”
“I know,” Finn said wearily, pushing his fingers through his hair. “But at least we’ve done our part to put a stop to it for now.”
I put my hand on the door handle. “Well, thanks for the explanation. I guess that ends that.”
“Not quite,” Finn said. “Lexi, there’s something I want to say to you. But I’ll be damned if I’m not as nervous as hell.”
Before I could say a word, he abruptly leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. Unlike the electrifying, hungry assault I had experienced at the hotel in Sweden, this kiss was soft and tender, but just as sensual. When he lifted his mouth, I blinked in shock.
“What was that for?” I managed to say.
“It’s my way of saying I’m sorry, Lexi. For everything. Will you give me another chance?”
“Finn, the gig is up. You don’t have to pretend to like me anymore.”
“I wasn’t pretending. Not during the operation and not now. Somewhere along the line, I really fell for you.”
I looked at him in disbelief. There was no way a guy like Finn would ever really be interested in a girl like me. I should have known that from the beginning.
“Right. What does your girlfriend think about you kissing other girls?”
“What girlfriend?”
“The Finnish model with a big chest named Paulette or Claudia or something like tha
t.”
“Claudette? Claudette’s last name is Hyvärinta, which in Finnish coincidentally happens to mean ‘good chest’ not ‘big chest’. I saw her at a party last summer and someone snapped a photo of us when we both went out onto the balcony to get some air. I don’t think I’ve even exchanged more than ten words with her.”
“So you’re not dating her?”
“No.” Leaning over, he carefully cupped his hand around my chin. Then he smiled that dazzling smile of his and I felt my stomach get all fuzzy.
“Do you think you could forgive me?” He pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and kissed me again. His hand gently cupped the back of my neck and his lips were achingly tender. It took me all of a nanosecond to realize if he kept doing that, I’d forgive him not only for past transgressions, but for any future ones, as well.
I was just about to fling my arms around his neck and tell him he was completely and utterly absolved when he abruptly pulled away and swore under his breath. “Shit.”
“Shit?” I said, touching my lips. “Was I that bad a kisser?”
He rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not you—there’s a photographer in the trees over there. He’s taking our picture.”
I squinted over my shoulder at the trees and saw the sun glinting off something. “Who is it this time? The NSA, CIA or MI-6?”
“More likely the Star Icon.”
“The Star Icon? What’s that?”
“A tabloid. And now our pictures will likely be plastered all over Ireland.”
“Oh,” I said, shrugging. “Does this mean I’m going to be famous, too, at least by association?”
He laughed. “Just the back of your head, lass.”
“Figures,” I said, leaning back in the seat. “Look, Finn, I don’t want to ruin your reputation or anything. Maybe we should think this over. After all, there is no danger, terrorists or shooting to heighten your attraction to me.”
He looked at me incredulously. “I don’t need terrorists or danger to heighten my attraction to you. It’s been hard enough for me to keep my hands off you all this time.”
“Really?” I said, feeling a little giddy.
“Yes and it’s a new experience for me. I’m not used to liking a woman who has such a…sharp intellect.”
“Sharp intellect?”
“Well, you were the one who said I should start hanging around geek chicks more.”
“True.”
“Then why do you sound disappointed?”
“I’m not. Not really. A part of me hoped that you wanted me not only for my brains, but for my body.”
His mouth curved into a smile. “Didn’t I mention the part about being barely able to keep my hands off you?”
“Actually, you did,” I said, feeling happier than I had in days. “You know, this is all new for me, too.”
“How so?”
“Well for starters, I never had my picture taken kissing someone quasi-famous before.”
Finn looked amused. “Quasi-famous? I like that. So, how was it?”
“How was what?”
“The kiss with someone quasi-famous.”
I pretended to ponder it. “Well, on a scale of one to ten, I’d rate it a fifty. Not that I want to give you a big head or anything. Keep in mind I’m not that experienced.”
He laughed. “So where does this put us, Lexi?”
“Put us?”
“I’d like to take you on a real date.”
“Define real.”
“A date where we don’t have to discuss life or death issues, including, but not limited to, terrorism, cloning or executions of any kind.”
“It sounds very lawyerly.”
“I figured I’d better put my best foot forward.”
I smiled. “Okay. Then maybe we’ll go out sometime and see where it leads.”
“I can work with that.”
I put my hand on the door handle and pushed down. “Well, all this kissing and date negotiating have been exhilarating, but I’ve got errands to run.”
To my surprise, Finn reached across me and closed the door. “Wait. There’s something else I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, Lexi. Would you mind hearing me out a wee bit more?”
I sat back against the seat, looking at him curiously. “All right. What’s up?”
