Flawlessly Executed (Dark Horse Guardians Book 3) (7 page)

“Oh that’s wonderful, Abby.” Lara replied sweetly, a little too sweetly, Abby thought.

“Oh gosh, this salad is delicious,” Lara gushed, “I’m sorry, Abby, if I knew you were here I would’ve gotten one for you.”

Abby took her cue to leave, “Tell you what, Ben, I was thinking of walking around the neighborhood and this might be the perfect time to do that. I’ll go check out some houses in the area to see I can find a rental. I’ll drop back later before I leave.”

Ben handed Abby her sweater and purse and walked her to the office door. “Sure. Just call if you need anything. You’re new to the area and I’ll answer any questions.”

As Abby escaped through the doorway she noticed Lara happily eating her salad. She even smiled at Abby and waved goodbye with the fork in her hand. Abby wondered what Lara would be saying to Ben once she left.

Lucy Adams had offered to take her on a ride through the neighborhood to find an apartment; she headed back to the dean’s office to take her up on the offer.

~ Ben ~

Talk about timing
. His wife could not have arrived at a more awkward moment. Ben knew what the scene probably
looked
like. He was trying to read Lara’s thoughts. She was probably under the impression that Ben was having lunch with Abby and had given her a campus tour. She was right about the campus tour, but he did not intend to invite Abby for lunch. That would be too much, even though they were old friends. He didn’t want to get the relationship off to a bad start. Lara had set his lunch before him.

“Thank you for the lunch, darlin…I didn’t bring one today.” He spoke lovingly to her.

“How’s Abby doing?” she queried.

“She’s pretty much the same.” Ben replied flatly.

Lara stopped eating and stared into his eyes, “Same old person?”

This
he did not want to discuss.

“There’s really not much to say about her. Abby and I dated for a while in high school. Period.” Ben exhaled.

Lara was busy eating but let another question slip out, “What happened back then? Did you break it off with her or did she break it off with you?”

Ben eyes dropped to the salad bowl. “Does it really matter?”

“Oh, do tell me. I love a good story.” Lara exclaimed with a little too much enthusiasm.

Agitated, Ben stood up and paced across the office floor to his desk. He didn’t want to talk about Abby, but figured he had to get some details out of the way.

“Look, it was like this. She was my first
real
girlfriend. Her parents didn’t like me. They set her up with this other guy, he was at West Point. She ended up marrying him.”

“And, go on.” Lara waved her hand,

“It didn’t work out.” Ben wrinkled his brow.

Lara tilted her head, “Oh, poor Abby. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Darn, look at the time. I’ve got to get back.” Lara glanced at the clock and stopped eating. Within a minute Lara collected her purse and walked out of his office. She waved her hand, “I’ll see you tonight for dinner, Ben…” She stopped to rub Einstein’s ears and she didn’t kiss Ben goodbye.

He cringed as he watched her exit; but at the same moment realized how gorgeous she looked in that red suit. He felt a twinge of sadness that he didn’t get to tell her how beautiful she was. Hell he didn’t even get to kiss her goodbye.
What just happened
? He felt horrible about her walking in while he was with Abby. But he didn’t even know why he felt so badly. Nothing had happened.

Lara seemed to be taking this all in stride. He wondered why she wasn’t more suspicious about Abby. Couldn’t she see the possibilities here? His old girlfriend working a few doors down the hall from his office. The possibility ran through his mind that maybe Lara just didn’t care about it.
Or, maybe she didn’t care about him.
That thought was painful to consider.

The rest of his day was filled with messages from Moshe and some action on the Dark Horse gaming site with the team. The detailed plan was being formulated and he buried himself in the computer until the dinner hour approached.

Sixteen of the men they would execute were visiting high end concubines at a secluded coastal restaurant. The building they gathered in would be perfect for the hit.

The armed guards would need to be taken out before the targets could be executed. Currently, all of the targets were being tracked with miniscule GPS devices attached to their vehicles and forward-deployed drones the size of a mosquito. These were
inside
drones that delivered crisp sound and images.

Four of the targets ate breakfast together at the same café every week.

Twenty two of them attended the same mosque.

The Dark Horse site connected to Moshe’s war room looked like a high-resolution computer war-game. In fact, it was the tactical plan dissected into second-by-second moves. Each time Ben logged on, there was more information and the plan improved. Statistics and probability algorithms were built in. Real-time satellite imaging was overlaid.

Interrupting his computer work, several new students dropped by to ask questions and chat with him. But most of the afternoon was spent with Moshe and his men. Although, the thought of Lara lingered in the back of his mind.

~ Lara ~

A text arrived on her phone mid-afternoon from Ben asking if she would like to have dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. She sent an enthusiastic reply, “Yes!” and the afternoon was a blur of activity at the firm. Ben was waiting for her at the doorway when she arrived home. He had taken Einstein for a run and they were both panting heavily.

He kissed her and huffed, “I need to clean up a bit. I’ll be right back, darlin…” She washed her face in the powder room and brushed her teeth and applied a soft red lipstick. Ben appeared dressed in chinos and a sweater. The evening air was cooler now.

Ben wedged himself into the Fiat and made Lara giggle.

“I think I need to get a slightly bigger vehicle for your six foot two body!” she announced,

Their conversation was normal. They bantered about which vehicle to purchase and Lara chose a Mercedes SUV, which was fine with Ben. Lara watched his every move even though she was exhausted from her day at the firm.
She wondered what had transpired with Abby.
She forced herself to smile and gave Ben the benefit of the doubt.
But the picture of Abby laughing in his office remained etched in her mind. Lara didn’t have a good feeling in her gut about this chick.

Ben had reserved a table at a tiny French bistro overlooking the Fore River in Portland. The service was impeccable and the meal delicious. Ben seemed curious about the meetings she had at the firm, “How did your day go? Any new challenges at the firm?”

