Read My Spy for Free Online Page B

as far as your staff knows, I'm here to handle the upgrades on your computersystem and check out resort security, but I'm fully prepared to handle whatever else you want to throw at me.” He took a sleek laptop computer from his flight bag and set it carefully on the dresser. “Sam's going to need
you
a heck of a lot more than he needs me, so consider me at your disposal. I can handle followups, guest bookings, and inventory checks. I can even calculate your payroll.”
    “Something tells me doing payroll's not in your usual job description,” Annie mused.
    “I put in some time on a cruise ship last year. It was an interesting experience.”
    “Why am I thinking murder, mayhem, and national security threats?”
    His lips curved. “Beats me. Let's just say, I know the drill.”
    “I'm sure it would make an interesting story. Then again, you're probably not allowed to discuss any of it.”
    Izzy smiled and said nothing, pointing to Annie's cell phone. “Remember to keep that with you. It's programmed so all you have to do is punch the star key if you need me.”
    “I seriously doubt that I'll have any emergencies involving inventory or staff payroll.” She examined the high-tech phone as if it might bite her. “On the other hand, if my test pilot doesn't agree to ditch his stash of gin, I may need you to escort him from the premises.”
    “Not a problem.” Izzy finished checking the room, then headed back to the door. “After you.”
    “Are you going somewhere?”
    “I'll see you to your house.”
    “That's not necessary. It's just across the courtyard and we haven't had a robbery here in ten years.”
    “I'm glad to hear it, but from now on it's SOP.”
    “Silly old plan?”
    Izzy's eyes glinted. “Standard operating procedure.”
    Annie went very still. “Is Sam in some kind of danger?”
    “There's no reason to think so.”
    “In that case, am I?”
    Izzy continued to stand in the doorway. “None that we're aware of.”
    “Then why all these precautions?”
    Izzy motioned her outside, all the time scanning the darkness. Annie realized he had memorized the layout of the resort and its outlying buildings. Beneath his engaging facade, the man had a razor-sharp intelligence and years of solid experience. Annie was also sure that most of his work was classified.
    Why had the Navy sent a smart, experienced operative to protect a wounded man from possible media exploitation?
    It didn't add up.
    Surf rumbled in the distance as they cut through the dark courtyard. “Well?”
    “Twenty million viewers saw Sam save that bus. The Navy can use that kind of good publicity.”
    “It's better than sexual harassment suits,” Annie murmured. “So they're going to get as much mileage as possible out of their newest hero.”
    Izzy moved a branch out of Annie's way. “Every journalist in America wants a piece of this story. If his location is leaked, Summerwind is going to be knee-deep in Mike Wallace wannabes.”
    Annie frowned. If Izzy was right, Sam could lose the peace and quiet he needed for recovery, and she would lose all her high-profile clients, who guarded their privacy obsessively. “What's the problem? The Navy has taken precautions so that no one will know Sam is here.” She stopped in the darkness, struck by a sudden, uneasy thought. “Unless there's a slip at your end.”
    Izzy said nothing.
    “That's the real reason you're here, isn't it? Somehow the news has gotten out.”
    They were outside the garden around her house now. Moonlight had turned the hollyhocks into a row of dancing silverpetals. After scanning the darkness, Izzy climbed the steps, tried Annie's door, and frowned.
    “I told you to keep this locked.” Before she could protest, he stepped inside, switched on the inner light, and vanished.
    Another security check, Annie realized.
    Some powerful people were taking Sam's safety very seriously. But she wanted the whole story, not a carefully edited civilian version. When Izzy