Tropical Safeguard (Men Of The Secret Service) (10 page)

“Agent Nielsen, the
dignitaries and the boys want to go on a fieldtrip and the women want to go
shopping in Hamilton.”

“Okay,” Cole said as he
filled his plate. “So?” Cole looked up and met Agent Kensing’s steely blue
eyes.

“So, we’ll split up
then,” the seasoned agent instructed as if he were solely in charge.

“What’s your
preference?” Cole asked, not too bothered by what he was given.

“Fieldtrip. I’ve never
been one for shopping. My wife’s the shopper in the family.”

At his comment, Cole was
reminded that this man actually had a life aside from work, as rocky as that
life may now be.

“Alright, shopping it
is. I can handle that. Will you drive then?”

“No, I’ll take the
driver. I’ll have both dignitaries with me so I need to be overly aware of the
surroundings.”

“Right,” Cole smirked.
“I’ll drive the ladies in the SUV. You’ll have to take the extended van to
carry everyone in one vehicle. Where do they want to go?”

“The Maritime Museum.
Should be interesting, though I’ll be too busy protecting them to take in the
exhibits. Maybe someday I’ll come back for my own enjoyment.”

“Hmm. Sounds good.” Cole
internally chuckled at the man’s rigidity. He was so
prickly
. Agent Kensing hadn’t even
gotten out of a full suit yet. Cole’s uniform of choice was now a white linen
short-sleeved button-down and khaki pants. Yes, they were working and yes the
letter had been suspicious, but this was Bermuda and it was supposed to be a
little relaxed. Cole was convinced that the letter was intended for Mr.
Winters, not Secretary Mitchell. No one would track a man down all the way to
Bermuda unless he had clear-cut enemies. Something didn’t sit right.

Standing at the SUV, Cole waited
patiently for Helene and Trudy to emerge from the house. He leaned a tanned arm
casually against the vehicle. The van carrying the Secretary of State, The
Deputy, and the boys had already left for the museum with Damien driving and
Agent Prickly
in the passenger seat.

As he stood waiting,
Cole’s mind drifted back to his last discussion with Katrina. He couldn’t wrap
his brain around her intentions. What had really brought her here? Although
they’d shared a few conversations now, he still didn’t know much about her. He
wanted to. Even though he was here on an assignment, even though he would only
be here the week, and even though he had just met her a few days ago, Cole felt
a deep need to know everything he could about her. That was a sign.

The sound of gentle
laughter brought his attention around. Helene and Trudy emerged from the grand
front door with their arms looped and heads close. The women were clearly
overjoyed with the prospect of shopping.

“Good morning, Agent
Nielsen. Are you our shopping buddy today?” Helene asked with a smile.

Cole grinned and nodded.
He opened the back door for her and then walked around to do the same for
Trudy.

“Thanks,” she said
casually.

Clearly her role as
Jimmy’s nanny had shifted since she didn’t even accompany him on his fieldtrip.
Perhaps her being here was a way of acknowledging her efforts, a working
holiday of sorts. Cole wondered why an eleven-year-old boy would require a
nanny at all. Perhaps she was more a surrogate mother now than a nanny. Still,
his call to Intel hadn’t revealed anything unusual about the woman; no glaring
hidden secrets.

Cole got into the
drivers seat and started the SUV. He was about to put it into gear when Helene
leaned forward and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Katrina is coming too.
She’ll be out in a moment.”

“Alright then,” Cole
replied calmly, though internally a tense ripple of heat traced through his
body at the mention of her name. It was a good nervousness. This tidbit of
information changed his entire outlook on the trip. As Cole got out of the
vehicle again, he looked up and saw Katrina leave the front door over the roof
of the SUV. He stared, unable to take his eyes off her. As she drew closer to
the truck, Katrina looked up and met his eyes. Cole walked around the back and
met her as she approached the passenger side.

“Here, let me,” he said
opening the front door. Cole watched as she sat in the seat and then swiveled
her toned, tanned legs in. She wore a simple black jersey dress that came to
just above her knees and flat black sandals. The dress hugged her in all the
right areas. Her simplicity spoke volumes. She was fluid elegance at it’s
finest. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low knot and a sweep of bright
lipstick finished off the look.

“Thanks.” She smiled
coyly.

After talking with the
ladies in the backseat about what shops were in the downtown core and the best
places to buy shoes, Katrina looked forward again as the ladies in the back
seat discussed a story about Jimmy, Zachary, and Noah. Katrina and Cole found
themselves sitting in a bit of an awkward silence.

“I missed you this
morning,” she finally said while looking out her side window.

Cole glanced over just
as she turned to look at him. She held his gaze a little longer than he’d
expected. “We had a bit of a situation last night. I’m running on fumes today.”

“Hmm, maybe I should be
driving.”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine.
Nothing a leisurely shopping trip won’t cure,” Cole said playfully and winked.

“Right, men and shopping
are like oil and water.”

“I don’t mind shopping
when you’re tagging along. Didn’t expect to see you on this trip.”

“Well, lets just say
that when I heard you were coming with us, I had an urgent need to buy
something, anything.”

“Wow, I have that much
influence on you?”

Katrina merely smiled
and looked out her window again.

As the conversation in
the backseat quieted, Katrina and Cole stopped talking too. There was something
intimate about their banter, private. It was as if they didn’t want to risk
being overheard or discovered. They were walking a fine line of professionalism
and they were both acutely aware that the line had been crossed. There was no
denying their feelings for one another, but the nagging feelings hid beneath
the surface. Cole got the sense Katrina still found it hard to open up, to
trust.

