by Mukul Deva
The name struck a chord in Ruby’s head; the name of every summit delegate was embedded in her. “He is here?” she asked innocently. “How is the cranky old bugger?”
Both laughed. Chance knew that Sir Tang had given Ruby one hell of a time when she’d been riding shepherd on him during a state visit to Pakistan. It had happened when they were living together.
“Same old, same old.” Chance smiled as he said that. He could never forget how much Ruby had bitched about Tang.
“What’s he doing here? A bit far from the House of Lords, is he not?”
“An important meeting he is … but mostly for the games.” Chance’s natural secretiveness had reasserted itself. “So, you didn’t tell me.… What are you doing here?”
“Also for the games.” Ruby eagerly grabbed at the excuse Chance had provided. “And just needed to get away for a bit.”
She studied him and decided it had been an innocent question. He stood with his head cocked slightly to the right, a smile dancing on his face, his bright blue eyes taking her in. The sight made her heartbeat ramp up. It was the smile that had first ignited desire in her.
Ruby’s mind flipped back to the first time they met.
* * *
They had been working on putting down an Iranian spy ring, which Counter-Intelligence had chanced upon during an audit of British nuclear facilities. They’d pinpointed four British scientists at one or the other of the plants. An Iranian-origin but British-bred lawyer who operated out of Kensington had recruited them, obviously the spymaster. Chance and Ruby were part of the MI6 team keeping him under surveillance.
At first, Chance had come across to her as a slick lady-killer type; a breed she detested. And it took her awhile to realize that he was anything but. It was the delicious fajitas he brought for their third stakeout that broke the ice.
“Lovely,” Ruby said as she took the first bite. “Where did you pick them up from?”
“I didn’t,” he replied between mouthfuls, his eyes still fixed on the spymaster’s house. “Made them myself.”
“Yeah, right?” Ruby laughed, then saw the look on his face and realized he was serious. “You cook very well.”
“Thanks.” He smiled. “Never had an option, you see. Ma died when I was eight. So just Dad and me.” His attention still on the house. Ruby was surprised with his ease in opening up. “And Dad!” Chance laughed. “He had a soldier’s palate. He’d eat anything anyone put in front of him. Not me … I couldn’t handle the tripe he churned out, so I learned to cook. No option.” He laughed softly at the memory.
They both focused on the fajitas. The silence was companionable. It lasted longer than the fajitas.
It was during those long stakeouts that they had come to know and like each other. The more time they did together, the more they liked it. Ruby certainly did, and she was woman enough to know that her feelings were reciprocated. But both were also smart enough to know that office romances were not the thing and not how an MI6 agent lived. Things would not have progressed if it hadn’t been for the way that assignment ended.
Perhaps one of the agents had slipped up, or perhaps the lawyer-spymaster was smarter than they had given him credit for; either way, he picked up on the surveillance. However, he was not smart enough; he made the mistake of calling up his controller before attempting to leave the country. Alerted that he was going to make a break for it, both MI6 teams on watch were ordered to bring him in.
Chance and Ruby were watching the front of the house, and neither expected the bugger to come out shooting, but he did.
They were approaching the front door; Chance a step in front of her when the spymaster flew out. Ruby saw him first, but by then he was almost upon them. She saw the gun in his hand and knew they were too late; it was up and leveled at Chance.
Ruby shouted and threw herself straight into the line of fire. The bullet hit her bulletproof jacket. The Kevlar stopped the bullet, but fired at point-blank range, its high-velocity impact pummeled her into the ground. Then a thunder of gunfire drowned out everything.
When she opened her eyes, Chance was standing above her, smoke curling out of the pistol in his hand. The lawyer lay dead a few feet away, two neat holes in his head.
It took Ruby a long time to comprehend that she was still alive. Chance could not look away from her. “You jumped into the line of fire?” he said over and over, unable to restrain his gratitude and awe. As he had not been wearing a body vest, it would have been curtains for him if she’d not stopped the bullet.
