Hard Risk by Sidney Bristol
Chapter Six
Daar stared out the window as the car moved through the city. With any luck, Cassim was well and truly in bed. So long as that was the case, it didn’t matter what Saaina or Robin saw or heard.
Daar had created a spoiled monster in his brother when all he’d tried to do was ensure Cassim was taken care of. That was their parent’s dying wish that Daar would look after Cassim. It had been quite the burden for many years. Perhaps Daar had done his job too well? It was hard to say. He’d managed to shield Cassim from the work Daar had been backed into doing. Even now Cassim had very little idea what it was Daar did.
He preferred it that way.
Damn Charlotte.
She and Daar had never seen eye to eye. She was too intelligent for the likes of Cassim and there was no brushing off her inquiries about what he was doing or where he went. A woman like that saw too much and said dangerous things.
It might have all worked out in the end if it weren’t for that damned laptop.
Even to this day, Daar didn’t know for sure what was on it, only that Cassim held it over his head. He had it, but where?
Asking Robin about the device might have been a risk. She, like her mother, was a woman of intelligence. He appreciated that she was keeping an eye on things, and at the same time, he wished she weren’t so perceptive. From the way she’d reacted he didn’t think she’d known about the laptop until today. Which meant Cassim wasn’t keeping it anywhere obvious or in the safety deposit boxes. Robin had already inventoried those. Daar had seen the pictures. No laptop.
Where was it?
Why couldn’t Robin have been born a boy?
It would be easier if she were male. Cassim was a fool. His daughter was not. There were so many things they could accomplish if they worked together, but Cassim would never approve. And without his approval, Daar could do nothing. Besides, the men whom Daar did business with would never acknowledge a woman.
Daar’s mind had changed over the years.
He’d learned the hard way that women were just as capable as men. Some more so.
He pressed a hand to his left side, just over the last rib. The scar was testament to just how dangerous a woman could be.
For ten years Daar hadn’t seen the need to press the issue of the laptop. But with Skilton gone and the chancellor making changes, it could very well be every man for himself in the near future. And Daar worried about it. He would prefer to remain loyal to the chancellor and all that they’d built, but the facts were that not everyone felt the same.
If their arrangement crumbled, Daar would be on his own again. If Cassim decided to come after him then, he wasn’t so certain he could deal with the situation. Which meant there was coming a day when Daar might have to deal with Cassim.
What then?
Was there any chance at all that Daar could lead Robin onto the path of his choosing? She would have to remain a shadow partner, unless…
If she married the right man things could be different. Daar wasn’t opposed to dealing with Cassim himself. Yes, they were family, but that bond only went so far once one party began throwing threats around. Cassim had thrown the first stone. If Daar had to end it, that was on Cassim’s head.
Harper Gonzalez.
What would become of him and Robin?
The report on him had come through that morning. It was an interesting read, if brief. There wasn’t much to tell that they didn’t already know, which was disappointing, save for a few facts. He wasn’t entirely squeaky clean.
The car pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. Daar thanked the driver and got out. Inside, he gave his name to the host and was shown to a private dining room in the back.
Daar glanced at the bare table while removing his suit jacket. He laid it over the back of a chair then rolled up his sleeves. That done, he stepped out into the hall, peering both ways to ensure he was alone before slipping out the emergency exit and into an alley between buildings.
The damp, chilly air was not to his liking. He hurried down the alley, counting the doors as he went until he reached five. He tried the doorknob. It gave way under his grip and he stepped into a dimly lit back room. The walls were lined with metal shelves and back stock items he paid no mind.
It was the two men sitting at a folding table he cared about.
“Well?” Daar said by way of a greeting.
“Evening, boss,” the man wearing the leather jacket said with a nod. Peter was American by birth. He’d come recommended to Daar years ago, and with each passing job proved his value.
Amaan tapped away at a keyboard, never glancing up. He wasn’t much for conversation, but that was because he never stopped working.
“What did you find? Anything?” Daar asked.
“Skilton’s in the wind,” Peter said. “I managed to track down one of the guys he hired before he vanished. Didn’t have much to tell me. Nothing, really. The guy was an idiot so anyone with sense wouldn’t have confided in him.”
Damn.
Daar wasn’t surprised.
