Page 93 of My Temptation

I tilted my head to the side. “I already have a watch.” I lifted my arm to show him the one that was always on my wrist. “Is this a dig because I’m the only one on our team who wears one?”

He smirked and gestured toward it. “This is the one time we’re all grateful you do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Brody was able to find a replica of your watch and installed a device that will allow me to hear what’s going on through an app Kyle developed, which is now on my phone. The downfall is we won’t be able to communicate, but we’ll come up with a couple of words that will give me direction if you’re in a situation that’s beginning to feel dangerous.”

I inspected the watch but couldn’t see any difference between mine and the one I’d be wearing. “How the hell did Brody do that?”

“He’s unbelievable.” Nick’s eyebrows lifted. “I’ve heard the Navy promised him the fucking world if he’d agree to stay, but he said no.”

“They knew what they were losing.” Mila spoke for the first time in a while. “The watch is genius, really, and Samson shouldn’t think twice about it,” Mila added. “You’ve worn it every time they saw you.”

“That was our thinking.” Nick agreed. “We have no idea who these guys are, but if they’re running an operation like we think they are, they’d spot a wire. Even the smallest one probably wouldn’t get past them. If that happened, this would blow up immediately. They can’t suspect anything is different from the last two times they saw you.”

“That’s on us.” Mila glanced at me. “And it’s not easy. Nick and I had to do that while undercover, and we’d remind the other if they were behaving differently. The easiest way to blow our cover is for them to see any variation in our behavior.”

“Okay,” I replied. “You said something about words we’d use.”

“Yeah, and I’ve been working on some ideas. Things Mila and I used to do that signaled the other when things were getting out of our control.” He again pointed at the watch. “Whatever you do, don’t lift the watch toward your face. You’ll need to be cognizant of that behavior because it will be instinctual. The device is sensitive enough that I’ll be able to hear. We tested it extensively.”

“When?” I asked. “You literally flew out this morning.”

He grinned. “We’d already been working on it.”

“He knew we’d need you to come?”

“After the last meeting, we knew we might find ourselves in a situation where you’d need backup. This device was something he’d made but had no reason to use. Until now. He already had the watch, so it was just a matter of testing everything.”

“He’s always a step ahead,” Mila muttered.

“He was a SEAL,” Nick reminded us. “And he was his team leader. It was his job to always be a step ahead.”

“No wonder Elite’s still getting government contracts,” Mila stated.

“That’s exactly why.” Nick agreed, but then moved on. “I think having two words that cover any situation you’re in should be enough.”

“I agree.” Mila nodded. “What are you thinking?”

“Watch is one. It can be used in several situations. You can mention your watch or talk about watching Mila dance. Any form, present or past tense, will signal me that things are going sideways.”

I nodded. “And the other?”

“Easy.”

I made a face of disbelief, and he grinned. “I figured that one would throw you, but you’ll be surprised at how many situations you can fit that in.”

I nodded but didn’t feel as sure about that. “Anything else?”

Nick pulled out a small, black, flat disk and turned the watch over before placing it on the band. “This is another listening device. If you can find a way to peel that off and stick it on a surface anywhere in that back area, that would help. We’re hoping to catch him talking about his business and, with any luck at all, saying something that will incriminate him. I’ll bet you won’t see any cameras once you enter that room. There won’t be any way for the police to know what’s happening in that room without a plant, which tonight is you two.” He pulled a second one from the bag and handed it to Mila while he spoke.

“Got it,” Mila stated firmly.

“Yeah, got it,” I answered.

“Then let’s go.” Nick pointed at the door after I removed my regular watch and put on the new one. “I’ll jump in at the end of the parking lot near the dumpster. No visibility there.”

We headed to the SUV, and I didn’t ask questions. I had no idea how Nick even got to the hotel, and I didn't ask. We both got in, and I drove toward the exit near the dumpster. Nick was in the car in what felt like a second, lying on the back seat. He was so quick that if I didn’t know better, I would have sworn the door never opened.

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