Deadly Interpretations

by Andie Alexander

  Jim pointed toward Scotty’s room. “He’s here. They took all his cigars from him, or so they told me on my break.”

  “Cigars? The kid’s twelve. He doesn’t smoke cigars.” I only had my secret stash of cigarettes in my purse, and he’d better not have touched them. But I didn’t have cigars, and he didn’t know about my cigarettes.

  We headed into the bedroom and Jim gave me a nonchalant stare. “Yes, he does smoke. How do you know what he does when you’re not here? He has two hours to sit here alone, and it seems that his drug of choice right now is cigars.”

  Scotty’s voice bellowed from the living room. “Harley? Are you home?”

  “I’m in the bedroom,” I said.

  The pre-teen walked into the room, stared at Jim, then looked at me. “I didn’t do this, I promise.”

  I sat down on the bed. “I know. Were they here when you got home?”

  He nodded, his dark hair bobbing up and down as he did. “Yep. They said they were with the government. But they weren’t nice and even made me do my homework.”

  I glanced up at Jim. “Thanks. He needed someone here, I guess.” I turned back to my brother. “Do you smoke cigars?”

  He shook his head in slow motion. “No, ma’am.”

  I studied his face. “You’re lying. Don’t you know those things could kill you?”

  He crossed his arms. “Your boyfriend Billy smokes them and you smoke cigarettes. It was okay for you guys to smoke, so why not me?”

  “Wait a minute. How do you know I smoke?”

  “I’ve seen you out on the balcony,” he said with a devious grin.

  “Well, I quit today. Also, Billy’s gone so no more cigars. You’re too young for that. Go to your room.” I pointed and he had to know I wasn’t happy.

  “Billy’s gone? Did you kill him?” His eyes were as round as saucers, and he seemed excited by the prospect. Great. What was this kid learning, anyway?

  I sighed, suddenly thinking about a nice glass of wine. “No, I didn’t kill him. He’s also not gone for good…yet. Do as I say.”

  “He thought you killed your boyfriend?” Jim whispered.

  I rolled my eyes and sighed. “I guess so. Time to stop taking the mean pills.”

  “Mean pills?”

  “Never mind.” I really didn’t want to get into anything personal with this guy, considering he’d be out of my life as soon as I could kick him out and move on.

  “But who can I hang out with tonight?” Scotty looked at Jim. “You?”

  Jim nodded. “Yep. Now do as your sister says or I’ll have my men throw you into jail.”

  “Jail?” His hands flew to his hips. “Do you think you’re a cop or something?”

  “Yep.” Jim took him out of the room while I went into the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of wine, and then returned to the bedroom and sat on the bed with my feet up and my head leaning against the headboard. Nothing was going right, and I knew I wouldn’t get any peace in this house full of governmental agents.

  Another question kept haunting my brain. Why would killing Ali be a warning to me? I was a U.N. interpreter. I only did oral translations for these people and everyone could listen to what I said. I didn’t even socialize with them, and avoided them at all costs. I really only talked to Elizabeth on breaks, but we weren’t close. I was no threat to any of them. It also made me wonder about the kidnapped guard. I hadn’t heard anything about it until Jim told me. I was that isolated from the water-cooler gossip.

  Jim returned to the bedroom and shut the door behind him. I gulped some of the wine while he lay down beside me. He watched as I finished the wine, then he pulled me down to the bed, stroking the side of my face while I looked up at the ceiling. “Talk to me,” he whispered.

  “There’s nothing to say.”

  “I doubt that. Women always have too much to say.” He glanced at the empty glass. “Do you drink a lot?”

  I looked over at him and then returned to staring upward, considering the color of the ceiling. I liked white. It was a wholesome color. “I have a few glasses when I get home. Why?”

  “What would happen if you didn’t have them?”

  “I’d be even meaner than I usually am.”

  I watched him as he thought it over. “That’s good to know, but I think I need you to stop drinking. I need you in top form.” He paused for a moment. “Did you drink last night?”

