Page 31 of Her Chosen Protector

Raiden shrugged. Nic looked over at him and frowned. “He can do it, can’t he?”

“If he thinks he can, he probably can. Problem is that some of the people he normally relies on to help him are out of the game. He hasn’t been his happy-go-lucky self lately.”

Raiden had that right. First, there were the two he trusted from the US Intelligence community who had quit and retired, and then to find out that the lieutenant of Midnight Delta still had his computer expert under lock and key, was pissing Kane off.

Asher looked at his watch. One and thirty seconds. He took out his satellite phone, and at precisely one minute before the charges were to blow, he quickly texted Eden three times.

Leland was looking pissed. “Why haven’t you moved everyone to the basement? Why are you doing this and not Carlson? What in the hell is going on?” he demanded to know.

“I did this as a precaution only. Nobody else needed to be moved, because they’re all able-bodied.” Eden said as she watched the big man gently set Suzanne down in one of the few chairs in one of the four sectioned-off rooms that all faced the vault.

She felt the buzz, just one. “We have one minute. Because they’re blowing open the gate, we’re not supposed to feel anything, but Asher said, just in case, we should take cover. This is the best cover I could think of for the Señora.”

This time Leland didn’t ask any questions. He just grabbed the arms of the chair that Suzanne was sitting in and leaned his body over hers. When the muffled pop came, it was negligible.

Yay, score one for the good guys.

“So, Eden, now explain to me why you’re the point of contact. I’m eager to know.” She grinned at his thinly veiled sarcasm.

“Well, Leland,” she countered, using his given name for the first time. “Why don’t you ask Suzanne?”

“Yes, why don’t you?” the woman rasped up at him.

“I really don’t care which one of you explains it to me, as long as you do it fast,” he said switching to Spanish.

“Eden has confirmed with the Americans that the entire Nomad Security team is under a cloud of suspicion. Are they in bed with Maduro or not?”

He sighed. “Yeah, I haven’t said much to either Patel or Carlson ever since their boss absconded to Aruba.”

Suzanne pushed against the arms of the chair so she could sit up straighter and Leland helped her.

She gave him a grateful, yet regal smile of thanks.

“Actually, it gets worse,” Suzanne said. Then she started to cough.

“Let me talk. You rest your throat.” Eden turned to Leland. “We now have reason to believe that Becker could possibly be working for Maduro as well. Right now, there is a computer expert with the SEALs who is trying to follow the money.”

“Why in the hell didn’t you tell me this? For God’s sake Suzanne, I have forensic accountants coming out my ass. I could have been working on this since the moment you had suspicions.”

The woman sat up straighter, her eyes blazing fire. “I own a bank. Like I don’t.” She shoved a finger at his chest as her voice came out in a choked whisper.

“Save your voice, Woman.”

As interesting as the byplay was, Eden’s breasts buzzed once, and that took her attention away from them.

“Gotta make a call. And I’ll tell you what, Leland, I’ll let you listen in.”

“Mighty nice of you.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t become you,” she said with a half-smile.

“Uh-huh, why don’t you tell me something I care about?”

Suzanne let out a wheeze of laughter. Both Eden and Leland admonished her to be careful at the same time.

“I’m fine,” the Señora assured them. “Make the call, Eden.”

Eden turned away from Leland as she unbuttoned the top buttons of her cream silk blouse and fished out her phone from her underwire bra. She set the phone on the arm of Suzanne’s chair and pressed in the number for Asher’s phone.