“Well, I have a rather interesting proposition for you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I bet you say that to all the girls. Especially after a kiss like that.”
“No, not that kind of proposition.”
“Oh,” I said, trying not to sound too disappointed.
He took a deep breath and I was surprised to see he seemed nervous. That, of course, piqued my curiosity even more.
“I’m going to start my own company,” he finally said.
“Law firm, you mean.”
“No, I mean a cyberintelligence security firm. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and it seems that now is the best time in my life to do it. I’ve got the start-up capital and I intend to be competitive with other firms in this area. After what just happened, I figured there is no time like the present to pursue my dream.”
“A cyberintelligence security firm?” I exclaimed in shock. “But you’re a lawyer, for God’s sake.”
“Who’s always wanted to be on the cutting edge of technology. Why do you think I took all those tech classes at Georgetown? Think about it, Lexi, my background in law will come in handy for this kind of work.”
I sat there stunned, not knowing what to say.
“I’d like you to be on my team,” he continued in a rush. “Will you consider it?”
Somehow I found my voice. “Team?”
“Well, I’m friends with Ben Steinhouser and we’ve been bandying about this idea of starting our own company for some time. He’s got several excellent contacts in the field and he knows some good players he could bring aboard. He’s agreed to be my co-director. You’ve heard of Ben Steinhouser, haven’t you?”
Had I heard of Ben Steinhouser?
Everyone in security intelligence knew Ben Steinhouser. He was brilliant, highly successful, revered in both hacker and InfoSec circles. He’d started off as a programmer with the very first computers and worked his way up in the private sector in computer security and cyberintelligence. He could write programs to combat computer viruses that were so superior, he’d even gained the grudging respect of most hackers.
For eighteen years he’d ruled the NSA’s InfoSec Department with an iron fist. He was proud of saying there had been no intrusions under his reign, not that there hadn’t been a hell of a lot of close calls. I wondered how in the world Finn had met him and what he had offered a legend like Steinhouser to lure him out of retirement.
Crap. Although I didn’t want to admit it, I was dangerously intrigued by the offer.
“You should know that I just got offered a promotion,” I told Finn.
“I’ll double your salary,” he said promptly.
Tempting. But then I thought about the note of congratulations I’d got from Director Thompson and the calls from my boss. I remembered the phone call I’d be getting from the president of the United States at three-thirty this afternoon.
“You just kissed me,” I reminded him. “Not to mention the fact that I handcuffed you to a bed. How would that affect a working relationship?”
“We’d figure it out. I like a challenge. In regards to the handcuffs, I consider it an action done in the name of national security.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, too,” I said. Guess I wouldn’t tell him about the kinky sex fantasy.
“If you come to work for me, there will be no travel restrictions and better benefits,” Finn added. “You’ll have more freedom and responsibility. You’ll get to help Ben develop and craft the InfoSec Department from the ground up. And I intend to ask Basia to join the company, as well. We could use a good translator on staff.”
The offer was incredibly attractive, but what abou
t patriotism and serving my country? Could I do that from the private sector? More importantly, could I work for a man I might want to sleep with?
“Working for a private firm will give you more of a chance to stretch your wings,” he added. “You’ll have several new opportunities to explore avenues that might be closed to you at the NSA because of security concerns. I want you on my team, Lexi, because I want the best. Take a leap—you might find it exhilarating.”
“I could also break my neck.”
Finn reached out and touched my hand. “At least promise me you’ll consider it.”
I looked up at the baby-blue sky where nary a cloud was in sight. I was alive and my once ho-hum life had never seemed so filled with exciting and endless possibilities.
I shaded my eyes and looked over at Finn. “Okay, Finn,” I said, giving him a nod. “You’ve intrigued me. I promise to think about it.”
And I would. After all, Lexi Carmichael, Secret Cyber Agent, did have an awfully nice ring to it.
About the Author
Julie Moffett is a bestselling author and writes in the genres of historical romance, paranormal romance and mystery. She has won numerous awards, including the prestigious PRISM Award for Best Romantic Time-Travel and Best of the Best Paranormal Books of 2002. She has also garnered several nominations for the Daphne du Maurier Award and the Holt Medallion.
Julie is a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending high school in Okinawa, Japan; backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months; a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland; and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues.
Julie has a B.A. in political science and Russian language from Colorado College and an M.A. in international affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She worked as a journalist for the international radio station Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Washington, D.C., for eleven years, publishing hundreds of articles before “retiring” to be a stay-at-home mom and full-time writer.
Julie speaks Russian and Polish and has two sons. She enjoys interacting with readers at her website, www.juliemoffett.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/JulieMoffett-Author/123804877633091.
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