  “Yep. Sloshed. Billy was jerking me around...again.”

  “Did you have a hangover this morning?”

  Confusion filled my thoughts. Who was this guy? “Maybe. Why do you care?”

  He moved closer to my lips. “I care. I care about everything that has to do with you. You’re my job and I want to get a promotion, so don’t screw this up. You’re going to stop drinking to the point of a hangover and you will listen to me.”

  He scared me, but in a good way, I think. He was one of those take-charge guys and I respected that.

  He looked around the room, and then kissed my cheek. “Why is every curtain and wall in this place black?”

  “I like black. It’s my last name.”

  “But you have a white couch, white ceilings, and a red bedspread.” He rubbed his hand over my bed. “It’s so strange, and with the black ducky curtains in the living room—”

  “Let it go. The people here before me were odd, and I never changed it. I like red and the white couch was a present.”

  “From Billy?” Jim asked.

  “Yeah, the jerk.” I sighed and looked back at the ceiling while Jim rested his arm over my waist.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Billy was probably out gallivanting all over the city with beautiful women hanging from each arm.

  It was none of Jim’s business, so I decided to change the subject, watching his soft red lips and very blue eyes. “Why are you and your men really here?”

  “There’s a rumor that a United Nations member is going to try to get someone to be an interpreter for a meeting between the Chinese and Russian Ambassadors, so they can informally talk to each other about something big. We don’t know what it is, but it’s important. It’s so important that they felt it necessary to give you Ali’s body as a warning, or so we think.”

  “Chinese and Russian? But there are only two of us who could do that at the U.N.”

  He smiled. “I know. You and Elizabeth. You’re both good and were both trained overseas. We know Elizabeth’s allegiance isn’t to the United States, because she’s British, but for you, we’re not sure.”

  I sat up and studied him. “What do you mean, not sure? My family is here and I was born here. How can you say my allegiance isn’t to the United States?”

  He pulled me back to the bed, leaned over, and nibbled on my ear. I loved that, and if he hit a magic spot on my earlobe, I’d be putty in his hands. He moved to kiss down my neck and I closed my eyes. This was getting better and better. “Because of a man named Dieter Brockman,” he whispered.

  I opened my eyes, turned my head, and stared at him. He had to be kidding. “Dieter? What do you know about him?”

  Jim’s grin covered his face. “You lived with him for a year when you first went to Geneva about four years ago. He’s a subversive and has been linked to terrorism all over the world, with plans to start a world war.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. He had to be blowing smoke, because there was no way that little man, Dieter, could do any such thing. “Are you sure you have the right guy? He’s so scrawny, he couldn’t terrorize a mouse.”

  Jim moved over me and his lips captured mine with a very hot kiss. Of course, I had to return the kiss, but he was teasing me. He finally moved his lips to my cheek, and headed back to my ear. “We’re very sure about Dieter. We have him in custody right now in Great Britain, but he’s not saying much. He still loves you, you know.”

  “I know,” I said with a sigh, my eyes shut. “But I don’t love him.”

 
“He said he gave you a bunch of things to hang onto as a keepsake, and wanted to know if you still have them.”

  I forced myself to open my eyes, thinking about his last comment. Jim’s eyes were light blue, ringed in a darker blue. I felt like I was looking into the soul of the most powerful man in the world. He reminded me of a cop, and cops were hot. Every woman knew that. They were compassionate and powerful, a wonderfully wicked combination.

  “I can check if you want,” I whispered.

  “That would be nice.”

  “I can’t move. You’ve got me pinned down.”

  He grinned, lowering his lips to mine. “I know. I like this arrangement.”

  Men. They couldn’t multitask at all, which was really annoying. “Can I get up?”

  “Yeah.” As soon as he moved off me, I stood, fixed my hair, and blew out a huge breath. He was that hot, and I really needed the break from the lust.

