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“Ash,” Cynthia said in my ear, “just breathe through it. Don’t forget to put on your sunglasses so we can see what you see.”
Right, the tiny camera. I pulled the sunglasses out of my purse and slid them over my eyes. Luka helped me into my chair and the maître d’ placed my napkin on my lap. I listened to Luka order one of their most expensive bottles of wine while I dug through my purse and pulled out my stylish sunglasses. They were fitted with a tiny camera so the HEAT team could see anything Luka showed me, like the design plans for the VIP’s office that he had used to entice me to see him.
“Careful,” I said to Luka. “If you ply me with wine, people might think we’re on a date.”
He grinned at me and winked. “Would that be so bad? We make a striking couple, no?”
“Good, he’s flirting,” Cynthia said in my ear. “Go with that.”
Since he’d never flirted with me before, I wasn’t convinced it was good, but I followed her directive. I touched Luka’s forearm. “What would your husband have to say about our date?”
Luka leaned closer and whispered. “You might be surprised, draga. My husband has interesting appetites.”
My heartbeat pounded in my ears, and my face flooded with heat. Was the man propositioning me? He’d never been the least bit inappropriate before this. It unsettled me more than a blatant threat would have.
“Smile and laugh,” Cynthia said.
I did as I was told, and then I took a big swig from my water glass.
“He’s testing you,” Cynthia continued speaking in my ear. “He’s seeing if you’ll use your feminine wiles if given the chance. Spoiler alert: You will.”
I choked on my next sip of water. I coughed as delicately as I could. Luka patted my back gently as I regained my composure. I nodded to assure him I was all right. He looked relieved, but he didn’t remove his arm from the back of my chair or his fingertips from my spine, which I felt distinctly through the silky fabric of my sundress. I mentally flipped through the background information I’d amassed on Luka, back when I’d thought he was the innocent one in his marriage. He had dated women and men, and sometimes, both at the same time.
“Ashlee, this is Bond,” the doctor said in my ear. “I need you to relax and take slow, even breaths. You’re on the verge of hyperventilating. Good, that’s better,” she added as I focused on getting my breathing under control.
Through it all, I smiled at Luka and nodded as he talked—and the man loved to talk, especially about himself—and I noticed for the first time that he didn’t require much response from me to carry on a conversation.
“Ash, you’re doing great.” TJ’s smooth voice was in my ear, and the tension eased out of my shoulders. How did he do that? “If you start to feel panicky again, just glance to your right. Li is ten feet away from you, wearing that god-awful blonde wig, and Sparks is inside the restaurant, at the bar. Penn is half a block away in one direction, and the rest of us are a block away in the other direction. You’ve got this, and we’ve got you.”
“Yes,” I said to TJ and also to Luka, who was asking if he should order an additional bottle of wine to taste.
Then I closed my menu since Luka insisted he knew what we must eat to pair with the Rioja region wine he ordered. I feigned interest in his menu, where he was pointing out various dishes, and leaned closer. He scooted his chair around to the side next to me on the square table.
“Good job,” Kessler said in my ear while I smiled and did my best to look interested but also a bit vacuous as Luka talked. “Stay there. Jensen’s working his magic on Kovac’s phone.” After what seemed like an eternity but was only enough time for Luka to get through the appetizer discussion, she gave me the all-clear.
I gave Luka a genuine smile and watched the waiter approach with our bottle of wine. With the only dangerous part of the day—getting close enough for HEAT to clone Luka’s phone without arousing suspicion—behind me, I relaxed and actually started looking forward to a lovely meal. And if things inexplicably went sideways, I would duck and cover and trust that TJ and his team would rescue me again.
* * *
TJ
I adjusted my headset and watched Ashlee and the asshole on my monitor. Li’s sunglasses had a wide-angle lens, so she was able to transmit constant video of the couple, which was important for Kessler, who was reading their facial expressions and body language and occasionally leading Ashlee through adjustments.
“She’s doing great,” Kessler said an hour into their lunch date. She glanced at me. “He believes she’s not a threat to him. The whisper campaign plus her evasive answers to questions about her career seem to add up to her being Aiden’s lackey, and he’s buying it.”
That was good news, especially as far as Ashlee’s safety was concerned, but my stomach still twisted each time I watched her avert her eyes and downplay her career accomplishments in response to Kovac’s probing.
“Hey, Boss,” Jensen said. He glanced over his shoulder at me. “There’s a good news/bad news story with Kovac’s phone. We’re downloading everything, but it’s all encrypted.”
I nodded. “We expected that, didn’t we?”
“Yes, but this is some next-level shit.”
“Are you saying you can’t break it?”
He scowled at me. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just insult me. Of course, I can, but it’s going to take a while.”
“Keep at it,” I said.
