She smiled. "A lady has her secrets."
Michael's brows drew together. "I'd have been surprised if you couldn't get past any security out there. But you and a dog? I'm going to need to review my security team for gaps."
Ah. He took his responsibility so seriously. She shouldn't tease him. It was just so tempting. "I slipped in with the maid service. Hiding in plain sight. He was in the laundry cart. Your security patted us down and even checked the top layer of linens. But they didn't search down to the bottom of the cart."
"I'll have a word with them."
She smiled. She was going to enjoy rediscovering this new, updated version of Michael. She hadn’t thought it was possible but he was even sexier these days. “Okay. I’m in.”
He paused mid-scowl. “Yeah?”
“We’ll need to arrange for a ridiculously pricey wardrobe,” she warned him. “But I’ll play the part. It’s time for me to get back in the business.”
3
"When I mentioned an expensive wardrobe, I really would've preferred more fabric involved." Sushar twitched the silk gauze sarong to ensure it draped properly as they walked through the halls of the resort.
Michael chuckled. "Later this evening, yes. But it's damned hot this afternoon and the first informal chat is at the private pool area."
They'd spent the morning shopping. It'd been a quick trip, actually, because Sushar didn't particularly enjoy it. The street markets had anything she might want and it was also very easy to commission bespoke clothing from particularly industrious seamstresses. So she'd purchased fabrics and a few ready-made items at the market, then stopped in to have a little chat with one or two seamstresses who tailored to the more affluent travelers visiting the Phuket area. They'd have to sew like the wind, but they'd have the outfits Sushar and Michael wanted by the next day. It helped that Sushar had picked designs inspired by traditional Southern Thai fashion, elegant in their simplicity. Finished, they'd returned to the resort for lunch as Michael took reports from his people.
Now, they were headed to the pool area to meet his boss, and Sushar experienced an inexplicable case of jitters. It was just that Michael respected his boss so damned much. Even if this organization wasn't a mafia or mob, it was too close to being introduced to family. She was with Michael for a pretense and she was unsettled.
Michael had her hand tucked in the crook of his elbow as he led her through the cool stone hallways to a grotto area. This resort specialized in the lush oasis atmosphere, and they managed the ambiance well. Fine mist cooled the air while potted tropical plants were set in clusters, contrasting with the roughly textured stone walls.
They approached a couple of men dressed comfortably in swim trunks and open linen shirts. Each of the men nodded to Michael, then glanced at Sushar with curiosity in their gazes. Each of the women with the men measured her up as potential competition.
Sushar smiled serenely at them all. None of them were a threat.
There was no time for introductions though, or perhaps Michael had timed it so the first person he introduced her to was his boss. The austere silver-haired man arrived moments after they had.
"Sir." Michael led her a few steps forward to meet his approaching boss.
"Michael." The man smiled, a genuine expression that reached his jaded eyes. "This is a surprise. Usually you and I are the lone wolves in this group."
Michael nodded, then took Sushar's hand from his elbow and instead placed his hand on her lower back. The heat of his palm warmed her skin through the gauze of her delicate cover. "Well, I took our discussion from yesterday to heart. I'd like you to meet Su. She's an old friend who agreed to join me even though I invited her last minute."
"Very kind of you." The man's gaze settled on Sushar and pierced right through her, assessing.
"I was surprised." She decided concise and honest was best with this man. "But if Michael called, it was important to him."
Which was absolute truth.
The man's eyebrow lifted in response to her statement and the corner of his mouth twitched in a hint of a smile. "Michael, you continue to impress me."
Michael chuckled. He was comfortable with this man. "You recommended I establish a life, a real one beyond my work. Su might be a past acquaintance, but she's also the only part of my history worth bringing back into my life now."
Her heart skipped and stuttered, almost stopped. She knew all his tells. Either he'd become a much better liar over the years or he meant what he'd said.
Michael's boss truly smiled then, the laugh lines creasing an otherwise serious face. "Ben Ward. You are very welcome here."
He extended his right hand.
Sushar took it and gave him a firm handshake. "Sushar Sakda. Thank you. Please call me Su."
Michael turned her to introduce her to the others in Ben's close circle of trusted advisors. Those men had waited for Ben to welcome her, and she noticed only a few of them introduced their ladies. Wives were given introductions. The others were very possibly temporary companions or perhaps mistresses.
It'd been significant, then, for Michael to introduce her to Ben. It mattered in this group of people. The question was, had it mattered as much to Michael as he'd implied?
She shouldn't wonder, but she did.
* * *
The day was surreal. Michael proceeded into the private pool area on Ben's left with Su close at his side and he wondered if maybe he was too happy about the way all of this was turning out. He needed to keep his head. There was a real reason he'd asked Su to join him here. Tempting as it was to indulge in the day's shopping, spoiling her with sumptuous fabrics and coaxing her into buying clothes she was too practical to ever buy for any reason besides her identity for this contract, there was a serious objective to it all.
Their group entered the private pool area and Michael nodded to his security on duty stationed at the entrance. Of course, the resort staff was there, but his security had cleared every one of them after close scrutiny. After Su's stunt to get into his suite the day before, he'd made sure no one else could exploit that particular weakness in the security team.
