“In my job.”
With those three words and their implication about other aspects, things heated up between them. She tried to think of how to answer him honestly. “You know I keep you with me because you’re the one person in my life I can totally trust. Too many times I’ve found out people only wanted me for access to the Landis fortune or a senatorial ear.”
“What if I let you down? I’m not a perfect man.”
“You’re mighty close.” So why couldn’t she bring herself to throw caution to the wind and fling her arms around him for another kiss?
Hank Renshaw was a lot of man to live up to. She’d loved and lost one of those larger-than-life men before and, lordy, they left a huge void behind them.
Her hands starting shaking at just the simple thought.
Simple? Not simple at all. Losing Benjamin had shaken her world to the foundation. Nothing, nothing had compared to the agony of that time. Only throwing herself into her job and being a mother had gotten her through.
Any dating she’d done had been totally superficial. She realized full well after that kiss with Hank—after knowing the man—things with him could never be uncomplicated. She stared at the winding street ahead, full of ice and heaven only knew what other roadblocks or hazards.
She wasn’t one to take the easy route. A person only had to look at her life to see that.
Hands still trembling inside her leather gloves, she leaned closer to absorb more of his body heat. Sure enough, a jolt of awareness shimmered up her arm, an echo of what she’d felt when they’d kissed.
When his gaze had locked with hers back at the airport lounge.
Things were definitely different. They couldn’t resume their old ways. She was scared to her cold toes. She just hoped she could continue to muster the resolve she’d used in countless international negotiations to carry her through figuring out where this attraction would lead them.
Hank slid his arms from around her and reached under the blanket to take one of her hands in his, holding tight. “Do you need another blanket? You’re shaking pretty hard.”
Touching him, she could swear he’d already piled on a stack of blankets, the comfort of him steaming through her. “I just want us both to get to that safe house in one piece.”
She squinted to peer through the blur of trees as best she could, and the roadway behind the traffic seemed sparse but steady. No suspicious vehicles slowing to watch them. “Do you think they were on the lookout back there since we were close to the safe house? Maybe they were just curious about the car because of the damage.”
“Anything’s possible right now.” He tapped the driver on the shoulder. The college-aged student peeled aside his hat and pulled out one of the earpieces while Hank called out some final directions. Hank eased back in his seat.
Before she had time to think overlong about what he’d said, the sleigh whipped onto a tiny rural road alongside a small row of old townhomes in a converted farmhouse. Window boxes were decorated with pine boughs and white lights.
Hank leaned over as if to kiss her and whispered in her ear. “Pretend we’ve come to visit our European cousins for the holidays.”
His mouth sketched across hers before reaching over the seat to pass her the crèche and one of the packages. He paid the driver and helped her from the sleigh, looking for all the world like visiting guests. Except she knew his hand in his pocket gripped a 9 mm as they trudged through the snow toward the corner unit, where a decorated tree glowed in the window.
The door swung open to reveal a dark-haired man wearing corduroy pants and a heavy cardigan. “Will-kommen! Gruss Gott!” He welcomed them with a thick German accent, puffing away on a pipe. “We’ve only just started to decorate the tree.”
He pulled them both into a hug before lumbering lazily down the walkway to pay off the sleigh driver.
Seemingly in no hurry, their “host” escorted them into the small abode, tugging the door closed behind him. In one of those odd quirks she should have been used to by now, the agent seemed to shed years from his age as he rid himself of his role as quickly as he pulled the pipe from his mouth and tossed it in an ashtray.
The man’s smile faded. “General, Senator Landis, thank God you’re both safe.” He extended his hand, his German accent vanishing to be replaced by a nondescript mid-American-broadcaster-type voice. “I’m Special Agent Rodriquez. Let’s step into the briefing room to catch you up to speed on the National Security issues at hand.”
Twenty minutes into the brief, Ginger sagged back in one of the kitchen table’s wooden chairs. She could hardly believe her ears even as computers with the best world intelligence hummed all around them.
Could things have wrapped themselves up this neatly in the hour while she and Hank had been driving? “And you’ve questioned them thoroughly?”
Special Agent Rodriquez refilled the three coffee mugs, pulling down a couple more for the pair of agents in the back room. “It’s an ongoing investigation, but the People’s Revolutionary Council is claiming full responsibility for the attack. The Germans have two leaders of the local cell in custody.”
“Then I guess that’s it then.” Ginger took her refilled mug from the agent, her world still strangely off-kilter despite the thaw in her veins and the safety in her new surroundings. Was it because of what she’d shared with Hank? An unsettling thought that he could hold such sway over her emotions beyond just friendship because of a look, a kiss.
A night in his arms.
Hank tipped his chair back, arms crossed over his chest. “There are more people in their group.”
“Very low risk. They’re disorganized with their leaders out of commission, and they’re not likely to strike in the same place so soon.”