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“Care to share?”
He looked like he was considering it for a second, but then he shook his head. “Most of the names wouldn’t mean anything to you, anyway.”
She took a breath. “Well, have you found out anything else about what SHEEPSKIN is up to?”
“Not really. When I talked to my team leader earlier, he said word on the black ops street was they may be using a nearby village as a training center for their fighters.”
“Wow. Anything else?”
He narrowed his gaze on her. “Ready to share your new passcode yet?”
“Nope.” It wasn’t as if she had anything on her phone that she was ashamed of, but she couldn’t help but want to cling to whatever privacy she could. Life as a billionaire’s daughter meant that everyone felt they were entitled to her—as if she’d sold away her privacy in exchange for her father’s money.
“Fair enough. But if you’re going to keep some things to yourself, then you can’t blame me if I do, too.” He sat back and crossed his arms, ending their conversation.
Fine with her. Frankly, this quiet time was precious to her.
After today, her schedule demanded she be in the public eye constantly until her trip was done, and she wanted to savor the last few hours of privacy she had. She got up to stretch her legs and wandered over to the doorway to peer at the windows beyond. The day outside was beautiful—warm and sunny with blue skies as far as the eye could see. Seemed a shame to stay cooped up inside, even with the threat of imminent gunfire at any time. Toni glanced over at Spencer, gaze narrowed. He was a trained SEAL, paid to keep her safe and secure no matter the location.
On her previous trip to Jubail, she’d asked her driver to take her someplace off the beaten path, someplace green and lush and full of natural wonder. He’d driven to a remote oasis that had been like a dream come true.
She hadn’t thought there would be time to revisit it on this trip, but with Spencer’s help to keep everything running smoothly and on a tight schedule, she’d managed to get her business handled with time to spare.
Looking at him now, Toni noticed the way he kept fidgeting in his seat, then toying with the tie he’d tossed on the table earlier. Maybe they could both use a break. Decision made, she walked over and picked up her phone, quickly dialing the number for their personal limo driver, Omar, and relaying her request. He assured her the car would be downstairs in half an hour, and excitement burst inside her like fireworks. She ended the call, then closed her laptop. “C’mon.”
“Where are we going?” Spencer stopped with a hummus-laden cracker halfway to his mouth. “There wasn’t anything on your itinerary.”
Toni tucked her computer beneath her arm and headed for the hall. “I’m in the mood for an adventure.”
“No. Too dangerous.” He shoved his food in his mouth and rolled his eyes, then trailed behind her, waiting at the door to her bedroom. “Going out right now, especially to an unsecured location, does not sound like a good idea.”
“It’ll be fine.” She wrapped a floral scarf around her head and slid on a pair of huge black sunglasses, then tossed him a baseball hat. “Put that on.”
“Mind telling me where we’re going?” he asked, jamming the hat on his head. “Because this really isn’t what I would call a good disguise.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I need to call Kyle and give him our location. It won’t be as good as scouting the place in advance, but at least it’ll provide a little extra protection.”
“No,” she said, rushing over and covering his phone with her hand before he could finish pulling up Kyle’s number. “Please. I just need a few hours away from all this. Please.”
He stared at her for several seconds, then sighed and lowered his phone. “I want it on record that I don’t like this idea. At all.”
Her smile widened into a full-blown grin of gratitude. “Thank you! Now.” She adjusted his hat a bit. “It’s not the perfect disguise, you’re right. But it should be enough to get us out of the hotel undetected. Oh, and grab your swimsuit, if you brought one.” She locked her laptop in the small safe in her closet, then grabbed her purse and swimsuit before checking her appearance one last time in the mirror. Modest white skirt, modest yellow high-necked top, hair hidden beneath the scarf. It was all good. She brushed past him and headed for the elevator doors. Ayaan met them in the foyer. “We’re going out and will return shortly. If anyone asks, I’m napping.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The man bowed and disappeared back down the hallway.
Spencer pushed the Down button and cast her a side glance. “What if I don’t have a swimsuit?”
“Then I guess you’ll be going au naturel.”
They rode down to the lobby in silence, and she clutched Spencer’s arm tight as they traversed the crowded entrance to make sure they didn’t get separated. Once they were safely ensconced in the back of the limo, Spencer pulled off his baseball hat, leaving his auburn hair in disarray. She longed to run her finger through the soft strands but didn’t dare. If she touched him, she might not be able to stop. Instead, she sat back against the cushy leather seat and stared out at the arid landscape.
“Where are we going?” He raked a hand through his hair and frowned out the window to his right. “We just left the city limits.”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Don’t you ever want to be spontaneous?” Toni slid her sunglasses down her nose and peered at him over the top. “You know, have a little fun?”
“In my line of work, spontaneous gets you killed.” He crossed his arms, the material of his shirt stretched tight over his muscled forearms. “And fun isn’t exactly at the top of my list these days. Right now, I’m more of a ‘work till you drop’ kind of guy.”
