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I casually throw an arm around Raquel’s shoulders and pull her close. “My wife and I are here on our honeymoon. We were told to try this spot for some rare bird watching finds.”
The first guard looks at Raquel, giving her a skeptical look. “Sheis your wife? A little on the young side, isn’t she?”
The second guard punches the first in the shoulder. “Klaus, don’t be rude.”
Raquel keeps her eyes trained on the dogs. Even through our thick coats, I can feel her trembling. She’s very good at putting on a brave face, but I can see the flicker of fear behind her brown eyes.
I clear my throat. “Would you mind calling off your dogs? My wife gets nervous around them.”
“Oh, uh…” The guard gives Raquel a pitying look. “Frühstück!”
Breakfast.
The dogs calm down the second they hear the command. They cease their growling, their tails wagging happily as they lick their lips. At least now we know what to say if we have an unfortunate run-in with Van Straus’ hounds during our heist.
Beside me, Raquel eases into my touch.
“Whatever,” the first guard, Klaus, mutters. “Look, you can be looking for birds or for a damn yeti for all I care, but you can’t be here. You’re on private property. You’re lucky Anders here didn’t shoot you on the spot.”
“This is private property?” I ask, playing dumb. “Apologies, friends. We honestly didn’t know. Every inch of this forest looks the same. Do you think you could see us out? I think we left our car somewhere that way.”
“Yeah, I’ll take you,” Anders says. “Right this way. Mind your step.”
As we walk away, Klaus pulls out his cellphone and makes a quick phone call. He speaks quickly into the receiver, but I’m able to pick up, “It’s all clear. Just a couple of lost tourists.”
Raquel’s eyes flick to the phone. She’s probably thinking what I’m thinking.
“You guys have cell signal out here?” I ask casually with a good-natured chuckle. “I’ve been struggling to get coverage all day.”
Anders offers a polite smile. “Yeah, coverage can be spotty sometimes.” He pulls out his phone to show us. “We have a special network we’re connected to. That way we can keep in touch with each other.”
Raquel clocks the movement as he repockets his device.
“What are you guys protecting out here, anyways?” I ask lightly. “Is there some secret laboratory out here or something?”
He laughs. “No, no. Nothing so fantastical, but I’m afraid I can’t go into too much detail.”
“I understand, no worries.”
We reach the edge of the forest, the silver rental car I picked up in the city parked on the side of the gravel road. It looks like we’re in the clear. EvenI’msurprised they bought our bird watching honeymoon story, but I’m not about to question our good luck.
Raquel smiles and throws her arms around the guard. “Thank you for your help!” she says giddily in English. I don’t miss the way she presses her chest to his, rubbing her breasts against him suggestively.
It’s obviously a distraction tactic, but that doesn’t stop the blood in my veins from burning. I tell myself it’s because I’m committed to playing this role. No self-respecting husband would willingly allow his woman to flaunt her assets in front of another man.
Except it runs deeper than that. This feeling is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. She should be touchingme. I want her body onmine. I have half a mind to take her back to the hotel, throw her over my knee, and teach her this is no way for a pretend wife of mine to behave.
Raquel backs up with a giggle and skips off to the car. I shake the man’s hand.
“Thank you for the help, friend,” I say stiffly.
“Of course. Good luck with your, um… bird watching?” With a final nod, he turns on his heels to rejoin his patrol.
We slip into the car and let out a collective sigh. That was a close call.
“Did you get it?” I ask Raquel.
She holds up Anders phone with a mischievous grin. “Yep. Child’s play. Men’s brains always tend to shut off when you shove a pair of—”
