than just good looks. She wanted to stay and see what else was there…
He nodded at the hill. “Get going. It will be fine. I’ve got your back.”
She hesitated for only a second, then she was turning and swiftly climbing the hill. She could see the bushes move as Zolak’s sentries spotted her. She felt she was safe from Zolak, but she didn’t know how nervous those sentries would be.
Forget it. Think of what she had to say to Zolak. How to persuade him to save his life and that of his family. How to keep him from joining those butchers. She couldn’t worry about anything else right now.
Not even that strange, intimate moment before she had left Novak.
Besides, she found that anxiety was ebbing away. She could almost feel Novak down there, watching her, aiming that rifle, protecting her. With every step she took, she was beginning to have a feeling that everything was going to be okay. She was going to pull this off. She was going to be able to convince Zolak to change his story or start a new one.
And somehow it all had something to do with the fact that this time she wasn’t alone and that Novak had been there for her. Strange. When she was almost always alone.
You’ll learn what I hate most is to lose an opportunity, Novak had said.
Well, so do I.
But at this moment, my opportunity is with Zolak waiting for me on that hill. I don’t have time for you.
But I do admit it does feel good that right now you have my back, Novak.
* * *
And that day Jill had talked Abdi Zolak out of going to join the mercenaries and gone with him back to his village to get him settled with his family. But the next week she’d been sent to Jokan to cover an attack. Novak was right, they’d been at opposite ends of the country for almost a year, only seeing each other casually.
But there had been nothing casual about him tonight, nor the way she was feeling. Which was an indication she should regard it as even more dangerous. Damn right, they couldn’t let it affect the work they had to do.
So forget everything but getting rid of the monster who might already be knocking on their door.
* * *
Dawn
The first pearl shading of dawn was lighting the sky as Joe punched in Jed Novak’s number. He’d just done an initial reconnoitering of Robaku. “Your security sucks, Novak,” he said curtly. “Two sentries? And they were deaf and blind. I could have taken them down in my sleep. Is this how you’re supposedly keeping Eve safe?”
“No,” Novak said. “There’s another sentry nearer to the museum that you didn’t see who informed me that you were near the village. Plus there’s another guard down the road furnishing surveillance on anyone approaching from Jokan. I’m also using a drone that’s equipped with an infrared monitor to make a pass over the village every ten minutes. It just identified you as an unknown object and will notify those three sentries immediately.”
“Two of whom would already be dead,” Joe said. “But the drone is a decent idea if you increase the number of flyovers.”
“I’ll consider it.” He paused. “And those sentries are good men, you’re just better. If you’re through critiquing my arrangements, would you like to come and have a civilized discussion? Where are you?”
“In the palmettos behind you.” Joe moved out of the trees. “And I’m not feeling particularly civilized at the moment.” He swiftly covered the yards that separated him from Novak. “But we might as well get this over with before I go to see Eve.” His gaze went to the stucco building behind Novak. “That’s the museum?”
“Yes, but you probably already know that. I imagine you had Gideon draw you a map of the village or you wouldn’t have been so familiar with it. And you have plenty of time. Eve’s asleep, and Jill said she’s been pushing too hard and really needs it.”
“That should make you both very happy,” Joe said bitterly.
“It doesn’t. We don’t want to drive her to exhaustion,” Novak said. “But the sooner we get this over with and have an answer, the better for all of us. We can’t do that without Eve.” He met Joe’s eyes. “I realize you want her out of here, but you don’t have a chance until she finds out if that skull she’s working on is Varak’s. I believe you know