Page 14 of False Flag

“Where did you run off to last night? Hot date?”

Staci met his gaze over the rim of the paper cup. He was a fan of Campbell—one who’d spent nearly half a month’s wages to sit near the man—and the last thing she wanted was to hear him sing Gerard’s praises.

Especially now.

He wants to use my credentials, my reputation, and my face to sell his sham of an expedition. And I’m going to let him.

Probably.

It wasn’t like she could tell Jake she intended to use her position to reveal the man was a fraud. He might be a member of the online fan groups and spill the beans. Make the fans hate her before filming even began.

SEALs knew how to keep their silence, but this wasn’t an op, not for him. No. It was his hobby. A lark.

For her, it was her life.

“Yeah. Hot date.”

“How’d it go?”

She sipped her coffee. Breathed in the warm aroma. Savored the taste. “Perfect.”

“Bummer.”

She raised a brow.

He shrugged. “I hoped this party might be an opportunity to change your opinion of me.”

“And what is my opinion of you?”

“Shallow. Egotistical. Not too bright.” He leaned in and whispered, “Hot as fuck. That one’s a fact, not an opinion, by the way.”

A sharp laugh erupted from her. “And confirms the egotistical part.”

He winked. “Yes, but my ego is supported by the facts.” He turned and walked—no, swaggered—away, giving her a prime view of his perfect ass and confirming that he was, in fact, hot as fuck.

He was also funny. That, combined with his undaunted—and unambiguous—interest was appealing. If only she could forget their first meeting.

She watched him greet others as they arrived, his dimples on full display as he and Rand laughed over something.

His head turned, and he caught her staring. He gave her a slow, knowing smile.

She couldn’t wait to shoot him.

Interesting that Anastacia had lied to him about the hot date. Why not tell him she had attended the Lost Civilizations event at the VP residence?

His ego wanted to believe her lie had been more about attraction than distraction, but he wouldn’t delude himself, even if he did catch her staring.

He’d been more than a little stunned when his brother called him last night and announced that the hot brunette from last December had been at the Naval Observatory and was joining the expedition team. Lloyd had been downright giddy at meeting the vice president.

What did it mean that Anastacia didn’t say a word about it, given how they’d met? Did she not want her archaeologist friends to know she’d turned to the dark side? Did FMV know where she’d gone last night?

After the barbecue wrapped up, he’d spent hours reading up on the feud between the archaeological community and Campbell. From the pages upon pages of search results, his nighttime reading had barely scratched the surface.

He watched as she followed Freya Lange onto one of the two buses and considered his options. If he took the same bus, he could grab a seat near hers and ask about the expedition, but if she was hiding her new position from FMV, she wouldn’t appreciate being questioned in front of Freya.

He chose the bus she hadn’t boarded. Better not to piss her off too much before she was armed with a paintball gun.

Five minutes after he settled into a bench seat by himself, the last of their group had boarded and both buses set out. As the bus exited the secure compound, Jake slipped headphones on and started Campbell’s latest podcast.