Meg hesitated, not sure what to tell him. The K-stani government had threatened to kick all the Americansa"ambassador, staff, and civiliansa"out of their country if Abdelaziz wasnat surrendered to them within the next twenty-four hours. The American oil companies couldnat afford to be kicked out, so theyad added their voices to the ongoing shouting match.

The general feeling of the embassy staffa"including her husband Daniela"was to placate the Kazbekistani government and secure their shaky position in this oil-rich paradise by giving up Abdelaziz.

Which would be virtually the same as putting a gun to the manas head and pulling the trigger. If they gave him up, he would be executed.

But probably tortured horribly first.

Abdelaziz read her silence correctly. aThe news is that good, is it?a aThe ambassador doesnat have much to go on,a she told him, asince youave refused to answer his questions. How can he vouch for your innocence when the government accuses you of all these terrible crimes?a aWhat happened to innocent until proven guilty?a he murmured.

aThat might be true in America, but weare not in America.a As she watched, he crossed the room and looked down at the wounded man, the leader of the SEALs, Ensign John Nilsson.

aIs he all right?a she asked quietly. There was a sheen of sweat on Nilssonas forehead and his eyes were closed. He was sleeping, but only fitfully.

aHe should be in a hospital,a Sam said tightly.

Abdelaziz nodded in agreement. aWeare going to do whatever we have to, to medevac him out of here.a aAnything short of turning yourself over to the Kazbekistani government,a she corrected him.

aYes, that probably wouldnat be a very good idea.a Sam snorted. aProbably?a Abdelaziz turned and gave Sam a long, measured look.

Meg remembered that look later that day, when she received word that the ambassador had arranged for a chopper to fly the Navy SEALs to an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. She was in the middle of translating some desperately needed document, vital for the ongoing negotiations, when she was told of their departure.

aNavy SEALs?a she asked Laney. aPlural? Are you sure? Arenat they just flying out the one SEALa"the injured man?a aNo.a Laney was smug about having received the information first. aAll three of them left. I saw them as they headed to the heliport an hour ago. Theyare already gone.a The three SEALs had left the American embassy. Had they really just walked awaya"and left Abdelaziz behind to face his fate alone?

An hour ago, Abdelaziz had been in the middle of a meeting with the U.S. ambassador and several key members of his staff. Meg knew that the meeting had been dragging on for hours, as the ambassador tried to convince Abdelaziz that they would do everything in their power to see that he received fair treatment and a fair trial upon his surrender to the Kazbekistani government.

Meg had heard that at one point, Abdelaziz had requested several K-stani officials be brought into the dialoguea"which soon turned into a shouting match that caused the meeting to end and Abdelaziz to be escorted back to her office.

Where his Navy SEAL companions were no longer waiting for him, having left K-stan without him.

Or had they . . . ?

All of a sudden it all made sense. All of a sudden, Meg knew.

She stood up, nearly knocking her chair over backward. aLaney, finish this for me.a aButa"a She was out of the room before her assistant could complain. She ran down the hall, down the stairs, toward her office.

Two guards were still posted in the hall. They didnat try to stop her, didnat even blink as she breezed past them and opened the door.

And there he was.

aAbdelaziz, my ass,a Meg said. aYouare reallya"a He moved so quickly, she didnat have time to let out more than a very undignified squeak as he grabbed her arm, pulled her inside the room, shut the door behind her, deftly covering her mouth with his hand.

Her computeras CD player was on, she realized, and he pulled her toward it, cranking the speaker volume so that Shania Twain thundered throughout the room. If the office were buggeda"and it probably wasa"whoever was listening wasnat going to hear more than that music.

Meg could hardly breathe, he was holding her so tightly, one arm wrapped around her, pinning both of her hands. When he spoke, his voice was practically inaudible, his lips brushing her ear. aDonat you dare do or say anything that will put my men in danger.a His accent was completely gone.

Shead guessed correctly. The SEALs hadnat left Abdelaziz behind. Theyad walked him out of the embassy right under the Kazbekistanisa noses, while this man had been distracting both the American diplomats and the K-stani government. Theyad carried Abdelaziz onto the waiting chopper and flown him out of the country, pretending he was Ensign John Nilsson, injured in the line of duty.

While in truth, she was standing pressed uncomfortably close to the real Ensign John Nilsson, the very solid and healthy Ensign John Nilsson, his hand clamped hard over her mouth.

aThe helo wonat be safely on board the carrier for another twenty minutes,a he breathed into her ear. aIf you give me away, the K-stani Air Guard could try to force it down.a And was his plan to stand here, with his hand over her mouth, for that entire twenty minutes?

Meg made a writing motion with the one of her hands that could still move an inch or two, and somehow he understood. He shifted her over to her desk and gave her a piece of paper and another few inches of mobility to her right hand so she could pick up a pen.