  I went over to my jewelry box and removed a heart necklace ringed in diamonds, a matching bracelet, and a pen that had Geneva written on it. I had a few of those pens, but they were all the same, so I only gave him one.

  I walked back to the bed and lay them down in front of Jim, who studied each item. “Is it okay if we analyze these things?”

  “Sure. I only want the pen back. I like those pens because they remind me of Switzerland. I loved it there.”

  He looked up at my face. “You don’t want the diamonds back? They’d be worth money.”

  “No. They remind me of the idiot and I’m done with him, for sure. It’s dirty money if I’d cash them in. Give them to someone in the government—maybe your wife or something.”

  “Not married and no girlfriend—currently.” While smiling, he turned toward the jewelry, examined it, and put the things into his pocket. “Why don’t you like Dieter?”

  I sat beside him. “He was into weird stuff, like locking me in the basement for days at a time.”

  “Is that why you’re so tough on men?”

  I lowered my eyebrows and clenched my jaw. “I’m not tough on men at all. What are you talking about?”

  He grinned. “Never mind. Want to go out for dinner with me?”

  I pointed toward the glass. “I already ate, thanks.”

  He stared at the wineglass, then back at me. “Wine? That was dinner?”

  “I have to stay trim to beat up all the men coming into my cubicle at work.”

  He kissed my cheek. “But, I’d love to treat you to something nice, just the two of us. I really want to get to know you better, since we have to date.”

  “It sounds like you already know me. You know more about me than I know about you.”

  He pulled me off the bed and to my feet. “Fine, then we have something to talk about, and it’s my favorite subject. Me.”

  “I want to get a shower first, though.”

  “Fine with me.”

  I removed some clothes out of my dresser and closet, and headed toward the bathroom. Before I could close the door, Jim walked in with me.

  “I’d like to be alone, please?” I asked.

  “Nope. I have to stay with you to make sure you’re not going to slip out of my hands.”

  “In here?” I asked, looking at the windowless walls.

  “I trust no one. Just act like I’m not here.” He leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed.

  “No problem.” I stripped down and ignored him. I didn’t cover myself at all, but knew he was staring at me as I removed my black blouse, black pinstriped slacks, hose, red bra, and red thong.

  “Nice body,” he whispered. “Want to have some fun after dinner?”

  I turned on the water in the shower. “Do you mean a movie or something?”

  He reached out and trailed his fingers down my back, then rested his hand on my hip, massaging my skin. “If you want, but I was thinking something a bit more…intimate.”

  “No, because there are people here, and I don’t want Scotty hunting for a girlfriend to try out sex.”

  He moved his hand away from me and leaned back against the wall in the tiny bathroom with his arms crossed. “I understand. You’re a challenge.”

  I shot him a dirty look, and even though I was completely naked, I felt like I’d known this man all my life. He lowered his eyes over me one more time, and then shot me a grin. I felt so dirty all of a sudden. I had to get this guy out of my life somehow. Maybe I could put some fake information out there to send him somewhere else. I wouldn’t even know where to start, but it was an option.

  Chapter 4

  As I stepped into the shower and ignored Jim, I realized I really wasn’t in the mood for his games and kept my mind on the shower. The water made me feel like I was washing Dieter away from my skin, for some reason. Getting rid of that jewelry was good enough for starters.

  I finished my shower and turned off the water. The curtain was moved back, and a towel covered my head, another went around my shoulders, then another one dabbed at my face.

  I tried to grab the towel. “I can do that.”

  Jim removed my hand from the towel, holding it at my side. “I know, but if I pamper you, you might agree to join me in bed later.” His wink made me sick.

  “Not going to happen.” I grabbed the towel from him. “I sleep alone. I’m not someone else’s plaything.”

  “I didn’t say sleep, and you’re not sleeping alone tonight. I have to stick to you, remember?”

  I pulled the towel over the ends of my hair and wrung them dry. “Why is that again?”

