Accidental Commando (14 page)

She might have bought her glam jade-and-gold outfit with the hopes of kick-starting a little romance, but tonight had to be all business. The party they were attending with the envoy was black tie. That was the only reason Emily was wearing these clothes. Same with Tyler. Like the major, he hadn’t put on a tux because he wanted to look good. He was wearing it because he needed to blend in with the other guests.

But oh, he did look good. Six feet four inches of black-clad, broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped masculine perfection. The major was almost as impressive. The rest of the team wore the same white jackets and black pants as the catering staff on the theory that waiters weren’t normally noticed. Emily thought it was a wasted effort. If any of the men of Eagle Squadron sincerely thought they would blend into the crowd, then they must have assumed that any women who were attending were going to be blindfolded.

“Ms. Haggerty,” Major Redinger said, halting at the ballroom doors. “We will try to remain unobtrusive, but remember that I or one of my men will be within a few steps of your side throughout the evening.”

The envoy patted his sleeve. “Thank you for your concern, Major, but I have business to conduct. Please, try not to stay too close or you’ll cramp my style.”

Redinger signaled to the guards who were positioned outside the grand ballroom. Minutes later, he was escorting Helen Haggerty through the glittering crowd to be greeted by President Gorrell and his wife.

Although Emily had been living in the luxury of the palace for over a week, the scene she looked on now was beyond anything she’d experienced so far. She took a few moments to let it soak in. The room itself was spectacular, from its polished black marble floor to the crystal chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceiling. Mirrors along the walls reflected the plaster columns and multiplied the size of the crowd. From a gallery at the far end, a group of musicians filled the air with classical music that blended tastefully with the hum of conversation.

She’d been told the guests would include politicians, diplomats and the cream of Rocaman society. That was easy to believe, considering how richly everyone was dressed and how decorously they were behaving. And though she’d seen President Gorrell numerous times as he’d passed her in the halls, she’d never seen him look so dignified or, well, presidential. A sash of office lent a regal air to his tuxedo. He stood out, even amid the cluster of distinguished-looking men and women who were vying for his attention.

“Emily,” Tyler said. “We need to do a circuit of the room. We’ll begin on the left.”

She started forward. Except for Major Redinger, who had remained near the envoy, Emily was no longer able to see any of the other commandos. Apparently, she’d been wrong: it
was
possible to lose track of men who looked like that. “Where’d everyone go?”

“The rest of the team’s in position.”

“What does that mean?”

“We divided the room into quadrants before we got here. Each of the guys concentrates on one section.”

“Ah, like the officiating crew on a football field. They each have their own area to keep track of.”

“Exactly. On a security job like this, the men would either be moving through their sector or watching from a secure vantage point for anyone who looks or acts suspicious.”

“Define suspicious. Besides pulling out a gun and opening fire.”

“That would be a tip-off, all right. What we’re watching for first is behavior. Body language. Patterns of movement. Anything that doesn’t appear to belong.”

“That makes sense. I noticed El Gato the other day mainly because his body language seemed furtive.”

“We’ll be starting with that, but we’re also counting on your ability with faces. You’re our ace in the hole. See that knot of people at the refreshment table?”

“Uh-huh.”

Tyler settled his hand at the small of her back. “We’re going to circle around them to give you a chance to check everyone out.”

Emily did her best to focus on each face as they passed, but she noticed nothing suspicious except the hair on a thin man beside the ice sculpture. He had one of the worst toupees she’d ever seen. “This may be a stupid question, but did anyone think to check under the table?”

“The dogs swept the room three times today. If anyone or anything was concealed, they would have sniffed it out.”

“Okay.”

“Relax,” he said, moving his hand slightly higher. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Though most of his hand still rested on her dress, his thumb brushed the bare skin of her back above the fabric. The contact gave her an unexpected jolt. Off balance, she teetered sideways.

Tyler grasped her hand and tucked it into the crook of his elbow, but not before his arm bumped the side of her breast. “Are you okay?”