Meg wrote quickly, in clear block letters, aPromise me Iam not helping a terrorist escape to the United States.a She felt more than heard Nilsson laugh over Shaniaas rich voice. aI promise,a he breathed into her ear. aHeas not a terrorist, Meg. Heas CIA. But if you tell anyone I told you that, Iall deny it.a Meg picked up her pen again. aWhat are they going to do to you?a she wrote.

He laughed again. aWhat can they do? Iam not the man theyare after.a aWe better make sure they believe that. Let me go,a she wrote.

aIf I do, will you scream?a aAbout what?a she wrote.

Again, she felt the warm vibration of his laughter. aWell, good,a he said into her ear. aJust watch what you saya"the room is buggeda"we found the mikes.a Meg stepped away from him, turned down the music, turned to face him. aDo you have identification saying that youare . . . who you are,a she said to him. In Welsh. Because the two people in Kazbekistan who spoke that language were both here in this room. Nothing they said in Welsh would be understood by anyone listening in. And it would take the K-stani government weeksa"if not monthsa"to find a translator.

He grinned at her. aYouare brilliant,a he said, also in Welsh.

She should have known he was American yesterday, from the first moment head smiled. His was definitely an all-American smile.

aNo ID,a he added. aNot on a covert op like this. We go in completely sanitized.a aHow was it possible you pulled this off?a she asked. Head actually asked to meet with the K-stani officials this afternoon. How gutsy was that? aWerenat you afraid someone would know you werenat Abdelaziz?a aWeare about the same height and build,a he told her, aand about the same age. Same general descriptiona"brown hair and eyes. I took a gamble there were no detailed photos of old Abdel lying around, and won big time.a Meg shook her head. aStill . . .a aI used an old con,a he explained. aWe came running in here with the K-stani Army pointing at us and shouting about Abdelaziz, right? The U.S. ambassador comes to see us and everyone points to me when he asks whoas Abdelaziz. And why would we lie, right? So when the K-stani officials were invited to join our little discussion this afternoon, Iam officially introduced as Abdelaziz by the U.S. ambassador. Now both sides are convinced Iam their man.

aBelieve me, the members of the K-stani government were the ones who thought they were getting away with some kind of con. By shipping out all three of the SEALs whoad been sent to protect me while I was in that meeting . . . ?a He laughed. aTheyare probably still congratulating themselves on their deviousness.a He was amazing. But if the K-stani government believed him to be Abdelaziz . . . Forget about the fact that they were wrong. He was in danger.

For starters, they had to change his appearance. Right now, with the exception of his perfect smile, he looked like someone named Abdelaziz. For his own safety, he had to transform back into Ens. John Nilsson as quickly as possible.

aWeall give you a haircut,a she decided. aA buzz cut. Something really GI Joe. And Iall see if I can find a uniform.a His smile faded. aI donat want you to get into trouble for helping me.a aI wonat.a She moved toward the door. aDo you trust me enough to let me start looking for something a little more military for you to wear?a He held out his hands, palms up, in a gesture that might have been interpreted as surrender. But combined with his words and that warmth in his eyes, it became part of the nicest compliment shead ever received. aI trust you completely, Meg.a Meg managed to scare up a Marine uniform. That and the haircut she gave him made him look far more like an American.

The next few days were crazy. Kazbekistan nearly declared war when they found out that Abdelaziz had been spirited out of the country. And the foreign service staff at the embassy was furious, too. It took a solid week of frantic explanations and apologies to convince the K-stani government that they had been duped as well. And even then the ambassador and his staff were left looking and feeling extremely foolish.

Meanwhile John Nilsson was kept locked in Megas office, under guard.

It was entirely possible that if Meg hadnat kept bringing him food, he wouldnat have been fed. She brought him books and newspapers and often stayed to keep him company. She brought Amy to visit with him, too, mostly to remind hima"and herselfa"that she was married and much older than he was. Anything other than friendship would be completely inappropriate.

It was one evening that he was sitting beside her daughter, coloring in her Anastasia coloring book while Meg pulled more files off her computer, that he looked over Amyas head and spoke to Meg in French.