The ladies in their party had relaxed as they arrived, taking the informal setting as their cue to initiate lively chatter. They cooed over the lush plants, hanging vines, and fragrant flowers. At his side, Su remained silent, with a pleasant expression in place as her gaze scanned the room and took in every detail around her. He did the same.
Security, his team and representatives from the other organizations, were scattered all around the stone grotto area. This pool was enclosed in a cavern with only a sealed skylight above them. He had two men up on the roof covering that access point, one to observe and the other to handle communication. Rich green vines trailed down from the ceiling and a waterfall flowed into the far end of the pool. Several people were already in the water, mostly gathered at the pool bar set directly in the pool, where stools were literally submerged for guests to swim up to the bar and enjoy the adult libation of their choice without ever having to climb out of the water.
Ben led their group to a set of empty chairs, where the men discarded their shirts and the ladies slipped out of their swimsuit covers. They stepped down into the pool together too, a united front of outwardly relaxed revelers. Michael kept watch for any expression out of place, any sudden movements.
The representatives from the organizations paused in their conversations and turned to greet Ben.
Actually, most of them greeted Ben, then stared at Su.
She was striking in her one-piece bathing suit, an uncommon choice at this resort and in the current company, her skin a light brown with a burnished gold undertone. The other ladies present were either pale white or darkly tanned brown. They wore bikinis in white or bright neon colors. Among them, Su stood out. She wasn't the only Asian present but she was taller and broader through the shoulders than most, with unusually generous curves at her chest and hips, tantalizingly covered by the modest cut of her suit. Her frame was
more robust and her musculature set her apart the way a tiger walked among domesticated cats.
She liked to joke she was a genetic aberration. It was part of her personal defenses to pre-empt something an asshole could say and make it her own instead. He preferred to think she was a masterpiece of evolution. Maybe he was taking it over the top but when she entered the room, she captured the attention of every person. Today was no different.
And she was here with him.
Ruthlessly, he buried the sudden possessiveness and tried to focus on the conversation.
"Adam and Kuroda, good to see you both." Ben greeted the two heads at the same time. He shook hands with Adam Durant, the European lead of OpSys. Then Ben turned and bowed to Ryuichiro Kuroda, head of Tama Corporation out of Japan.
Both men responded with pleasantries in English. So far, everyone was pleasant and generally at ease. Michael made the appropriate noises when it was his turn to be introduced, keeping half his attention on the peripheral guests who were part of each group. He was betting more than one of them was looking to sabotage these negotiations. The question was, who had decided it was worth hiring an assassin? He had thoughts but wanted to give Su the opportunity to meet them all before he colored her perception with his own suspicions.
"My compliments on the choice of location." Adam Durant raised a drink to Ben. "Excellent facilities and impeccable accommodations. I've almost forgotten we're here on business."
Kuroda nodded. "I've visited Thailand many times but this is my first visit to this resort. It is impressive."
Ben nodded, acknowledging the praise. "Michael made all of the arrangements. I find his judgment to be worth listening to in every way."
Michael flashed a brief smile, embarrassed. He glanced at Su and caught her smiling back at him. She was amused. Great.
"Have you done much exploring in your visits to Thailand?" Su asked Kuroda.
There was a slight pause. She was the first companion to directly address any of the heads. Then again, Su wasn’t the type to be intimidated by anyone. Ben looked at her as if she’d done something particularly interesting.
Which, for their world, she had.
Kuroda finally answered her with a smile. “I have. There are many beautiful places to visit in this country.”
“I agree.” Su took a seat on the submerged stool next to Michael. She caught the bartender’s eyes. “Gafae yen.”
The bartender nodded.
As the man set about putting together her drink, she tilted her head at Kuroda. “Do you have a favorite spot?”
“A spot?” Kuroda seemed puzzled. “Not a particular hotel or resort. I did visit a place once with an interesting set of statues. They were of a man playing pipes with a mermaid listening nearby.”
“Phra Apai Mani.” Su supplied the name, speaking with the ease of someone comfortable with the Thai language. Her voice and tone took on a lyrical quality and softer pitch. “It’s a popular folktale.”
Kuroda considered her. “I would like to hear this story. No one could tell me when I was there at the statues.”
Su took her drink from the bartender with quiet thanks, again in Thai. She was making it very obvious she was a local, but not like the other local women present. She was at once more knowledgeable and more confident.
“Folktales have many versions.” She sipped from the rich beverage. Clouds of evaporated milk mixed with dark-chocolate-looking coffee in her glass. Michael had enjoyed Thai iced coffee before but he hadn’t ever ordered it in Thai the way she had. “The story of Phra Apai Mani is long, epic. He was a Thai prince and he had a brother. The two of them each learned special skills. Phra Apai Mani learned to play a magic pipe, allowing him to lull people to sleep or even kill them. That’s why you saw a statue of him playing the pipe.”
Adam and Ben were both listening closely.
She shot a mischievous glance at Michael. “It’s not a pipe, but Michael plays the saxophone.”
He grunted, and the sound came out grumpier than he’d intended. The gathered people laughed.