After hours of tedious paperwork, after-action reports, and debriefing, they were silent as he drove her home. When he stopped outside her apartment, she made no move to get out. They sat in silence for a while.
“May I come up?” Chance finally asked.
She saw a wild look in his eyes. His lips were slightly parted and his eyes shone with desire—an intense desire no doubt fostered by the events of the past few hours. Ruby nodded. A small but definite nod.
Standing side by side in the elevator as it rode up, they did not touch. Their shoulders were touching, but barely so. The silence between them was dense with desire. Almost tangible. Filling up the tiny elevator.
The minute the door to her apartment closed behind them, Chance’s mouth found hers. It was a compelling, urgent, demanding kiss. Warm. Wet. Ruby moaned. Her lips pushed back insistently as her arms enveloped him. She shivered as his hands slid down her back, till they reached her buttocks, seizing them, pulling her closer. Pelvises grinding together.
Buttons and zippers gave way till there were no clothes left between them. Ruby felt his lips and tongue love her body, her neck, and then slide down to her breasts. And then lower still. She pulled him upward.
“No!” Her voice was hoarse. “Take me. Now!”
He did. On the carpet. Just a few feet inside the door. She moaned as he began to move. Almost instantly, her back arched as an orgasm ripped through her. His came a moment later. They just lay there. Then desire returned. But this time they made it to the bedroom. And then, later, in the shower. Each time it lasted longer and became better.
Ruby flushed. Even now the memory of his hard, lean body sent warm wetness flooding through her.
Taboos on office romance be damned, they moved in together a month later. A potent magic flourished between them.
So then why—?
* * *
Ruby’s foray into the past shattered as Chance spoke again. She had missed something. “Sorry, you were saying?”
“I said I can understand why you needed to get away. I heard about your mother in the office when I got back from Kabul.” Chance’s smile had vanished and his face had acquired a somber hue. “Terribly sorry for your loss.” He reached out and touched her cheeks with his fingertips; it was a very light, tender touch. It overwhelmed Ruby. “How are you coping?”
“Fine.” It came out as a choked whisper; Ruby was fighting to stem tears, as much from being reminded as from how Chance had reached out to her. Without warning, the terrorist was overwhelmed by the woman inside.
“Are you sure, Ruby? Is there anything I can do? If there is, you know you just have to ask.” His imploring face conveyed his sincerity. Ruby knew he meant every word.
She shook her head, unwilling to trust her voice. She could feel her mind starting to torque away and fought to control it. “I needed to get away,” she whispered again. Slowly, the terrorist within regained control. The fragile thread that emotions had begun to weave between them had broken.
“I understand.” Chance, at a loss for words, was searching for something to say. “Did you finally meet up with your father? I remember you telling me he was from India.”
“No. I haven’t met him yet.”
“Why on earth not?”
“I know. I have to. That is another reason I chose to come to India. But … well … I just got in…,” Ruby improvised. “I am working up the courage to meet him.”
“You? Working up the co
urage? Since when?” Chance could not hide his amusement. “The Ruby I know would just pick up the phone and call him.”
The Ruby you know … knew … Ruby held that thought at bay. Instead she forced a sheepish smile. “I will. Tomorrow.”
“Great!” He smiled. “Talking of phones. This is my hotel number.” He scribbled it on the ticket stub in her hand. “We must stay in touch. Don’t hesitate if there is anything I can do.” She felt a touch of awkwardness as he paused, as though he had run out of words. “There is something I—” Ruby never knew what else Chance was going to say, because a woman walked up to them.
“There you are!” She greeted Chance.
Ruby felt a spasm of irritation. Then surprise. As she took a close look at the newcomer, she got the eerie feeling that she was almost looking into a mirror.
Barring the newcomer’s fair complexion and auburn hair, the resemblance to her was startling. Approximately the same age, same height, and similar build. And the woman even wore her hair the same way: straight, shoulder-length hair, right now pulled back in a high pony.
