Page 45 of Close Pursuit

“Osh. In Kyrgyzstan. Second largest city in the country. Near the Uzbek border.”

Right. Andthathelped her locate herself.

Alex grinned. “Not big on central Asian geography, are you?”

“Not much.”

“Try this. Kyrgyzstan borders the northwesternmost corner of China. Or, if you fly due north out of Afghanistan or Pakistan, and cross over Tajikistan, you reach Kyrgyzstan. Osh is in the southwestern corner of the country. Located now?”

“More or less. The important question is, where do I get that shower you promised me and proper baby supplies for Dawn?”

“Actually, we have one more hurdle to cross before you get your shower.”

She raised a questioning brow and he replied, “Customs.”

“I have my passport with me,” she responded quickly.

“As do I. But we’ve got to get Dawn through, too.”

Oh.Crap.

“I took the liberty of filling out a birth certificate for her and signing it,” he muttered under his breath. “I listed you as the mother and me as the father. It’ll save us a world of hassles. I hope you don’t mind.”

Her tummy fluttered at the idea of the three of them being a family, but she checked the notion, reminding herself she had no idea who this man was. He wasn’t her type of guy, no matter how good-looking and hot he was.

“I don’t mind,” she whispered back as an official looking man in a uniform strode toward them.

Alex spoke in rapid Russian with the fellow, who duly took their passports and examined them carefully. Katie felt helpless just standing there, but Alex seemed to be having no trouble charming the uniformed man. The discussion went back and forth for several minutes, and then, abruptly, the customs man went to the hood of his pick-up truck, unfolded a small lap desk, and stamped their passports. He handed over three slips of light green paper, as well.

“Temporary visas,” Alex murmured.

She nodded and smiled at the Kyrgyz man, who smiled back and said something that made Alex laugh.

The guy apparently offered them a ride to the terminal, because Alex opened the passenger door for her, helped her inside, and then climbed in the back of the small vehicle. Dawn started to cry, for which Katie was grateful. It gave her an excuse not to have to smile and nod too much at the man beside her.

They piled out at the terminal, and Alex led her through the building, which was even dingier on the inside, and out front to a taxi stand. He helped her into an ancient vehicle of unknown make painted up like a taxi and slid in beside her. He gave the driver directions and the vehicle pulled away from the curb.

“What did the customs guy say that made you laugh?” she asked.

Alex arched one eyebrow at her. “He told me I have good taste in women.”

Was she about to become one of his long string of conquests? Nowhere in their conversation so far about sex had there been any mention of an actual relationship. Clearly, Alex was not interested in commitments…even if he had legally declared himself Dawn’s father. That was merely a ploy to deal with government red tape.

The city sliding past their windows was more modern than she expected, but more run down than any modern city she’d ever seen. Occasional grand structures and a tall statue of Lenin in a big square spoke of the Soviet regime’s time here, and bullet-pocked building facades spoke of more recent political upheavals.

The cab stopped in front of another gray, blocky building, and Alex murmured, “Here’s our hotel.”

He opened her door for her and took Dawn as she climbed out. They walked into the lobby and she asked in sudden dismay, “How are we going to pay for this?”

Alex shrugged, “I have significant financial resources at my disposal.”

Oh, right. Compliments of the mafia casinos—or maybe Mother Russia.

In short order, they were installed in a spacious, room decorated with gorgeous antiques and rich colors. It had tall windows and high ceilings that gave it a grand air. A crib was delivered for Dawn immediately.

Katie had barely finished exploring the room and discovering the big, deep, cast-iron bathtub when Alex said, “I’ll leave you to a nice long soak while I go shopping for Dawn.”

She heard the subtle evasion in his voice.

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