If the rumors were true and the Americans had Skilton, they’d best make him vanish. But if Skilton had given them all the slip? That was a far more dangerous option.
“Amaan?” Daar prompted.
“Just chatter.”
“Alright, and the other issue?” He looked between the two men.
Amaan shrugged. “He doesn’t have a large social media presence, but you can’t read into that. Former military often avoid it.”
“No one I’ve worked with knows him. One guy knew some guys who did. I talked to them, for what it’s worth. They all said the same thing. Solid guy to work with. Doesn’t talk much. But I don’t exactly trust these guys. Something was off to me.”
Daar couldn’t put a lot of stock in Peter’s assessment of people. Facts were, they were dealing with people labeled criminal. They were all hiding something. For now, it was enough that Harper was known to other people. He wasn’t just a persona slapped onto a man.
If Skilton were caught, that was something he might advise law enforcement to do. There was no doubt that Robin was the weak link in his life. The fact that he had a soft spot for her made it worse.
It was awfully coincidental that she’d met someone new now. But that was at times how the universe worked. He couldn’t go jumping at shadows. Not now.
He had some good news to chase the bad at least. So why didn’t Daar have a good feeling about this? On the surface, Harper was everything he might want in a partner for Robin, yet there was something about him. Something Daar didn’t quite trust while liking the guy. Why?
Friday. Harper’s Safe House, New Orleans, LA.
Harper dropped onto the sofa, letting his weary limbs relax. He’d hit the gym hard this morning in an attempt to occupy his mind. His hair was still wet from his shower, but he didn’t much care.
Samuel tapped away at his laptop.
Why was he here again?
Harper wasn’t entirely sure. Samuel had simply shown up at eight, and that was that.
“When’s the last you heard from her?” he asked.
Harper pulled out his phone. “Last night when I texted her sweet dreams.”
“Have you set a time to get together again?”
Harper didn’t exactly roll his eyes, but he was tired of the same questions. “My answer hasn’t changed from the last time you asked.”
“Text her,” Samuel suggested.
“What? No.” Harper pushed up and studied the other man. “Look, I know you want movement to happen, but we can’t push this too hard. Robin is not the on-the-go socialite you told me she was. She’s a family-oriented homebody. That’s not someone you just demand to see. She has to want to see me.”
Samuel sighed and closed his laptop. “Then explain to me what we’re doing?”
“Waiting.” Harper spread his hands. “Look, a party girl feeds off attention. They want that last text at night and they want to wake up to a text in the morning.”
“So what’s Robin?”
It was his turn to sigh. “A smart girl.”
“You just called her a family-oriented homebody.”
Harper waved a hand. “Yeah. But more than that, she’s smart.”
“Okay, so what are we doing?”
He lifted his shoulders. “Waiting.”
Samuel’s gaze narrowed.
How was it a good-looking guy like him had no game whatsoever? Baruti had better game with women than Samuel. It was a crying shame.
He shook his head and sighed. “You’re talking like there’s a playbook. What’s your next move then? We need a plan. We need for something to happen to justify how long we’ve been here.”
“A smart woman like Robin doesn’t want a man up in her business. She isn’t going to operate on our schedule. The key here is to let her know I’m thinking about her occasionally so I’m always on her mind while leaving her the fuck alone.”
“Okay,” Samuel said slowly.
Harper couldn’t fathom how that was lost on Samuel, of all people. Harper had a hard time believing Samuel wouldn’t prefer the same damn thing were he in a relationship himself. Then again, maybe that was an area the guy just hadn’t focused on. For some people, work was life.
“Just go with it,” Harper said.
“You’re saying to attract an intelligent woman you’re playing a cat-and-mouse game of advance and retreat?”
Harper carefully replayed that sentence in his head then nodded. It wasn’t perfect, but if those were terms Samuel understood, then he’d go with it. “Yes.”
Samuel shook his head. “That is too complicated.”
“It is, but I don’t make the rules.”
Harper had to wonder when Samuel’s last, significant relationship was. Harper had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer. Seriously, when this gig was over they needed to take Samuel out to a bar and find him a temporary girlfriend. Something. Anything.
A chime dinged in the silence.
Samuel lifted his head and met Harper’s gaze.