He was a languages specialist, and out of all the languages theyad found they both spoke with proficiency, French was the one for which they shared a similar high level of understanding.

aI had a meeting today with the ambassador.a Meg looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

He set down the blue crayon head used to color in Anastasiaas ballgown. aYour husband was there.a Meg glanced at Amy. Theyad lived in Paris for several years. aWas he?a she replieda"in German.

aJa.a He smiled his understanding. aI donat mean to pry,a he said in German, too, aand at first I thought I shouldnat say anything, that this is probably none of my business, but I have to tell you that I overheard something another man asked him, something about, well, his estrangement from his wife. His estrangement from you.a aYouare right,a she said, focusing her attention back on the computer screen. aThatas not your business.a aAre you sure, Meg?a he said quietly. aBecause if my being here has caused a problema"if your helping me has made him that angry with you . . . I mean, itas obvious heas still really pissed at me. He actually suggested turning me over to the Kazbekistanis in place of Abdelaziz.a Meg looked up at him then. aThey canat seriously be consideringa"a He smiled fleetingly at her concern. aNo. Itas just . . .a He sighed and started over. aYour husbandas taking this personally, and as much I enjoy your visits, if itas making things bad for you at home . . .a He shook his head. aIam never going to be able to thank you for everything youave done. The thought that Iam causing you problems is making me crazy.a aOn Christmas, I found out that Daniel had an affair.a There it was. The truth. She hadnat told anyone, hadnat even said the words aloud before now. Megas eyes filled with tears that she desperately tried to blink back. She stood up. aItas almost Amyas bedtime.a John stood up, too. aAre you and Daniel . . . separating?a aI donat know,a she admitted, still speaking in German so that Amy couldnat understand. aI kicked him out on Christmas. I give him another day or two before he comes to negotiate his return.

aAnd will I take him back?a she added, anticipating his next question. aI donat know.a Yes, she did, and yes, she probably would. For Amyas sake. aThe affair happened a while agoa"he says he hasnat even spoken to this woman in over a year and a half. But . . . itas not the first time heas cheated on me.a Why was she telling him this?

They were friends, she realized. She trusted John Nilsson as much as he trusted her.

aHe doesnat deserve you,a he said quietly.

Meg managed a smile as she gently tugged on one of her daughteras ponytails. aCome on, Ames,a she said in English. aTime to go.a Later that night, long after Amy was in bed, there was a knock on the door to her apartment.

Meg opened the door expecting Daniel.

But it was John.

He was flanked by guards and wearing the greatcoat and clothing head had on the day theyad first met.

aIam going home,a he told her.

Meg had suspected the SEAL was going to be allowed to leave soon, but . . . aTonight?a He nodded, looking past her to the small living room, taking in the fact that she was alone. aMay I come in for a minute?a She stepped back and he came inside, closing the door behind him, leaving the guards outside.

Before she could speak, before she could even think, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. aChrist, Meg, Iam going to miss you.a She resisted for all of a half a second, and then held him just as tightly. She was going to miss him, too. God, when was the last time shead had a friendship like this one? When had she ever had a friendship like this, with someone she could confide in completely, without fear of her darkest secrets becoming public knowledge?

And yes, the man was pleasant to be around for other reasons, too. He was attractive. It was hard not to think about how incredibly gorgeous John was, particularly when she was wrapped in his arms. He had a great body and a smile to die for. He was smart and funny and extremely sweet in a twenty-five-year-old kind of way.

He was the little brother shead always wanted.

Wasnat he?

It didnat help that his embrace wasnat at all brotherly. It didnat help that he ran his hands through her hair and down her back, fitting her exquisitely, perfectly, intimately against him.

And it didnat help at all when he pulled back to look at her, and she saw something in his eyes that she hadnat seen in a good long time when Daniel looked at her.

He pressed a piece of paper into her hand. aThatas my phone number,a he told her. God, his eyes were hypnotizing. aBoth home and work.a He smiled fleetingly. aOf course, Iam away a lot. But if youare ever back in the States, call me, and Iall get leave.a Meg nodded, unable to speak. Who was he kidding? She wasnat going to call him. She was married. Her husband hated his guts. They both knew damn well that unless it was by accident, they were never going to meet again. She felt her eyes fill with tears, but still she couldnat look away.

aAh, shit,a John Nilsson swore. aI promised myself I wasnat going to do this. . . .a He kissed her.

It wasnat a brotherly kiss.

It wasnat even close.

He tasted twenty-five years old. His mouth was hot and sweet and impossibly delicious. His lips were both soft and unyielding, and he swept his tongue into her mouth as if it belonged there. And oh, God, for the next few heartbeats, it did.

Maybe it was the knowledge that she wouldnat call him, wouldnat see him again, that made Meg kiss him back with such complete abandon. Maybe it was the way head looked at her just moments before, with such genuine desire in his eyes.

Maybe it was a lesson in the powers of temptation, a sign from above that she should ease off a little on the holier-than-thou self-righteousness when confronting Daniel about his past transgressions.

But the truth was, the entire world faded into gray when this man kissed her. Nothing else existed. There was only his mouth on her mouth, his tongue against hers, his hands in her hair, on her back, pressing her against him as if the way she was clinging wasnat close enough to satisfy him.

The doorbell rang, startlingly loud in the stillness, and they both pulled back, both breathing hard.

Oh, God, what was she doing? What had she just done?

