VAUGHN SAT ON the terrace, the evening breeze bordering on the edge of chilly. Darkness had long since descended on the city. The city noise from below was even quieter at this hour. Being this far above the ground with an uninterrupted view of the water, it was like being on an island.He could go for that right about now.Today was a cluster fuck and the more he thought about it the more frustrated he got.Who'd blown cover first?Him.Their additional manpower should arrive first thing in the morning. That really rubbed him the wrong way. It was like Grant didn't have faith that they could pull this job off or something. Deep down Vaughn knew it was more about needing to keep their assets protected. A couple months back they'd had assets kidnapped out from under them during a job because they'd split manpower. Twice. Vaughn's rational mind knew this was Grant overcompensating. He'd been different since that job. No one wanted to lose a high profile person like Ashton in a
Vaughn needed to get a grip on something. Maybe his dick. Releasing a little pent up energy might help, but he doubted it."I guess I should go back to bed." She placed her hands on the table. "Thanks for the talk."Vaughn had a dozen thoughts in his head, things he wanted to say to her, tell her, but all he could do was sit there in silence as she pushed to her feet. She turned, dragging her fingers along the table then the back of his hand.He was letting her walk away from him.This woman was unique. She was special. Her touch permeated his limb, all the way to his bones.If he let her walk away, would he regret it for the rest of his life?Her hand slid up his arm to his shoulder.He grasped her wrist, pressing her palm to him.What was he doing? Wasn't this what he'd said he wouldn't do?Little zips of electricity shot through his body and in that moment he saw the world clearer than ever before.Regrets were opportunities not taken.Carla might not ask for m
Sunday. The Spice Way, Beirut, Lebanon.HANI PEERED THROUGH the darkened windows of Farez's old shop. The landlord had shut the place down if the old man was to be believed. Right about now Hani needed a break.He'd gone to check on his friends. Of the three who'd joined him on the kidnapping job, one was dead and the other two had gone to visit family. He didn't have to guess who was behind that. There were only two options.Their boss.Or the man in the suit.Hani was willing to bet their boss was behind this. Promising a quick payday with no proof or results hadn't been enough to gain them a reprieve. The suit guy had been forthright with Hani.The only reason he was still alive was because the suits had their own targets. Ashton Khoury and the other Americans. If Hani was going to keep his head, he had to stay close to Farez."What are you doing here young man?"Hani turned toward the elderly woman. She had a bulging bag in hand and stood on the sidewalk peering
Carla poured a cup of coffee then tucked her laptop under her arm and climbed upstairs to Ashton's room and let herself in. The window shade was still down, plunging the room into darkness."How long are you going to stay in bed?" She picked her way across the room, mindful to not trip over his mess."Until you give me that coffee." Ashton's voice was a low rumble from the mound of blankets."Well, good morning to you, too." She found the dresser by feel and set the laptop and her phone down.That done, she turned toward the bed. Her eyesight was more or less adjusted. She slid her feet out of her flats and crawled up to brace her back against the headboard.A hand groped her knee then her thigh.She laughed and guided him to the cup and released it into his hold.Ashton sat up and gulped the coffee greedily.On a normal day, she was up early, tidied up from the night before, made coffee and got breakfast going. At some point, usually Jared, would ping her that they wer
VAUGHN TILTED HIS head listened for movement or voices, but heard nothing. What did he think he was going to hear through a wall with the shower running?Carla was next door.This was technically her room.Her things were in all the drawers, hanging in the closet and lined up on the vanity. Her stamp was everywhere. He was beginning to see her touch where others weren't. It was in the absolute cleanliness, the smoothed comforter, the picture perfect arrangement of toiletries. Even in the shower she'd positioned her bottles of shampoo and soap so they were visually appealing.And he was supposed to sleep in here?Not fucking likely.He'd had a hard enough time ignoring her this morning while in the company of Melody. Just Carla's nearness distracted him. It was frustrating, sexually and professionally. He'd worked around women he was in an intimate relationship with before with no problem. He'd always been able to get his job done and keep it work and pleasure separate. But
Sunday. Safe House, Beirut, Lebanon.VAUGHN STOOD UP against the glass where he could see the entire condo without having to turn his head. The coffee teased his nose while his mind was still waking up.He'd come downstairs as the day search teams were returning. The priority was comparing notes and compiling information for what their evening focus would be when it came to going out into the city.About the only thing Vaughn could contribute was his observations on their lobby manager's presence. The man had opted to not wear a suit jacket tonight.They were going to find Jared, one way or another.Vaughn's gaze went back to the stairs.He'd noticed the light on under Ashton's door. In the half hour or so that he'd been downstairs he hadn't seen either Carla or Ashton.She hadn't been the same after her phone call. Distracted and rushed were the words he'd use to describe her then. He'd fallen asleep while she was in the shower and when he'd woken up, she'd been gone.
Vaughn turned and went down the stairs. He grabbed the surveillance laptop and did a quick inventory of the cameras they had covering the place."What's that all about?" Grant asked him.The others had dispersed and most were pulling on gear."They want to have dinner downstairs in a private room with Jamie or I acting as waiter. That last bit was a concession they made." And it didn't sit well with Vaughn."Should be okay. The private dining room has its own entrance from inside the building. It was part of the building specs.""You think it's okay to green light this?"Grant shrugged. "It's not like they're wanting to go somewhere flashy and make a big scene. We gotta pick our battles."Vaughn thumbed upstairs. "Is that your official ruling, because Melody wanted a security assessment.""Yeah. Let's not piss them off more than we have to. This isn't going to be an easy job.""Got it." Vaughn waved Jamie over and caught him up on what was going on.It sucked, but V
Sunday. Empty Storefront, Beirut, Lebanon.CARLA TUGGED AT the sweater and shifted in her seat. When they'd agreed to this meeting, they hadn't considered where it would take place. Now she wished she'd done more than a momentary search.Most of the buildings they past were dark. The storefronts were covered in paper. Not many pedestrians came or went. The few cars they passed were older model and beaten up. Desperation hung in the air like a rancid odor. Of course these people hated Ashton what with the way the news reported his involvement in the oil deals.The hired care eased to a stop."Is this it?" she asked."I believe so." Ashton leaned forward and began speaking with the driver in Arabic.Carla pulled the scarf up over her head. Lebanon wasn't a restrictive country when it came to how women dressed. She could wear most anything she pleased and not cause a stir. However, the man she'd spoken to sounded older. It was a guess, but she was willing to assume that who