even in the low lighting, he observed the pulse at the base of her throat beat rapidly at his nearness. Along with the delicate flush of her cheek, the parting of her lush lips, and the soft, barely audible sigh that escaped them.
But what disturbed him more was his own reaction. When he took her hand to escort her along the street, rolling warmth gripped him and nearly made his knees buckle. What's more, when he passed her the mug of tea and their fingers brushed, it caused his heart to skip a beat. The only woman to cause such a response had been Glenna. The few women he’d been with since never registered any reaction from him and certainly not any warmth. But this one did. It concerned him. In truth, he should notify Fred and demand he find another operative to see to her safety and protection.
For the most part, he’d moved past the melancholia that settled in his soul at Glenna’s untimely and violent death, but it made an impression, enough to convince him he did not want to love again. The hurt and pain too much to bear. As if any woman would love him. Glenna had been special as were the circumstances surrounding their unconventional romance. She encouraged him more than once to live on for the both of them, embracing all life had to offer including love. With an unknown number of years ahead of them, it was a promise easy to keep. Now with her gone, the promise was easy to forget.
Eventually, he managed three hours sleep and after bathing and dressing, he even ate a piece of toast with marmalade, washing it down with watery coffee before making his way to the SIS offices at fifty-four Broadway. The front of the building had a sign stating The Minimax Fire Extinguisher Company resided there. Nothing could be further from the truth. No one who worked inside used the front entry. They used a secret entrance at the rear at twenty-one Queen Anne’s Gate. Luke usually parked a block away and walked to the back door as he did this morning.
Once inside, he sprinted up the stairs taking them two at a time and headed straight to Fred’s office. He always liked the interior of this building with its twelve-foot vaulted ceilings, nineteenth century gable windows, and ornate plaster walls and trim.
Of course, Fred was already there, a mug of steaming tea sitting before him on the desk. “Ah, Luke. Take a seat. I’ve sent word and Miss Browning is to join us at quarter past ten, which will give us time to go over her file more closely.”
Luke hung his trench coat on the hook along with his hat and scarf, but kept his French-made aviator sunglasses on. When he was reanimated, his eyes were affected. It was as if his irises exploded, and they now resembled the color spectrum of a kaleidoscope. Glenna had found them attractive and mesmerizing. Since most people were put off by the strange mixture of colors, he wore dark glasses to hide them. People stared at him enough as it was. Sitting opposite, he reached across the desk and took the file folder from Fred’s outstretched hand. “A little thin, is it not?”
“Not much background on her apparently.”
Luke frowned as he flipped back and forth between the sparse pages. “I would ask her questions on her family when she arrives. Fill in the blanks.”
Fred arched an eyebrow. “And you will be the lie detector?”
“I’m certainly more accurate than a polygraph test. Also, there are not many details of her affair with this Otto Kroger.”
“What did it matter? As long as she got the information we needed, which she did.” Fred crossed his arms. “I agree the reporting is slipshod, she wasn’t my agent. The man who ran her is now dead, and because of it, we cannot question him on why he kept such sketchy records. At the start of the war things were chaotic, poor records kept, many mistakes made. No one sure of whom was in charge of what. We have a firmer handle on it now.”
Luke stared at the picture of Otto Kroger. The headshot photograph was professionally taken for his business due to the pose and expensive suit. He observed a coldly handsome man with amazing bone structure, a high forehead, and prominent cheekbones. The man’s nose was long with a high bridge, but it didn’t mar his Nordic good looks. Judging from the width of his shoulders he must have been tall and seeing his face was lean, Luke assumed his body type was as well.
If he were a woman, he supposed he would be attracted to the strong line of his jaw and the full lower lip. A stab of envy slid in between his ribs thinking of Gillian in bed with this man. “Obviously it was not a hardship for her to seduce this Germanic God,” he mumbled sarcastically.
The corner of Fred’s mouth quirked in amusement. “Do I detect a touch of envy, Uncle?”
Luke shrugged. “I do not believe it is the case. But using sex as a weapon to get what you want from a person is distasteful.”
Fred laughed. “This coming from you, the dissolute rake of the Victorian age?”
Luke closed the folder and tossed it across the desk. “You may find the irony amusing, but I am no longer that man. I am the furthest thing from a prude, but it is a low, devious way to secure information.”
Fred reached for the folder. “Well, it is an effective weapon and all part and parcel in the world of spying, a human weakness easy to manipulate. If her efforts helped speed along the code breaking work being done at Bletchley Park, then I applaud her for it.”
Luke felt a little sheepish. Miss Browning deserved his respect, not his censure. To be blunt, he was jealous. He envied the man for being the recipient of her attentions. A disturbing thought. Luke shook away the overwhelming emotions. “Perhaps you should find her another protector. She is stirring up forgotten…. Forget it. Let me tell you what happened last night after I left you.”
He told Fred of the air raid shelter, the exchange of conversation, and him walking her to the end of the street.
“Ah,” Fred said in a soft voice. “She moved you. I can assign someone else, but I’d rather it be you, Luke. I trust you implicitly. Besides, the arrangements should not take long. We will temporarily relocate her at one of our safe houses nearby until we can see to her secure move to Canada. I can’t see the assignment taking any more than two weeks, three at most.”
Luke didn’t want to disappoint his nephew. Surely he could control his wayward and unpredictable emotions for the length of the assignment. “All right. I will see the job done. I will stay detached and professional. One more thing, she acted nervous and wary, not sure the reason behind it.”
Fred crossed his arms again and smiled. “Maybe you affected her.”
About to protest even though he knew he affected her, Fred’s intercom buzzed. “Miss Browning to see you, sir,” Fred’s secretary trilled.
Luke jumped from his chair and stood at the window, looking out onto the street, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Send her in.”
The door opened and the sensual scent of Chanel No. 5 slammed his senses, causing his breath to hitch. “You wish to see me, Mr. Parker?” Her soft, feminine voice affected him afresh. Due to her presence, trying to stay detached and professional became more difficult.
“Yes. First, let me introduce you to Special Operative Luke Newman.”
Luke slowly turned to face her. Gillian stumbled, her hand flying to her mouth in shock.
Then she screamed.
Chapter 4
It was
