Accidental Commando Read Free Page B

concussion.”
    She freed one hand from the sheet and made an erasing motion. “It’s not a concussion. I’m fine. Who are you talking to? How big an operation is this?”
    He surveyed the room. It was in shambles. He spotted an overturned ice bucket near a dented room-service cart. Only a few wafers of ice remained. The rest had melted into a puddle beside a heap of red lace. He glanced at the king-size bed. Champagne. Sexy underwear. A naked woman. Someone appeared to have had a good time here the night before.
    He’d assumed she was alone, since there was only one suitcase, and there was no sign of a man’s clothes strewn around the room. He glanced at the open door to the bathroom. If whoever had shared the bed with her was still here, they wouldn’t have let her fend for herself. He couldn’t imagine a Valkyrie like her putting up with a coward. To be on the safe side, though, he went to check.
    As he’d suspected, the bathroom was empty. It appeared only one of the towels had been used. If she’d had male company, he hadn’t stayed the night. He grabbed a washcloth, returned to the puddle of melting ice and picked up a few of the larger pieces. He wrapped the ice in the washcloth and held it to her cheek. “This should keep the bruise from swelling.”
    She seemed startled by his action. But then she took the improvised ice pack from him and narrowed her eyes. “Who’s going to clean up this mess? Your department better pay for the damage.”
    “We’ll see to it.”
    “Who’s ‘we’?”
    “Someone from the hotel will repair your doors.”
    “For all I know, the milkman shot up my suitcase. There could be bullet holes in my clothes. Are you going to pay for that, too?”
    “Most of the shots hit the wall.”
    The woman moved the ice pack to her forehead. “You’re ignoring my questions.”
    She was right about that. He saw no reason to reply, since her demands were probably an attempt at bravado. It was a common coping mechanism, and far easier for him to deal with than hysterics would have been.
    Yet her questions weren’t all he was trying to ignore. The sheet was gaping apart where she’d freed her arm, giving him a glimpse of shadowed skin. He didn’t know why he found the view so compelling. He’d seen it all mere minutes ago.
    “The major reported the ETA for the envoy’s plane is fifty-five minutes,” Duncan said. The background noise had changed from chickens to the sound of a revving engine. “Jack, where are you?”
    “Here,” Jack said. There was the sound of a car door slamming. “Junior, unless the civilian needs medical attention, you’d better wrap things up there and get over to the palace.”
    Tyler stepped backward. His heel came down on something soft. He suspected it was the red underwear.
    “Look, Mr. Matheson or detective or whatever you are, I’d like some answers.”
    “Sorry, ma’am.” He turned toward the door.
    “And forget all the ‘ma’ams.’ I’m not in the best mood this morning. I’m not feeling exactly charitable toward men in general, either. You can’t just burst into someone’s room and then treat them like they don’t exist.” She dropped the ice pack, gathered the trailing edge of the sheet and followed him. “I’m thinking I shouldn’t take your word that you’ll pay for all this damage. Let me have your badge number.”
    “Ma’am, you’ll have to trust me.”
    “Trust you? Right, sure. Like I’m going to trust anyone with a Y chromosome. Especially where money’s concerned.”
    “Sounds as if she doesn’t like you much, junior,” Jack said.
    “Maybe he needs reinforcements,” Duncan said.
    “Maybe he’s flirting.”
    “Then he does need help. Anyone give him the birds and bees talk?”
    “Nah. I thought we should wait until the boy hits puberty.”
    No one could mistake Tyler for a boy. He had just turned thirty, and at six foot four and two hundred and fifteen pounds, he was the largest man in Eagle Squadron. But