“For God’s sake, do you think I’d bother to berate you if I didn’t think you’d make a damned fine agent one of these days?” Surprise seemed to reflect in his expression now as he held his hands out in supplication. “You’re risking your life and your career with this man.”

“And I will remind you that it’s no longer your concern.” She could feel her heart racing, adrenaline surging through her as she recognized the fact that her boss’s sanity just might be slipping.

“I thought you were smarter than this.” He shook his head slowly. “Damn. I thought you were a better agent than this.”

Marty gripped the doorknob behind her and stared at him in fury. “I think you should sit down and think about what you’re doing, Deerfield,” she told him coldly. “You’re the one risking your life. You’re the one whose career is already shot to hell. Don’t make it worse.”

He smiled slowly, confidently. “I’ll win in the end.”

“Don’t bet on it.” As she jerked the door open she threw him a hard, enraged look before turning and stepping back into the hall.

She was trembling with anger as she slammed the door closed and came face-to-face with Shayne.

His blue eyes were as cold as ice, his body tense with anger as he stared at her, then at the door.

“You heard?” she asked.

His jaw clenched. “It was hard not to. And you’re damned lucky Khalid didn’t. He would have killed the bastard for talking to you like that.”

As she moved away from the room, Marty glanced back at the door, wondering what Deerfield was doing inside.

Marty shook her head at the instability she had glimpsed in her former boss before drawing in a hard breath and asking, “Who is Lessa Hadad, Shayne?”

Silence met her question for long moments. “She was Abram’s wife,” he finally said. “If you have any other questions concerning her, then you should ask Khalid.”

“Khalid hasn’t mentioned her yet,” she pointed out stiffly. “What did she mean to him?”

He stopped her before they stepped back into the ballroom.

“Ask Khalid about this, Marty. Let him explain Lessa to you. But be very careful. Remember, Khalid is the way he is for a reason. Sometimes, once the darkness takes hold of you, you don’t want to ever return to the memories that caused it.”

As Marty walked away from him, that statement stayed with her. There was definitely a darkness raging inside Khalid, one he battled often when it came to standing back rather than interfering in the career she had chosen for herself.

That would be hard for him, she admitted. A man like Khalid didn’t just stand aside while his woman endangered herself. Yet, he had done exactly that more than once.

He was allowing her to be who she needed to be. No matter his disagreement with it, he was standing back. She could see the torment in his face when he did so, just as she had glimpsed his fear for her more than once.

As she moved across the ballroom, she caught sight of several familiar faces. Men she knew were members of the club had gathered around AT at the other side of the room. They were talking quietly among themselves, several of them nodding seriously.

AT was always plotting and planning.

Ian Sinclair was part of that group. He watched AT with narrow-eyed intent before he nodded carefully and glanced out over the room and saw her.

Amusement marked his expression. Evidently there were no hard feelings about the fact that she had managed to slip into his club.

She returned to where Khalid stood with her fathers and mother.

There was a sense of readiness that filled the three men. As Shayne joined them seconds later, that readiness intensified.

“Everything’s in place.” Her godfather leaned close to her. “We’ve picked up two transmissions from here since you and Khalid arrived. They spoke with Ayid, who promised to be on a plane to D.C. ASAP, since the man he sent here couldn’t seem to do the job right. We have assets moving in there to let us know when he moved.”

Staring out over the ballroom, Marty hoped the operation worked out quickly. She had a feeling that if it didn’t, she and Khalid could be facing more danger than she had imagined. “Then he isn’t here in the States yet?” she asked as she turned to Khalid.

He pulled her to his side, his fingers clasping her hips possessively. “Not yet.”

Marty nodded slowly. It wouldn’t be long, she told herself. Ayid Mustafa would take whatever chance he had to destroy Khalid.

As she stood next to Khalid, she noticed something. The way he held her, close to his side. The way his body turned into hers. She had never seen him hold another woman in quite that fashion. Had never heard of him keeping one at his side.

He loved her.

She stared at him, admitting silently that she had loved him most of her life. She had loved him with a certainty, a confidence that the day would come when she would have at least a chance to steal his heart.

Had she managed that?

There were times she thought it possible. There were times she feared she still might have a ways to go.

Feeling his hand settle possessively at the small of her back once again, she turned to stare up at him with all the fears, all the needs that were becoming harder and harder to hold inside her.

“Dance with me.” Taking her hand he stepped back, watching her, waiting on her to accept. “Shayne’s meeting with a contact tonight, but we’ll be leaving soon, ourselves.”

He was dominant, but he wasn’t overbearing. He was arrogant, but his arrogance was always tinged with logic, with reason.

“Always.” Her hand tightened on his as she let him draw her out onto the dance floor.

As he took her in his arms, Marty felt the familiar heat he ignited inside her rising once again. He was the spark inside her soul.

Laying her head against his shoulder, Marty closed her eyes and let herself simply enjoy his touch, the slow glide of his body, the warmth of his arms.

She didn’t understand the need rising inside her to simply exist here, to hold on to this moment as long as possible, to hold the memories inside her.

“It will be over soon.” His whisper against her ear was soft, though the tone of his voice reflected a steely strength that made her lift her head, her eyes meeting his.

It wasn’t fear she glimpsed in his eyes; it was a certainty that if his brothers weren’t dealt with, then he would lose more than he could bear to lose.

He would lose her.

“One way or the other, it will be over soon,” she agreed.

“I won’t let them win, Marty.”

“I know you won’t.” Confidence gleamed in her eyes, and that terrified him.

He’d let Lessa down. How could he bear failing Marty in the same way?

Khalid couldn’t stand the thought of losing her. As he stared down at her he knew that nothing in his life, no other woman, had ever been to him what Marty was becoming.

Strength glittered in her gray eyes, mixed with compassion and a sense of fun. She never took herself too seriously, and she never let him do the same. Yet, at the same time, she understood the danger revolving around her. There was no denial of it. She didn’t fight it. Hell no, she was jumping right in to attempt to solve it.

Staring up at him, Marty saw the emotions shifting through his eyes. Dark, desperate emotions that she wanted nothing more than to ease.

As the song came to an end, Khalid led her back to where her fathers stood.

“We identified our caller.” Joe edged close to them, keeping his voice low. “He’s part of the Saudi ambassador’s entourage.” He nodded to the tall, heavily robed middle-aged Arab speaking to the ambassador. “He received a call two minutes ago. We think he’s preparing to meet with the assassin.”

“Why?” Marty asked, her voice low. “What information could he have?”

Zach shook his head. “That’s what I intend to find out.”