Deliciously Dangerous by Karen Anders Page A

above the rushing water that cooled her face, not sure if the moisture was tears she wouldn’t acknowledge or random droplets from the fountain.
    He didn’t speak, but she could feel his alertness behind her, as if he wanted to tell her. Wanted to give her that insight into his character that she craved.
    Finally, he said, “I’m just a cog, Gina. Just a cog.”
    He was wrong. He wasn’t a cog, he was a linchpin, and when it was pulled, everything would come crashing down. He was her conduit to the Ghost. Her mission.
    Who would have thought she would have needed that reminder? Not her. Her relationship with Jammer had been intense from the start. Those three days in Paris, as they had slaked a need for each other that became as addictive as a drug, were ones she would never forget. But she’d set up the deal with the intention of trapping the Ghost, and she had been resolved to follow through. All she could hope for in that situation would be that Jammer would get jail time, but not as much as his boss.
    But then Miyagi’s henchman had run her down, giving her a concussion, and she’d been out of it enough that her twin sister, Allie, had had to fill in. But Allie and Drew had failed to capture the Ghost, had lost the weapons and the money to Jammer. He had orchestrated the death of Miyagi, effectively saving her sister’s life, for which Callie would always be grateful.
    How to mesh this man with his international reputation for being the Ghost’s muscle? It was interestinghow he was always where the Ghost was supposed to be. Always the face of the organization. It made her wonder and speculate.
    Jammer was much more than the Ghost’s muscle. She found this intriguing, and grudgingly had to admire Jammer’s intelligence.
    “We’d better get going,” he said as he let her go. She slid off the fountain and for an instant, in front of one of the most famous monuments in the world, she wrapped her arms around him and held him, just held on to him, breathing in his scent and enjoying the sheer physical contact.
    That was the other negative side effect of being undercover—the loneliness of never really letting herself get too close.
    And in her heart, she knew that even after she’d completed her mission she would always feel that loneliness, because after her mission was complete, Jammer would never hold her like this again.

7
    T HE I TALIAN MET THEM in a small conference room provided by the hotel. It was a quick transaction and took all of thirty minutes to complete.
    As they were wrapping up, Jammer asked, “Alberto, do you have any ideas where would I get my hands on seven or eight hundred surface-to-air missiles and two planes?”
    Callie closed her eyes and swore softly when Alberto regarded her quizzically.
    “This information I have already given to the fair Gina. È questo non è così? ”
    Jammer looked at her as she smiled and nodded at the Italian. “Yes, you have, but I haven’t had a chance to discuss it with Jammer.”
    “Ah, well, I must depart. Your shipment will go out this afternoon to the place you have specified.” He kissed Gina’s hand and exited the room with his two bodyguards.
    As the door closed, Jammer turned to her. “You knowwhere to get the rest of the weapons? Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “I was checking all my contacts.”
    “Why do that when we have a solid lead on those weapons? It’s all I need to complete the shipment.”
    Just then Jammer’s cell rang. He answered curtly. “Fuentes,” he mouthed to Callie. He listened to the voice on the other end and rubbed at his temple as Fuentes’s yelling rose another octave. Switching to Spanish, he said, “I am meeting my obligation and I will have everything you requested within the allotted time, which I have to point out isn’t up yet.” Jammer was silent again. “I don’t care what rumors you’ve heard. I fulfill my promises and expect that everything will be to your specifications.”
    Fuentes’s voice