He merely grinned back at the other man and tapped his phone screen. “Oh…”
“What?”
“Hey, curious if you’re busy today?” Harper smiled and began typing.
“Is that what she sent? What are you saying?”
“Just that I’ve got a meeting in a few minutes. Remember, she thinks I’m here doing consulting work. She can’t know we’re literally sitting around waiting for her to talk to me. If I’m always free, she’ll get suspicious.”
“Don’t play hard to get.”
“Relax.” Harper hit send. “I told her I’ve got a meeting, but my afternoon plans just got scrapped.”
“Okay… You want to take her out somewhere?” Samuel immediately reached for a binder sitting on the table next to him. They’d scouted a number of locations since arriving, places where Samuel could set up to record or take pictures easily.
“Hold your horses.” Harper’s phone chimed again. “Interested in hanging out at my place? Everyone’s off shopping and this dreary weather makes me want to stay in.”
“Hot damn,” Samuel muttered.
Harper pumped his fist. “Score!”
Samuel leaned an elbow on the table. “You know what this means?”
Harper sighed and sat up. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
Shit.
They were not thinking the same thing.
On one hand, spending time with Robin was no hardship. On the other, Harper knew exactly where Samuel’s head was. Whereas Harper’s mind went to picking up where they’d left off, Samuel was thinking about the job. Access to the family home was a great opportunity to plant listening devices.
“Do you know if they have staff?” he asked.
“No idea.”
“It would be great if you could leave a door unlocked for me, but I don’t think we’re ready to take that kind of a risk,” Samuel muttered as he began unloading a duffle bag of surveillance gear.
Great.
Harper was going to have to juggle carrying on with Robin while bugging her house. This sort of stuff had sounded easy sitting in Zora’s office. Actually doing it was another matter. Add to it he hadn’t factored in his conscience. He’d assumed that Daar’s family would be like him. Guilty. But Robin couldn’t be more different.
What other choice did Harper have?
If their intel was right, Daar was one of the people issuing orders to Skilton. And they all knew nothing good came from that. There would be time to feel like shit later, after the job was done.
Harper pushed to his feet and headed for the bedroom, ignoring Samuel for the time being. Harper ran a comb through his hair before focusing on his clothes. Hanging out at her place was a casual invite, but he would in theory be coming from work.
He pulled a pair of nice jeans and a button down out of his closet. If he threw a sport coat over it, he’d look the part.
It would have to do.
He set about getting dressed. Robin texted him twice more inquiring about his beverage of choice. Simple, thoughtful stuff.
Did she have any idea she was playing into their hands?
Yeah, he was a terrible person, but this was necessary.
He closed his eyes and drew in a breath.
Like it or not, they were engaged in a covert battle. People had died and would continue to die if something wasn’t done. He might not like the means they were forced to use, but if it prevented loss of life, he’d live with himself. Robin wouldn’t forgive him when the truth came out. The best thing he could do for her was to prove she was innocent in all of this. He couldn’t let his feelings get in the way. He was a cold, ruthless bastard.
Samuel spent the next hour doing a rundown of all the equipment at their disposal, especially the listening devices. There were a surprising number of them, in all shapes and sizes. He’d even thought about how to transport nearly a dozen of them in the lining of a hard sunglasses case. Given the dreary day, Harper didn’t have need of the borrowed designer shades, but he doubted they would draw any interest from anyone who saw the case. If someone spent five hundred bucks on sunglasses, it stood to reason they’d go in a damn case.
Harper headed out first, leaving Samuel to follow in the surveillance van a little ways behind him.
Sitting behind the wheel, the mission felt real. Up until now everything had seemed more like some weird game of tag. Planting the listening devices changed things.
This time he parked behind the house, per Robin’s directions. He was a little concerned to see the gate just standing open, but decided it might have been intentional on his account. Then again, Robin had snuck back inside without incident.
Damn.
He shouldn’t care. Whatever made his job easy.
Even the back of the house was beautiful. The lawn was well maintained even in winter. The patio area was partially covered and some of the furniture was wrapped up to protect it from the weather.
It must be a riot of color and flowers in the spring.
He got out of his car and ambled toward the patio.
The French doors opened and Robin stepped out. She waved at him while holding a mug in her other hand. She wore relaxed clothing, leggings, a loose shirt and a knit cardigan that fell to her thighs. Her hair was up and she smiled at him.
