Chapter One

Mallory Scott spotted the people she was looking for as soon as she walked into the hotel bar. Hell, she hadn’t even needed to search; they were being so loud and obnoxious they were practically screaming for attention.

Stupid, in Mallory’s opinion. If you were running an international diamond scam, surely you’d want to keep a low profile? But no, apparently these guys didn’t give a shit. Not only were they screaming for attention—and getting it, she noticed, as other patrons of the bar shot them the occasional glare—they were also projecting the fact that they were filthy rich. They were supping on the most expensive champagne money could buy and demanding oysters and caviar be brought in. The overwhelming arrogance made her blood boil, but she consoled herself with the fact that by the time she was done with them, they’d be taken down by more than a peg or two—they’d be at rock bottom.

Heading for a table in a position where she could watch them, but remain partially hidden behind a pillar, she shook her head. She could hardly believe they’d kept their multi-million-pound enterprise going for so long. If they ran their operation as sloppily as their current behaviour indicated they might, it was a miracle indeed.

Not that it mattered. They could be running the tightest ship ever known to man, and she would still find a way to take them down. It was what she did. For years now, she’d been successfully infiltrating illegal operations of varying kinds, then gradually dismantling them from the inside. Before the criminals realised what was happening, it was too late—their wrists were practically in the handcuffs, their arses on their way to jail.

This project was different from the ones she usually handled. Her past takedowns included terrorist plots, kidnappings, drugs, people-trafficking… that kind of thing. She’d been involved because sending in police or military personnel wouldn’t work. Not in those particular circumstances. To be truly effective, Mallory needed to infiltrate the organisations at the top, gain their trust—or at least enough trust to allow her to snoop—and acquire evidence of their involvement to ensure their convictions. Otherwise, rushing in and stopping the terrorists, saving people and so on, important as that was, would only affect a tiny part of the organisation. It was vital to dismantle the whole thing, from the big bosses and the money men, right down to the minions doing the leg work.

An added bonus to this approach was that the victims of these organisations, as well as being saved, would know that justice had been served to those that hurt them, and the knowledge that they’d never get the opportunity to do it again. It was dangerous but fulfilling work, and Mallory couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She loved the adrenaline rush, the challenge.

And the challenge element was precisely why this job was different. In as much as it wasn’t supposed to be particularly challenging. Intel gathered over the past year had pinpointed the what, the who—though they couldn’t yet put faces to names—the where and the how, and that had been done covertly, without the need for an undercover operative. All that remained in this case was to find out the when, so they could be caught in the act. It should have been simple, really. But the group was careful, exceedingly so. One of their number was a hacker, meaning that trying to access their emails, internet search histories and voicemails, or tap their phones without being detected was almost impossible. They were smart.

Which meant the only option remaining was the old-fashioned approach.

A honey trap. It was Mallory’s mission to attract the attention of one of the men in the group—hell, even one of the women if any of them swung that way—and slowly, slowly cultivate and exploit their relationship in order to get the information she needed. Then boom, another international criminal enterprise would bite the dust.

Which brought Mallory to her current position, dressed up in ludicrously expensive designer gear and half-hiding behind a pillar in the bar of Amsterdam’s most exclusive hotel. Someone less experienced than Mallory might have found the idea of staying out of sight ridiculous. The aim was to get the attention of one of the gang members, after all. But Mallory was at the top of her game, the very best of the best, and she knew damn well that putting in a little groundwork early on would pay off in spades. Before she did anything, before she so much as batted an eyelash in the direction of the gang, she needed to identify her target. It was pointless trying to eye-fuck with a bloke from across the room, only to discover he preferred men, or was happily married and the faithful type. That would attract the wrong kind of attention. When she did get noticed by the group, she wanted it to be for the right reasons, and on her terms. If they caught even so much as a whiff of her deception, it would be game over.

So she would watch, and wait. Then as soon as she decided which one of the group was going to be her new boyfriend, she’d move in for the kill. Figuratively speaking, of course. Killing wasn’t her job. She was capable of it, and over the course of her career had ended more than one life in self-defence, or in order to protect others, but she was no cold-blooded murderer.

She was something much more dangerous; something that no one ever saw coming.

Picking up the leather-bound cocktail menu, she used it to further obscure herself as she took in the rest of her surroundings. She’d already done a scan of the place in her peripheral vision as she’d made her way from the door to the table she now sat at, but before she fixed her attentions on her target, she wanted to make absolutely certain there were no other persons of interest in the vicinity. The last thing she wanted was to start eyeballing the group, only to discover they had some covert security bods in the bar, who were eyeballing her. She doubted it—their intel suggested that they only used hired goons when absolutely necessary—but it always paid to be cautious.

