Page 39 of Tempting Tessa

Her mind trailed back to her stepfather. To the pieces of the names that kept intersecting with each other: Kaltrain—CalTovik. Tovik—a rearrangement of Viktor with an added R. Renard—meaning fox.

What in the covert world of intelligence was going on here?

She combed through her memories, dissecting all of those that surfaced. Her mother. Jessie. Her stepfather and his connections to the Agency.

The next few minutes passed in a haze. She barely noticed Tommy continuing to search and scan, putting more puzzle pieces together.

Thorough. She liked that about him.

Conscientious. She liked that, too.

What had passed between them the previous night and again this morning only added to her unease, though. She’d let him get under her skin.

The thought of him being hurt by all of this…

What game are you playing, Jessie?

A ferocious desire to protect Tommy filled her chest and wormed its way into her heart. She nearly laughed at herself—when had she switched allegiances from Jessie to Tommy?

Traffic was a nightmare, slowing them to a crawl. “We’re getting close,” he said. “But at this pace, we’ll lose them for sure.”

Clarence’s calm assurance came from the front. “Not to worry, sir. Lady Vulpe has a VIP registration at Heathrow with all the perks. We’ll bypass the public areas, and I’ll get you and m’Lady right to the dignitary and diplomat private access lanes.”

Tommy shot her a grin. “M’Lady.”

She punched his thigh. His hard, muscular thigh that only hours ago she’d run her hands, lips, and tongue over.

“Hey,” he said, mock-angry. “Be careful, or I’ll call you that all the time.”

“Do so at your own peril.”

He leaned over and put his lips against her ear. “Next time I get you naked, I’m at your service,m’Lady. Your wish is my command.”

Well, when he said it like that… “I can be very demanding,” she countered.

He nuzzled her neck, right below her ear. Goose flesh ran down her spine. “I look forward to it.”

As they drew closer to Heathrow, the chaos of the airport intensified. Cars crawled slowly in every direction, taxis blared their horns, and travelers rushed with suitcases in tow. Clarence steered them smoothly into a less hectic lane, leading to the diplomatic drop-off.

Tommy sat forward sharply, pointing ahead. “There it is. The Rover.”

The black Land Rover pulled away from the curb, merging into the stream of traffic.

“Follow it,” Tessa ordered. “But keep a safe distance. We don’t want them to suspect they have a tail.”

Clarence maneuvered the SUV with practiced ease. The chase began, the Rover weaving through lanes and him matching its speed and shifts without drawing attention. Tessa gripped her door handle, her pulse racing. She wanted answers.Neededthem. But, when the Land Rover gained enough distance to slip through a yellow light right before it turned red, they were stuck in traffic.

“Dammit!” Tommy slammed a fist against the seat. “We lost them.”

“Not yet,” Clarence said calmly, taking a sharp turn and bouncing over a sidewalk, sending several people screaming before he accelerated down a side street. “We’ll catch them.”

“What about your software?” Tessa asked. “Can’t it show you where they are?”

Tommy shook his head. “Only when they stop. We would need a GPS tracker on the vehicle to watch it moving in real time.” His head snapped up. “Wait a minute.”

His fingers flew over the keyboard, whatever inspiration he’d had sending them into motion. Less than a minute later, he cackled, clapping his hands. “I hacked into the Rover’s GPS.”

Clarence gave him a smile in the rearview mirror. “Very good, sir. I’ll let you direct me.”

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