Lena took another sip of cold water. The sliced lemon floating amid the ice cubes infused a pleasant flavor to the cool liquid. The moment she and Gage had ordered their meal, he had hurriedly excused himself from the table to make a phone call. Gage didn’t have to tell her what she already suspected. Somehow he knew who was driving the sedan.

The few minutes alone gave Lena the opportunity to gather her thoughts. The incident in the car had left her nerves rattled. She knew that an adrenaline rush following an accident or confrontational event could leave one unsettled. Her momentary discomfort did not cloud her judgment about the matter. When Gage returned to the table, she was going to demand an explanation. At the very least, they needed to return to the issue of the two men she overhead at NST Technology. She was certain there was a connection between that exchange and the incident a few minutes ago.

"You look lost in thought," a deep voice said. Gage walked passed Lena to take a seat next to her. "I’m sorry I took so long. I had to make a few calls."

Lena gave him a tremulous smile. "I understand." She circled her fingers around her water glass.

Gage leaned forward and lowered his voice to a confidential tone. "Are you okay? You seem a bit upset."

"I believe I’m feeling the effects of adrenaline," Lena said softly. "It isn’t every day that I’m followed by a car."

His brown eyes took the shade of finely polished onyx. "I’m sorry you were caught in the middle of that scene." He snapped the folded napkin open and laid it across his lap. "I’ve got someone working on the problem."

Lena glanced about the room before scooting her chair closer to Gage. Her voice was an urgent whisper. "We’ve got to talk about what happened. I think you could be in terrible danger."

He searched her face. "What happened in the car doesn’t concern you."

"It certainly does concern me," she said firmly. "Whoever was following us saw me with you. That makes me a part of this situation."

An underlying tension surged between them for several heartbeats. She knew he was going to be difficult. The rigid angle of his jaw and the narrowing of his eyes were becoming all too familiar.

The facade was no different than the one Brian used to present. She thought it was a chivalrous gesture in the beginning of their relationship. Brian was protecting her from getting hurt, she thought. It didn’t take long to discover she didn’t care for the idea. It started when he didn’t talk about work as often. If he was having financial difficulty, he told her, ‘don’t worry about it, I can handle it.’ His last trip to Arizona, he never bothered to tell her what he was doing. The day he had returned from Phoenix was the day she discovered he had betrayed her.

"You’re not keeping me in the dark, McCotter," she argued. "I know something is going on here. I overheard a man threaten to take you out."

Gage raised his eyebrow at that remark. "As I recall, you did say something about overhearing two men…"

"Don’t pretend indifference," she said. "I’ve seen the performance before, and I’m not buying it. I know you’re in trouble, and I think I can help you."

The mask Gage had donned shifted, revealing a tinge of roiling emotion. "You have no idea what I’m up against." His tone was ominous. "I have no intention of putting you in the midst of this game."

Foreign Affair - 12 >>>