Then Ruby saw the smile on Chance’s face, which mirrored the pleasure the woman was displaying. Ruby felt a pang of jealousy. She saw the smile on the newcomer’s face slip as the two women assessed each other. The newcomer must have picked up her vibes of shared intimacy with Chance just as Ruby had immediately been able to tell that the other woman was keen on him. And Chance did not appear immune to her charms either. In that second, their instincts confirmed that they were rivals.
“Ruby, this is Jennifer … Jennifer Poetzcsh.” Immune to the subtle exchange of these womanly vibes, Chance turned to Ruby and introduced her. “Jennifer, this is my friend and colleague, Ruby Gill.” The two women shook warily. “Jennifer is with our cousins,” Chance added, making it clear she was CIA.
He is smitten. Ruby was now resentful as Chance continued. “She is here with Senator Polk, who has also come for the same meeting as Sir Geoffrey.”
“Ruby Gill.” Jennifer murmured, giving a small, taut smile. “You are the second Gill I’ve met since I got here.”
“Yes! You are right.” Chance laughed. “Funny, isn’t it.” He turned to Ruby. “The guy from Delhi Police who is helping us with … with the conference is also called Gill … Ravinder Singh Gill.” He spread his hands wide. “Now, is that a coincidence or what?”
Ruby went still. As far as she could remember, just the mention of her father would be enough to agitate Rehana; hence, Ruby had usually avoided the topic. However, on the rare occasions that her mother had spoken about him, Rehana mentioned that her father was in the Indian Police Service, but Ruby had never imagined that he’d be the one to … And there can’t be many people with that exact same name … can there?
Then Ruby realized that Chance and Jennifer were staring at her; she must have showed something on her face, or maybe because she had gone silent. “It sure is a funny coincidence,” she blurted out.
“Mr. Gill mentioned that he’d been in London in college with Sir Edward, so…,” Chance added. “Wonder if you two are related?”
Ruby had recovered enough to laugh it off. “I guess all Gills in India are? That is what my mom used to say.” The terrorist was back in control.
An awkward silence now fell upon them. Just minutes ago, Chance had shared an intimate moment with her. Or had she imagined it? Was it just concern for a colleague? An old flame? She was no longer sure. Of anything.
“Hey,” Chance intruded again, “we were planning to spend some time here.… I believe it’s a great place. You feel like joining us?”
Ruby almost laughed as she saw the expression on Jennifer’s face; it was a fleeting one, which the woman checked instantly, but it was as clear as though she had spoken it out. Ruby bit back a smile. He still had a lot to learn about women. Just to spite Jennifer, she felt the urge to agree, but realizing the danger of prolonged contact, she checked the impulse. “Thank you, but no. You guys please go ahead.”
This sudden encounter had shaken Ruby. Now she knew she needed time to think and process her feelings: the woman in her had been challenged; she wanted to step forth and fight for her man. Maybe. And the terrorist in her had been warned. Chance’s mention of her father—it was too much, both Chance and Ravinder securing the same peace summit that she was here to destroy. Everything was coming together too suddenly, too fast. She had to be alone, to wrap her head around this.
“Why don’t I get the tickets while you two…” Jennifer walked off toward the ticket counter.
“She is a very nice person.” Chance watched her go, his puppy smile on display.
“Is she, now?” Ruby murmured, her jealousy getting the better of her. “Trying Pepsi instead of Coke, are we?”
He gave her a puzzled look. But before he could say anything, Ruby reached up, pecked him on the cheek, and walked away, half regretting the remark.
Even if he is annoyed, damned if I care, Ruby muttered silently, her head reeling. She was still grappling with the fact that Chance had walked away from her … just as Ravinder had left Mom … and me.
“Men!” she growled as she got into her car and told the driver to take her back to the hotel. It never occurred to her that she had always held Ravinder’s leaving her mother as her reason for never committing to Chance.
