Calculated deception, p.23
Calculated Deception, page 23
“Of course. Take the file, and catch him up when you see him.”
Cam placed the file into his laptop bag. “Good. Let’s do this.”
“Stay safe out there. That’s an order, Cam.” Morgan raised her hand in a half wave as Cam stood to leave. Cam grinned. She didn’t let him get away with much and had no problem kicking his metaphorical ass when necessary, but she didn’t want to see him get hurt. It was sweet. But if he told her that, she’d kick him out of her office. So, a salute was probably safest.
Cam raised his hand to his head, both as a sign of respect and out of the habit he’d never broken since he left the Navy. “Yes, ma’am.”
3
Dani woke up in her room in a cold sweat, her body clenched into a tight ball from the vivid nightmare. She couldn’t remember the details; only the potent mixture of hopelessness and fear lingered as she blinked her eyes open. She was safe. In her hotel room. At the conference. She unclenched her fists and rubbed her eyes. The too-quiet room, still blanketed in darkness, didn’t help. Squinting at the glowing numbers on the digital clock, she sighed. Grateful the night was over and 7 a.m. was the same in every language, she ran her hand along the night stand to find the switch for the lamp.
Dani hauled her body upright and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. She pulled back the curtains in her room and took a moment to admire the view just outside of her window before she even left the bed. While the room was average in size by European standards, the quarters were more cramped than a typical hotel room in the States. The early morning light beckoned her to leave the confines of her temporary home for a walk in the brisk Austrian air. If someone really was out to get her, they’d have to be an early riser. Her stomach rumbled. A pastry before the conference began would be just the thing to clear the negative thoughts from her head.
Dani changed into a light sweater and jeans, splashed some water on her face, and laced up her tennis shoes to find sustenance and peace of mind. Once she was out walking on the cobblestone streets, she detoured into tiny alleys separating crowded groups of buildings to take a closer look at the architecture. Despite narrow streets, the charm of her surroundings kept her from feeling suffocated. Dani’s shoulders relaxed as she wandered. She took her time before deciding on a busy café a few blocks from the hotel.
After an impossibly flaky pastry and strong tea, Dani returned to her room with a bounce in her step to change into more professional clothing for the conference. She took a shower and brushed out her long, black hair, but was unhappy with the results. She settled on pulling it up into a sensible bun at the back of her head and decided to wear her least uncomfortable dress clothes. Dani eyed the evil power heels she had worn the day before and tossed them into the back corner of her temporary closest so she wouldn’t be tempted to choose beauty over sensibility at the last minute. Instead, she retrieved her trustworthy flats from her suitcase, and grabbed her room key, cell phone and notebook. There was one day of the conference remaining, and she was ready to make the most of it.
Time passed slowly in the wake of a poor night’s sleep and without the adrenaline boost of presenting in front of a crowd. Worse, she was eager to see more of the city after her brief tour this morning. She dutifully took notes, however, since the foundation had paid her for her travel, and she felt obligated to bring something back in return. Lunch was extremely decent but not memorable. The afternoon made her feel sluggish, and she grabbed a cup of coffee to keep her awake. She usually preferred tea, but the coffee cart was out. Given that she had presented publicly, she couldn’t just slip away to find her favorite drink without someone noticing. It would also make both her and the foundation look bad if she was fighting the urge to nod off during a presentation. So, the coffee was necessary. Unfortunately, one of the reasons she didn’t like drinking coffee manifested itself forty-five minutes later, when she had to leave in the middle of a session to use the restroom.
Someone else must have had the same problem as she, because she heard heavy footsteps behind her as she walked down the long, empty hallway until she entered the ladies’ room. She washed her hands and wiped them on her pants after an inefficient hand dryer refused to do the job. When she exited the restroom and looked down the hallway, Dani startled. The man she had seen the day before was leaning against a wall, studying the ceiling. Had he followed her? No, that would be ridiculous. Her cheeks burned and she forced a polite smile. Still, instead of crossing his path, she took the long way back to the conference hall. Just in case. She didn’t make it to the end of the hallway before a large hand closed down on her wrist. As she opened her mouth to scream, she was silenced by a pain in her ribs. A voice she wouldn’t soon forget whispered low and deadly into her ear.
“If you say one word, you will die.”
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to all of my family and friends. Your support has been my rock. It’s not every day that an engineer decides to write a book, and I’m overwhelmed by and so grateful for each and every person who encouraged me along the way.
A few special shout outs: to my mom, for her unwavering support and for the time she took to answer questions and provide opinions. Thank you also to Darcy, who encouraged me and read even the roughest first drafts with an eagle eye – no plot hole was safe from her pen. Also, a thank you to my dad, a retired police officer and veteran, who not only supported me, but also made sure I didn’t take too many liberties with the cop stuff – any goof-ups were mine or taken as artistic liberties. Christa, fellow writer and dear friend, thank you for your early reads and for encouraging me to keep chasing my dream. Thank you to my husband – for keeping my plots on their A-game and for being fearless enough to read my manuscript. Thank you to Emily for answering all of my questions and for helping me make my dreams a reality. Also, huge thank yous to Granny, Julie, and Anna for your relentless support!
Finally, big thank yous to Laura Anderson and Bridget Fryman, two fabulous editors who helped me turn my manuscript into a book.
About the Author
K.T. Lee is a writer, mom, and engineer who grew up on a steady diet of books from a wide variety of genres. When K.T. began to write the kind of books she wanted to read, she mixed clever women and the sciences with elements from thrillers (and a dash of romance) to create The Calculated Series.
K.T. Lee, Calculated Deception