After a couple of minutes—luckily it wasn’t a huge area, and therefore she didn’t have to hold the menu in front of her face for too long, making her look suspicious or terribly indecisive—she was satisfied, and slowly lowered the cocktail list to the smoked glass table, then closed it with a slap.

As if by magic, a handsome waiter around her age materialised. “Hello, madam,” he said in Dutch, a language that she was, luckily, fluent in. He’d have switched to English with no issues—the Dutch were well known for their excellent command of English, and in a place such as this, being multilingual would no doubt be in the job description—but she’d blend in more effectively if she spoke the native tongue. “What can I get you?”

She hadn’t actually had time to read the menu, but it didn’t matter. Cocktail selections were almost the same the world over, unless establishments decided to give drinks different names, or put a new spin on an old classic. Even if they did, though, she’d never been refused an old classic when she’d ordered one, whether it was on the list or not. “Hi,” she replied, also in Dutch. “I’ll take a Manhattan, please.”

“Very good, madam. It’ll be with you in a few moments.”

“Thank you.” She treated him to a wide smile, as well as exercising her best manners. It certainly couldn’t hurt to establish a rapport with a member of staff. After all, there was a chance he might be useful at some point.

While she waited for her drink, she pondered her next move. The group was still there, still being loud and obnoxious, and had successfully managed to get their oysters and caviar. She rolled her eyes. That was one benefit to staying in such a high-end hotel, she supposed. There was serious money at stake, and the management would want to do anything possible to keep guests happy, knowing that word of mouth, particularly in circles with such funds at their disposal, was by far the biggest influence in bringing in more people. More people with money. And so it went on. Here, at least, money really did make the world go around.

She watched the group, careful not to seem as though she was staring. She wasn’t yet ready to gain their attention. It was unlikely, she quickly realised. They were so absorbed in their own little bubble that she probably could have stripped naked and walked past their table and they wouldn’t have noticed.

With happy guests and word of mouth on her mind, she came to the conclusion that, although the gang was happy, there were plenty of other people in the bar that weren’t. The more champagne the group quaffed, the more their volume increased. And with that volume increase came plentiful sighs and glares from the bar’s other patrons. But, in their bubble as they were, they didn’t notice.

Mallory smirked as she watched one angry-looking man start to get up from his chair, only to be stopped by the woman he was with, with a hand on his arm and a shake of her head. Mallory didn’t blame her. This hotel might be the most expensive and exclusive in the Netherlands, but it didn’t mean drunken guests wouldn’t turn nasty or even violent if confronted. Really, management should be getting involved at this point. Maybe she could hurry things along in that department and see if it helped her cause any.

Just then, the waiter returned with her drink. “One Manhattan, madam,” he said, placing it on the table with a flourish.

“Great. Thank you.” She deliberately glanced over at the group, then back at the waiter, her eyes wide and innocent. Quietly, she said, “I don’t mean to make a fuss, but would it be possible for something to be done about those people? They’re totally ruining the ambiance in here. Not what you’d expect from such an establishment.”

The waiter—she peeked at his name badge; Erasmus—gave a tight smile. “It is already in hand, madam. We are working to rectify the situation with the absolute minimum of fuss. However, as an apology and gesture of our deep regret, your drink is free of charge. I hope it is to your satisfaction.”

Keeping her eyes wide, she replied, “Oh, thank you, Erasmus. I hope it’s okay to call you that. I really didn’t mean to be a difficult customer, it’s just…” she tailed off with a shrug.

Erasmus gave a quaint bow. “You are not the difficult customer, madam. You have been a pleasure. And of course it’s okay to call me Erasmus. Please, if there is anything else you require, do not hesitate to let me know. I will be pleased to assist you.” He smiled, then turned and walked away.

Admiring the view of his backside until it disappeared out of sight behind the bar, Mallory grinned. Unless she’d been completely mistaken, there’d been a glint in his eye, and emphasis on the anything part. When she’d figured he might come in useful at some point, she’d been thinking along the lines of maybe pumping him for information, or potentially using him to gain access to areas of the hotel she wasn’t supposed to be in. But the more she thought about it, the more she leaned towards him being the perfect candidate for a little extra-curricular fun. Her target, whoever he turned out to be, was off-limits for the time being, at least. It sounded like he and his friends were about to be escorted from the bar, and given the amount of alcohol they’d consumed, they’d all be drunk for the next few hours at least, then hungover for several more hours after that.

Giving Mallory plenty of time to become more familiar with the layout of the hotel and its operations. Not to mention the members of staff.

One in particular.

Her grin grew wider.

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Chapter Two

Mallory wasn’t the slightest bit surprised when the knock came at her hotel room door. Although she’d been subtle, simply scrawling her room number on an old receipt she’d fished from her handbag and leaving it on the table in the bar, it had still been a blatant invitation. Particularly since her drink had been on the house, therefore giving no reason for it to be charged to her room.

