Page 16 of Hot Intent

“We’re pre-positioning a team to insert into Cuba after Hurricane Giselle strikes.”

She frowned. “It’s going to get that bad?” Her knee jerk reaction was to say no and hang up the phone. She and Alex were done with dangerous missions to deadly places, right?

“We’re being told this will go Category Five and cause heavy damage. A lot of casualties,” André’s assistant explained.

“Huh. Who all’s going?”

“Just you two. Obviously, we’re hoping to send you and Alex together.”

What was so obvious about her and Alex going together? Was it her job to keep an eye on him? Make sure he didn’t stray off the CIA reservation?

Ashley was speaking again, a little more urgently. “Can you be ready to leave first thing in the morning?”

Come to think of it, why was a low-level admin type calling to send her on this mission that everyone knew she wouldn’t want to go on? Katie’s antennae went up and started to wiggle. In her experience as a nurse, she’d learned to sense lies and evasion from patients, and she was sensing some, now.

“I’m not in D.C., actually. I can’t really give you an answer, tonight.”

The girl’s reply was perky. A smidge too pushy. “No problem. You can fly out of the airport nearest to wherever you are now.”

Alarm exploded in her chest. No! She couldn’t just drop everything and race off to parts unknown on a dangerous adventure! She had a baby to take care of. A fragile relationship with Alex to nurture into something more stable and permanent.

For all she knew, she needed to talk him down off whatever emotional bridge the CIA had forced him to climb this year. The last thing either of them needed was to dive headlong into life threatening danger.

She asked cautiously, “Is someone talking to Alex, now?”

“André’s on the phone with him.”

Katie glanced across the family room. Alex had turned his back on everyone and was in the corner having a quiet, intense-looking conversation with his boss. And it was taking longer than, “Hey, Alex. You wanna go to Cuba?”

Dammit, what were they whispering about? Alex turned slightly, and she caught sight of his face. It was more alive than it had been in weeks. His eyes were bright, his entire body vibrating with tension. Excitement.

Dismay crushed her. She’d known as soon as he got home that Alex had been changed by the past year, but there had been more to it than just that. Something had been missing, but she hadn’t been able to put her finger on it. Not until now. Not until this dangerous, electric side of him awoke and showed itself.Thiswas what had been absent.

Was the prospect of domestic bliss with her and Dawn so stifling, then? Apparently, so.

Who was she trying to kid? She would never tame the tiger within him. Not without killing that part of him. He would never be happy without living on the edge. Heck, he’d spent his entire life walking a high wire without a net. What made her think that clumping around in the mud of average life with her would be enough for him?

Racing off to a dangerous place like Cuba was more than what Alex did. It defined who he was. If she gave half a damn about him, she wouldn’t stand in his way. Except she wasn’t ready to let go of him, yet. Even if her dream of a life with him was doomed.

All that was left for them was a swan song. One last adventure. How, when it was over, would she ever find a way to let him go?

“Let me talk with Alex,” she mumbled into her phone. “We’ll let you know.”

Ashley replied too brightly, “Send me your location, and I’ll set up your itinerary and flight reservations.”

Were they not being given any choice in the matter, then? Was that what was taking so long between Alex and André? She ended her call, frowning.

Cuba, huh? She flopped down beside the brother she knew to be working in the intelligence community, although she didn’t know in what capacity since Alex stabbed him by accident last year. “Hey, Ian. Whaddiya know about Cuba?”

“That I can talk about with you?” he retorted.

“Duh.”

She listened intently as he and her dad brought her up to speed on the political and military situation with the island nation. The only big, unpleasant, surprise to her was how active the Russians still were in Cuba.

No wonder André was all hot and bothered to get Alex down there on any pretense he could. Alex knew more about Russian intelligence practices than just about any other person at the CIA.

At long last, Alex disconnected his phone. “You up for a trip?” he asked her tersely.

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