Free Sexy/Dangerous by Beverly Jenkins Page B

perfume on her skin. Realizing his mind was taking him down a slippery slope, he pushed the thoughts of her aside and walked over to the big, old-fashioned wooden chest on the floor next to the couch. Lifting the lid, he took out a pillow and a thin blanket. He tossed both onto the tan couch and took off his jeans. Ossie watched silently.
    Adam said, “I’m going to bed. If you’re staying, I snore. Just so you’ll know.”
    He didn’t want the dog in the room while he was sleeping, but didn’t seem to have much choice in that, either, so he stretched out on the couch, pulled the blanket over him, and doused the lamp on the table near his head. Once he was comfortable, sleep refused to come. His concern that his parents might be in danger kept him wide awake. He tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, then finally his eyes closed and he went to sleep.
     
    Jan Kruger was in the Copenhagen airport waiting for his noon flight back to the States, where the time was approximately six A . M . He wondered if Dr. Gary had enjoyed the e-mail. Thinking about it made him smile. Truthfully, he hoped the message had scared thescientist to death, because he planned to use any means necessary to accomplish his goal, even if it involved dangling Lauren Gary’s life as bait.
    Eventually, Jan know that he and the good doctor would meet face-to-face, but that time had not come; there were other details to attend to first, such as finding out what the security protocol surrounding Gary’s residence entailed. Was it large, small? Was Gary still living at the address? None of the moles had been able to glean the answers, so the only option left to him and his associates was to send someone to Michigan to take a look around.
    After a long and sometimes heated debate, and over his objections, Vlad Oskar had been chosen. Jan didn’t trust him, mainly because the mousy Oskar was not Afrikaner and had no real ties to their cause other than the money he’d been paid. Granted, Oskar’s contacts had been the ones to appropriate Lauren Gary’s screen name so that the threatening e-mail could be sent, and with his background in fuel cell research he’d be the person heading up the analysis of the prototype once Jan’s group finally took possession. However, under pressure, Oskar sweated profusely. He called it a genetic disorder, but Jan thought it stemmed from fear.
    However, the others had insisted on using Oskar as their eyes for this mission. No one else in their inner circle had the technical expertise necessary to evaluate the security, and now that their plans were under way, they didn’t want to waste the time or the money bringing in another electronics expert, so the job was Oskar’s. Jan hoped the choice didn’t blow up in their faces. Too much was at stake.
    In other developments, his meeting with the arms dealer had been successful. Orders had been placed and money deposited. Between the e-mail to Gary and the fruitful negotiations with the dealer, Jan was feeling rather good. Oskar was a fly in his pudding, but he set that worry aside for now. A few minutes later he was boarding his plane.
     
    Max awakened disoriented and sore. For a moment neither sensation made sense until her brain shook off the last vestiges of sleep and the memories of last night rose up to make everything clear. She gave her spine a short, careful move and was pleased that it felt no worse than it had before she fell asleep. It hurt still, but not with such agony. She wondered if Dr. Gary was still mad about her taking over his bed. She felt guilty about it and promised to make her apologies as soon as she ran into him.
    Turning her head on the pillow, Max saw Ruby lying on the floor looking up at her, and she gave the dog a small smile. “Morning, girl. Where’s your brother?”
    Ossie wasn’t in the room, but Max was sure he was in the house because if he weren’t Ruby would have let her know the moment he disappeared. Max just hoped that he