That smile filled him with eagerness only for the weight of his guilt to slam into him.
He grit his teeth and promised himself this was the last time he’d entertain the guilt. This job was necessary.
It would have been easier if she were the socialite Samuel had painted her out to be. It was infinitely more difficult to willingly deceive her like this.
“Hey,” she called out.
He stepped up onto the patio. “Hey yourself.”
She leaned against the other door. “Have you had lunch yet?”
He stopped short of walking into her. Yeah, he was a bastard.
Harper looked down into her eyes, marveling at the lighter shades of brown and gold melding together. He lifted a hand and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “I had a little something.”
Her hint of a smile widened, and she turned from him. Hiding?
“Well, come inside,” she said over her shoulder.
He stepped in, immediately giving the place a visual once over. The French doors let into a more comfortable sitting room. There was no TV, but the furniture here was used often. It wasn’t a showroom. He could easily imagine Robin curling up here with a book or her phone.
Robin’s nose scrunched up, and she squinted at him. “This might be an odd ask, but would mind taking your shoes off?”
“Not a problem.”
“I’m sorry. Normally Dad doesn’t care, but whenever my uncle is here, he changes the rules on all of us.”
Harper winked at her. “Your house, your rules.”
“Thanks, I’m really sorry.”
“Hey.” He reached out and grabbed her free hand. “No apologies, okay? I wound up serving as a translator half the time I was in the SEALs. I get it. I’m used to it.”
“Are you allowed to talk about that?” she asked.
He toed off one shoe then the other. “What? My time in the SEALs? Sure.”
“Did you learn Arabic as part of your training?”
“Oh, no. My parents immigrated and wound up living close to China Town in Chicago. All of their neighbors spoke Mandarin, so they learned enough to get by. Mom wound up getting a job at an auto shop working the front desk. She figured out real quick being able to speak Mandarin, Spanish and English made her valuable. So when they had me, Mom decided the best thing she could do was teach me all the languages possible.”
“How did you go from Mandarin, Spanish and English to Arabic?”
“September eleventh. I was in eighth grade. There was a mosque not far from where we lived. Dad actually pointed out that it was a moment the whole world was pivoting on. I guess I got wrapped up in it, too.”
“So you went to the mosque for classes or something?”
“Community college. The imam’s son was a professor. So I took those classes during the summer in high school. Hated it at the time, but I’m grateful.”
“How many languages do you speak then?”
“Spanish, English and Arabic. I’m dangerous in a few others, but not fluent. I can get by in Mandarin, but my parents had moved out of Chicago by then to Philadelphia and I didn’t need it. Mom works as a translator though.”
“That is so neat. I can’t really speak Arabic. I mean I can if I have to, but I have to think about what to say so much it’s just not… I get embarrassed, I guess?”
“We could practice if you want? I don’t get to use it nearly as often as I used to.”
Her lips twisted up. He couldn’t tell if that was a grimace or a thinking face. “Not today. I’m mentally worn out today. Want me to give you the tour?”
“Sure. Mind if I use your bathroom first?”
“Yeah.” She whirled toward a canvas bag. “Oh. And I have slippers for you. The floor is so cold.”
Robin set a pair of gray men’s slippers on the floor for him.
Harper slid his feet into the shoes then ducked into the bathroom.
Having the listening devices hidden in the glasses case was great and all, but he couldn’t take it out in every room. That would be suspicious. He quickly peeled the lining back and pulled out five of the bugs. Those he put in his pant pocket. No doubt Samuel would want more around the house, but Harper didn’t want to take that much of a risk.
He flushed the toilet, washed his hands and emerged to a quiet house.
This opportunity couldn’t pass him by.
He padded quietly into the sitting room at the back of the house where he’d entered, but there was no sign of Robin.
Where to plant the device?
Somewhere it would be able to pick up the whole room.
The central point was a side table with a few knickknacks. He pulled one of the bugs out of his pocket and rubbed his thumb along the backing to peel the plastic off. That done, he glanced over his shoulder before picking up a ceramic birdcage. The little door came open, and he slid the bug inside the cage but behind the frozen bird.
Perfect.
