Free The Spy Is Cast by Diane Henders

the crowd, and I sipped the wine again, relaxing against the
bar and letting my eyes roam casually across the gazebo. As soon as
Harchman vanished in the crush, I stepped back beside Kane.
    “I think I’m going to
puke,” I whispered.
    He chuckled. “You did
fine. You’re full of surprises. I didn’t know you were an
oenophile.”
    “I’m not. I’m a
dedicated beer drinker. I learned the lingo so I didn’t look like a
total idiot at Robert’s business dinners.”
    “Well, you had me
fooled.” He put his arm around me and leaned down, hiding his lips
in my hair. “Try the network.”
    I slipped my arm
around him and leaned my head on his shoulder. Concentrating on
being Robert, I stepped into the void, then immediately backed out,
heart pounding. Pain slammed into my head and I controlled my face
and reflexive profanity with a supreme effort. Kane’s arm was tight
around me, and I stood on my own feet again as quickly and
unobtrusively as possible.
    Kane smiled down at
me. His facial expression and body language were casual, but his
eyes were filled with concern. I smiled back, linking my arms
around his neck as I stood on tiptoe to place my lips near his
ear.
    My mind went
momentarily blank when his arms closed around me, pressing me
against his hard-muscled body. I refocused with difficulty.
    “It’s here,” I
whispered. “Broadcasting right out here. What the hell are they
doing?”
    He shook his head as
we drew apart. “Let’s circulate.”
    Kane moved confidently
through the crowd, greeting people he apparently knew as business
associates and making small talk. I followed, thankful I hadn’t
seen anyone I recognized. I laughed and chatted with a couple of
people, channelling my alien business persona with more ease than
I’d expected. Funny how the skills you never wanted to learn are
the ones that stay with you.
    I was turning to snag
a curried shrimp from a passing tray when a movement at the
entrance caught my eye. Kane and I exchanged a glance at the sight
of the two large black-clad men who moved purposefully through the
crowd, their eyes in constant motion while they scanned faces. They
both wore security earpieces, and when one of them turned sideways
to avoid a guest, I glimpsed a holster under his suit jacket.
    My heart kicked my
ribs when the second man’s intent gaze fell on me, and I tried to
hold my face in a pleasant expression. I smothered a sigh of relief
when his eyes roamed past without reaction. Kane’s arm slipped
around my waist, and I managed a plastic smile while he introduced
me to yet another person I wouldn’t remember in ten seconds.
    The two men concluded
their walk-through and vanished, and Kane leaned down. “Okay?” he
whispered against my ear.
    I gave him my best
confident smile. “Fine,” I said, and concentrated on slowing my
pounding pulse.
    Willing calm, I
nibbled a few more of the delicious hors d’oeuvres and finished my
wine. No sooner had I drained the glass than the waiter appeared
with a fresh one. I thanked him, Kane tipped him again, and I
raised my glass in thanks to Dave the bartender as well.
    The evening dragged
on. My feet hurt and my face was stiff from smiling by the time
dinner was announced.
    I sighed silently as
we made our way arm in arm up the walkway toward the main house.
Kane must have felt the rise and fall of my rib cage, because he
leaned down to my ear. “Hang in there. The food’s going to be
excellent.”
    I gave him my first
sincere smile of the evening, my spirits rising. He knew the way to
my heart.

Chapter 10
    When we entered the
magnificent foyer of the house, I let go of Kane’s arm. “I’m going
to go and freshen up.”
    He nodded, and I moved
across the marble-paved space in the direction I’d seen other women
take. Sure enough, there was a powder room a short distance down
the hallway. I chatted politely with several other women while I
waited my turn.
    Once inside, I sat on
the toilet, balanced carefully, and