by AJ Quinn
“Darien?”
“Sorry—yes. The dream was about Prague. It always is. I’m really tired of dreaming about it, but I can’t seem to make it stop. And each time I have the dream, I feel like I’m left hanging on by my fingertips.”
“What would happen if you just let go?”
“I don’t think I want to find out.” She could feel Jessie’s gaze on her face, waiting for her to continue. But as more pieces of the puzzle slipped into place, her voice died.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. It’s always been the same. Except—”
“Except what, Dare?”
Opening her eyes, she turned her head and frowned when she caught her reflection in the window. The image was shadowed, distorted, and stared back at her like the image from her dream. She tried to put her thoughts into words. “Except this time, for the first time ever, there was a difference.”
“How was it different?”
“She—my mother—she opened her eyes. I mean, she was still dead. I knew she was still dead. But she opened her eyes and stared at me. She opened her mouth and it felt as if she was trying to tell me something. But of course she couldn’t, could she? She was dead.” She paused for a moment. “I wonder what Freud would say about that?”
“Freud believed dreams represent an ongoing wish, that they are the way the id communicates its deepest, darkest desires.”
“So Freud would say I wanted my mother to open her eyes, to still be alive?” Darien considered it for a long moment but found herself too tired to feel anything beyond resignation. “Now there’s a surprise.”
There was no possible response and they sat quietly for a long time, the silence filled only with the drone of the jet’s engines and the distant whispered conversations of other passengers.
“Can I ask you something?”
Startled by Jessie’s softly worded question, several seconds ticked off the clock before Darien formed a response. “Of course. You should know you can ask me anything.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know. It’s just the way it is. Ask your question, Jesslyn.”
“All right. I’d really like to know—what did you do with it?”
Darien’s frown deepened. “What did I do with what?”
The small smile that had been dancing around Jessie’s mouth widened. “What did you do with Korolev’s millions?” she asked softly. “You said he had a healthy bank account and I don’t know why, but I got the impression his account’s not that healthy anymore. I’d like to know what you did with the money.”
Uncertain how it came to be that Jessie could read her so well, and wondering what she would do once Jessie learned all her secrets, Darien released a wry laugh. “I donated it.”
“You donated it. To whom?”
“I’m not sure. Several different groups. There was Doctors Without Borders, a wildlife reserve in Kenya, a farm program in Tanzania. A couple of others, I think. I’ve got the list on my laptop if it’s important. How did you know?”
Jessie gave a faint shrug. “There was something in your voice when you spoke about the money. Were you at all tempted?”
“To take the money for myself? Why would I do that? It’s not as if I need it.”
Jessie choked back a laugh. “You’ve no need for twelve million dollars?”
Darien shook her head. “I’ve done all right for myself, Jesslyn. Trust me when I tell you I don’t have any need for Korolev’s money.” She hesitated before continuing. “I realize to most people, maybe even to you, Korolev was in the same business as I am.”
“I don’t think that.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I just know I’d like to believe I’m actually making a difference. It could be I’m deluding myself so I can live with what I do. I don’t know. As for the money, rather than just let it sit there until someone else—maybe some terrorist group—accessed it to fund who knows what, I gave it to organizations that can do some good with it. It’s not as if I haven’t done that before.”
“Of course you have.” This time, Jessie didn’t hold back her laugh while Darien continued to frown at her. “I mean, good God, you’re a modern-day Robin Hood, aren’t you?” But she squeezed Darien’s hand, taking away any possible sting her words might have had.
*
As the jet continued to fly inexorably closer to New York, Jessie slid to her left. The new position enabled her to shamelessly watch Darien as she stretched her long legs and wandered toward the front of the cabin in search of more water.
She saw her encounter a member of the cabin crew, saw the flight attendant’s hesitation before succumbing to Darien’s dazzling smile and considerable charm. A lethal combination and very few people seemed to be immune, she thought.
And why not? Darien was strong, tough when she had to be, intelligent, and it showed. But it always came back to that smile. It was her smile that had first caught Jessie’s attention. It drew her in and continued to hold her.
Feeling the heat pooling deep within her, she watched Darien’s face grow more animated as she elicited a laugh from the flight attendant. Lost in the moment, Jessie almost missed Ben’s approach. She looked up, then moved back to accommodate him as he quietly slipped into the seat Darien had vacated.
“She should be sleeping,” he said with a nod in Darien’s direction.
“She managed to get a bit earlier, but then she had another nightmare,” Jessie responded. “They’re coming more frequently and it’s not going to get any easier, the closer she gets to confronting Petrov. I hate to admit it, but I’m worried about her.”
Ben’s face remained impassive. “You two seem to have gotten close.”
The words were said casually, but Jessie was fairly certain she detected a warning note in Ben’s tone. “Is there a question you’d like to ask?” she said lightly.
“No. I’m simply making a statement. I don’t want to see her hurt.”
Jessie knew he was only speaking out of concern for Darien—out of love, when it came down to it. But knowing didn’t alter her reaction. She felt a flare of anger. Sharp and quick. “You believe I’m going to hurt Darien?”
