Page 40 of The Geek and the Sheikh

She bit her lip and nodded. “It might work. It would definitely get us through the difficult part. We’ll need some help though.”

“What will we need help with?” he pressed.

Her lips twitched with amusement. “How much cash do you have on you?”

Eleven

Through the window of the door, Allison could see the edge of the platform as the train pulled into the Paris station. She chuckled to herself when she remembered the expression in Jameel’s eyes when she told him she had placed a bomb on the train. It served him right for thinking he could keep her there against her will.

The bomb threat had been a last-minute idea inspired by the recent incident in Jawahir. She hadn’t known about Bronislav’s attempt to kill Jameel until he sent her the photo. It amazed her that Bronislav had made it as far as he had in the world because he continued to make rash and stupid decisions.

She had used that stupidity to her advantage, though, forwarding the image to Bugs in an attempt to connect. It had worked. The shocking thing was that it wasn’t the first time she had seen the woman. While they had never met in person, Allison had known Bugs… in a different life.

Irritation flared through her when her cellphone buzzed. She pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and pursed her lips. Connecting the call, she lifted the phone to her ear.

“Do you have a visual on them?” Mark Hammer demanded.

Allison’s lip curled. She and Mark, Bronislav’s Paris contact, didn’t get along. The man was an arrogant ass on a good day. Most days he was an insufferable prick.

“No, they are on the move,” she replied. They had been gone from the Premiere coach when she peeked back into it.

Mark growled in annoyance. “You had one fucking job and you blew it.”

“I didn’t blow it. I can track them. They are in the front coach,” she snapped.

“You better be right,” he said.

Allison could see the distaste on her face reflected in the glass. She fought to calm her expression into a mask of indifference. She hated, absolutelyhated,working with these scumbags.

Not much longer,she silently vowed.

“Just have your team ready for an extraction,” she ordered.

She ended the call and studied the small dot on the screen. She had slipped a small GPS tracking device into the British dude’s jacket pocket when she brushed by him. She looked up when the train began to slow.

“Please check that you have all belongings before exiting,” a recorded voice announced in a variety of languages.

The train slid to a smooth stop and the automated doors slid open. Allison stepped off the train and immediately turned to the left. She wove her way through the crowds exiting and entering the train. It wasn’t hard to pick out Mike and his team from the mass of individuals.

“So much for blending in and not causing a scene,” she muttered in irritation.

The sound of several loud whistles being blown drew her attention. Almost a dozen police officers were converging on the front coach. Allison peered through the crowd and glimpsed who they were escorting: a young couple, his dark hair a strong contrast to her bright blonde locks, and their three companions. One of Jameel's bodyguards caught her eye and shot her a two-fingered salute.

"For god's sake," Allison complained.

* * *

Junebug giggled. The brief glimpse she had caught of Allison’s face was now one of her favorite memories. Jameel held her hand as they made their way through what seemed like hundreds of people all animatedly talking and moving at once, their snippets of conversation creating a confusing jumble. Everyone seemed to be taller than she was, and she wondered if she and Jameel wouldeverget off this platform. For just a moment, she caught a man's voice as he said, “...to bring the woman in alive.”

Junebug turned her head and caught a glimpse of two men in black before they were lost in the crowd. She startled when Jameel wrapped his hand around her upper arm and guided her toward the exit. She nervously adjusted the dark blue hat that covered most of her hair and rubbed at the fabric on her new navy-blue button-up blazer with yellow edging.

“I can’t believe this worked,” Jameel muttered as they exited the station onto the street outside.

“Yeah, me too! We were totally two needles in a haystack! Like two needles in a really dark haystack while another haystack was lit up with a sign that said, 'Look here for your needles!'” she cheerfully replied. "Hey, why would there be so many needles in so many haystacks that people say—"

“Taxi!” Jameel called and lifted his hand.

A black sedan with the flashing green lights announcing it was available pulled forward and stopped in front of them. Jameel opened the back door and Bugs slid in, scooting across the seat to give him room. He slid in beside her and closed the door.

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