Suddenly a Spy (12 page)

In stage three, he began assigning her
missions to carry out undetected. Some were seemingly silly, like
the time she had to swipe her lunch from a cooler under his
protection. Some were more in-depth. Some were down-right
terrifying, like the exercise that unintentionally brought her
face-to-face with a jaguar.

They emerged from the jungle one month after
entering it, and when they did, she felt ready. She felt powerful.
She wondered if she should shave her head and insist he call her
G.I. Jane.

“You know, I think I’m a little sad to be
leaving.”

“Is that your masochist streak coming out? Or
was I too easy on you?”

“Shut up, Dick.”

A wolf whistle interrupted Rick’s reply.

“You went in a pretty woman and came out a
goddess,” Devon called from the porch.

“Hit on my wife all you want McAlister—she
has no use for the likes of you.”

“I don’t know; I’ve always been a sucker for
tall, dark and handsome.”

“Minx,” he made a dive for her that she
successfully dodged, leaving him holding her pack instead.

“Such a gentleman,” she fluttered her
eyelashes prettily at him.

He grumbled something unintelligible but
shouldered the extra load nonetheless. A spread was being laid out
on the patio table; the aroma was making Veronica’s mouth water.
Before she could reach for so much as a tortilla, Devon ushered
them off to their rooms to shower.

The hot water and scented soap made it worth
the wait, though. She also felt like a whole new woman in the gauzy
white skirt and blouse that had been laid out for her. She brushed
her hair out and let the wet tendrils tumble about her shoulders as
she padded barefoot back to the veranda.

Rick was already there, listening intently as
Devon discussed the U.S. recession and its impact on the rose
market. Both men stood to greet her. As they settled over their
lunch, talk turned to business.

“Rumor has it that your disappearance is
driving Marko Kulenović a little nuts,”
Devon informed them. “When they couldn’t find you after a few
weeks, Marko returned to his estate in Bulgaria. He is threatening
to officially place Petrov Kulenović in charge of New York—a fact
Adrianna seems displeased with. Apparently her inability to bring
Rick in has reflected poorly on her.”

Veronica didn’t bother feeling guilty over
the smug satisfaction that knowledge gave her. She’d not forgotten
her promise to make Adrianna regret crashing her wedding. Being in
the dog house with Marko was just the beginning.

“Have you heard about Vance? Is he okay?” she
asked.

“Vance is always okay,” Rick answered. “It’s
scary how good that man is at his job.”

“It really is,” Devon agreed. “Oh—I almost
forgot. I have a present for you.”

Veronica grabbed one last piece of bread as
Devon motioned for the table to be cleared. He produced rolled-up
blue prints, which he spread across the newly cleared table.

“What are we looking at?” she asked.

“Marko’s estate. Turns out I know the
builder. We worked together in another lifetime. Anyway, I thought
this might be helpful. Vance also said he sent some encrypted files
with Marko’s itinerary for the next week. He seemed to think that
your best approach would be to insert Veronica as an antique
tourist.”

“I assume you mean a tourist in search of
antiques and not an old person.”

“I do,” Devon said with a grin.

“No way,” Rick was not amused.

“Why did I spend the last month in the Rick
Sinclair Torture Factory if you weren’t going to let me help?”

“Help, yes. Run straight into the lion’s den
all by yourself, no.”

“Really? You want to have this conversation
now?”

“Well this is awkward.”

“See Rick? You’re making things weird for our
host. Stop being obstinate.”

“You stop being obstinate.”

“Fine. What’s your plan?”

“I’ll turn myself in to Marko. Get myself
back in his good graces.”

“He’ll shoot you before you say hello,” Devon
shook his head.

“You’re not that charming,” Veronica
added.

“Thank you, really.”

“No one’s that charming, babe. It’s nothing
personal. Marko doesn’t know me.”

“You’re assuming he hasn’t seen pictures of
you, either.”

“Even if he has, that’s all he’s seen. Put a
wig on me and some colored contacts and he won’t see past
them.”

Rick eyed her skeptically.

“Come on, please? I’ve always wanted to be a
redhead. I want short, funky red hair. And green eyes… no, gray
eyes.”