“Not intentionally, no.” A muscled flexed in Ben’s jaw. “But she’s about to walk into the line of fire.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? Or hate the fact that if something goes wrong, no one’s going to be there to help…I’m not going to be there to help?”
“What I think is that Darien needs to be focused on surviving whatever Nadia Petrov has planned while buying the rest of us enough time to stop Petrov from attacking the G8. Not thinking about anything else.”
“You think I’m going to be a distraction for her?”
Ben’s dark eyes fixed on her. “You’re a complication where Darien’s concerned. I’ve been watching her with you, and she’s different. You’ve changed her. It doesn’t help that Grace will be meeting with the two of you once you’re in Maine. Things between Grace and Darien…I think Darien is finding the prospect of a reunion difficult.”
“What are you saying?” Warily, Jessie tried to focus, but her throat grew tight and her voice no longer sounded like her own. “If there’s a problem between Darien and my mother, why am I only finding out about it now?”
“There’s no problem. Not exactly. I am concerned about how this might play out if Darien has to explain things to Grace.”
“Explain what exactly? That she’s sleeping with me?”
“Yes.”
“That’s enough, Ben.” Startled, they both turned at the sound of Darien’s voice. She was standing close, two bottles of water held in fisted hands. Her voice was neutral, but there was no mistaking the anger radiating from her in waves.
Ben stood and faced Darien, mere inches separating them. The tension between them was palpable and Jessie bit her lip as she saw their eyes lock in some kind of silent combat. Neither said anything and when the silence grew strained, Ben finally spoke.
&n
bsp; “I don’t want to see you get hurt,” he said. “I know you’re still angry with me because I withheld information, and that’s on me. But you’re not thinking. I shouldn’t have to remind you that emotions will get in the way of the job. They’ll get you killed. And starting when we land, you need to have your head completely in the game or you’re not going to survive.”
“Other than this damned-near-constant headache, my head is just fine. What I need is for you to back off and let me be the judge of what’s best for me,” Darien said quietly.
She began to brush past him, but Ben stopped her, her name a question on his lips.
She hesitated after turning back to face him and had to see the regret visibly etched on his face. “Forget it, Ben. I’ve moved on.”
“No you haven’t. Not completely. And I was out of line.”
“Yes, you were.” Darien appeared on the verge of saying something else. But whatever it was, it died as she pressed her lips tightly together then released a soft sigh. “It’s been a long day, Ben, and we could all use some sleep.”
Ben studied Darien’s face, clearly looking for something. Whether or not he was satisfied with what he saw, Jessie didn’t know. But he gave a curt nod before he turned and walked away. Darien waited a moment longer, then slipped back into her seat. Without saying a word, she handed Jessie one of the bottles she’d been holding.
“Thanks,” Jessie said. She uncapped the bottle and took a long drink while watching Darien closely. The shadows under her eyes told of too little sleep and too much adrenaline. She looked tight, almost brittle. Or at least she did until she somehow schooled her face and all expression faded.
Seconds ticked by. When the silence had gone on long enough, Jessie reached with one hand and caught a loose strand of hair, holding it aside so she could see Darien’s eyes, her expression. She was clearly not happy. Fair enough. Neither was she. “We’ve still got a long night ahead of us. Do you want to tell me what the hell that was all about?”
She was surprised when Darien turned and briefly kissed the hand that had just touched her cheek. The anger ebbed from her expression as other emotions swam in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Jesslyn. But as long as tonight is, tomorrow will be an even longer day. Would you mind if we left any serious conversation for another time?”
Yes, I mind. The words echoed in Jessie’s head, but they remained trapped there. She knew it would do no good to confront Darien when she clearly didn’t want to talk. And especially not when they were about to initiate a carefully choreographed dance meant to draw out a cunning enemy. She swallowed her disappointment.
“No problem. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about things once we get to Maine and are out on the water.” She hesitated, but only for an instant. “You know Ben only said what he did because he cares.”
“I know,” Darien said then surprised her by releasing a wry laugh. “But be careful around him, or before you know it, he’ll be giving you a copy of The Care and Feeding of a Contract Assassin.”
Jessie stared at her for a moment. “Does it come with pictures?”
Chapter Twenty-four
They landed at JFK just after sunrise, the eastern horizon a palette of deep lavender, orange, and gold as the jet made its descent into New York. Jessie and Darien walked through the Jetway, caught up in a tide of tired passengers eager to deplane, before they managed to separate themselves.
They also left the rest of the team behind without looking back. No words, not even glances were exchanged. Everyone knew their roles and what was at stake.
And no one does paranoid like agency operatives. Darien laughed softly to herself, knowing she was no different as she gazed at her fellow travelers. The habit had been ingrained since childhood, enhanced by years of training, and was now as much a part of her as dark hair and golden skin.
She didn’t pay much attention to anyone and wouldn’t, unless they showed more than a passing interest in either her or Jessie. Then she would memorize everything about them. But nobody stood out.
