Love and Let Die (Masters and Mercenaries #5)(22)

“I got a nice girl out of it, so we can call that one even.” The Irishman was still studying her, but he’d relaxed a bit. She didn’t think he had his hand on the trigger anymore.

“Where’s this sister you’ve talked about?” Simon asked.

“I didn’t know you had a sister, Kris. I mean, Charlotte.” Jesse looked like someone had taken him shopping, possibly the Brit. He was in a suit and tie that he only looked slightly uncomfortable in. She had to admit, he cleaned up nicely.

“Yeah, again with the undercover thing,” she replied. “I thought I would come in and see if someone shot me before I brought my sister in.” That wasn’t the only reason. Chelsea didn’t get out much. She preferred to live her life in front of her monitor. “But I have the information she’s uncovered. I thought we could talk it through before Adam does his thing.”

“You know where Nelson is?” Jake asked.

“I know what he’s interested in. I can’t get a good line on him, but I have some ears to the ground. He’s been spending a lot of time in India the last couple of months.”

“India?” Simon asked. “Mumbai?”

“No, he’s been seen in Goa. Southern Goa to be exact, though the reports have him running all along the western coast of India.”

“Goa?” Adam asked. He had his laptop out, his fingers already flying across the keyboard.

“It’s the smallest state in India, but it’s right on the coast so it’s known for its tourism. Europeans flock there for holiday. I thought we could send Simon in to take a look, maybe ask a few questions. He could easily be mistaken for a tourist if someone pulled the stick out of his ass and stuffed him into some board shorts.” She ignored his huff and opened the packet she’d sat up all night making for her new crew. “If you’ll look at page three, you can see I have a list of businesses he’s frequented in the area using one of his known aliases. Unfortunately, unlike London, these seaside towns aren’t outfitted with CCTV cameras on every corner, so I’m having to rely on informants and his paper trail. You’ll see that he’s used several guide shops. I can’t tell if he’s buying products or services because he’s been using cash there. He might be on to me because my informant in the area has gone silent.”

“So he’s dead,” Jake surmised.

“Probably.”

“And you want to send me in next,” Simon said with a droll little grin. “How very flattering.”

“Well, I expect you won’t allow Nelson to catch you,” she shot back.

“What’s in Goa that Nelson would want?” Jake leaned forward, grabbing a donut.

She bit back a smile. She’d felt vulnerable. It was so stupid, childish, but she’d been hurt no one would eat the donuts she’d brought. She hadn’t poisoned them or anything. They were just chock full of sugar and artery-hardening goodness. The fact that they had been sitting there untouched had made her feel deeply unwanted.

Once Jake reached for one, Jesse grabbed a couple and the men all started eating. Even Simon sniffed around a couple before selecting a jelly.

“I’m not sure yet, but there are a couple of scientific teams in the area, one energy project, and several billionaires. He would likely be interested in the billionaires, and I’m curious about the energy project. Mostly because I can find very little on it. It’s being run by a small consortium of scientists hosted by the royalty of a small island country named Loa Mali. The island is one of the smallest countries in the world. I have no idea how it’s managed to stay sovereign, but it’s actually quite flush with cash. It’s been a country for the last two hundred years, and the same family has been at the head of government. The king’s name is Kashmir Kamdar.”

“The high-tech guru?” Adam asked around his chocolate éclair. “I’ve heard of him. He’s like a billionaire playboy.”

“Or he’s a terrorist working with Eli Nelson. I’m a little worried that Nelson is trying to get back into the arms market by selling to the factions in Kashmir, the region of India Kash is named for. His family has close ties with India. He’s a big proponent of keeping Kashmir in Indian hands.”

“And the Pakistani government wants it for its own,” Simon said, neatly summing up hundreds of years of conflict. “It’s perfect for a man like Nelson. So I get to go and get some sun and figure out if Nelson is trying to get that part of the world to go nuclear. Well, I’m going to need a per diem. If I’m going in as a tourist, I should definitely be a wealthy one.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Ian was standing in the doorframe, his big body in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. His hair was still a little wet as though he’d run from his shower to the office. He looked big and dangerous and completely sexy. He made her mouth water just looking at him.

He even looked good with a black eye. Maybe she shouldn’t have hit him so hard. Well, there was only one way to get through this and that was to be brazen.

“Hello, Ian. I brought your favorite donuts. Lemon cream. Would you like some coffee? Did Sean give you ibuprofen? I told him he should get you some.”

He simply walked in, reached down, and hauled her up. Without a word from him, he slung her over his broad shoulder and started carrying her out.