“Interesting.” Kuroda seemed entertained. “And the mermaid? Who was she?”
“A lover, of course.” Su placed her iced coffee on the bar. “She adored his music and she bore him a son. The story is much more complicated though. There is an ogress and a princess and rival princes leading armies.”
“All good stories are complex.” Kuroda nodded to her, and she tipped her head in return. “Someday, it would be interesting to visit the royal palace in Bangkok with you, I think. You seem to be a good storyteller.”
“I love the murals on the inner walls of the palace grounds.” She reached out and placed her hand on Michael’s chest. “They depict the Ramayana. I should show you Hanuman someday. He’s my favorite mythological character.”
Kuroda laughed.
She was amazing and he could listen to the husky quality of her voice all day. He had dreamt of it at night. Michael had to make a conscious effort to tear his gaze from her to study the faces around them again. She’d managed to draw in all of them with her conversation. In doing so, Michael marked those who were fully engaged like their bosses—and also the one or two who’d remained detached.
Those were the people with a different agenda. Sure, they might not be into old stories. Maybe they had intended to be the ones to spark conversation. Perhaps they weren’t responsible for plotting to ruin this meeting of three powerful organizations…but they had personal agendas.
They were a good start at narrowing down the field.
Michael slid his arm around Su’s waist and pressed a kiss against her bare shoulder, enjoying the chance to taste her ultra soft skin. The hunt had begun.
4
Sushar slipped out of the suite while Michael showered. They hadn’t stayed at the pool for more than a couple of hours. Most of the ladies present had been averse to being in the water long enough for their fingertips to begin wrinkling. Personally, Sushar agreed.
The setting had been one for making impressions and gathering them. She’d gotten a feel for each of the key players but finding Michael’s target was going to take further searching. Though Varitim Corporation, owned by Ben Ward, had a board of mostly male advisors, OpSys had two female advisors in their group of high-level executives. Both of those women had male companions. But neither the male nor female partners seemed likely candidates to be a wetwork specialist like her. If she was going to track down this assassin, she was going to have to look beyond the immediate group of guests.
Tongdaeng kept pace with her as she padded down the hallway wrapped in her silk swimsuit cover. Michael’s men noted her passing but didn’t stop her. They each gave her a nod and she returned with an acknowledgement of her own. She wasn’t going for stealth on this job. It was another version of the morning she’d come to meet Michael. She was hiding in plain sight. No one suspected a person walking boldly out in the open.
Since Tongdaeng hadn’t been outside since their shopping trip in the morning, she used him as an excuse to step out a side entrance and into a less-visited garden area. While Tongdaeng sniffed the manicured landscaping and took care of the call of nature, she studied the outside of the building.
It was possible but not likely for a person to attempt to access Ben Ward’s suite from the outside. Sheer walls with no handholds made things difficult for reaching the suite’s balcony or windows. The floor below had no balconies to provide handholds either. It wasn’t impossible, but the chance of discovery on approach was a lot riskier. There were security personnel directly on the balcony and also on the roof above too. Access to the balcony by rappelling down from above wasn’t an option. This wing of the resort wasn’t adjacent to any taller buildings and faced the ocean. There would be no fun using a harpoon or crossbow to get a line in that way.
“How would I do this?” She didn’t usually mutter to herself but her mind was churning as she chewed on the problem at hand…and also dodging the repeated memory of Michael’s
lips on her shoulder.
Warmth blossomed beneath her sternum and her nipples tightened as her mind replayed the memory of his hand trailing over her lower back beneath the water. He’d played his part well this afternoon, leaning close and giving her frequent caresses. He’d treated her like a lover, with care and consideration.
She shouldn’t let it turn her mind to mush though.
Yanking the side door back open, she reentered the resort building along with Tongdaeng. As the door closed behind them, Tongdaeng stopped and issued a barely audible growl.
Sushar froze. This corridor was sparsely lit and it took her a second or two to adjust from the bright daylight outside. Someone was standing in the alcove a few meters ahead.
Whoever they were, they had to have seen her come inside the hallway. She dropped a hand on Tongdaeng’s head for a brief moment to silence him, then she proceeded forward with a normal step. She kept her arms loose, ready to bring up her guard in the case of an attack.
“You are full of surprises, Ms. Sakda.” Ben Ward stepped out of the alcove.
Sushar walked to him. No point in showing fear. It was better to hear what he had to say.
Ben glanced down at Tongdaeng and back to her. “You speak Thai well and here you are with a dog. You’re local.”
Ah. Not as bad as it could’ve been. This was why it was best not to act guilty.
“It wouldn’t be completely honest to let you believe I’m from Thailand.” She decided to give him a truth to keep him from looking for the real reason she was here. “I was born in the United States. My parents were Thai, though, and I decided to spend a year living here. Michael knew I’d come here to get away from it all for a while.”
Well, she didn’t know for sure when exactly Michael had located her. But it was close enough for horseshoes or hand grenades.
“I had no idea he had someone special.” Ben didn’t have the posture or body language of a suspicious man. Instead, he seemed curious about her.
Finding His Mark Page 3
