Page 14 of Beachcomber Danger

“Then what’s this all about? You taking advantage?”

“Yes, but it’s for a good cause.”

Gable looked at Shana. “You in on this?”

She nodded, giving nothing but a serious-as-an atom-bomb look.

Gable looked like he’d been hit by an atom bomb, but Dane couldn’t soften it for him, didn’t want to get cajoled into anything by this squirrelly business man who Dane knew for a fact was used to getting his way in all things.

“Leave us alone. We’ll need ten minutes or so, then we can get back.”

“That’s it?”

Dane nodded. He held the phone and he held his ground and said nothing more, just waited for Gable to acquiesce. Finally, Gable stood and walked with uncharacteristic stiffness from the room.

Shana said, “He’ll get over it.”

Dane shrugged. “He will or he won’t.”

“You’re a tough bastard.”

“I’ve had to make a lot of tough decisions in my life, tough sacrifices, in the name of the mission.”

She nodded. He watched her eyes go distant, retreat from him. When she would have pulled back he reached out and put an arm around her shoulder, reeling her in.

“You’re not one of those sacrifices, girlie. Never will be.”

“I know.”

He bent his head to kiss her to make sure she knew. To make sure he remembered. He’d been too hard in his past, made some mistakes on his tough decisions. He didn’t want to make those mistakes again. He lifted his mouth from her warm familiar lips and lifted her chin with a finger.

His heart pounded unnaturally. It wasn’t the usual adrenaline. It felt more like fear. The kind of fear you would get from walking across a tightrope. Not a completely unfamiliar feeling, but it was out of place here. He’d already made up his mind. He knew what to do. He shifted and turned his attention to the phone and dialed up the Governor.

“What’s wrong?” Peter hadn’t let the phone finish its first ring.

“I was hoping you could tell me. Other than the itinerary, they’re not giving us anything. We’re being used as far as I can tell.”

“For what?”

Dane flicked his eyes at Shana and answered.

“As a distraction. A target at worse.”

“I’d tell you you’re being paranoid and far-fetched, but this one is giving me concern. On my end.” Peter stopped as if he were unsure—and this was a man who was never unsure.

“What does the chatter say?”

Peter took a breath and said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if a local terrorist cell with some money but lacking in expertise—and possibly nerve—went on the dark web and hired a professional hit team.”

Dane paused. Shana gripped his arm. His heart thudded a deadly loud and fast beat. He wanted to ask Peter when he’d planned on clueing him in on this, but he knew his friend would eventually have made sure he found out one way or another.

“Any idea who the hit team is—aside from the fact that they’re probably posing as a couple of tourists?”

“That’s what you figure? A couple of tourists? No official word yet. I had to pry the intel I got from my source. I owe him my next two unborn children. I’m not sure I’ll get any more.”

“You want me to play along with this charade?”

“I want you to prevent an assassination attempt. So does my source.”