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“It’s girlfriends,” he confirmed, his smirk never faltering. “And no. No, I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.” His eyes peered down at her keenly, as if gauging her reaction, before he added, “Work doesn’t really leave much time for relationships.”
Despite herself, Mina couldn’t help but raise a slender eyebrow. “Oh? And just what manner of nefarious employment is that, then, young Daniel?” she asked. Her lips curled in a small, playful smile. “The last time I saw you, you were going to become the next Batman. You would even run around the house wearing your mother’s tights on your head for a cowl and cape. Did your dream come true? Is that it? Do you wander the dark city streets at night, fighting crime in a desperate quest to redeem yourself for how you tortured me as a child?”
“Not quite.” Though he had the good grace to appear embarrassed, her remark left only a small, temporary dent in his cool composure. “Actually, I’m in the army.”
“You’re kidding!” There was no need for her to feign surprise. It was as genuine as her disbelief. Mina's eyes narrowed suspiciously and she watched him closely. Yet his expression was as genuine as any she had ever seen, those gold-speckled eyes gazing into hers, intense, never wavering. If he was playing her false, then he was a better actor than most of the A-listers in Hollywood. Nevertheless, Mina wasn’t convinced. Deciding to play his game, she remarked, “Well, congratulations. And you just so happen to be out on parole for my little brother’s party. How very convenient.”
“Well, not exactly.” He gave her an innocent look that did not show in his eyes. “I wasn’t due any leave until June, but when I got Mark’s message about this birthday bash, I had a word with the base’s XO who owed me a favour, and voilà, here I stand.” He spread his powerful arms, emphasising his presence.
“Hmmm…” It was only sheer force of will that kept her withering look at bay, his game quickly wearing Mina’s patience. Yet he’d spoken easily, the words rolling off his silver tongue dripping with honey. No lie! “So the brass owes you favours?”
He dropped his hands back down to his sides and shrugged. “Sort of. His son went AWOL last year. After twenty days, I received a tip and found him in the penthouse of Hamburg’s Kempinski Hotel with two hookers and a rather shaken goat. He was stoned out of his mind.” He chuckled at the memory. “After confining him to the barracks, I had a private word with the Lieutenant Colonel. We made a deal. I agreed to report his son had voluntarily surrendered himself to me, and overlook his certain indiscretions, in exchange for him owing me a favour or two. I scratch his back, he scratches mine, as they say.”
“A tip told you where to find an XO’s son?” she repeated slowly, her brow knitting with confusion, the mask hiding her beginning to crack. Something didn’t feel right. No, it couldn’t be true. He was lying, he had always been lying. But what if…
“Yeah. I’m in the MPs,” he said, then added sourly, “It was a stupid decision, really. Crooked Nazi bastard could have had me arrested and on a charge of conduct unbecoming, dereliction of duty, and whatever other jumped-up charge he could make stick at any time. But I wagered he cared more about his career and the damage I could do to his prospects for promotion if word about his son’s little misadventure were to slip. After all, top-class hotels have such excellent security records these days.” However, Mina was no longer listening.
“The M… Ps…” Her throat was suddenly dry and there was a noticeable tremor in her voice as the words stuck there, the pit of her stomach plummeting. “You’re really serious, aren’t you? You’re not joking.”
His grumbling forgotten, Daniel gave her a half-smile. “Afraid so. Hmm… not quite what you expected?” She nodded meekly, unable to look him in the eye. “Well, I can’t say I ever envisioned myself as Captain America either. The shield’s a little cumbersome, but at least I don’t have to wear tights.”
Mina missed the joke. All at once, the world seemed to slip away into a roar of white noise at his words, and the inescapable implications coiled around them, hitting her like an icy wall of water, crashing over her head and down her spine to drive the bottom from the pit of her stomach. It can’t be… it just can’t be… At a loss, she could only stare up at him in incomprehension, watching him talk but hearing nothing. It couldn’t be true. No, she just didn’t want it to be true.
Daniel Cornwell had been Mark’s best friend since preschool. Yet despite their friendship, they were as different as gold and onyx. Mark was wiry, pale, and utterly beyond reproach while Danny was broad, dark, sly, and as prone to mischief as a chimpanzee, a damn sprite who had taken every opportunity to tease and torment her. Any time Mark had gotten into trouble it was always a sure thing that little Danny Cornwell would be at the root of it. It was difficult to imagine the routine, duty, and order of a soldier’s life appealing to that boy, never mind the Bow Street Runners. However, here he stood, and though her every instinct warned it was just another dirty trick he’d concocted to torment her, she believed him.
