Reach For the Spy Read Free

we have just gone for coffee or something,
instead of the whole cloak and dagger thing?”
    “Maybe.” He shrugged.
“Or maybe not. I won’t really know until I see how things are set
up tomorrow. I don’t know how much control Stemp is going to exert,
and I couldn’t take a chance that you might say or do something
without realizing that you were being watched.”
    He paused, then
continued, “I really wish you hadn’t lost your temper. You forced
his hand. If you’d just gone along with it, I might have been able
to do some damage control.”
    “He threatened me,” I
snapped. “That was stupid. If he’d been smart, he would have talked
to you first. He could have averted the whole fiasco. Maybe he’s
been doing great things for your department, but he’s a shitty
people manager.”
    Kane sighed. “He’s good
at what he does, but you’re right, General Briggs is a better
leader. Briggs would never have taken such a heavy-handed approach,
but it’s not his jurisdiction.”
    “But why do you have to
listen to Stemp at all? Briggs is your direct superior, isn’t
he?”
    “Yes, and no. Stemp is
the director of our INSET team, and my cover is as an RCMP officer
with INSET. So I have to walk a fine line.”
    I sighed. “Bloody
politics.”
    “Yes,” he agreed with
feeling.
    “So do you think maybe
we can work out a better way to communicate?” I asked. “Maybe one
that doesn’t involve panic on my part and personal injury for you?
Because I’d really hate to have to explain to Stemp why I murdered
you in my bedroom in the middle of the night.”
    He laughed. “That’s a
conversation I’d like to listen in on.”
    “Except you’d be
dead.”
    “Well, there is that.”
I could still see the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Best to keep it simple,” he said, sobering. “If I need to talk to
you, I’ll hand you a black pen at some point during the day. If you
need me to come here, you can give me a black pen. Then you can
expect me that night. If it’s urgent, use a red pen, and I’ll
figure out a way that we can meet sooner. You’ll just have to stay
alert for my signal.”
    “Okay, that works.”
    He checked the
illuminated display on his watch. “I have ten minutes left before I
have to leave. Do you have any other questions?”
    “No, I don’t
think...”
    A sudden sharp report
split the silence of the night, and Kane pitched forward on top of
me, the weight of his body pinning me to the bed.

Chapter 3
    Kane’s gun was already
in his hand. He twisted around to search for the source of the
sound as he sprawled across me, protecting me with his body.
    “It’s okay!” I freed
one arm from under him with difficulty and gently covered his gun
hand. “It’s just the stupid roller blind. It fell off its
mountings. It did that once before when the breeze got up and I had
the window open.”
    I felt the tension
leave him, and he drew in a deep breath as he stowed his gun again.
“Get that damn thing fixed!”
    “Roger that,” I agreed.
“Better still, as of this moment, it’s garbage.”
    My heart was still
pounding from the shock, but the feel of his muscular body on top
of me wasn’t doing anything to slow it down, either. Bedroom,
moonlight, an incredibly hot guy, and we were already
horizontal.
    Jeez, somebody up there
really hated me.
    He gazed down at me for
a long moment from inches away, his grey eyes completely black in
the dim light.
    Then we both sighed,
and he rolled off me and sat up. We caught each other’s eyes and
looked away quickly.
    I forced a casual tone.
“Guess I’ll go and get a snack.” I rolled off the bed and headed
for the kitchen. “Do you want anything?” I asked over my shoulder
as he trailed me out of the bedroom.
    “Yes, but I can’t have
it.”
    I glanced back at him,
surprised at the uncharacteristic double entendre. He continued
without missing a beat, “I’ve only got a few minutes before I have
to go.”
    “Right.” I