She’d figured if Erasmus was smart enough to get the hint, then he deserved to get laid. If not, well then it was his loss, wasn’t it? A man wasn’t a necessity for her. If she felt the need to get off, then her right hand would serve the purpose perfectly well.

Moving from her position by the window, where she’d been standing admiring the view of the city, she headed for the door. She made sure her silky robe was in position as she walked. Just because she’d basically issued an invitation for him to visit her room for sex, didn’t mean she wanted to look desperate, or as though she’d been waiting for him.

Peeping through the spy-hole—someone in her profession could never be too careful—she smiled when she saw her visitor was, in fact, the very one she’d been expecting. Keeping the smile on her face, she opened the door and immediately stood back to let him in. It wouldn’t do for him to be seen loitering outside. She wanted to screw him, not get him into trouble for consorting with the guests.

Clearly getting her drift, Erasmus glanced up and down the corridor before stepping over the threshold into her room. Apparently he was smart, because he’d brought a bottle of champagne and two glasses with him, having the twin bonuses of being his excuse for his presence in her room if anyone had seen him, and also… well, champagne was just always a good idea.

“Hi,” she said in his native language, closing the door behind him. “I’m glad you made it.”

He was halfway across the room when he tossed his reply over his shoulder. “Hi. Yes, me too. It’s been an… interesting day.” Placing the bottle and glasses down on the coffee table, he then turned to face her, the sexual interest obvious on his face as he took in her appearance. “I was very glad to find your… invitation.”

“And I’m pleased you accepted it.”

“You…” His expression turned uncomfortable, much to Mallory’s confusion, and he fixed his attention on the plush carpet. “You will forgive me… it seems silly in the circumstances, but… I don’t know your name.”

Mallory clapped a hand over her mouth, hoping he’d see it as a gesture of surprise, rather than her covering up her amusement at her faux pas. She’d been so focused on the task at hand, spying on the gang she was here to infiltrate, that she hadn’t been fully concentrating on her flirtation with the handsome waiter.

Hoping she’d rearranged her features into an appropriate expression, she removed her hand from her mouth and took a step towards him. “I’m so sorry, Erasmus. It completely slipped my mind. My name is Bea Winchester.” The lie tripped off her tongue so easily that she was sure even a fellow intelligence officer would believe her. But as much as she disliked lying to Erasmus—he was, after all, nothing to do with her reason for being here; rather a pleasant diversion along the way—it was essential to maintain her cover. Plus, if curiosity got the better of him at any point, he’d easily be able to check the hotel’s computer system and discover what name she had checked in under.

He closed the gap between them still further, and held out his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Bea Winchester.”

She took his hand, then was surprised when, instead of shaking, he gently twisted her wrist and bent to place a kiss on her knuckles. His lips were warm and dry, and her astonishment at his action swiftly gave way to arousal as he lingered there for a few moments, before releasing her.

“A-and you,” she forced out, fighting to get a grip on her emotions. It wasn’t at all like her to be so affected by someone, but in a bizarre twist of fate, the very fact that he’d surprised her, had surprised her. During her years in the service, she’d seen so many things, so many facets to human nature, that it was nigh on impossible to surprise, shock or faze her. She made a mental note to watch this man carefully. She hadn’t got any vibes from him to indicate that he was anything other than an attractive barman and waiter, but it was entirely possible she wasn’t the only intelligence officer watching the gang. Their activities were widespread, after all. Any number of countries could be keeping an eye on them, trying to bring them down. And not all of them would necessarily want to team up with the British in order to do so. The Brits had as many enemies as they did allies.

“So!” she said brightly, crossing over to the sofa, deliberately exaggerating the wiggle of her hips and bottom as she walked, hoping to distract him from her moment of being flustered. “It was very good of you to bring champagne. Shall we?”

Erasmus had followed her over to the seating area, and inclined his head, then reached for the bottle. With finesse born of frequent practice, or possibly he was an exceptional actor, he opened the bottle, snagged a glass and filled it, before handing it to her with a grin.

“Thank you.” She smiled back, waiting until he’d poured his own drink before even thinking of taking a sip. There was a chance the bubbly could be poisoned, or drugged. It irritated her immensely that she had to even take such precautions, to consider that everyone she met could be out to get her, but it was an instinct that had saved her life on more than one occasion. Besides, it was ingrained so deeply within her that she’d never shake it. She’d probably still be looking over her shoulder when she was old and grey, and long-retired from the intelligence game.

Fortunately, Erasmus didn’t seem to find anything odd in this behaviour. Instead, after filling his champagne flute, he took the seat opposite her, then leaned forward, holding out his glass. “To new friends,” he said, tipping her a wink.

