Free Cherry Adair - T-flac 03 by Hide, Seek Page B

well?"
    "Just peachy, thanks," she said coolly, and started to pull out the chair beside him.
    "No, no." Montero waved her away with an avuncular, too-white smile. Like a cartoon character, he was too handsome. Kyle almost expected to see the flash superimposed on his teeth. "Kyle has kept a space for you, there by his side."
    Jaw tight, she spun on one high heel and took the chair to Kyle's right, handing her large hat to a hovering servant who didn't know what the hell to do with it. It passed down the line of servers until it disappeared out the door. Delanie ran her index finger under her necklace in an unconscious gesture he'd noticed several times yesterday. He wondered why she wore it if the thing bothered her so much.
    "And who is this delightful young woman, Ramon?" The question broke the silence punctuated by cutlery and crockery chinking.
    Montero glanced up. "Takeshi Sugano, Delanie Eastman."
    Sugano scrutinized her for a moment before his sumo wrestler shoulders dipped in a small formal bow.
    Despite his roly-poly appearance Sugano was no benign despot. Kyle had firsthand experience of how well the Yakuza operated. They gave the Italian Mafia a run for their money in creativity alone.
    Five-foot-two in his heel lifts, his appreciation for tall blond American women was legendary. And he liked what he saw.
    Next, Montero introduced Karl Danzigger. The man flushed, running his freckled, chalk-pale fingers through his red hair. "Miss Ea-Ea-Eastman." His stammer sounded strangely musical with his Dutch accent. In his early fifties, Danzigger lived a reclusive lifestyle, seldom removing himself from his high-security estate in Holland.
    Through Montero, Kyle had met him on his home turf in Delft two years ago. Like Sugano, Danzigger's reign of terror across half of Europe was renowned, despite his seclusion.
    Kensington hadn't shown for breakfast. Kyle had been unpleasantly surprised last night to learn that he'd arrived with Montero's mother in tow the day before. Apparently the woman had decided on the spur of the moment to take a vacation with her son. Another female complication he hadn't anticipated.

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    He still wanted to recon the compound to get the lay of the land. The infrared was good, but nothing beat up-close-and-personal verification. There were final arrangements to be made, and a myriad of other small vital bits of business to wrap up before Saturday.
    But first things first.
    Kyle dropped his napkin beside his empty plate. "I'm taking Delanie with me into San Cristobal this morning," he informed Ramon when the other man glanced up. "I'll take care of the other matter at the same time."
    Ramon frowned. "Is that wise, amigo ?"
    Kyle cocked an eyebrow.
    Montero smiled, waving away his own concern. "You know what is best, of course."
    Kyle rose, placing both hands on Delanie's tense, bare shoulders. She felt fragile. It wouldn't take much to break her bones. He wondered how much it would take to break her spirit. He let his thumbs brush against her neck and felt her shiver. Stubborn and foolishly brave as she was, he couldn't afford to take pity on her.
    He kept eye contact with Montero. "Perhaps your mother requires a ride back to the city, too?" he added pointedly. "I'd be happy to escort her to a comfortable hotel in San Cristobal."
    "Thank you for offering, Dr. Wright." A sultry voice, tinged with annoyance, made all heads swivel to the open door way. Isabella Montero was stunning in the way that only a woman of means could afford. It was hard to believe she was Ramon's mother. The plastic surgeons in Switzerland were true artists.
    "As I have only just arrived, it would be foolish to have the pilot take me back." She gave him an assessing look. "Would it not?"
    Elegantly smoothed-back hair accentuated a widow's peak above striking dark eyes. The loose knot of black hair coiled at her nape set off a pale olive complexion,