She tried to ignore the spurt of pleasure from that contact, too. Not easily done, since she was also trying not to feel the tantalizing curve of the muscles beneath the sleeve where her fingers rested. “I’m fine. I just hadn’t planned on doing a security patrol in these shoes when I bought them, so pardon me if I slow you down.”

“Emily—”

“Then again, the extra height does help me see over the crowd, so maybe I should get the major to reimburse me for them, considering how they’re going to be so helpful to your mission. He did spring for your tux rental, didn’t he?”

“Whatever you paid for those shoes was worth it. Do you have any idea how sexy your legs look?”

He’d spoken quietly, his voice a low rumble beside her ear. She turned her head.

He wasn’t looking at her. He was surveying the room as they walked, so she took a moment to enjoy his profile. This was another advantage to wearing heels. They gave her a better view of his face.

Oh, he looked more than merely good in that tux. He looked fabulous. The crisp white shirt made his skin glow and his eyes sparkle. His hair gleamed like gold as they passed beneath one of the chandeliers. In fact, against the backdrop of the ballroom, he was handsome enough to have stepped out of an illustration in a storybook….

Stop it,
she told herself. Until a month ago she’d believed that Christopher was her Prince Charming, and look how that had turned out. “Thank you,” she said. “You cleaned up pretty well yourself. But I don’t understand how you keep getting away with wearing those cowboy boots. Don’t you
ever
take them off? No, wait. You’d have to take them off when you ride into town for your Saturday night bath, right?”

The corner of his mouth curved in an almost-smile. It winked out a second later. “Ten o’clock. Short dark-haired man in a waiter’s jacket. Tell me what you think.”

Emily’s stomach tightened at the change in Tyler’s tone. She curled her fingers more firmly around his arm and moved her gaze to where he had indicated.

She spotted the man immediately. He was standing near the stairs that led to the musicians’ gallery. She could see why Tyler had noticed him: he was the same height and had the same body type as El Gato. But one look at his wide-set eyes and the unscarred chin made her certain it wasn’t him.

She blew out her breath. “No. El Gato’s eyes are closer together.”

He pressed her forearm against his side. “Don’t get frustrated. It’s seldom that easy.”

“Maybe he’s given up.”

“Not if the Juarez family is paying his fee. They’re not the kind of people even someone with El Gato’s reputation would want to cross.”

“But he couldn’t possibly get in here. It’s not as if this party is open to the public. Those guards at the doors aren’t letting anyone in who doesn’t belong. They even scrutinized us, for heaven’s sake.”

“That’s their standard operating procedure at any event the president is attending.”

“Which is the point I’m trying to make. Anyone would be nuts to think they could sneak past them.”

“The envoy leaves Rocama tomorrow.” He reversed direction as they neared the back of the hall and started on a route that would take them closer to the group around the envoy. “El Gato doesn’t have many opportunities left if he’s going to fulfill his contract. The major figures he’ll have to make a move before the end of the night.”

Which was the only reason she was here, in her drop-dead gorgeous gown, with her to-die-for escort. The reminder twisted another knot into her stomach. The days since she’d spotted El Gato in the courtyard had flown past. The mission was nearly over. So was her association with Tyler…whatever that was. Although the physical attraction between them showed no signs of dimming, there was also professional respect on both sides, as well as a deepening friendship. She liked him and was comfortable with him. She’d come to look forward to their daily sparring, and she was fairly certain that he did, too. Which was why she’d avoided thinking about the fact it was going to end.

Yet end it would. The envoy was scheduled to leave for Washington tomorrow evening. Once she was safely off Rocaman soil, Eagle Squadron would pack up their gear, disassemble their field headquarters and return to their base in North Carolina tomorrow night. And the day after that, Emily would board her scheduled flight to Wisconsin. They would all go their separate ways. Get back to their separate lives.

She forced her thoughts back to business. “I’ve been wondering about the Juarez cartel’s opposition to the proposed base,” she said.

“What about it?”

“How could they believe they’d be able to stop it from being built by killing Helen Haggerty? Sure, she and President Gorrell have a good personal relationship, and I think she’s a great lady so I hate to speculate what would happen if El Gato succeeded, but if he did, wouldn’t our government send someone else to complete the negotiations she had started?”