* * *
Chance watched her walk away; he had never been able to figure Ruby out, to understand why she had always held a part of herself aloof from him … from them.
He felt angry—she has no right to throw these verbal darts. He toyed with the idea of going after her to confront her. Then he remembered what he’d heard on the agency grapevine, about her nervous breakdown when her mother had died, and felt contrite, realizing that he should cut her some slack. He knew she’d been close to her mother. Even when they’d been living together, she and her mother would talk, if not meet, almost every day. Then Jennifer returned.
“I got them.” She was holding up two tickets. “Let’s go.” She reached out and took his arm. Jennifer had been taken aback by Ruby; she so hoped that whatever had been between them was over. She felt glad to have Chance back to herself; she sensed Ruby could be a formidable foe.
Chance was more than a bit distracted as he took Jennifer’s arm and they entered the haat.
Jennifer looked up at him and smiled. Chance, even if he had wanted to, could not then have missed the similarity to Ruby, especially not after the catty remark Ruby had made.
The realization struck home. Hard.
“It’s hot.” Jennifer fanned herself. “And I’m thirsty. Would you like some Coke?”
Chance was unable to enjoy the afternoon. Something gnawed away inside of him, constantly reminding him that there was unfinished, unresolved business with Ruby; something that needed to be put to rest. A part of him hoped she would call. Another part hoped he would never meet her again.
* * *
Ruby was fuming as she drove away. Chance’s interest in Jennifer had hit her hard. She had no idea how confused Chance was in the months they had been together, trying to figure out why there was this part of her he could never touch, no matter how hard he tried to reach out. Once their initial burst of lust subsided and the Monday-morning reality of sustaining a relationship had fallen upon them, Chance came to realize that Ruby was always holding a part of herself back. However, he was not canny enough to know that she was fluctuating wildly between Yes, I want him and But can I trust him?
But the fact that she had saved his life kept him from walking away. Which was why he had been so relieved when the agency sent him to Afghanistan. Then they slowly but steadily had drifted apart. They had been out of touch for several months now, but there was no closure.
And Chance had been on the verge of bringing it up when Jennifer walked up to them.
* * *
Ruby paced her hotel room, the cabal of conflicting emotions churning through her. Finally tired, she sat by the window, the mess of thoughts in he
r head as chaotic as the traffic on the Ring Road running past her window.
THINK DIFFERENT! The massive billboard with an Apple advertisement across the road caught her eye.
JUST DO IT! The equally massive Nike advertisement next to it exhorted her.
Out of the blue, things clicked together.
Ruby now knew that to get at the summit delegates, she would have to fight her way past her father and the man she thought she loved … had loved.
But they abandoned me, after all.
That thought renewed the fire in her belly.
But if push came to shove and one of them stood between the targets and me, would I be able to pull the trigger?
The question petrified the woman. Not knowing the answer confused the terrorist.
Would I have taken on this mission if I had known that my father was the one … or did I accept and come to India subconsciously hoping I’d run into him?
She realized she didn’t know. Ruby moaned; the pain inside almost physical. A low, petrified cry for help. But no one was listening. She knew.
THINK DIFFERENT! Her eyes would not abandon the Apple billboard. But thoughts continued to clash unchecked.
By late afternoon, these worrisome questions had coalesced into a pounding headache. Then pangs of nausea began to wrack her. She was exhausted by the time she lay down. Sleep came almost instantly. However, it was a restless, dream-infested sleep.
The man who had been haunting her dreams was still faceless. She tried but could not make out who it was—just that he had blood all over his face. Suddenly, Chance emerged from behind him. He too had blood on his face, oozing out from a neat, round, black hole between his eyes.
“Why haven’t you spoken to your father yet? Just pick up the phone and call him,” he was saying, over and over, his voice a broken whisper. “Why are you hesitating? Don’t you want to know how he is … what kind of a man he is … why he left your mother … and you?” His tone became sharp and insistent.
