Free King's Crusade (Seventeen) by AD Starrling

call back.’
    ‘We could drive to Port Said,’ Jackson suggested in a distinctly reluctant tone as she disconnected.
    She shook her head. ‘A boat will be quicker.’
    The phone rang a while later. Alexa listened closely while the Crovir tech spoke. ‘The Abu Tig marina? Good. And Dragov?’ She scowled at the tech’s response. ‘Nothing? All right. I’ll be in touch if I need anything else.’ She ended the call.
    ‘The Abu Tig marina is fifty miles north of here,’ said Jackson.
    She raised her eyebrows. ‘Have you been there before?’
    ‘No.’ He shrugged. ‘I read about it once.’
    Alexa recalled Reznak’s words as she started the engine. It seemed her godfather had also been correct about Jackson’s eidetic memory.
    Seconds after she pulled away from the curb, El Bashir exited the building that housed his shipping company. The fat man froze in his tracks when he saw the Jeep go by.
    ‘That guy is gonna have a heart attack before the week’s out,’ Jackson muttered pityingly.

    It was after ten when they reached the resort town of El Gouna and the Abu Tig marina. Lights were still on in the restaurants and bars that lined the harbor, and tourists and locals strolled along the busy promenades.
    Alexa drove to a hotel close to the waterfront and checked them into a room. Jackson’s eyes widened when he saw the pair of fake passports she showed to the receptionist.
    ‘Mr. and Mrs. Thompson? I hope you enjoy your stay with us,’ the man behind the main desk said with a bright smile.
    ‘We’ll need an early checkout in the morning,’ said Alexa.
    ‘Not a problem,’ the receptionist replied with a gracious nod. His smile grew stilted when his gaze fell on their bare ring fingers.
    ‘She’s allergic to jewelry,’ said Jackson, flashing a grin at the man.
    The receptionist’s eyebrows rose slightly. He glanced at their bags. ‘Do you have any other luggage?’
    ‘No,’ said Alexa. She took the passkey and headed in the direction of the room.
    ‘And men. She’s allergic to men,’ Jackson added under his breath as he strode after her. ‘Hey, can I have a look at that passport?’
    She handed him the document.
    ‘When did you do this? And isn’t this picture from my Harvard ID badge?’ he said as he scanned the passport.
    ‘I had it made while you were packing yesterday. Fawkes had it ready at the airport.’ She stopped in front of the door to their room and swiped the passkey across the lock. The lights came on automatically when they crossed the threshold.
    Jackson stared at the layout of the twin room with a deadpan expression. ‘For a second there, I thought we were gonna share a bed.’
    Alexa gave him a flinty look.
    ‘A man can but hope,’ he added with an unapologetic shrug.
    ‘Get some rest.’ She dropped her bag on the bed closest to the door. ‘We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.’
     
    Chapter Five
    T hey checked out of the hotel shortly after seven the next morning and made the short journey to the marina on foot. Alexa headed past several luxury yachts until she reached a berth where a sleek, black and chocolate-brown Hunton powerboat was docked.
    A man stood on the polished teak deck; a good six feet tall, with wavy dark hair and gray eyes, he looked like a model who had just stepped off a runway in Milan. ‘Miss Adams?’ he said in a faint Florentine accent, his gaze running appreciatively over her form.
    ‘Yes,’ she replied impassively.
    ‘You’re dead on time,’ said the Italian. His lips curved in a dazzling smile.
    ‘Adams? What’d you do, get a divorce overnight?’ Jackson murmured darkly behind her. She ignored him and stepped onto the boat. He hesitated before following her cautiously.
    The Italian man’s gaze shifted curiously between them. ‘And this would be?’
    ‘An associate,’ said Alexa. She caught Jackson’s scowl out of the corner of her eye and felt an odd sense of satisfaction.
    She was irascible again after last night. While