Deceptive Treasures: Slye Temp Book 5 Read Free

the right, the light would land on Tanner and his ninja.
    Well, shit .
    Toss aside his ninja and go for the guard?
    Sure, that’d work. And for his follow up act, he’d pull a helicopter out of his back pocket.

     
    Chapter Two
     
    Every second thumped in tandem with Tanner’s heartbeat . Blood pounded in his ears.
    He had no other choice. He’d wait until the very last moment before the guard’s light reached him then he’d drop the woman and go for the guard .
    If his ninja remained quiet when her feet touched the floor, Tanner might just pull this off .
    If not, they were both dead .
    Logic said this woman would do anything to avoid discovery, because she’d be accused of spying for the Americans if she were caught with Tanner .  
    The guard’s light bobbed over debris and pieces of piled-up scaffolding . He stood close enough for Tanner to smell the strong odor of nicotine clinging to his gray wool uniform. His nose was flat on the end.
    Somebody hit you with a frying pan, Flat Nose?
    Tanner’s muscles were drawn-bow taut, ready to spring into action .
    A high-pitched voice crackled from the guard’s radio . Flat Nose stuck his flashlight under his arm. The beam bounced as he listened to the rapid chatter Tanner could barely understand. Something about ... intruders.
    Had someone seen his men?
    Only if Har or Pang had made a mistake.
    Very possible, considering Tanner was holding an unknown woman in his arms.
    She trembled, but didn’t make a sound.
    Tanner held his breath while the rattle of scrambled words streamed from the guard’s radio. He picked up that more soldiers were on the way and some reference to shutting down the exits in the city. Sweat trickled along the inside of Tanner’s collar in spite of the freezing temperature.
    Would a division of ground soldiers flood this building and surrounding area any minute?
    The second guard who’d searched the other side of the building marched to the center and called out to Flat Nose. After a quick exchange of words, Flat Nose joined his buddy by the door and they walked outside.
    Tanner let out a breath .
    His ninja did, too, at the same time, as if their cardiovascular systems were linked .
    Now . What to do with her?
    He’d used up six minutes. Time to make a decision . His limited Korean would only confirm that he was American, so he said nothing as he eased his hand from her mouth, waiting to see what she’d say.
    She whispered, “They know you are here for Pang and Har . They know about the defection. We must hurry.”
    He arched an eyebrow at her that she couldn’t see . Perfectly spoken English in an angel’s voice, albeit with a Korean accent. Who the hell was she?
    “What do you wait for?” she hissed at him . “More soldiers will come. Pang and Har have been betrayed.”
    If she knew about Har and Pang’s defecting then Tanner was losing time hiding that he was American . “Who are you?”
    “You must hurry or—”
    Did she think this was some damn game? “Explain who you are or I’ll leave you unconscious to face the soldiers alone.”   He wouldn’t do that to a woman, but threatening anything less was wasting precious seconds.
    She turned rigid as his mama’s broom handle and derision saturated her words . “I should expect no more from your kind.” 
    “What kind?” 
    “US military.”
    Just how much did she know about this op ? “I’m not military and you don’t know what you’re talking about. Time’s up.”
    She got the message. “I am Soo Jin. I perform research in the same center as Har and Pang . I know you are here to take them to the US to defect in exchange for information on the Project Jigu-X.”
    This woman clearly knew something, but in this country she could be working for any side . “What was transmitted on the soldier’s radio?”  
    She warned, “You waste time. When your people die, it will be your fault.”
    Tanner grabbed her by the throat, keeping her back to his chest. “If