“I’m in charge, though. You have to swear to
me now to do as I say. No arguing.”

“No arguing.”

“That’s settled. Great. Now who wants a
beer?” Devon clapped Rick on the back cheerfully.

Chapter Thirteen

They left Ecuador the next morning, after a
fond farewell and a promise to stay in touch. It felt oddly like
saying goodbye at the end of a holiday visit.

The trip to Bulgaria was a long one. Despite
getting some sleep on the plane, Veronica was exhausted by the time
they reached their hotel in Varna. It was a beautiful city nestled
on the coast; she could see why it was considered the gem of the
Black sea.

She was also very glad to have Rick along. If
not for him, she would have gotten into a decoy taxi and been
robbed blind or worse. Thankfully, he was kind enough not to say,
“I told you so.”

When they got to the hotel, they pulled the
drapes closed and collapsed on the bed. Veronica vaguely remembered
a time when collapsing on a bed with Rick wouldn’t have been done
in exhaustion. With that, she sighed heavily and fell asleep.

She awoke before he did and went to shower.
By the time he roused, she’d completed the transformation process.
The cerulean dress that had been tossed aside in Italy was perfect
for her purposes on this day. With it and her new, sassy auburn
hair and dark gray eyes she felt like a man-eater.

Rick gave a low whistle from the doorway. He
leaned casually against the frame and watched her apply the final
touches to her makeup.

“You like it?”

His expression said he’d like to devour her.
She took that as a positive.

“You remember the plan, right?” he returned
his attention to business.

“Absolutely. Go shopping. Get his attention.
See if I can get an invite. Check into the new hotel when I’m done.
You’ll contact me when it’s safe. If I get into trouble, send the
bat signal.”

“Very funny.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, you crazy wench. Promise me
you’ll be careful.”

“The careful-est,” she stood on tiptoe to
brush a kiss against his lips.

Despite the confidence she exuded for Rick’s
sake, she was a nervous wreck on the inside. Warnings about
traveling in Bulgaria from the state department’s website bounced
around her brain. She wasn’t so much worried about things like
pickpockets or even civil unrest. It was the scams like charging
$10,000 for a drink and then breaking the person’s kneecap when
they couldn’t pay that had her nervous. Accidentally ordering a
10-k glass of wine was definitely within her realm of
stupidity.

Since cash was king in this country, she was
also carrying around the largest amount of currency she’d ever
seen. Most of it was stashed in her bra, which meant she had to
fight the urge to continually pat herself to be sure it was still
there. She couldn’t help discretely checking just once or twice as
she wandered up and down the streets of open-air markets.

She paused to watch a painter working on a
portrait of a young couple. The posing pair seemed so in love,
Veronica couldn’t help smiling at them.

“You should have your picture painted,” a man
materialized beside her, leaning in a little as he spoke to
her.

“Of me? I don’t think so,” Veronica shook her
head, a little flustered by the stranger’s nearness. He smelled
delicious; she recognized cinnamon and sandalwood. There was a hint
of a third scent… Italian bergamot maybe? Something citrusy.

“A woman as beautiful as you? Of course you
should,” his smile was actually quite winning.

“Does that line work for you often?”

“Ah. American women. There’s nothing like
them.”

“You’re not American? Your accent is very
Midwest,” she tried to figure out why this tall and handsome man
seemed so familiar to her.

“No, Bulgarian born and bred, though I do
frequently travel to your country.”

“Really? You don’t fit the type… you’re so
tall,” she blurted, a little appalled at her own rudeness.

“There might be a touch of Yank on my
mother’s side, but don’t tell anyone,” he whispered
conspiratorially. “You really aren’t the least bit affected by my
charm?”

“Sorry, I’m a woman on a mission. I only
stopped to admire the paintings for a moment.”

“A mission? That sounds quite intriguing. Do
tell.”

“Well,” she reasoned that this man might be
able to point her towards her target. “I heard Varna has some
amazing deals on Roman artifacts.”

“You like the old Roman empire?”

“I’m a fan.”

Laughter rumbled low in his throat, and he
looked quite proud of himself. “Then you are in luck. I happen to
be an excellent resource for finding ancient Roman artifacts.”

