Page 36 of Trapped With the Secret Agent

He turned to see if anyone was following them, and Georgia stumbled and fell against him. He caught her and set her away from him, but not before she immersed him in her scent. His nostrils flared as he savored her fragrance. Surrounded by dirt and garbage in an area of the city that obviously hadn’t seen a street cleaner in about ten years her scent was welcome, and arousing.

He was just as aware of her body, one step behind his and draped from head to toe in black cloth, as he’d been when she was pressed against him wearing her short business suit in that damn storage room. He wanted those toned legs around him and her creamy skin under his mouth. She had an innocent look about her that attracted him like no supermodel type ever could, but her allure was dangerous. He had to keep his mind on the job. Get the woman to safety, then get back to disarm the bomb. Straightforward and simple. An in-and-out operation.

He almost laughed at the idea.Not fucking likely.

Peter turned a corner and prowled down another deserted street, the occasional swish of Georgia’s robe against his heel. He could hear her breathing if her head was turned the right way. Knowing she was back there reassured him.

They were a good twenty blocks from the embassy now, but in a city of three million people that didn’t amount to much.

As the minutes ticked by, Peter’s sense of unease increased tenfold. Every window on the last few streets was dark, every door shut tight. He hadn’t seen anyone, even at a distance, in too long. The only cars or trucks sitting curbside were ones either burnt out or stripped bare. The silence set off alarm bells in his head, and had him asking,why?

The uneven pavement under his feet vibrated. Something big was coming, closing in, and in a flash, he understood why the area looked deserted.

He reached back and grabbed Georgia’s hand, running for the nearest doorway and ignoring her frightened gasp. The vibrations increased quickly. He reached the door and turned the knob, praying it would be unlocked, knowing there wasn’t time to try another one.

It opened.

He pulled her inside and shut the door just before a large, heavy, noisy vehicle turned onto the street.

Peter listened, his ear an inch from the door, as it rolled past.

“What’s going on?” Georgia whispered. “What was that?”

He opened the door a crack.

“A tank.”

“A tank?” Georgia sounded shocked.

“Yeah, I should have guessed it earlier. The streets are too quiet.”

“Guessed what?”

“The city’s under a curfew. Probably due to what’s happening at the embassy. They’re going to have tanks and armoured units patrolling round the clock. They’re probably shooting anything that moves in this part of town.”

He heard her quick indrawn breath. “Oh no.”

He nodded. “It’s going to make things harder.” He took his attention off the door and looked around. It was dark and quiet. No one was crying out at their sudden intrusion. Whoever owned this building wasn’t home, but who knew when they’d be back.

“Harder?” Georgia sounded incredulous. Pissed off even. “You say that like this is nothing more than...than a game.”

Is that what she thought?

Their hands still linked, he yanked her against him and held her there with hard fingers behind her head. “This is no game.”

There was a long pause.

“Are you sure?” Her voice sounded strained.

“Where’s this coming from, Georgia?”

She said nothing for a moment, then all the tension left her, and she sagged in his arms. “You just seem too good at this...sneaking around stuff.”

“Necessity breeds invention.”

Georgia snorted.

“No, really.” He took his hand from behind her head and put it on her shoulder blade, kneading gently. Trying to convey with touch alone his seriousness. “When you’ve got to do something—” he shrugged, “—you do it.”

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