Ratio(10)
“Agreed. So, you’re taking the job?”
Leopold frowned. “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“Not if you want to avoid the FTC sniffing around again. After Paris, they’ll have a field day.”
“Like you said; a few days of grunt work is a small price to pay.” He stalked off toward the bedroom. “We’d better get packing.”
Jerome followed him through. “Melendez and Kato should have a floor to themselves, if they’re planning to spend time together. We can monitor the exits more easily if there are no other guests.”
Leopold reached the master bedroom and began rummaging through his closet. “Are they coming together?”
“Separate. Melendez is on a quick West Coast trip, and Kato will come directly from LA. Leaving separately also, both arriving two days before the conference.”
“Two days early should be good enough, even if the hotel charges rent on them.”
“Melendez’s party will foot the bill anyway,” Jerome said. “Any thoughts on cars?”
“Mercedes, BMW, or Cadillac. Whichever’s the most expensive.” Leopold fished out a few days’ worth of clothes.
“That would be the Escalade. Pretty poor on fuel efficiency, too.”
“Perfect. Make sure the tanks are full.” He selected a couple of light raincoats, holding them up on their hangers. “Which of these works best?”
Jerome shrugged. “The Hermes has more pockets.”
“Is that a good thing?” He tossed them both on the bed.
“It is if you want to conceal a weapon.”
“It’s always about weapons with you.” Leopold picked out a couple of suits. “These should do. I’d rather avoid looking like a bodyguard, if I can help it.” He glanced at Jerome. “No offense.”
“I don’t think there’s much risk of you being mistaken for one,” Jerome said. “Let’s just stick to our strengths. I’ll work on movement and logistics, you take care of room security. We can get hold of the equipment before we leave.”
“Let me guess, a quick stop at Bodyguards R Us?”
Jerome folded his thick arms. “Where do you think I got all the equipment for this place?”
“Fine. Get the jet fueled and ready.”
“Not this time,” Jerome said. “Filing a last-minute flight plan makes a lot of noise.”
Leopold froze. “You don’t mean…”
“I’m sure you can cope.”
“We have to fly commercial?” He tossed the last of his clothes onto the bedsheets. “I’m starting to think this job is getting out of hand.” He sighed. “Whoever this Kato woman is, I hope she’s worth it.”
Jerome nodded. “I just hope she knows what she’s letting herself in for.”
Chapter 5
JUNE KATO WAS still in bed when the smell of coffee wafted up into her nostrils. Lying next to her, Jack Melendez reached over to check his alarm clock. He yawned, then settled back onto the pillow. June snuggled in closer to him, cuddling her face into the crook of his neck. The scent of his shaving cream had worn off the night before, now replaced by the remnants of her perfume and the musk of their bodies spending the night together.
“Ready for breakfast?” he asked quietly, while her hand slowly stroked back and forth over his chest.
She kept her cheek on his collarbone and her eyes closed. She wasn’t done with him. “Not yet.”
“I have to be fed, showered, dressed, and presentable in four hours for a flight to San Francisco. After that, it’s Portland, then a quick stop in Spokane before flying in to Seattle.”
She frowned. “What if I just abduct and hide you for a while? Would anybody look for you?”
“Been there, done that, remember?”
June rolled over onto her back and rubbed her face with both hands. “Oh, yeah. Almost forgot.”
Jack tossed the sheet back and sat on the edge of the bed. When she looked at his evenly tanned and firm back, there was a scratch on one shoulder. She thought of the moment she left it there several hours before, and reached out to touch him, to beg him to return to her.
Just as a fingertip made contact, he stepped away from the bed, striding off to the bathroom, naked. June stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, too comfortable to get out from beneath the covers.
Despite outward appearances, there was nothing simple or easy about their relationship: an LA-based neurosurgeon and a bicoastal man running for President. They had met in a roundabout manner when June had been enlisted to perform life-preserving surgery on him. During the months following his recovery, a relationship between them had evolved, which had quickly blossomed into romance. June thought of the time that had passed, what had grown between them, and what the future might hold. Part of Jack’s reputation was that of a Ladies’ Man, but as long as she was the only lady in his life, June was good with it.