“Are you now? I’m not sure I believe you. How
do I know you aren’t just luring a naïve American off to her
doom?”

“I’m quite harmless, I assure you. Here’s my
card. Stop by this evening. We’ll have dinner, and I’ll show you my
personal collection.”

“How do I know ‘personal collection’ isn’t
code for something nefarious… Marko Kulenović?” she read his name
off the card. Suddenly his familiarity made perfect sense, although
the pictures she’d seen had not done the man justice.

“So distrustful…”

“I’ll come to dinner,” she held up a hand to
stop his reproach.

“Seven o’clock,” he smiled, his brown eyes
locking with hers as he bowed to kiss her hand.

He left her standing alone, a little shaken
by the sensation that rippled through her hand from his kiss. Of
all the realities she’d tried to prepare for, the possibility that
Marko would be undeniably attractive hadn’t even crossed her mind.
Not just hot, but appealing… charming. It stood in direct odds with
everything she knew about him.

A little dazed, she wandered back through the
crowds to the hotel she would be staying in while undercover. The
Grand Hotel Musala Palace was a beautiful building with a yellow
and white exterior that made Veronica smile. It was happy, like a
bouquet of daisies.

The ornate scrollwork, both inside and out,
spoke of grandeur. It was elegant, if not a little overly so. The
décor was reminiscent of the Victorian era, which had always made
Ronnie feel a little uneasy. Still, she found herself pulled in by
the ambiance of the place. She wondered if Rick had chosen this
hotel as a treat for her or as part of the persona she was playing.
Probably the latter.

When she gave her name at the front desk, she
was handed a room key without the normal check in process. So she
wasn’t entirely surprised to find Rick in her room when she
arrived. He had said he’d contact her.

“Vance, good to see you!” she was pleasantly
surprised by his presence. “Isn’t Adrianna going to miss you?”

“I’m here to oversee a shipment of antiques
back to New York,” he looked up from his laptop to smile at
her.

She kissed his cheek before turning her
attention to Rick, ignoring Vance’s blush.

“So… that was a lucky break, eh? I’m glad he
approached me. I didn’t even recognize him from his pictures.”

“So you were flirting with him for fun?”

“I wasn’t flirting, I was being polite,” she
stared incredulously at him. “Why are you scowling at me? I did
what I was supposed to do—made contact with Marko Kulenović. He
invited me to dinner.”

“That’s a bad idea; I don’t want you to
go.”

“Don’t be stupid. Of course I’m going.”

“I don’t like the way that guy looks at you.
He was undressing you with his eyes the entire time.”

“Did it ever occur to you that’s a good
thing?”

“Yeah, I get it. Tall dark and handsome.
Nice, love.”

Vance arched his eyebrows, looking from Rick
to Veronica and back to his computer screen.

“If he is attracted to me, we should use that
to our advantage.”

“What exactly are you proposing?”

“Only that I stay undercover, and we see
where this leads.”

“I’ll tell you where it’ll lead,” his voice
was a growl. “It’ll lead to you in his bed. Call me crazy, but I’m
not sold on the idea.”

“I have no intention of hopping in bed with
him.”

“How do you plan to avoid that?”

“I’m not breaking his knee caps,” Vance
interjected, causing Rick and Veronica to stop and stare blankly at
him. He shrugged and went back to work. Rick and Veronica squared
off.

“You’re being an obstinate fool. What was
Ecuador… playing in the jungle? We trained for this chance. Now
it’s been handed to us. Don’t blow it because you don’t trust me,”
angry tears welled in her eyes. Sure she had noticed that Marko was
an attractive man, and maybe her hand had tingled just a little
bit… but that was a far cry from hopping in the man’s bed, and Rick
should know her better than that.

“It’s not about trust; it’s about safety,”
his voice was low, but his accent thick. Veronica knew he was as
angry as she; he was just better at controlling it in front of
company.

“You guys do know that Marko’s hosting a
party tonight, right? There’ll be about fifty people
there—including me,” Vance interrupted. “I don’t think it would
hurt anything for Veronica to keep the date tonight and regroup in
the morning.”