Nori's Delta (Delta Team Three #1) - Lori Ryan Page 0,31

interrupt talks of this nature and the move made her question where the talks were going.

She saw Heath step toward her and knew he must have noticed the exchange. She gave a minuscule shake of her head as she and Demir stood. Her team knew better than to react publicly to any move by someone they were negotiating with so she knew they would take it in stride. Still, she would want their take on this when they got out of here.

Heath had moved in behind her and she turned to him. “We’ll be heading back to the hotel for the afternoon and evening. Can you please make any necessary arrangements with your team?”

He gave a nod and stepped to the side, talking into his comms.

“Mr. Demir, we’ll see you in the morning, then?”

He gave a nod and then he was gone, his brother and two of the people she knew to be close advisors of his behind him. Two members of his security staff approached.

“We’ll show you and your team out,” one of them said with no expression in his face or tone.

When they were loaded into the SUVs—this time with Heath and her leaving with the rest of the convoy since they didn’t have much choice in the matter—Heath was the first to ask.

“What the hell was that about?” He was looking at Merlin, who was driving the car.

“No idea,” Merlin said, “but I’ve sent Duff to tail him and see where he goes.”

“Any word of an attack or something we need to be aware of?” Eleanor asked, hoping if there was, that Heath’s people would know about it.

“Nothing we’ve heard anything about,” Merlin said as Heath pressed his leg closer to her and she wondered if the gesture was a subtle attempt to offer support.

She was glad he was circumspect. She appreciated that he respected the boundaries her career demanded. It was one thing if he didn’t care if his team knew, but her people didn’t need to know this was her high school boyfriend.

Eleanor looked to Beth in the third-row seat with Jangles.

Beth looked up from the tablet she’d been tapping on. “No news on our end. No one seems to know of anything that would cause him to put a halt to the talks.”

“Let’s not go spreading that rumor,” Eleanor said. “He didn’t truly put a halt to them. They’re going to continue in the morning.”

Beth flushed. “I didn’t mean…sorry,” she mumbled.

Eleanor waved off the woman’s worry. “Let’s just be careful how we talk about this. I’ll call Cheryl when we get to the hotel and see if she’s heard anything. Then we can rest before tomorrow and make sure this gets back on track in the morning.”

Heath pressed his leg to hers again and even though he was looking out the windows, scanning their surroundings, she had a feeling he’d done it on purpose.

Eleanor buried a smile. She didn’t want to admit, even to herself, how good it felt to have this man beside her again.

Chapter 14

Eleanor was glad to see Demir at the talks the following morning. Part of her had wondered if he might have decided to call this off with the way he’d run off the day before. She’d been half believing there would be a call to cancel everything and send her home.

The call hadn’t come though and she and her team were now at the compound, ready to resume talks.

“I hope everything turned out yesterday?” She started, hoping maybe she might get some clue as to why he’d skipped out so suddenly.

They still had no reports of any skirmishes with the ruling party or the Kazarus military. It was a big mystery and she didn’t like mysteries at all during a negotiation. It left her feeling off her footing and that was the worst way to be right now.

Demir gave her a superficial smile, but she could see strain at the edges of his eyes. Perhaps he was losing the support of his people? Maybe there was a split or faction forming she needed to be worried about?

“All is well, thank you.” He gestured into the room they’d used the day before. It was a small office with tall windows that lit it well and a few armchairs where she and Demir and the advisors who were sitting in on the talks would sit. Her assistant took a seat against the wall behind her, and Heath and Duff stationed themselves outside the door.

They took up talks with discussion of