Lara ticked through the list of things she talked about with the attorney and she mentioned Finn’s unannounced arrival. She watched Ben’s face but he seemed to be neutral on the subject of the disbursement of the money.

“Enough about me, Ben…how did
your
day go? Did Abby find an apartment? That was when she noticed his demeanor changed ever so slightly. She could tell he didn’t want to talk about Abby.
His reluctance only served to heighten the suspicion already lurking in her mind.

~ Ben ~

The dinner was fantastic until Lara started her lengthy explanation of what she planned to do with Eliot’s fortune. Most of it would be set aside in a trust for her…
in case he left her
.
What was that all about?
He would never leave her willingly, and he had major life insurance policies in place in the event of his death. But, if the money sitting in a trust made her feel secure and happy, he could live with that.

The thing that still bothered him was the fawning she was doing over Hawk.
Yes, the guy saved her life and there were many ways to show gratitude. But, Ben thought it was over-the-top to pull him into the business and reward him with physical assets.
And was it really necessary for her to be in contact with Hawk every day?

Hawk was taking up exorbitant amounts of his wife’s time. Or was it the other way around? Then again, it was so like Lara to be kind to a guy who was trying to make something of himself after such a rough start. He had to admire her generosity when it came to Hawk, but hoped that’s
all
it was.
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder why she spent so much of her time fawning over a grown man capable of caring for himself.

Lara was once again asking about Abby. “Tell me more about her, Ben.”

There was nothing to say about her. Ben spoke firmly as he gazed into his wife’s lovely eyes, “I’ve got to accept the fact that Abby has landed a teaching position at the university. I will be running into her from time to time. But I have no plans to become fast friends. Our friendship is in the past and I’m not planning on rekindling it. I’d really prefer to drop the subject.”

As Ben’s eyes drifted upward, he saw the figure of a man standing in the doorway with an attractive middle-aged woman on his arm. Late, as usual, Kip Larson made it to the restaurant. Ben nodded to him and the handsome couple made their way to the private table. He saw Lara’s eyes go wide as he introduced the pair and they sat down to order dessert.

Kip Larson almost smiled, “Lovely place, Portland Maine. Sorry we’re late, but stopped in a few shops along the way. There are some fabulous jewelry shops on this block. Well, have you made a decision, Chief?”

Men dressed in black hovered at the tiny bar and one stood near the doorway of the small dining room. Secret service. He saw the smile dissipate from Lara’s lovely face.

Finally, Ben knew he had to bring up the subject of the upcoming mission and presumed it would go over like a lead balloon. He turned to Lara to explain, “I’ve got something coming up around the Thanksgiving break.” He watched Lara’s beautiful green eyes become expressionless. Ben felt an overwhelming urge to reassure her, “It’s not a big deal. It’s an overseas trip, but no longer than a week or two. It won’t be like that last one. Oh, darlin – please don’t look at me like that.”

Lara glanced down at the food on her plate and she peered at Larson as she took a sip of water from the crystal glass. Ben sensed she was a bit intimidated sitting across from the CIA’s Special Activities Director and he wished he would have told her in advance.

She was silent for a few minutes and Ben dreaded what might be coming. Finally, she spoke. But it wasn’t with a tone of anger or frustration.

“Sure, I understand.” Her eyes moved over Larson and his wife, “It’s strictly business. I won’t be cooking a turkey dinner this year. It’s no big deal.”

Larson smiled, which was rare for him. Then he took a sip of brandy, “Support is very important in this field, Lara, and I’m glad to see you are so understanding with the Chief, ah,…I mean Ben.”

However, Ben perceived a mood swing in her lovely demeanor. He detected the slightest hint of a tear welling in her eyes. Dinner was over. Although he had anticipated lingering with Larson and his wife at the table, he stood up and caught the waiter’s attention. As he paid the bill, he asked him to put the cheesecake with fresh blackberry sauce in a container to go.

“I’m sorry.” Ben whispered to Larson. “I’ll be in touch.”

Larson nodded, “I understand.”

Lara was quiet as Ben slipped her sweater around her shoulders and she graciously said goodbye to their guests. As Ben opened the car door, he saw one teardrop slide down her cheek.

“I don’t want you to go, Ben,” she whispered. Lara touched his hand. He embraced her tightly for a moment. She slid into the passenger seat while he drove. Lara fumbled for a tissue in her bag. The ride home was absent of conversation. A cynical inner-voice spoke to him,
you’re leaving her alone again. Don’t you see what it’s doing to her?

~ Lara ~

Inside the house she stopped feeling sorry for herself. She pulled her hair loose and walked onto the porch where Ben was sitting with Einstein. When she looked into Ben’s blue eyes he seemed to be pleading with her for mercy. She pulled him from the porch glider and he followed her into the master bedroom.

The room was dark but the hall lamp illuminated Ben’s features. She pulled him toward her and felt him come alive. She felt a lovely heady sensation as Ben nuzzled her neck. His kiss was slow, thoughtful, and she was loving it. His tongue traced the fullness of her lips. This was what she needed; an affirmation of Ben’s love here and now. It seemed she never needed him so much.

She hastily removed his shirt and pants and tossed her clothing on the floor, then whispered, “I’ll meet you in the shower.” As she strolled across the room she felt Ben watching her and knew he couldn’t wait. She turned the hot water on and got into the shower and instantly felt him behind her, his lips on her neck and his hands on her waist. She gave him the soap and he washed her body slowly and sensuously until she couldn’t stand it any longer. His gentle massage sent currents of desire through her. He knew he was putting her close to the edge, and she’d pull away and tease him, too. He took her hands, encouraging her to explore. She soaped him and they enjoyed the powerful pulse of hot water as they rinsed together.