You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(78)

“The United States government thanks you as well,” Ten said.

Kamdar bowed his head as humbly as a man who owned a country could. “Excellent. I put through the changes as you requested. No one will question my detail. Your security badges and conference packages are in your bedrooms. I decided to bring Mr. Murdoch and Ms. Grant in as my marketing and finance leads. I fear if I left them on the security team, they would be on the sidelines for many of these meetings.”

“We thought it was a perfect idea,” Simon replied. “Ms. Grant has a business degree and Jesse and I have gone over enough that he should be able to make it work. He’s going to be the shy, quiet type.”

“Damn straight,” Jesse added. He groaned a little. “Wait. Does this mean I have to wear a suit?”

Simon slapped him on the shoulders. “I picked it out myself.”

“Damn it.”

“My cousin has some questions. His name is Chapal Kamdar.” Kamdar gestured the thin young man with the laptop forward. “He is the suspicious type. Always questioning things. I would fire him, but his mother and my mother talk, and dear god, the hell I would get if he has to work for a living.”

Dark eyes rolled. “As if you could go two days without my help, you overgrown bag of hormones. Who managed to get your last sex tape off the Internet?”

Kamdar shrugged. “I performed beautifully on that tape and with three women. All of them were well serviced. I didn’t see the issue.”

“One of them was married to a member of a European royal family, you walking penis. You could have started a war.”

“She was a lovely girl and so very polite.” Kamdar sighed. “Anyway, apparently there is a Washington politician who is a last-minute entry to our little conference.”

Little conference? It was only a place where the world’s wealthiest men met to collude and set the prices of the energy the rest of the world ran on. Just a little conference, though.

“Who is it?” Ten asked with a frown. “I should have been apprised of any VIPs going to this thing. The Agency likes to know where our country’s politicians are.”

“He’s not on the list. I wouldn’t have known about him attending if I hadn’t picked up some chatter about the conference. I like to keep my ear to the ground, so to speak,” Chapal explained. “He is a senator from Texas. Hank McDonald.”

“The head of the subcommittee on Energy. I guess that makes sense, though if he were here in an official capacity I would think I should have been informed.” Ten pulled out his cell. “I’ll make some calls, but he really is in charge of a committee that oversees energy and new forms of energy in the US.”

“He also travels to the Middle East often,” Chapal said.

“Again, he would likely do so for his job, but I’ll put my people on it,” Ten promised.

Chapal shrugged. “I will continue to look into it myself. I have a radar for these things. Something is off about this. If I find anything, I will share with you.”

“I appreciate that.” Ten started for the door. “I’m going to find my room and make some calls. We have the opening dinner tonight. Everyone get some rest so we’ll be ready this evening.”

Kamdar pointed around the room. “There are three suites off this living area. I have the whole floor, but this is your wing. If you go to the suite down the hall, I have a bar staff on call twenty-four hours a day.”

Chapal shook his head as he followed his cousin back out into the hallway. “Perhaps I will go and work for intelligence in the US. Then where will you be, cousin?”

“You have to have some intelligence to work for them. Besides, Auntie will barely allow you to leave the country. You should kiss my feet. Without me, you would spend your life playing silly games and having online relationships with women who turn out to be hairy American men.”

“There was only the one. Why do you always have to bring that up?”

Thankfully, the door closed behind them.

“We’ve got three hours. Phoebe and Jesse, take the private suite to the left. Ten is taking a room in the center closer to Kamdar. He’ll share with Hutch when he gets here. Theo and I will share the larger of the two rooms left, and Erin can have a private room,” Simon explained. “The luggage has already been delivered so you should have everything you need. Since Hutch is still in the air, I need to call my wife and get her started on a profile of the senator. I’ll have Adam look into him, too. I don’t care what Ten says. US senators don’t routinely travel to the Middle East.”

“Come on,” Jesse said with a slow smile. “We have time for a shower.”

“I don’t think Erin should be left alone,” Theo complained. “That dude was looking at her.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Erin’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying it’s so weird that a man as hot as Kamdar might find me attractive?”

“No, I’m saying he’s a king…” Theo began.

“And I can’t possibly be a queen? You know Grace Kelly wasn’t royal to begin with.”

Theo turned a nice shade of red. “I wasn’t saying that. I was just trying to watch out for you.”

“Watch this, *.” She turned and stalked off to her room.