Forbidden Fantasies Bundle(99)

“Set it up at the Blue Pepper.”

Jed thought for a minute. The Blue Pepper was a very popular Georgetown watering hole that drew not only on the academics from the university but also on staffers from the hill. “Why there?”

Ryder glanced at him. “It’s public, you’ve been there before, and I’m familiar with all the entrances and exits. I’ll put two men on you as soon as you set up the meet. If you’re right and someone, perhaps Agent Montgomery, suspects you’ve risen from the dead, she may also suspect that you’ll contact me or Gage. We’d be in your file. So Gage may be followed. If he is, I’ll know it.”

“Okay.”

Ryder thought some more. “You’ll wear a disguise.”

Jed grinned at him. “Of course.”

Ryder smiled. “Which persona are you going to assume this time?”

“I’m thinking of turning myself into Ethan Blair, British diplomat, until this is over. He has a slight accent and very expensive taste in food, wine and clothes. He’s one of my favorites.”

Ryder shook his head. “How many different men have you turned yourself into over the years?”

“A baker’s dozen, give or take a couple.” Then Jed’s smile faded. “I’ll register under Ethan’s name at the Woodbridge Hotel, and you won’t have to worry about anyone following me back here. You and Sierra will be safer if I’m not around.”

Ryder nodded. “I’ll keep two men on you. But even using a disguise, the meeting with Gage is risky.”

“He’s my best bet to get us into that office. Bailey Montgomery is a good operative. And she’s meticulous. I’m betting that she’s kept some kind of file. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has a file on Frank Medici, too. I want to know who killed him and why. I was just starting to check into that when I agreed to meet Bailey down in Colombia. All I need is a thread. Then I can start pulling it to figure out exactly what is going on.”

Ryder gave him a brief nod. “Looks like we’ve got a plan.”

Jed smiled. “Yeah. I’ll get in touch with Gage today.”

“Say as little as possible over the phone.”

“Right. I’ll fax him the details.”

As the teakettle began to shriek, Ryder turned back to the stove and busied himself making coffee.

Jed knew from experience that his friend was in mulling-it-over mode. Right now he was covering all the angles that Jed had outlined in his own mind in the wee hours of the morning. So he was surprised when Ryder turned back, coffee mug in hand, cleared his throat, and said, “About Zoë McNamara.”

After a moment, Jed said, “What about her?”

“What I want to know is…” Ryder let the partial sentence hang as he shifted his gaze away. He took a sip of his coffee and then a bigger swallow. “I couldn’t help but noticing…she was here yesterday for a couple of hours.” Finally, he met Jed’s eyes directly. “Hell, I’m no good at this.”

To Jed’s astonishment, Ryder’s face had turned red. Ryder Kane was the most unflappable man he’d ever known. He’d personally seen his friend face a bullet without so much as blinking, let alone allowing his blood pressure to fluctuate.

Ryder cleared his throat. “Zoë is a good friend of Sierra’s. And Sierra feels very protective toward her. And she’s…” As his sentence trailed off, Ryder raised a hand. “I know it’s none of my business, but Sierra would be very unhappy if Zoë got hurt.”

“Zoë’s a big girl.”

“Exactly. That’s what I told Sierra, but she made me promise to…Shit. I told her it was none of our business if the two of you—do whatever the two of you want to do. But she wanted me to say something.” He picked up the mug and drained it. “Hell, I’m still trying to get used to all the stuff that goes along with being involved with one person. You don’t just have a relationship with a woman. You get the whole package—friends, work associates, relatives. And the relatives’ friends and significant others. Forget I brought it up.”

“Done,” Jed said. “But if it will make Sierra feel any better, you can tell her that as far as Zoë’s concerned, our relationship is over.”

“Over?”

Jed nodded. “She as much as told me so herself. When she left yesterday, she told me she really appreciated my letting her sort of burn away all that sexual frustration she’d been feeling.”

Ryder’s brows shot up. “She actually said that?”

“Yeah.” Jed smiled slowly. “And then she shook my hand just as if we’d concluded a little business meeting. Can you picture it? She is so damn cute.”