It was only when she felt the thrill of his gaze on her, raking over her naked skin through her clothes, that she realised he’d stopped talking. He loomed over her, his handsome face marred by a concerned expression that had his sexy lips pressed together in a tight frown, those mischievous gold-flecked eyes watching her with a note of concern.
Shit! Cursing inwardly, her cheeks grew hot under his gaze and she glanced away, avoiding meeting his eyes long enough to brush a wing of spun gold that had fallen out of place back behind her ear. “So… the military police huh…?” she forced herself to say. The words sounded strange to her, as though she were speaking another language for the first time, yet, whatever the tongue, the notion was no less ridiculous.
“I know. It’s crazy, right?” Daniel said, visibly relaxing and giving a small shrug of his very broad shoulders. “But I guess you could say I was inspired. I read a lot of the Jack Reacher novels in school.”
“And you’re enjoying it?” she asked awkwardly, unsure of what else to say, so giving voice to the first thought that occurred to her. “I-I mean you’re only this young once. Are you sure this is what you want to do with your life?”
“Jeez, relax, mum,” he laughed, rolling his eyes in a mocking gesture. “It’s not a career choice. I just want to do my bit, see the world, and score whatever points I can for myself along the way.”
In the living room a raucous cheer rose from the revellers as the music switched to a more popular song Mina still didn’t know. Daniel, meanwhile, appeared not to notice and instead developed a thoughtful look. “Though I suppose it could be something of a family trade now. Dad joined up when he was my age and Gramps was in the first wave on Omaha Beach. They enjoyed their time serving Uncle Sam, so when I dropped out of school, I thought why not? It beats flipping burgers at McDonald’s. So I signed my life away. Next thing I know, I’m out of boot and being shipped off to Germany.”
Mina couldn’t help but giggle playfully. He might very well be the sprite of memory, but in one thing he had not changed. He had a knack for making her laugh. “Well, I don’t know about Jack Reacher. Your life sounds more like the makings of a John Grisham novel. Blackmail, corruption- you should become an agent. Mine’s considering taking on a partner if you want me to put in a word for you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” When he smiled, it was like the sun was breaking across the horizon and Mina felt her heart flutter against its cage as a bird would beat its wings.
What is he doing to me?
“So what about you? I hear you’re seeing that Jason Stoker from Insurrection,” he remarked, referring to the box office flop Jason had starred in. It had been released worldwide in December but had also been widely condemned. “Are things… good between the two of you?” Was that concern she heard, or mocking?
“Yeah, we’re fine,” she said with an offhanded twist to her lips. “We just moved in together last August, but how do you know about that? I don’t recall adding you on Facebook.” Mina’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
While she was hardly discreet, she never talked to the media about her personal life, publicly or off the record. As far as she was concerned, there was an invisible line dividing her career and her private life, and she never crossed it. Her Facebook account was one of the few places she posted intimate details, but to a contacts list consisting of around thirty of her closest friends and family. Unlike her Twitter profile, where she had over five hundred thousand followers, used solely to prank fellow celebrities. Orlando Bloom still hadn’t forgiven her for a little Photoshop experiment she’d pulled just before the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean 5, and Justin Bieber had tried to get a restraining order against her IP address.
“Are you stalking me?” It was only half a joke. He is a soldier, after all, and an MP besides. Who knows what strings he can pull?
Daniel chuckled. “You got me. I hack into your webcam every night to watch you get done-up in Kate Beckinsale’s leather bodysuit and whip your little piggy.” His guffaw fell silent when he caught sight of the warning in her eyes. “No. I read a few articles in Dirt Roundup that had some paparazzi snapshots of the two of you walking hand-in-hand along the Santa Monica Pier before going to dinner at Cavatina. You know he’s gay, right?”
“What! Jason’s not-”
“So this is the sister we’ve all heard so much about,” a sly voice announced from across the kitchen. Her outburst died on her lips and Mina wheeled towards the source of the interruption to find four young men arrayed in a thin line, blocking the door leading through to the foyer. They all grinned wickedly and a shiver crept down her spine as she realised they all had their eyes on her. The one on the far left took an extra step forward to stand centre stage. Recognising his flaming hair, Mina realised these were the boys whom she’d encountered standing on the doorstep. “Well?” he asked. “Come on, Daniel, where are your manners? Introduce us.”
His easy smile finally faltered and Daniel’s lips pursed into a thin line as his eyes darted nervously towards her. But before she could ask what was wrong, he stepped into the space dividing her from them and swept out a hand towards the speaker.