He mustave seen the shock in her eyes. aIam sorry.a His voice was hoarse.

aNo, Iam sorry.a This was her fault. It had to be. She was older and more experienced. She was married.

aI have to go.a He reached for the door, but then stopped, turning back to her. aCall me, Meg. Jettison that deadweight of a husband and come back to the States. Call me when you get there.a As she gazed into his eyes, she was as tempted as shead ever been in all of her life.

But then he was gone, the door closing tightly behind him, and sanity returned. Meg knew the difference between reality and fantasy. And this man was pure fantasy.

That kiss was no more real than if it had happened in a dream.

Call me.

She knew that she never would.

Call me.

Meg sat in the menas room of the Kazbekistani embassy, aware that despite her attempts to keep her distance, shead finally done just that.

Shead finally called John Nilsson.

Five.

aWHAT THE FUCK are you doing here?a Sam knew the moment the words left his mouth that this was not the kind of greeting that would win him any points.

In fact, Alyssa Lockeas cold gaze got pretty damn arctic. aEnsign Starrett. Just my luck.a His bad luck, too. Head never have expected to run into Alyssa Locke in the Kazbekistani embassy lobby during a hostage crisis, never in a million years.

Yet here she was. She was out of uniform, either on leave or . . . aI heard rumors you quit.a Her chin went up. Jesus, she had the worldas most perfect chin. aI resigned my commission as an officer in the Navy because I received a better offer from the Bureau.a aYouare FBI?a He couldnat keep the horror from his voice, and she smiled tightly. aSpecial counterterrorist unit.a Which meant that there was a good chance theyad be working together with some frequency, since the FBI often called in the SEALs for military assistance.

Theyad be working together in the field, out where bullets could fly and shit could hit the fan and splatter. Alyssa had always wanted to get her hands dirty. Shead wanted to operate out in the real world. Frankly, shead wanted to be a SEAL, and shead finagled herself into a place wherea"amazingly, if she kept with ita"shead someday be authorized to order SEALs around, out in the field.

Sam held out his hand, forced a smile. aWell, shit. Congratulations.a Out of all the things he might have said and done, she hadnat expected that. Not that he really meant it, but the effort surely counted for something.

She chose to pretend he was sincere, hesitating only slightly before taking his hand. Her fingers were cool and slendera"as perfect as the rest of her, and a perfect fit in his hand as well. aThanks.a This was the first time head ever touched her. The first time shead let him. She pulled her hand free way too soon, just a little too fast, as if shead noticed that perfect fit, too, and gotten just as freaked out by it.

And then they were standing in the middle of the main entrance to the K-stani embassy, just staring at each other. At least Sam was staring at Alyssa. She jerked her gaze away and was looking anywhere but at him.

The room was filled with chaotic activity, but at least the pressa"thank Goda"had been kept outside on the sidewalk.

aIs Tom here?a she asked. aAnd Jazz?a Sam pointed across the room to where his CO and XO had found both the agent in charge and several top Kazbekistani officials. They were standing there, with Nils, deep in conversation. Nils was nodding. He kept glancing at the closed-off staircase that led to the second floor, as if he wished he could skip the briefing and take the stairs two at a time up to the menas room where Meg Moore was holding the hostages.

aI never got a chance to thank you back in Massachusetts,a Sam told Alyssa, suddenly uncertain as to where to put his hand now that he wasnat holding hers. He finally settled on folding his arms across his chest, keeping his armpits closed.

He stank to high heaven. They all dida"coming straight in the way they had from last nightas training op. He could see Nils across the room, most of his greasepaint sweated off, leaving his face looking slightly muddy and battleworn. Sam knew he looked the same.

aYou know,a he added, afor saving the lieutenantas life when he was up on that roof.a Alyssa Locke had been in a sniper position in a nearby church tower while Lt. Tom Paoletti had been up against two tangosa"one of whom had a gun aimed at the lieutenantas teenage niecea"on the roof of the nearby Baldwinas Bridge Hotel. From her perch, Alyssa had had an opportunity to take out the gunman with a single shot, and shead done it unflinchingly, her aim straight and true. Shead saved the niece, an event that had ultimately saved Tom.

Shead saved the niece, but shead also taken her first human life.

She nodded curtly now, as if she didnat want to spend a lot of time thinking about it.

Sam changed the subject. aSo how come you didnat come visit me in the hospital?a Head been shot in that same run-in with a believed-to-be-dead terrorist. A bullet had lodged in his shoulder, another had grazed his head. Head spent most of the ensuing action unconscious, wouldnat it figure? Way to impress his commanding officer. But after it was over, he hadnat remained in the hospitalas ICU for very long.

Head enjoyed hero status at the hospital, with a steady stream of visitors coming to see him. But none of them had been Alyssa Locke.