“They would.”

“Then why hire an assassin when the best they could hope for is a temporary delay?”

“That’s a good question. It’s possible they’re underestimating American determination. Drug cartels have always used intimidation as a means to power.”

“They use money, too,” she said. “Before Gorrell was elected, cocaine production was Rocama’s major industry. The profits bought a lot of police and politicians.”

“Money’s a big factor in another sense. The annual rent from a military base would provide a guaranteed source of funds for the government. So would the increased tourism. The more stable the country becomes, the more foreign investment they’ll be able to attract.”

Emily focused on the people around the envoy and the president as Tyler guided her nearer. “And as the wealth of the nation goes up, the less influence the Juarez people would be able to have,” she said. “They might have realized the base could be a tipping point and they hired El Gato out of desperation.”

“It does sound like a tactic of last resort. They would have to know that if they harm an American citizen, we’ll hunt them down.”

“The way Eagle Squadron captured Leonardo Juarez?”

“That’s right. We don’t follow the same rules that hamper law enforcement agencies. We do whatever’s necessary for the success of our mission.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Tyler.”

“What for?”

She squeezed his arm. “For giving me straight answers. I’ll probably end up quoting that last bit you said about doing whatever’s necessary. I’m glad you’re not weighing everything you tell me anymore. It really was annoying.”

He halted and turned to face her. Instead of scanning the crowd, he kept his gaze steady on hers. His jaw twitched, as it often did when he was deciding what to say.

“It’s okay,” she said, giving him a smile. “I’m not trying to pick a fight this time, although I will if you’re getting bored. It’s been a while since our last one and I could probably use the practice.”

He didn’t return her smile. “I’ve always realized how important writing this article is to you, Emily, but we both have priorities that we need to put first. I hope you’ll remember that when the mission is over.”

It had sounded like an apology. She studied him, trying to read his expression, but his game face was firmly in place. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just what I said.” He shifted his gaze past her shoulder.

“Tyler?”

“There’s a short man walking toward the envoy. He’s carrying two champagne glasses. He’s not dressed as a waiter.”

Once again, Tyler’s tone had hardened. Emily turned her head. She caught only a glimpse of the man who was approaching before a white-haired couple moved in her way. She stepped to the side but Tyler clamped his hand on her wrist to stop her.

“Stay with me,” he said. “Tell me if you see him.”

She stretched her neck just as the couple moved on. She tensed as the man walked into view. The height, weight, thick hair, even the walk were right for El Gato. She concentrated on his face and felt a stirring of recognition. Not alarm, though. “It’s not him,” she said. “But I’ve seen that man before.”

“Where?”

As if he sensed their scrutiny, the man glanced their way. He smiled and changed course, walking directly toward them.

It took a moment for the memory to click. “Here in the palace,” she said. “He was at the meeting in the conference room the day you disarmed the bomb. He must be a member of Gorrell’s cabinet.”

Tyler didn’t relax. “Keep to my left,” he told her. “I don’t like the look of this guy.”

To his left, she thought. That was so she wouldn’t get in the way if he needed to draw his gun with his right hand. He’d explained that before. “I told you, he’s not El Gato. He’s just a politician.”

The man reached them a moment later. He smiled widely, displaying a dazzling array of expertly capped teeth. “Good evening,
señorita.
I hope you are enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Permit me to introduce myself.” He bowed from the waist, holding his arms out at his sides so he wouldn’t tip the glasses he held. “I am Santiago Kenyon, the minister of culture. You are part of Ms. Haggerty’s entourage, I believe? I noticed you arrived with her.”

She wasn’t sure how to reply. Tyler beat her to it. “Yes, we accompanied the envoy,” he said.

Kenyon acknowledged Tyler with a nod while he kept his smile aimed at Emily. He appeared to be in his fifties, and had well-formed lips, a bold nose and thickly lashed dark eyes. He had the air of a man who considered himself to be irresistible.