CHAPTER FOUR
Olivia shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard and glared at her employer. She’d had to wait twenty minutes to see him—more than enough time to stew about the man in the elevator, and the unsettling effect he’d had on her. Now, the disappointment she felt about this latest assignment added to her frustration, and her temper rose.
“You can’t be serious, Jack. This is the exciting new undercover assignment you have for me?” She waved the information sheet at him. “Wonderful! I couldn’t have chosen something less thrilling if I’d tried,” she scoffed. “You’re sending me on another babysitting job. Vermont! In the winter? Great, just great. The Rockies were beautiful, but I’ve had enough of snow-covered mountains to last me a while. I doubt New England will change my opinion.”
She trembled in her fury. Fisting her hands at her side, she crushed the offending paper in her left one. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with fifteen-year-old Sheena Cooke, whoever she was. Kids were bad enough; teenagers, especially teenage girls, were worse. Jack sat there like a bump on a log, further fueling her indignation.
“I’d hoped for heat, not more snow. Charlie tells me he’s going to Florida with that pop star on a state-wide tour. He hates the sun and the sand. Why can’t we switch jobs? At the very least, there must be something I can do here in Philadelphia.”
After the fiasco in the elevator, she’d left her coat in her office, forgotten her coffee which would be ice cold by the time she got back to it, and had climbed the stairs to the tenth floor. She was still annoyed at the jerk who’d forced the unwanted exercise on her today, and now this. The seemingly bland look on her employer’s face as he watched her try to control that hair trigger temper of hers didn’t help either. Please Lord, if you decided to help me out, this would be a good time.
“Every one of my last four assignments have involved children. If I have to sit through another round of dance or art classes waiting for some jerk of a dead-beat dad to show up and attempt to grab his kid, I’ll scream. What’s this one into? Tiddlywinks? You don’t need someone with my skills for these jobs. You just need someone who can dial nine-one-one. Any of the newbies could do it.”
She paced back and forth in front of his desk warming to her argument. “With all the personal security work we have right now, why on earth do you want me to sit on another spoiled brat? There isn’t a diplomat’s wife on a shopping spree I can follow around? Why don’t you just fire me if you don’t think I can do the job? Are you waiting for me to quit? Is that what you want?” She couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice. “I thought we were friends. You’d never treat one of the men this way.”
Jack scowled and steepled his fingers in front of his face, the gesture stopping her mid-rant.
“For the record, you’re wrong. I treat all my operatives equally, and I use them to maximize their skills. They don’t select their assignments, I do. I’m the boss, remember? It’s because of your skills and the fact we’re friends that you, and only you, can do this job. If I thought Charlie could do it, I’d have sent him in a second, and saved myself who knows how many hours of stress, but you’ll be undercover as Greg’s wife…”
Olivia knew Jack was still speaking. She could see his mouth moving, but after the word “wife”, nothing else made sense. She stared at him, her mouth agape. She felt her face heat even more. By now, it must almost match the color of her hair.
Wife? He’s lost his cotton-picking mind!
“Whoa, cowboy! No! Nada! Nyet! Never going to happen! Are you insane? Going to Vermont in the middle of the winter is bad enough, but there is absolutely no way I’m going to pretend to be anybody’s wife for five seconds let alone five weeks!”
Her hands gestured wildly punctuating her words.
What the world is he thinking? Thinking? Who am I kidding? He isn’t thinking.
That was the problem, like most men, he probably hadn’t considered all of the implications. There had to be a way to convince him such a crazy scheme would never work.
“I can understand the need for an alias and a cover story in complex custody cases, but this? Her voice rose in her agitation. “There has to be an alternative—what about being a sister, a family friend, or even the housekeeper! What in the world makes you think I’d agree to pretend to be some stranger’s wife?”
Her face flamed. She could feel the heat of her indignation radiating from her. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. If he really did want her to quit, he was certainly going about it the right way.
“Have you finished?” he asked, enunciating each word.
His low, measured tone shut her up as nothing else could have. She nodded. The quieter Jack was, the angrier he was, and judging from his voice right now, he was furious. That composed rage was far more lethal than hers, and she knew it.
