Nauti Temptress

“It should,” Brogan assured him. “My question is, how did you find us?”

Doogan smiled complacently. “This is a political retreat, Brogan. All those nasty politicians with their young mistresses need someplace safe to hide. And someone has to make sure the place doesn’t get overcrowded. That job falls to me.”

“And if it does? Get overcrowded, that is,” Brogan asked mockingly.

Doogan shrugged. “Federal Protective Service has a houseboat stored along a nearby tributary and another cabin hidden along the lake. But overcrowding doesn’t happen if one is diligent.”

“Regular little caretaker, aren’t you?” Brogan taunted him.

Doogan tilted his head to the side. “Why do I keep seeing a real dishonorable discharge in your future?”

Brogan shrugged. “Wishful thinking maybe? Because we both know John David Bryce isn’t going to allow that.”

Doogan’s eyes flashed with rueful laughter rather than the offense Brogan had intended.

“There is that,” Doogan agreed. “It’s kind of hard to fire the director of Homeland Security’s bastard son, I would imagine.”

“Well, a few have tried.” Brogan shrugged. “I’m still here.”

“Unfortunately, unfortunately,” Doogan lamented on a sigh. “But I didn’t come up here to trade insults, as much as I do enjoy the opportunity. And neither did I come up here to warn you about Dawg. Though I would enjoy being present when he finds you.”

Brogan only snorted at the comment as he waited to see why Doogan had shown up.

Stepping from the boat, Doogan started around the small clearing. “It’s really rather pretty here,” he commented.

“Get to the point, Doogan,” Brogan growled. “I have things to do.”

Concern flashed in Doogan’s eyes for a second before the brown depths were once again icy and emotionless.

“We need to seriously discuss this operation,” he warned Brogan. “I know you; you intend to tell her your purpose for being here, and the fact that you were ordered to develop a friendship with her.”

Brogan’s brow lifted as he noticed the amused amazement on Elijah’s and Jed’s faces.

“A friendship?” Brogan questioned him. “Doogan, you’ve been playing pimp from afar for more than two years in your attempt to get me to invite myself into her bed. It was only your dumb luck that I wasn’t able to stay the hell away from her any longer.”

Doogan slid one hand casually into the pocket of his slacks as he stared back at Brogan coolly.

“I did you a favor, actually,” he drawled. “You’ll thank me for it later.”

“Get the hell out of here before I have to shoot you.” Brogan glowered back at him. “I don’t have time to deal with you.”

“Not until we discuss what you intend to tell Ms. Mackay.”

“The truth,” Brogan snapped. “I won’t lie to her.”

“I would highly suggest doing just that,” his boss ordered. “She hasn’t been cleared for this operation, and her brother and cousins sure as hell haven’t been cleared for it.” He swiped his fingers through his hair as he glared at Brogan now. “I’m ordering you not to inform her of your true purpose for being here. You will stick to the parameters of your cover and tell her nothing more.”

Brogan almost laughed. Doogan liked to think he had some measure of control over his agents, but they’d all learned how to deal with his manipulations.

“Go to hell, Doogan. Tell me something I want to hear or get the hell out of here,” he warned, hostile.

Brogan might not know what he was up to yet, but he’d figure it out. When he did . . . well, it wouldn’t be the first time the two of them had fought.

“There are a few details we need to go over,” Doogan began.

“Like the one where someone slipped into Eve’s room last night,” Elijah spoke up. “We saw it on the cameras when we returned to the i

Brogan slid his gaze to Doogan slowly.

The other man stared back at him coolly before turning to Elijah and Jed. “I could have taken care of that.”

“I was trying to help you out, boss.” Elijah shrugged with a tight grin.

Doogan snorted in disbelief as he turned to Brogan. “You inspire insubordination,” he accused irritably.

“You’re welcome.” Brogan inclined his head in a gesture of gracious accomplishment before turning back to Jed and Elijah. “Did they take anything from her room?”

Elijah shook his head in the negative. “They searched the hell out of it, though. She won’t be happy.”

She wasn’t going to be happy to begin with.

“Why search her room?” he asked thoughtfully. “I can understand searching mine, but why hers?”

“Maybe to be certain you hadn’t hidden anything there,” Doogan pointed out. “You would expect your room to be searched, but not that of a woman you hadn’t even made your lover yet.”

Brogan frowned, turning to Eli. “Did anyone leave the trip yesterday after I did?”

Eli grimaced. “Poppa Bear called it off after you left. He said he wasn’t going searching for scenic destinations or those caves the group was heading to see without the leader of the pack.” He chuckled.

Doogan snickered at the comment.

“This happened before we arrived back at the i

Sambo was a bear of a man and often pretended he didn’t know his own ass from a hole in the mountain, let alone how to find some of the most popular caves in Kentucky.

“Did anyone know why I left?”

Jed and Elijah shook their heads. “I don’t know if Do

“You know, Brogan, that boy’s acting damned strange anyway after the two of them went ape shit thinking one of them might die. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they might love each other. A lot.” Jed shook his head at the thought.

“That little strike was unsanctioned as hell,” Doogan reminded them all before glaring at Brogan. “You don’t use agency resources to get vengeance over a perceived slight to a potential girlfriend, Agent Campbell.”

Brogan found it strange that Doogan knew about it to begin with. And he’d had to have said something to Jed or Eli about it first for either of them to have discussed it with him.

Brogan turned to the other two men. “Is that everything Doogan needed to tell me?”

Eli gri

“Anything else I need to know before you leave?”

“Don’t tell her what you’re doing here, Brogan,” Doogan warned him again. “She’ll tell her brother, her brother will tell his cousins, and then I’ll have to start arresting Mackays.”

“I’ll consider your argument. . . .”

“No, damn you, you won’t consider shit,” Doogan burst out furiously as he stepped closer. “I’m giving you a direct order, you little son of a bitch. If you want to keep your job, you’ll obey it.”

Brogan’s eyes narrowed, though he was very damn careful to hold back the suspicion he could feel churning in his gut.

“Feel that strongly about it, do you?” he asked softly.

“I feel that strongly about your deliberate, constant insubordination,” Doogan snapped. “Get a handle on it before I take care of it myself.”

Stepping onto the bow of the fishing boat, Doogan stepped back into the boat and took his seat as he shot Brogan a deliberately superior look.