“Hello?”
Nelson’s whole body tightened. When the king of Loa Mali spoke English, it meant he was talking to one of his scientists.
There was a long pause on the line, and Nelson cursed the fact that he’d only been able to bug the boat and not the king’s phone. Kash was a paranoid bastard who switched his cell phones on a weekly basis. And he kept three different phones for different types of people. One for his hookups. One for his family.
And one for the people he kept on his island, paying them handsomely for what he merely called “research” in his bookkeeping accounts.
Nelson’s bosses were interested in that research.
Through the binoculars, he saw Kash’s smile go wide. “Are you serious?”
Another long pause and Nelson’s whole body went tight with frustration. God, he needed to get more than one man in Kash’s household. The only one he’d managed to blackmail spent almost all his time in the garage of the boat, and there was no reason for him to be close to the king except when he piloted him to shore. Every single person who was really close to the king, down to the dude who probably wiped his ass, were Loa Malian. He hadn’t been able to bribe a one of them because Kash, like his father and his father’s father, spread the fucking wealth around. First it had been about the pearl trade and the rich minerals found on the small island that was home to roughly 40,000 inhabitants. Then the fuckers found oil in their territorial waters and the Kamdars shared the wealth with the citizenry, ensuring that things like democracy and forward progress had no place on their little island.
During the ‘90s, the former king became fascinated with technology, buying large chunks of stock in companies that were changing the world. He also completely changed Loa Mali’s infrastructure, making it one of the most high-tech countries on the planet.
Now Kash Kamdar was the king and it seemed like he wanted to change the world as well.
Too bad Nelson and his bosses were happy with the world the way it was.
“Are you serious? It holds there?” A loopy grin hit the king’s face. “Are we ready to move into testing?”
Shit and double shit. He needed to hear the other end of that conversation. Or maybe not. Maybe the ridiculous look on Kamdar’s face was all he needed to know. They were moving faster than he’d anticipated.
He needed to get to the oil rig where he suspected Kamdar kept his lab and start blowing shit up.
His cell buzzed, a text coming through.
Operations commenced. Expect successful termination of all players within three days. Avery O’Donnell already confirmed dead.
Poor Irishman. He’d been happy for a couple of months. Oh, well, his pain wouldn’t last long. He’d be dead beside his little bride. And all the others.
Nelson went back to watching his target. It was almost time to take him out, too.
Chapter Thirteen
“The flowers are pretty.” She would say just about anything to get Phoebe off her favorite subject.
“Who cares about flowers?” Chelsea asked under her breath. “I just saw the MI6 guys walk back in. Do you understand what that means?”
It meant that Ian might be rethinking his position. He might be ready to turn her over to them after all.
“It’s weird that they didn’t come with a note,” Phoebe was saying as she looked at the bouquet of yellow roses. “Grace said they were just delivered here this morning. I’ve never gotten flowers but my friend bought me a first edition Alchemist’s Stone. That was the British title for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I like the British title better. It has more mystery about it.”
And Phoebe was off again. Her sister groaned beside her.
She stared at the flowers. Yellow flowers. In Russia, they were symbols of sadness. Of betrayal. If a girl in Russia got yellow flowers she knew it was the end. Maybe it was fitting.
The MI6 agents walked out of the conference room, the doors closing behind them. They moved back toward the hallway that housed Ian’s office.
Baz’s eyes trailed toward her, searching hers. He gave her a grave nod and continued to follow his partner.
“Will they really take you?” Chelsea whispered.
“If Ian lets them, yes.” She didn’t care anymore. If they were going to take her, then it wouldn’t matter that she worried about it.
This wasn’t the submission she’d dreamed about when she’d planned her reunion with Ian, but it seemed that submitting to fate was the only thing left to do.
Phoebe leaned forward. “Did you really marry him?”
Charlie looked up, taking in the woman who seemed so scared of her husband. “Uhm, yes. I married him in England.”
“He didn’t like force you or anything, right?”
If only she could tell herself that, but no, everything that had happened between them was consensual. Everything except him throwing her out. “No. I loved him.”
Phoebe shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand. He’s just so scary.”
Charlie looked back at the conference room. He didn’t look scary. He looked tired and sad. He looked like she felt. She put a hand on the window, feeling his pull.
He turned away.
If Phoebe was going to work here, she needed to learn how to deal with her boss. “Just stand up to him. He’s all bark and no bite around women. Don’t get me wrong, if you truly cross him, you’ll pay for it, but you can’t let him push you around.”
Phoebe went a little white. “Oh, I can barely talk around the man. I don’t think I’ll be standing up to him anytime soon.”
“He’s just a man,” Chelsea said, her tone exasperated. “I don’t understand why every woman around is either afraid of him or trying to sleep with him.”
“You can be both,” Phoebe said, her eyes going to the conference room.
Charlie slapped a hand on Phoebe’s desk, getting the girl’s attention back where it should be. “If you try to sleep with him, then you won’t need to be afraid of Ian. You should be afraid of me.”
Phoebe’s mouth dropped open. “I am. I really am right now. I’m going to go get some coffee. I’ll be back.”
She nearly ran out of the room.
“Way to scare the mouse, sis.”
She sat in silence. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say to Chelsea. She’d failed her like she’d failed Ian.