“If you’d harness that Scottish temper of yours and listen instead of jumping to conclusions, you’d understand this particular masquerade is an essential part of this plan. We’ve discussed the alternatives you mentioned, and they won’t do. It isn’t as if you haven’t gone undercover before. It’s part and parcel of the job at times, and you know it.”
Olivia struggled to find the patience she kept in short supply.
“Of course I’ve gone undercover. I’ve been a nanny, a substitute teacher, a swim coach, a camp counselor—all because you insist on giving me children to watch, but I’ve never had to pretend to be someone’s wife. I’m not a touchy-feely kind of person. There’s no way I could pretend to love this stranger enough to convince anyone we’re married.”
The thought of having to participate in any level of intimacy with a man terrified her. She hadn’t dated since the accident. Erik had ruined her for any other relationship. How could she pretend to be someone’s wife? Husbands and wives touched, kissed, smiled at one another—they had conversations—and all of it in public.
“You’ll have to, and you’d better be convincing about it. I’m not suggesting you go to bed with him, Red. This marriage will be in name only, and Greg is well aware of that, but the only way this will work is if everyone, including the young lady you’ll be guarding, believes he’s your new husband. It’s the only way to protect them both and allow Sheena to participate in the training.”
Jack reached into the open file folder on the desk in front of him. His voice betrayed his annoyance, and she tried to calm her temper. She’d already shot herself in the foot once today, why make things worse? This had disaster written all over it.
Olivia stood in front of Jack’s desk, her hands on her hips. “That’s ridiculous. You’ve got to be kidding. How can a father get married and his child know nothing about it?”
“Because she barely knows him.” Jack stared at the notes in the open folder on his desk, and Olivia realized he wouldn’t be swayed. She forced down the wave of nausea threatening to overwhelm her and sat facing him.
“This is a critical assignment, Olivia, the most important one we have at the moment, and one that needs your unique talents.”
She’d been scrambling to think of another argument when his words penetrated her thick skull, accompanied by a shudder of discomfort. Her jaw snapped shut, and she stared at the man behind the desk as if he’d suddenly grown a second head.
“To what unique talent are you referring? The fact that of the six female operatives you have, I’m the only spinster on staff?” She hated the term, but ‘old maid’ wasn’t much better, and she refused to consider the term ‘bachelorette’. Thanks to television, it wasn’t a title she’d willingly accept.
Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head, his exasperation evident. Well, his suggestion was insulting.
“No, nor your patience and social skills, that’s for sure. If you weren’t my wife’s best friend, I’d have fired you a dozen times for insubordination by now. Can you just be quiet, and let me explain before you go off half-cocked again?” He took a deep breath.
She nodde
d reluctantly.
“I’m not doing this lightly, but Veronica can be very persuasive, and she’s convinced you’re the only one for this job. This whole scenario is her idea—well, hers and Vicki’s. If you want to lay blame somewhere, lay it at their door. Personally, with your temper, I think this has ‘bad idea’ written all over it. Unfortunately, she’s right about one thing. You’re the only female bodyguard on staff who can ski well enough to pull this off.”
Olivia paled. Veronica’s idea? Her best friend had put her in this position? Betrayed her this way? Vermont, skiing, why hadn’t she thought of that combination? Pretending to be married was nothing compared to having to strap on skis again. God, where are You? You know I can’t do this. How much worse could this assignment get? Quitting was sounding better and better by the minute.
Jack fiddled with the papers on his desk.
“It’s not that I don’t think you can do the job, Red, it’s just that there are so many variables this time. I hate not being able to control every aspect of an operation, and you know it. You’ll be leaving for Vermont in about ten days and staying in a house Tim has rented just outside Ludlow.”
“Tim? Your brother-in-law? What does he have to do with this?” The faint twinges of a migraine hovered at her temples.
“Will you please keep quiet, and let me explain?” Chastised by the frustration in his voice, she nodded. What harm could there be in listening to the man before she told him to take his assignment and shove it where the sun didn’t shine?
“Tim’s handling the logistics. He’s arranged the disguise for our client and seen to new identities and paperwork. The house comes with a housekeeper and caretaker, Dorothy and Thomas Bryant. They have an apartment at the back of the house, so we’re not talking a dinky, little place here, but they can’t know you’re not a couple either.”