  “To make sure you’re not a subversive. You’ve been flagged as ‘questionable.’”

  I stopped rubbing my scalp. “I’m not questionable and sleeping beside me won’t determine if I’m subversive or not.”

  “True. I’m glad you don’t think you’re questionable, but I need proof. Besides, I have to protect you, in case you’re ever compromised.”

  “Compromised? In this small apartment with all the guards here? The only one who would ever do that here would be you.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “So you’re considering having sex with me?”

  “No. That subject is a dead one. I’m not subversive. I’ve never said anything against the United States and never will. It’s my homeland, and I’ll defend it to my dying day.”

  He shook his head. “But you will say something against the United States.”

  “I will not.” I stepped out of the shower. He took my hand and helped me, but I shook his hand free.

  He grabbed my hand again. “Yes, you will. If either the Russians or Chinese approach you, you’re not a fan of the United States and don’t care about anyone here.”

  I was more than frustrated. “But it’s not true. Why would I lie about something like that?”

  “Play along, will you? We want you to be the interpreter between them so we can figure out what they’re up to. That’s all. As soon as we find out, you’re done.”

  I was ready to be done now, but it sounded like I had no choice. “Can I go back to my job after that or is my life in danger like Ali’s?”

  “I’m not sure, but if it is, we’ll protect you. I’ll protect you and I promise. I’m here for you, whether you like it or not.”

  “Lucky me.”

  He watched me pull on my white thong. “There are drugs for PMS, you know. You might want to consider taking some.”

  “What are you, my doctor?”

  “Yep.” He handed me my matching white bra. Matching underwear was very important because you never knew when it would come in handy, like when a governmental agent was in the bathroom with you after a shower.

  Yes, my life was that weird. No doubt about it.

  I didn’t believe him. “You’re no doctor. You’re an agent for the Department of Homeland Security.” I put on my bra and fixed the straps, then lathered on some deodorant.

  He put both of his hands on my shoulders, his blue eyes dancing in front of me. “Sweetheart, before I was an agent, I had a medi
cal practice in Philadelphia. I have a degree in medicine as a general practitioner, and if you’re not nice to me, I’ll make you call me Doctor Bond.”

  “Doctor? No. It can’t be true.”

  He moved his hands away from my shoulders. “Don’t mention any movie titles around me. That just ticks me off. I’m not 007. Dr. No was the first of the series to come out, but the joke gets old, really fast.”

  Wow. He was really touchy about his name. I didn’t even realize I’d done it, but had to move along. “Is that why you’re so pushy, because you’re a doctor?”

  “Yep. I also studied psychology after getting the CIA job, so you can’t get rid of me. I’ll never fold.”

  “Unless I deck you, right?”

  He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. “That’ll never happen again.”

  I took a step forward, my eyes challenging him. “Are you so sure? You seem rather threatened by me, and seem to want to get on my good side. It shows every time you kiss me, thinking you’ll wear me down.”

  “It keeps you under control.” He leaned in for a passionate kiss, but I backed away.

  “I don’t like being under control.”

  He pulled me closer and massaged my sides. “I’m a lover, not a fighter, and don’t ever forget it. We’re dating and you will let me kiss you.”

  “In public only. This is a professional arrangement.”

  He kissed me again, catching me off-guard. The man had such skilled fingers and an incredible tongue, I was in his power, whether I wanted to be or not.

  “Understood?” he finally asked.

  I could hardly open my eyes and entertained thoughts of various other unwholesome ideas. “Uh-huh.”

  He chuckled. “It works every time.” He lifted my white blouse from the lid of the toilet and pulled it over my head. “You need help, if we’re going to make it in time for the reservation.”

  I popped back to reality. “Reservation?”

  “Yes.” He helped me get dressed in my black slacks. I then I combed my hair, applied my makeup, and brushed my teeth. Since it was late April and still rather cool in the evenings, I went into the bedroom for my black jacket and heels, with Jim following right along.