We were immediately on the alert: it was a golden rule never to let anyone know which room you were staying in. If you needed to meet a contact, you met them in the lobby. Journalists were deemed to be easy targets – and our bodyguard was long gone.
“Who knows you’re here?” Liz hissed at me.
“My embed liaison and my editor. You?”
“Same. Stay away from the door and get ready to phone for help.”
I picked up my cell, checking that I had Sergeant Benson on speed dial. I nodded at her, my finger poised over the button, and she called out aggressively,
“Yes?”
“Ma’am, I’m looking for Lee Venzi?”
I recognized Sebastian’s voice at once, relief, lust and irritation each took their turn as I moved towards the door.
“What are you doing?” Liz whispered, grabbing my arm.
“It’s okay: I know who it is.”
She relaxed a fraction, but still hung onto my arm.
“Is this a romantic assignation, Lee?” she said, with surprise and some annoyance.
“Sort of,” I muttered, “although I didn’t know he’d come here tonight. It wasn’t planned. I’m sorry, Liz.”
“This really isn’t like you,” she said, frowning.
“I know,” I said, apologetically.
I pulled open the door, and Sebastian quickly stepped into the room.
Liz’s face was a picture.
“Sebastian, you’ve met my friend Liz Ashton.”
“Yes,” he said, stiffly.
“Chief Hunter,” replied Liz, glaring at him with obvious dislike.
I rubbed my forehead.
“I’m sorry about this, Liz, but can you give us some time alone?”
She snorted and shook her head, muttering something that sounded like, “bloody fool”.
I presumed she meant me, although her words fit Sebastian just as well. I had a few choice words of my own to say to Chief Hunter.
“Two hours, Lee,” she said, glancing at her watch with zero subtlety. “I’ll be downstairs in the bar if you need me.”
She threw a final, accusing look at Sebastian and left.
I was still deciding what to say to him as I shut and locked the door, but before I could speak, he tugged me into his arms and kissed me.
His tongue was in my mouth and his hands pressing into my flesh, chasing all thoughts but one from my overheated brain.
When he finally let go, I was breathless and aroused – which was probably his plan – but I wasn’t letting his outrageous behavior go unchallenged either.
“What the hell are you doing, Sebastian?”
He shrugged and grinned at me. “I thought I’d kiss you before you yelled at me. Guess it didn’t work.”
“You think this is a joke?” I said, my voice rising with frustrated disbelief. “First David, now Liz. Why don’t you just skywrite it?”
“What did the asshole say to you?”
I sighed. “He’s not going to tell anyone – he was really nice about it.”
Sebastian scowled.
“Liz won’t say anything to anyone either – I’ll just have to listen to her chewing me out later. But I’d have much rather she didn’t know just now – she’s my work colleague. You’ve got to stop taking these risks, Sebastian. For my sake, if you won’t do it for yourself.”
He grimaced. “I’m sorry, Caro. I just go a little crazy around you.”
Not good enough.
“Well, you have to get it under control. Now please, please tell me your assignment to Ryan Grant is temporary.”
He stared at me. “Fuck! I was wondering why they’d seated you next to him. Are you embedded with him? Shit!”
“Exactly my thoughts. He can’t know, or it’ll really screw things up for both of us – well, mainly for me. Sebastian, you’re going to have to act like you did in Geneva, as if you still dislike me – or at the very least, ignore me. Can you do that?”
“Fuck, Caro,” he sighed. “Yes, I can do it. But I’ll hate every fucking minute of it.”
“At least if we’re in the same Camp: I’ll know what you’re doing and that you’re safe.”
He gave me a small smile.
“Same goes for you. Yeah, there is that. And we might get a chance to… hook up?”
I shook my head, even as the image took shape.
“No, too dangerous. You can’t risk it and I definitely can’t risk it. Grant isn’t an idiot.”