“Will I be wearing a disguise, too?”
“No. Who you are is pivotal to all this.”
Olivia pursed her lips and frowned. What’s going on here? Pretending to be married to a man who’s pretending to be someone else and getting up on skis again? Veronica, what were you thinking?
The headache threatened to increase in strength. Olivia took deep breaths to try and calm herself. The agitation would only increase the possibility of a full-blown migraine, the last thing she needed today. She focused on Jack’s words.
“Ski trials don’t start until after January twenty-first. The National Junior Alpine Ski Association has taken over Blue Diamonds the ski resort just outside of Ludlow.”
National Alpine trials?
Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart rate accelerated. She felt ice replace the blood in her veins. Skiing was bad enough, but in a professional setting? People would recognize her. Jack continued to speak, his voice sounding far away overshadowed by the fierce pounding in her head.
“Sheena hasn’t skied since her accident six months ago. She’ll need to get back into things slowly. That’s why I’ve arranged for you to stay at our chalet for a few days first. It’ll give you a chance to get warmed up away from the competition. I know you haven’t skied competitively in a long time, but we need you for this.”
Her heart leapt into her throat, and she gasped. Skied competitively? She hadn’t skied at all. With every ounce of professionalism she could muster, she forced the panic down. Mechanically, she reached for her purse and took out the migraine medication she kept there. She slipped the tablet under her tongue, closed her eyes, and prayed this was all a bad dream. Jack’s concerned voice forced her to accept it wasn’t.
“Headache?” His tone was sympathetic. “I guess this isn’t helping.”
“You think?” Sarcasm oozed from her. “Who is this guy? Why would you let your wife and sister-in-law tell you how to do your job? You never have before. What makes him so special?”
She felt her heart pounding as fear and panic warred within her. The urge to run out of the office gripped her. She struggled to hold onto her equilibrium.
“He’s family, and you’re his only hope. Believe me, I tried to talk Veronica and Vicki out of this, but those two can be incredibly stubborn when they put their minds to it. Sheena has had a rough go of it these last few months. She needs this, and my wife’s convinced you’re the one who can give it to her. Once the ski trials starts, you’ll be the only protection that girl has. When push comes to shove, her life will be in your hands.”
Olivia shook her head, sending waves of pain crashing through her brain. She tamped down her dread, but the frustration she felt was just below the surface. The girl’s only protection? She stopped short. How was this girl in danger? Who threatened her and why? Nothing Jack had said so far pointed to a life and death situation.
The medication hadn’t kicked in yet, and her head felt ready to explode. At least the sun wasn’t shining. The light would have been knife shards in her brain. She paced back and forth in front of Jack’s desk, a bit more in control of herself. This was her way out.
“You’re being melodramatic, and it isn’t like you. So far, you’ve told me this is dangerous, but the only danger I can see is a ski accident by someone out of condition. I may be in a different location, but it looks to me like I’m babysitting again. If Greg’s this girl’s father, who am I protecting her from? Is there some crazed ex-wife out there gunning for him? Is that why he’s in disguise?”
“Her mother’s dead. She was killed in a car bombing six months ago, when Sheena was injured. Now, it appears whoever murdered her is coming after the girl.”
Olivia blanched, stopped moving, and stared at Jack looking for the truth in his eyes. She felt like a fool. There’d be no walking away from this job—God knew it, and so did she. There was no way another person would die if she could help it. She reddened, not in anger, but in embarrassment.
“Let me take my size eight shoes out of my mouth while you tell me the rest.”
When would she learn to control her tongue? She should have known there had to be something seriously wrong for her best friend to put her in this position. Veronica knew why she didn’t ski anymore—well, most of the reason.
“I probably should have mentioned that first,” Jack said. “This case has me tied up in knots in more ways than one.”
“Well, my temper hasn’t helped either. I’m sorry. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
It was the best she could do by way of an apology. The thought of having to ski again and suffer through national trials made the acidic butterflies who occasionally inhabited her stomach take flight. She sighed, not at all convinced she’d be able to do what Veronica expected of her. Physically, there was no reason why she couldn’t, but…
“So tell me the rest of this, and explain why I have to pretend to be this Greg’s little missus.”