me? Better not embroider the story too much, Sarah. It’s difficult enough to believe already. I’m just an ordinary man—”
“Bull.”
He let go of the sofa and crossed his arms. “What happened to the ‘Yes, sir. No, sir’?”
“You are not an ordinary man, Dr. Lemay. You’re bright enough to realize the impact that your research into fusion energy could have on the balance of power in the world and even on the course of history, so don’t insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise.” She put down her brush and rotated her shoulder. “People and nations who rely on oil as the source of their income would not be pleased to have their way of life made obsolete. Neither would the big auto companies. Or the unions. Not to mention the various utility companies. I don’t think the issue is who at this conference wants to stop you. It’s who doesn’t.”
He realized her shoulder was probably bothering her again. He already knew she wouldn’t accept his sympathy or any offer of help. Still, he wanted to demand she be more careful, he wanted to shout at her for being reckless enough to get hurt in the first place. He wanted to walk over there and help her finish brushing her hair. “Sarah…”
“And I wouldn’t rule out your good friend Prince Jibril Ben Nour. The oil reserves of Moukim provide his wealth and his political power. How can you trust him when you don’t trust me?”
“What makes you think I trust him?”
That made her pause. Her cheek moved, as if she were chewing it. “You appeared to be friends.”
“We have a connection, but it’s not as simple as friendship.”
“I wasn’t aware of that.”
“Wasn’t it in my file?”
Her gaze flicked over him. “I’ve been discovering there are many things that weren’t in your file.”
There was an intriguing undertone to her words. He crossed the room to stand at the foot of her cot. “Such as?”
She took a deep breath before she would meet his gaze. “Nothing that has any bearing on my duty. What is your connection to Jibril?”
“We met fourteen years ago. I was doing my doctorate at Stanford and he was representing his family in negotiations for a grant to the university.”
“Then your connection is financial.”
Hawk considered leaving it there, but for the sake of Sarah’s safety, he couldn’t. Unless she knew the truth, she might do something insane like taking on Jibril’s commandos again. “That’s how it began,” he said. “We were friends once. Until we both fancied ourselves to be in love with the same woman.”
Her lips parted but she made no sound. The look of shock on her face should have been comical, but it didn’t make Hawk feel like laughing. Didn’t she believe it was possible for him to have once been in love?
Then again, he wasn’t so sure of it himself. He unfastened his cuff links and turned away. “It was a long time ago,” he said.
The cot creaked. Sarah stood up and moved in front of him. “Fourteen years isn’t that long. What happened?”
“Do you mean who won?”
She nodded. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Technically, neither of us. The lady died.”
“Oh, God,” Sarah whispered. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” She lifted her hand. For a moment it seemed as if she were going to touch him.
And once again Hawk wanted to kiss her. Not out of desire but to absorb the compassion he saw in her gaze.
He closed his fist over his cuff links, feeling the metal jab his palm. “I didn’t tell you as a ploy to gain your sympathy, Sarah. I thought it would be safer for you if you understood that my relationship with Jibril has nothing to do with my work or his oil. The last time we saw each other we met to bury a person we both cared about.”
She dropped her hand. “I appreciate your candor.”
“You would have found out eventually. You do work in intelligence.”
She cleared her throat, as if reminded of her job. “This does put a different spin on the situation.”
“I don’t believe the prince would have waited until now if he had wanted to kill me. If he was harboring some jealous grudge, he knows me well enough to have eliminated me anytime, so there isn’t any reason for you to put yourself in the kind of danger you did tonight.”
“I hope this means you realize my only concern is your safety.”
He walked to the bedroom. “I haven’t changed my mind, Sarah. I still don’t fully trust you, and I think you’re a menace to yourself and everyone around you.” He paused in the doorway to look over his shoulder. “But you’re one hell of an interesting woman and I don’t intend to get rid of you yet.”
Was there such a thing as too much knowledge? Sarah hadn’t thought it was possible. In the course of her work, she was accustomed to using any method available to collect intelligence. Even the tiniest detail, like the location of an air vent or whether a guard was right- or left-handed, could mean the difference between the success or failure of a mission.
So why did she wish that Hawk hadn’t told her he’d been in love?
“It would have been faster to walk,” Hawk said.
Sarah acknowledged his grumbling with a nod but she didn’t take her gaze off the traffic. The low angle of the morning sun glinted from the hood of the rental car, leaving spots in front of her eyes. She took one hand from the wheel to fumble on the seat beside her for her sunglasses. “Faster but more exposed. We still have plenty of time to reach the harbor, Dr. Lemay. I studied the city map before we left the hotel, and although this route isn’t direct, it isn’t predictable, either. That reduces the chance of encountering an ambush on the way to the pier where the prince’s yacht is moored.”
“Hold still.” His leather jacket creaked as he leaned toward her. He set her aviator sunglasses into place on the bridge of her nose and looped the wire arms over her ears. “Is that better?”
“Yes. Thank you, sir.”
He left his arm across the back of her seat, picking up a lock of her hair to rub it between his fingers. “I don’t plan on staying long, Sarah. This is a courtesy meeting, that’s all.”
“I understand. I appreciate the way you kept me informed. I alerted the American Embassy so they will be aware of your movements.”
“The embassy? Why?”
“It’s just a precaution, since we’re dealing with the future ruler of Moukim. Our diplomats will contact his diplomats so they will also know that our people are aware of our movements.”
“Ah.” He curled her hair around his thumb. “You’re setting up more witnesses like you did with the bystanders in the ballroom.”
“Exactly.”
“Is there any chance you would be willing to stay in the car and wait for me?”
She clicked on her signal and turned her head to check the cross traffic. The movement also freed her hair from his grasp. “No, sir. None at all.”
He drummed his fingers on the back of her seat. “I didn’t think so.”
“I’ll stay out of the way as much as possible while you meet with Prince Jibril, but I won’t guarantee anything. If I perceive a threat, I intend to act. I would rather make apologies than funeral arrangements.”
He withdrew his arm.
She felt like thudding her forehead against the steering wheel. “Sorry, sir. That was insensitive of me.”
“What?”