They had one more flight—a relatively short hop to Bangor on a private Beechcraft Bonanza—then a drive to Bar Harbor, on the edge of the sea, where they would pick up the boat they would call home for the foreseeable future.
The car Jessie rented turned out to be a dark gray BMW roadster. “It’s not quite a Ducati, but I thought you might enjoy driving it,” she said with a smile. “But I can drive if you’re too tired.”
“No, I’m good.”
Slipping into the driver’s seat, Darien started the engine—a comfortable throaty rumble—and grinned as she found herself staring at a cockpit with enough dials to rival the jet they had flown in from France. There was too much traffic, however, and with stops for groceries and to-go coffee, no opportunity to see what the car could really do. But she still checked mirrors as often as the road ahead.
By midafternoon she was barefoot in shorts and a tank top, standing on the deck of the Tao, a sleek white forty-five footer not unlike most of the other boats currently docked at the marina. She took a long, deep breath, conscious of the warmth of the sun, the cooling breeze, the scent of the sea, and the unmistakable feeling she was being watched. Her instincts were twitching.
Showtime, she thought and wasn’t surprised. She had already completed an electronic scan for bugs of any kind, and for now the boat was clean. But she knew it was unlikely to stay that way.
She looked around casually as she rolled her shoulders and tried to stretch back muscles still cramped from too many hours on planes. She checked the nearby boats, then looked toward the parking lot, searching places where someone might hide if they wanted to see without easily being seen. There were only empty cars and she didn’t see anyone who looked out of place. But she knew they were there.
Hearing soft footsteps approach from below deck, Darien smiled slightly, knowing the sound meant Jessie had finished checking out their accommodations. Then she felt Jessie’s hands settle on her shoulders and begin to work on the knots, and she closed her eyes.
“Hey,” Jessie said. “Everything okay?”
“Define okay,” she murmured, before adding, “You’ve got magic hands.”
Jessie laughed. “You don’t know the half of it.”
No, she probably didn’t. There was still time and she hoped to find out. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. But as her awareness intensified, she also felt the tension being transmitted through Jessie’s fingers. “You feel it too, don’t you?”
“There’s a spot on the back of my neck that’s been burning since we got here,” Jessie responded softly. “I’m not sure why because I didn’t anticipate they’d make a move of any kind so quickly.”
“At a guess, they’ve been on us since we left Paris.”
“Why would they do that? I wouldn’t have thought this would escalate so quickly.”
“I don’t think this is about making any sudden moves. It’s too soon and Petrov can’t afford to have her desire to take me out ruin her plans for the summit leaders. That means she’ll need to coordinate the two events as closely together as possible. So I think she’s just keeping an eye on me, trying to anticipate what I might do.”
“And what is it you’re going to do?”
“Watch and wait. Anticipate. Distract.”
She turned and got her first glimpse of Jessie, looking far too edible in shorts and a bikini top. For what seemed like a long time, although it might have only been measured in seconds, she simply looked. Her pulse throbbed at the base of her throat as her gaze traveled, pausing in places that caused the beat of her heart to increase. Like the slope of Jessie’s breasts and her pale, gently curving mouth.
She leaned closer and brushed her mouth lightly over Jessie’s, soft and gentle, then licked and kissed her way down to her collarbone. She wanted nothing more than to linger. But what she was feeling was different. Real. More so than anything she’d ever experienced. She was also all too conscious of the unknown eyes watching them.
She forced herself to draw back before she lost what passed for control around Jessie. “Why don’t we take the boat out for a bit, get used to how she handles. By the time we get back we’ll need fuel, and we can get an early dinner at the marina restaurant.”
Jessie flashed a look out of eyes hazy and filled with something that made Darien wish they were alone. In bed.
“Is that your best offer?”
Darien gave her one last look. “It is, for now. Can you untie us?”
Jessie nodded and went to work, efficiently handling the dock lines while Darien got the engines started. They were purring smoothly by the time Jessie hopped back on board.
*
Jessie sat in a swivel chair on the flybridge and kept an eye on wind and current as Darien maneuvered the big boat away from the dock and moved slowly out of the marina. The boat came with both old-fashioned throttle levers and joystick controls and she could see Darien testing both, getting familiar and comfortable with how the boat handled as she lined up a channel marker.
She made a turn once she cleared the marker and brought up more speed with a nudge of the throttle as they moved into open water. The boat’s response was immediate and Darien’s mouth lifted at the corners, but her eyes were covered by dark aviator sunglasses, so Jessie couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
As if you could, she told herself. Ignoring the debate in her head, she asked, “Do you know where we’re going?”
“No idea whatsoever. I just want to see how the Tao handles. Make sure there are no surprises. Since this is your home turf, why don’t you decide?” She indicated the navigation system in front of her with the wave of one hand, while keeping the other on the wheel to control the boat. “See anything you like?”
Jessie stared at Darien’s hand and felt adrenaline spike. “Yes.”
Darien laughed and the mood shifted like quicksilver to sensual delight. “How about picking a direction first?” she said, extending her free hand.
