“Thanks.” He took his time sitting up, felt a hot pain lance his side, and figured that was enough exertion for now. He’d have to move around soon, though, to ensure his muscles didn’t tighten up and make him stiff.
He wasn’t sure if Jess’s anxious look was because he sat up, or because of what Kyle had said. “How can it possibly help us that someone stabbed Tyler?” she asked.
He noted her use of his first name with a pleasure he couldn’t deny. Her feelings for him had shifted, becoming more personal. So had his; a surge of possessiveness hit him like an electric shock. It was enough to make him mentally pull back, to reassess what he’d thought was simple, healthy lust.
What was he thinking? Lust didn’t involve possession; it was hit and run, the no-strings type of encounter that fit well with his life. Possessiveness implied a relationship, a permanence that was poison for a man in his profession. Wally had taught him that. A man who lived as he did, flying off to different countries on covert missions, risking his life, had no right to include a woman in that life. Especially not the daughter Wally had lost due to those exact same choices.
It was a good thing she’d used his first name like that, making him realize his feelings were getting out of hand. No doubt gratitude played some part in his feelings. She’d stepped far outside the boundaries of her normal life when she whipped her top off and stitched his cut. Anyone would be appreciative. And that was all he had a right to feel.
He could start making that clear by giving her a logical answer to her impassioned question about how stabbing him was helpful.
“The attack tells us they know we’re here,” he explained. “And they’re worried. They must have been watching for us, and knew Hakim was Wally’s friend. Once we showed up, they watched for their best chance and went for you. If they’re that worried about stopping you, it’s more confirmation of what we already knew, that your information could bring them down. We just need to figure out what it means.”
Her mouth opened in surprise. “Stopping me?” He could almost see her replaying the attack in her mind as she stared at him. “That’s why you shoved me aside. He was trying to get me, not you.”
He thought she’d known. “I’m sure he would have been happy to take me out, too,” he said, trying to downplay her importance. Judging by her horrified look, it was too late.
“He could have killed you, and it’s all because of me. Because he wants to kill me.”
“Jess, that’s why we won’t let you go out alone. And it’s why you have to wear the abaya.”
“But the abaya makes me stand out. Everyone looks at me, the pale, American woman dressed like a Muslim, shopping with a bodyguard. What kind of disguise is that?”
“The kind that gets you respect. The kind that makes any sudden move against you stand out in time for us to stop it.”
“By intercepting it with your own body?” Pain contorted her features and strangled her voice. “You stepped in front of a knife for me. You could have been killed.”
“I messed up. I could have prevented the attack and had a prisoner to interrogate if I’d been paying more attention,” he said with disgust. “I let that kid distract me. It won’t happen again, Jess, I promise.”
Contemplating the possibility of another attack left her speechless. Avery filled in the silence. “You can believe him. He’s really very good at what he does.”
“At sacrificing himself?” Jess asked. “Gee, I feel so much better.” She stomped off toward the bedrooms.
Avery smiled. “Aww, she likes you. That’s sweet.”
Kyle sat in a chair and looked at him thoughtfully. “Is that going to be a problem?”
That, meaning her liking him. “No.” But it already was a problem and had been even before he’d kissed her. He’d been so amused by the way Jess had deliberately hampered his bargaining with Saja, ensuring he paid more, that he’d nearly missed the attempt on her life. He would have to be more vigilant. “Tell me what you found on the Nile.”
Avery plopped down, too. “Nothing. Small islands with scrubby growth and bugs, and bigger ones with scrubbier growth and more bugs. The big resort island is out—too many people around. Not a friggin’ beaver in sight.”
“I thought this was supposed to be easy.” Kyle sounded as worn-out as Avery now that they were rehashing his day. “You guys find the vase, and we find the beaver lodge, or whatever the hell it represents.”
He’d thought so, too. “We can’t be that far off. There’s only one river. Whatever we’re looking for has to be on the Nile. We’ll go over it again tonight. Maybe Jess will have some new ideas.” It was a slim hope.