Shadow in the Mountain by KaLyn Cooper

Chapter 4

Until Xena saw Rykerwhite-knuckling the oh-shit bar in front of the passenger seat, she’d paid little attention to the way she drove around the modern city of Addis Abaya. She drove like the native she was. Streets were four lanes wide but not defined by lines, so cars drifted to wherever they needed to be. Scooters zipped between moving vehicles and people often quick-stepped through fast-moving traffic.

This was Ethiopia. This was Africa. This was her world.

“Fuck, woman. Are you trying to get us killed?” Ryker said when cars on both sides of them tried to enter what she was declaring her lane.

“Laws of gross tonnage apply,” she quipped as she hit the gas and slid past both cars and around a truck, barely missing people who walked on the street rather than the sidewalk. But, she missed them. “This Rover is reinforced with steel. It’s bulletproof. Chill.”

“Where are we going?” He asked through clenched teeth.

Xena tossed him the file. Maybe if he was reading about the mission, he would ease up a little. “Eden. We need to gear up and I want to check in with my team.”

“I don’t remember seeing any city named Eden.” Ryker expanded the topographical map of Ethiopia.

She snickered. “It’s not a city. It’s my parents’ compound,” she explained as she made a left turn from the right lane to the blaring horns from the drivers in between.

Her phone rang through the sound system in the armored SUV. Glancing at the dash screen she groaned. “Hello, mother.”

“Hi, sweetie. I’m just calling to remind you that cocktails are at six and supper is served at seven. The vice president’s son has already arrived.”

Xena groaned. Again. “Mom, you know I hate those frat boys. Why is he back here so soon? Wasn’t he here a couple months ago?”

Completely ignoring her questions, her mother retorted, “Good thing there will be at least one hundred other people there for you to charm.” Her mother’s diplomacy was in full swing. “You know how I hate to go to these parties alone and your father is stuck in the Tigray region.”

“What’s he doing up there?” He hadn’t mentioned to her that he was going near the border with Eritrea.

Her mother huffed. “You would know much better than I.”

Xena giggled. “He and Stryker are probably killing a bottle of scotch telling each other lies about the good old days.”

“No doubt.”

“Can’t one of the boys go with you?” Xena hoped she could get out of this party. She hated state dinners, especially when they centered around Crawford “Ford” Sutton. His new BFF, Wesley Schultz, would be glued to his side. She mentally giggled. Yeah, his back-side, with his brown nose up the ass of the U.S. vice president’s son. She thought both of those young men were slimy.

“Sorry, sweetie.” Her mom didn’t sound sorry at all. “Larkin is over in Saudi Arabia working with their Air Force and Drake is in Djibouti meeting up with some old Army friends. I know you’re in town. Please don’t let me down this time.”

And there it is…the guilt trip.

Once. Only once had she committed to a party with her mother and didn’t make it. She’d had a good excuse. Well, not really. Falling asleep in a man’s arms after great sex would never be considered an adequate reason in her mother’s mind.

Xena looked down at the durable watch Drake had given her when she passed his version of special operations training. She could do this. She had just enough time to get to her mother’s house, become presentable, and be at the embassy in time for cocktails. She and Ryker could leave right after the dinner and make it to Eden before midnight.

“All right, mother, I’ll be there.”

“Hang on,” was all the warnings she gave Ryker before making a U-turn. “I’ll see you at five forty-five.” She was about to hang up when her mother spoke again.

“You’d better show up with a date if you don’t want to dance the night away with the frat boys.” Her mother was right.

Xena looked over at Ryker and gave him two rows of straight white teeth. “No worries, Mom. I have a date.” She then hung up on her mother.

“Change in plans.” She said to Ryker and his eyes narrowed. “We’ll head to Eden after the dinner. I need to be there.” She considered for a moment while she slithered through traffic heading to the northern end of the city. “Have you ever been to a state dinner before?”

Ryker raised one eyebrow. “I’m a Navy SEAL. Etiquette classes were not part of my training…but I know the napkin goes in my lap, not at my collar.”

Xena accepted his jibe and volleyed back, “Well, that’s a start.”

At one of the rare stoplights, she called the butler for her mother’s in-town house.

“Good afternoon. Philip House, home of Lynette Riggs, Director of the Office of East African Affairs for the United States of America. How may I help you?”

Xena loved his deep voice and the way his local accent colored English words. “Negasi, it’s just me.”

Before she could say another word, he interjected, “Let me guess—you’re running late for your mother’s party tonight. Shall I start a shower for you? Steam a dress? Plug in your curling iron?”

“Yes, to all the above.” Since the light was still red, she took the opportunity to assess Ryker. Damn, the man was built. She placed him at six-foot-one, hovering around two hundred pounds of solid muscle. His hair was trimmed close to military requirements, but the two-day-old scruff proved he wasn’t committed to that regimentation. At the moment, his brown eyes were throwing daggers at her. “My companion is going to need a tuxedo.” She gave him rough measurements. “Can you make that happen?”

“Certainly,” Nagasi replied with confidence. “What’s your ETA?”

“Five minutes.” She hung up without saying another word to the servant.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back on schedule by midnight.” Although she may have sounded a little flippant, her statement was accurate.