As they rounded the
final bend that brought them into the bustling capital of Hamilton, Katrina
pointed out several cruise ships stationed in the ferry terminal and wondered
aloud if those aboard were now shopping. Perhaps the posh streets would be
packed with tourists. They’d be rubbing elbows with people from all over the
world – but mostly North Americans escaping November’s cold grip.

“It’s not normally this
packed. Let’s hope we can find a parking spot,” Katrina said as she directed
him to a parking lot just down from the frenzy of the main road.

The tiny town overflowed
with boutiques and restaurants. Narrow cobblestone streets offered all the
charm and elegance that was expected from a British influenced island, and the
ladies were quick to notice the lack of typical cookie-cutter chain stores they
usually found in the United States.

The ladies started their
shopping excursion on Front Street at a dress shop with high-end designer
names. Cole leaned against a wall and waited, watching as the ladies scanned
the racks in search of the perfect garment. They then clamored to the change
room to try them on and critique each other. Cole found the entire process
amusing, and frankly he’d never been shopping with a group of ladies like this
before. He hadn’t realized how intricate and precise the act of choosing just the
right dress entailed. He was glad to be a guy.

“What do you think,
Agent Nielsen, will Edward like this one?” Helene called over.

Cole approached
apprehensively, not quite sure he was allowed in this area of the store. “Um,
yes. It looks great,” he said before returning to his previous spot on the
wall.

“Okay, Agent Nielsen,
you’re off the hook. I won’t ask again.” She reassured over a rack of clothes.
He could hear them giggle at a distance.

Inconspicuously glancing
over at Katrina, he noticed she was trying on a flattering white summer dress.
He had to admit, he was enjoying watching her browse and shop.
That
he
didn’t mind at all. And he especially enjoyed catching Katrina glancing over at
him from time to time as if to gauge his reaction to a certain outfit. As if
his approval meant something to her.

They wound their way
down Reid Street, ducking into a few more quaint clothing shops, two high-end
shoe stores, and finally a café to grab a latte. Sitting at a bistro table on
the sidewalk, the four chatted casually enough. The fact that a male Secret
Service agent accompanied them was irrelevant. Cole fit in effortlessly. He
did, however, scan the surrounding crowd on occasion. He couldn’t forget his
reason for being here in the first place and occasionally looked around the
crowd with interest.

“I saw you buy something
at that last shop, Agent Nielsen. What’d you get?” Helene asked.

Cole pulled a pair of
bright Bermuda shorts out of a bag and the ladies ‘ouued’ and ‘ahhed’. “I had
to get something. I couldn’t walk away from my time here with nothing.” He
grinned, feeling a little awkward but part of the group none-the-less. Katrina
held his gaze a little longer than the other two, sipping her coffee slowly.
Cole would rather leave Bermuda with Katrina on his arm instead, but he knew
that was a fantasy.
 

“I love that dress you
bought, Trudy. It’s a great color for your skin tones.”

“Thanks, Helene.”

The other two ladies
broke into a discussion about hair color and which salons they use back in
Washington. Cole seized his moment of privacy with Katrina and leaned in. “You
know, they say that hotel over there was an intelligence headquarters for
Secret Service agents during the Second World War,” he pointed.

“You mean the Fairmont?”
Katrina asked. “Yes, I’ve actually heard that. But,” she added, leaning in even
closer, “did you know that the real life Commander Bond once lived there
temporarily? As in the character that Ian Fleming based his rogue 007 Agent
on?”

“Now that I
didn’t
know.
Very interesting.” Cole studied her, impressed. Helene and Trudy watched as
Cole and Katrina began a slew of interesting fact exchanges and commentary
about this and that. The two ladies looked at each other with a knowing
expression. The chemistry between the Pilates instructor and the Secret Service
agent was undeniable. Eventually looking up toward the other two women, Cole
realized how he and Katrina had monopolized the conversation. He cleared his
throat and took a sip of his coffee, allowing a lull.

                                   
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“Are you going back for those shoes,
Katrina? You should. You’ll kick yourself if you don’t. But I guess you can
come back any time,” Trudy asked.

“You know, I think I just might.” Katrina
finished the last drop of her latte and rose from the table. Cole rose too, a
polite gesture that the ladies noticed and smiled at. Katrina bit her bottom
lip and suppressed a slight giggle. “Thank you, Agent Nielsen.”

“Will you be okay going
alone?” he inquired.

Helene and Trudy glanced
at each other sideways.

“Um, I think I’ll
survive. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Weaving her way through
the crowd toward Reid Street, Katrina stopped for the red light. Waiting at the
corner, she gawked around at the shops on the opposite side of the street,
biding her time. Looking to the right of the intersection, her eyes locked onto
a man standing on the opposite sidewalk, his hands in his pockets, feet
shoulder-width apart. He stood staring – at her. He had sandy hair and
his mouth was in a straight, sinister smile. A feeling of sheer dread
overpowered Katrina. The light turned green and people streamed past her, yet
she remained planted on the spot, unable to move. A second later, a large
delivery truck blocked her view of him. When it finally passed by, the man was
gone. Katrina strained to get a better look, her heart palpitating at
break-neck speed. Was her mind playing some cruel, sadistic trick or had her ex
really been there, sizing her up form across the street? Feeling her breath
catch and hyperventilation creeping in, she turned and ran back to the café.

“That was fast,” Helene
said. “Where’s the bag?”