They carefully clinked the flutes, smiling at each other, before settling back into their respective seats. Mallory crossed her legs, then made a fuss of tugging the hem of her robe down. She was biding her time. As she fidgeted, she watched Erasmus in her peripheral vision, but saw nothing untoward. He was completely relaxed—or as relaxed as a man who’d come to a practical stranger’s hotel room for sex could be, anyway—as he took a sip of his drink, and swallowed it.

Deciding that it was safe, she took a drink. She hummed with pleasure as the bubbles burst on her tongue and the flavour exploded over her taste buds. She swallowed, then smiled at Erasmus. “Mmm. This is very nice champagne, Erasmus. Nice choice. What is it?”

Leaning forward, she then reached for the bottle and twisted it on the table so the label faced her. She pursed her lips thoughtfully and nodded. It wasn’t really her area, but it seemed to be a mid-range champagne, which was precisely what she’d expect from someone in Erasmus’ salary range. He might work in an exclusive hotel, so his wage was probably higher than the equivalent job in a less expensive place, but he was hardly going to be rolling in cash. If he’d brought a top-of-the-range bottle with him, she’d have found it very suspicious. It would have indicated that either he wasn’t who he said he was; that he’d stolen it; or that he’d charged it to her room.

Filing the information away in her mind, Mallory decided she’d scrutinised him enough. If he was there to harm her, he’d have made his move by now.

As she released the bottle and straightened, she looked up and caught his eye. Her heart skipped a beat at the expression on his face. It was blatantly obvious that the last thing on Erasmus’ mind was hurting her.

He grinned widely, making his appreciation of her abundantly clear without being lecherous. And she could hardly chastise him, in any case. A glance told her that he’d been treated to an almighty fine view down the front of her robe as she’d bent to examine the bottle, and, despite all her tugging and fidgeting, the silky garment wasn’t exactly designed to cover her modesty.

The arousal that had flickered into life at the unexpected gentlemanly kiss on the hand and had continued to smoulder ever since, now flared up powerfully. She returned his smile, appraising him right back, then proceeded to down the contents of her glass. It was still relatively early, so there was plenty of time to finish the bottle between what would hopefully be multiple sessions of sex. Neither of them had any illusions that he was here for anything else, therefore small talk was unnecessary. Beyond names, what more did they need to know? And, if she was being totally honest with herself, the names part was only a social nicety.

Wordlessly, she got up, still holding her glass. With her free hand, she collected the bottle and headed for the bedroom, knowing without a doubt that he would follow her. She entered the room and kept walking right up to the nightstand on one side of the bed, where she put down the glass and bottle. Then, mentally crossing her fingers, she opened the top drawer of the nightstand. She gave a mental fist pump as she spotted the array of condoms in there, though she’d have been more surprised at their absence. This was a top-of-the-range hotel in Amsterdam—they liked sex here. The city had a shop called the Condomerie, for heaven’s sake!

Smirking, she reached in and grabbed a handful of the foil packages, placed them beside the champagne, then closed the drawer.

A light snort made her turn. Erasmus stood on the other side of the bed, and had also put down his glass. He shifted his gaze from the pile of condoms to her face, and raised his eyebrows. “You have high expectations, Bea.”

She shrugged. “What’s that saying? ‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.’”

Chuckling, he walked around the bed. Stepping up close to her, he then paused, as if awaiting permission to proceed.

Mallory reached out and grasped his wrists, tugging him towards her to close the space between them. Looking up into his eyes, she murmured, “I’m sure you will not disappoint, Erasmus.”

Pulling his wrists free from her grip, he slipped one hand around her waist, and the other into her long, blonde hair. He leaned his forehead against hers, and said, “I will do my very best to impress, beautiful Bea.” Then he kissed her.

Allowing her desires to take over; and her brain, if not to switch off, to at least go into standby mode, Mallory relaxed into the embrace. If his kissing technique was anything to go by, then she was confident he would indeed impress. His lips moved sensually against hers, rapidly adding fuel to the flames of her arousal. A moment later, as his hand shifted from her back to her buttocks, hauling her up against his erection, his tongue sought entrance to her mouth. She opened up willingly, happily, tangling her tongue with his in an erotic dance that soon had them both breathing heavily and grasping roughly at each other.

Pulling away with a deep inhalation, filling her lungs with much-needed air, Mallory blinked.

Erasmus looked equally dazed, but seemed to recover more quickly than she. Gently releasing her, he shifted his hands to her waist and undid the sash fastening the sides of her gown together. Then, giving the material a little nudge, he grinned wickedly as it slid off her shoulders, down her arms and tumbled to the carpet. Taking in her lingerie, he raised an eyebrow. “Nice. But it’ll be even nicer when it’s off.”

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Hiding in Plain Sight