“I’m not. We all know you’re off limits.”
She ached to slap him around, just a bit, enough to send his ass flying into the sand, but she crossed her arms and legs and bounced her foot while counting to ten.
Tim came back and handed the phone to Cesar. “Thanks.”
Once Cesar was out of earshot, Tim said, “I’m sorry, but I have urgent business to attend to. I’m going to have to cut our evening short.”
Just like that. He seemed unaffected while she was trembling from need.
She was about to add it to the list of faults she hoped to accumulate against him when he said, “I’m sorry for turning you on without following through. I’ll make it up to you.”
She laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
He opened his mouth as if to argue, but then he pursed his lips. “Cesar will—”
“See me home safely? How considerate. Thanks for the dinner. It was delicious.”
He nodded, looking displeased. “Until later.”
She picked up her shoes and handbag. She didn’t look back at Tim as she made her way to the front of the house. On her way, she removed the magnetic bug from her evening bag and stuck it under the wheel fender of Tim’s buggy. It had a remote functionality, enabling her to activate the tracking device only as needed, which made it difficult to detect. As she rounded the corner, Cesar was already waiting in the driveway next to her Jeep. A part of her was disappointed for having to leave, and another part of her pleased. At last something was happening. She had to follow Tim, which meant she had to ditch Cesar.
He held his palm out to her. “Give me your key.”
“I don’t need you to drive me. I only had two glasses of wine.”
“I’ve got my—”
“Orders,” she filled in for him.
He nodded tightly.
It would be quicker to give in than to argue. She took the key from her handbag and handed it to him.
He frowned.
“What?” she said.
“I expected you to argue.”
She got into the passenger side. “Some things aren’t worth arguing over.”
Like the previous time, Cesar said nothing as he drove her home. He obviously wasn’t a big talker. After he’d parked the Jeep and handed her back the key, she asked, “How are you getting home?”
He threw a thumb over his shoulder. “Beach.”
“Enjoy the walk.” She turned and went up the ladder.
Inside, she got her heat-sensitive binoculars and watched Cesar until he was a safe distance away. She threw the binoculars and a Heckler & Koch MPSK into a small backpack, changed into a black bodysuit, and strapped a smartwatch onto her arm. She switched on the watch and activated the bug. A red dot blinked on the screen. The tracking system was working. Tim was moving, heading toward the village. Climbing down the ladder, she contemplated her plan. She’d run along the road to town. It wasn’t far and quieter that way.
As her feet hit the ground, the foliage rustled behind her. She flung around, ready to defend herself, and came face to face with Frida.
Chapter 4
Crap! She’d almost punched Frida. Maya said a quick prayer, thanking the gods that her gun was in the bag and not strapped to her body.
“What are you doing here, Frida?”
“I was waiting for you.” Frida crossed her arms and took a step forward. She was dressed in white cling pants and a stretch top that showed off her small figure.
She looked over Frida’s shoulder. There was no one else. She hadn’t heard the noise of an engine and didn’t see a vehicle.
“How did you get here?” Maya asked.
“I needed a nice, long walk on the beach.” Frida looked her up and down. “Where are you going?”
“For a run.”
“With a backpack?”
“I need to put my water and sweater somewhere.” Maya emphasized her sarcasm with a roll of her eyes.
“Need to burn off your frustration?”
“Something like that.”
She tried to move around Frida, but the other woman took a step to the side, blocking her path.
“Why are you here, Frida?”
“I know your game.”
She went cold. “Excuse me?”
“I saw when you arrived at Tim’s house tonight, saw you walk down that corridor as if you own it.”
Maya smiled. Inwardly she gave a sigh of relief. Frida had her worried for a minute. “Jealous?”
Frida didn’t flinch. She didn’t bat an eyelash. She regarded Maya with clever, cold calculation. “Is it the money? Or are you in it for the status? You think it’s glamorous to be the girlfriend of an ambassador?”
“Say what you’re getting at.”
“Tim’s going to invite you to the ambassador’s gala dinner in San José. If you care about him, you won’t go. You’ll leave. Now. You’re bad for his image. No ambassador should be seen with a woman like you. You know how politics are, and if you don’t care, which I rather think to be the case, then fuck him so you can get over it and leave. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. No one can take him for very long. Tim is…” her smile was knowing, “…a handful.”
“I know exactly how he fits in my hands, and it’s more than two hands full.”
Frida pulled her mouth into a firm line. “That’s what I thought. You don’t care about Tim.”
“Tell Tim I look forward to the gala dinner.”
Frida squared her shoulders. The delicate collarbones stood out, making her seem frail and vulnerable, but Maya wasn’t deceived. Frida was a force to be reckoned with.
“I’ll send you your invite, and a word of advice.” Her eyes moved over Maya. “Wear something that doesn’t make you look like a slut.” She turned on her heel and followed the path to the beach.
Maya cursed under her breath. A jealous competitor. More complications.
When Frida was out of sight, Maya checked her watch and started jogging as Tim passed through town and continued to a popular beach area known for its luxury timeshare houses. Once she reached town, she took a taxi and got off a block from where her smartwatch indicated Tim had stopped. As she neared the location, an impressive, pink, double-story house that stood on a hill overlooking the beach came into view. Tim’s buggy was parked on the circular driveway in front. There were guards everywhere. Bingo. If the place was this heavily guarded, it meant she was on the right track. There were no high walls and her smartwatch didn’t pick up infrared alarms. It was the kind of luxury holiday home that was part of a rental scheme, not a fortress built for an arms lord.
Sneaking around the side, she checked for dogs. Her luck was in. No hounds patrolled the premises. From her hiding place behind trees that stretched beyond the garden, she scanned the windows. Figures passed in front of an upstairs window. It was the largest room on the upper floor, and, like all the other rooms, it had doors opening onto a balcony that stretched across the width of the house. The roof was constructed of tiles that sloped toward the balcony, the back end nearly touching the low cliff that formed one side of the hill. From the back, she could jump onto the roof.