Page 40 of Dangerous Lover

The light elation she’d had since waking up had vanished utterly. Things had seemed … so different. For the first time in a long time, there was a lot to look forward to—the zing of attraction she hadn’t felt in years, a couple of days just lazing around, flirting, having fabulous sex.

Instead, a couple of grim days trying to just stay alive in the freezing cold was what she had to look forward to.

“Relax,” Jack murmured, and ran a finger down her cheek.

Easy for him to say. Though, come to think of it, maybe he knew exactly what it was like to have to huddle for days seeking warmth. He’d fought in the Hindu Kush. She distinctly remembered him saying that. She knew enough geography to know exactly where the Hindu Kush was—the foothills of the Himalayas. So this was something he could do.

It’s just that this wasn’t a mission to some godforsaken outback, where hardship was the norm. It was a home he’d paid good money to live in, and he had the right to expect comfort.

Caroline had wanted some light-heartedness back in her life, after so many years of struggle and darkness. She’d been solooking forward to a couple of days of flirtation and lightness and … well, yes, sex.

She’d been planning on drowning him in good food and raiding the Lake wine cellar. What good were all those bottles of Syrah and Valpolicella doing down there in the dark?

And instead, here she was, in a repeat of the horrors of the Kippings. Cardigans pulled out, polite smiles, strangled conversation trying to avoid the stark truth of a freezing home.

Jack studied her features, then turned on his heels.

He was leaving.

Caroline didn’t blame him a bit.

“Jack?” It came out a small croak.

He turned.

This was sohard, after all her childish yearnings. Merry Christmas, indeed. Caroline forced herself to stand upright and caught herself twisting her hands. She let them drop by her side. This was hard, yes, but she’d been doing hard for a long, long time now.

“Do you—” she had to swallow past the tightness in her throat. “Do you want your money back?”

She’d surprised him. He looked totally blank for a moment. There was something about his face that told her he wasn’t often surprised. Then he frowned in puzzlement. “Why would I want that?”

“Because—because you’re going to spend the Christmas weekend in a freezing cold house. That wasn’t what you paid for. I imagine you want to leave.”

He searched her features. “You’re upset,” he said. “So you get a free one.” He turned around again.

Caroline stood, swaying a little, blinking with surprise, holding her arms around her midriff. Already the temperature had dropped a couple of degrees. “So… where are you going?”

“To go get the tool kit in the garage,” he said, without turning around, “so I can fix that damned boiler.”

JFK Airport

“ENP Security,how may I help you?”

Deaver stepped into a quieter corridor away from the crowds and noise at Kennedy. “Yeah,” he said in a heavy, nasal mid-Western accent. “Can I speak to Jack Prescott? This is Pat Lawrence, tell him we met at Intersec in Dubai last year.”

Coming into Customs as a foreigner had been beyond weird, but it had gone smoothly. Security was primed to question Middle Eastern males, not Swedes. Good ole’ Axel’s passport had biometric data and the photo likeness had been enough for Deaver to be waved through.

First order of business, find Prescott. The Old Man had died, Prescott would be the new CEO of ENP. Deaver had to find out if he was in North Carolina still.

Axel’s documents would hold for a while, but soon he’d need more.

He prepared to be put on hold. The ENP secretaries wouldn’t put anyone through to Prescott immediately. They’d make him jump through hoops. Deaver was willing to wait it out, though.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the secretary said, instead ofHold please.“Mr. Prescott is no longer with the company.”

Deaver straightened. “What? That’s ridiculous! Of course?—”

“The company has been sold to Orion Security and Mr. Nathan Bodine is the new CEO. Have a nice day.” The dial tone came on.

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