Free The Flyboy's Temptation by Kimberly Van Meter Page A

was a part of her that’d worried about the potential implications if it fell into the wrong hands, but she’d been too excited about the breakthroughs to listen to that niggling voice of doubt.
    Now she wished she’d scrapped the project.
    Maybe her boss would still be alive.
    A tear threatened to escape and she turned her face away from J.T. so he wouldn’t see her cry.
    So many things she’d do differently.
    But none of it mattered if she couldn’t get the package to the facility.
    That was what she needed to focus on.
    The rest... Well, the rest was just noise.
    * * *
    J.T. MUST ’ VE DOZED , not surprising since he hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, but when he woke up, they were heading into a dirty, cramped part of the city that looked stuck in the past.
    Dogs ran in the streets along with scraggly children wearing rags, and it was hard not to see the abject poverty everywhere.
    It was a different world than most Americans were accustomed to, but his time in the military had exposed him to cultures vastly different from their own.
    However, Hope was a different story.
    He could see the worry in her expression as she saw children of all ages on the streets when they should’ve been in school. He didn’t have to tell her that most of the street kids would never see the inside of a classroom and the cycle of poverty would continue.
    The truck rumbled to a stop outside a grimy strip mall that didn’t look safe at all, but their ride was over.
    â€œThe airport is that way,” the driver said in a thick accent, pointing west. He waited pointedly, eyeing Hope’s pack, and she hastily gave him some cash.
    â€œThank you,” she murmured, shooting an uncertain look at J.T. as the driver took off. “Please tell me we didn’t just ride four hours in the back of a truck to be murdered outside this building.”
    â€œWe need to find a place where I can buy a phone,” he said, trying to keep her focused. They stuck out like a sore thumb, practically wearing signs on their backs that said “Rob Me”, and he wasn’t about to take any chances.
    Although his first thought was that the driver had screwed them, he quickly realized that he’d actually done them a favor. “Look, there’s an electronics store. They ought to have a phone I can buy. My brother is working on getting us a plane, but I need to be able to contact him.”
    â€œWhen did you call your brother?”
    â€œWhen we first got into Lacanjá.”
    â€œDid you tell him anything about me?” Her voice held an anxious edge and he sensed it had everything to do with that pack and not with their hooking up. He would’ve preferred her anxiety be due to the hooking up for some reason.
    â€œNo, I didn’t say anything. Just that you were a client and we ran into some trouble.”
    â€œGood. Please keep it that way,” she said, visibly relieved. “Let’s go find you a phone.”
    He wanted to say something about her relief, but he kept his mouth shut. They had bigger fish to fry.
    They walked into the small store, and as luck would have it, there was a wall of pay-as-you-go phones with international calling capabilities. Hope threw down her American Express card and they were good to go.
    â€œIs there a limit to that thing?” he asked, curious. Hope didn’t answer, just gave him a short smile. “All right, I get it. Anything associated with your work, your employer, that damn pack on your back is off-limits.”
    â€œIt’s just better that way.”
    â€œBetter for who?”
    â€œFor us both.”
    Somehow he doubted that, but now was not the time to pick at that particular issue.
    â€œYou call your brother and I’ll go get some more cash,” she said, cinching up her pack, then pointing to the small bank across the street.
    â€œI’ll go with you,” he said, uncomfortable with the idea of Hope