The microphone should pick up the entire room. Samuel would be pleased.
The soft thump of a foot sent alarm bells ringing in his head.
He gently replaced the tchotchke then stepped away.
Robin stepped into view carrying a second mug. “I hope it’s not too early to drink.”
Harper grinned at her. “And just what do we have here?”
“Your creation with a little twist.” She handed over a mug. A round of lemon and something that looked like anise floated on top.
“That smells amazing.”
“Right? It’s super-hot, so you probably don’t want to try it just yet. House tour?”
“Please lead the way.”
“Let’s start at the front,” she suggested.
Harper reached out and took her hand. He would need to deceive her. He would need to use her. But for now he could focus on her, and with luck maybe she wouldn’t know what he’d done. She glanced down at his hand twining with hers, brows lifted a bit. Her features quickly relaxed into a shy smile.
The front two rooms were entirely for show. He didn’t even think the doors were opened that often. There was no dog hair, everything gleamed. These were rooms people didn’t hang out in. These were rooms opened for parties or to take pictures in only.
“I just ask that you don’t judge me too hard on this one. It’s the home office. I keep saying we should make one of the front rooms into a communal workspace, but Dad refuses. So we just work on top of each other in here.”
A tingle shot down his spine. “Oh yeah?”
He let Robin pull away from him, freeing a hand.
The room wasn’t what he’d call a mess. It looked lived in.
There was a large desk with floor to ceiling bookshelves flanking it. A laptop was half-buried under files. A TV was mounted over the fireplace in place of art. Another, smaller desk occupied the far corner between the window and another bookshelf, this one with a desktop computer. There were a pair of worn, scratched leather chairs and even a glass someone had left sitting on a coaster.
“Oh my goodness, Dad,” Robin muttered. She grabbed the glass. “Let me put this away before Saaina sees it. Be right back.”
This was a perfect opportunity.
Robin turned her back and hurried out of the room.
Harper crossed to the main desk and set the mug down. He quickly scanned the items he had to work with before zeroing in on a picture frame. He picked it up only to find Robin and a woman he didn’t recognize looking back at him.
Her mother?
He glanced over his shoulder then pulled out another bug. This one he affixed to the back of the frame where the support would hide it from view while giving it a wide range to pick up audio.
Robin returned too soon for him to plant another device. He didn’t ask about the photograph. Drawing attention to it wouldn’t work in his favor, so he let it be. They toured the rest of the downstairs. He got a bug in both the kitchen and dining rooms, as well as one in the hall where they paused to admire other pictures.
He didn’t see more of the mysterious woman.
“Are we touring the second floor?” he asked once they paused at the stairs.
Harper pulled her arm around behind him, forcing her to step closer to him. She bit her lip and stared at the graceful stairs leading up.
He still hadn’t seen anything like a comfy living room, somewhere they curled up to watch TV or movies. There also wasn’t a hint of Robin in any of these rooms apart from a few photographs. Mostly from when she was younger.
She ducked her head, not meeting his gaze. “If my Dad comes back…”
Damn.
He’d tried.
He bent his head to whisper in her ear. “Say no more. How about that snack?”
“Okay.”
It had to be difficult for her to dance around her family and still maintain a life of her own. Unless she’d given up on that.
He studied the top of her head as his suspicion sank in.
Yeah.
That actually made a lot of sense.
Robin had graduated with her masters at the end of summer. She’d been here, working for the family through the fall and winter. That wasn’t a lot of time to set up a social circle. Given that she’d probably only lived in this house during breaks and summers since she’d been sent to boarding school after her mother’s death, she probably didn’t have local friends. Her sorority sisters and classmates were her social world. And she’d left them behind.
And here she’d made room for him, of all people.
Harper set his empty mug on the counter.
He was going to have to live with this on his conscience. End of story. It was time to stop being himself and play the damn part, no matter how crummy he felt about it.
“Let’s see…” Robin stepped past him toward the refrigerator.
He grabbed her hand and reeled her back to him then wrapped his arms around her. “I think I’m hungry for something else.”
“O-oh?”
That little catch in her breath and the way her body relaxed against his were too much. It was what he wanted, and yet…
Fucking hell.
A door banged open and two little dogs let out a barrage of barks.
Saved by the terrors.