Match Play by Merline Lovelace Read Free Book Online Page A

she packed some kind of supersensitive listening device. Probably not, or she wouldn’t have advertised her presence at the door. Still, Dayna smothered a curse when Kim Li gathered her towel and draped it around her hips.
    â€œI must go now. Time for massage.”
    Â 
    â€œThat’s as far as I got,” Dayna related to Hawk when they convened in her suite some hours later.
    She’d traded her poppy-red wind suit for tailored gray slacks and a V-necked sweater in white cotton interwoven with shimmering gold thread. Raking a hand through her freshly washed and blow-dried hair, she made a face.
    â€œKim Li jumped up and scurried out the minute Big Mama showed her face.”
    â€œI didn’t fare much better,” Hawk admitted. “Dr. Wu’s two escorts never strayed more than a few feet from his side. We did manage a few polite exchanges but nothing that gave any indication of whether he really wants to defect.”
    â€œWe’ll have to detach one or both from their bodyguards.”
    Frowning, Dayna studied the schedule for the remainder of the day. “There’s an autographing at four, followed by a silent auction. I’ll try to get Kim Li aside during one session or the other.”
    â€œIn the meantime, I’ll hit the lounge. Dr. Wu’s background dossier says he’s a Scotch drinker. I noticed he put away two stiff ones at the banquet last night. I figure he might respond to an invitation to sample some of Scotland’s finest whiskeys from another aficionado.”
    Dayna had never seen Hawk down anything stronger than a beer. “Since when are you a connoisseur of Scotch whiskeys?”
    â€œSince a half hour ago, when I got a crash course from the bartender downstairs. Would you believe they stock more than a hundred different labels? One costs almost fifty British pounds for a single shot.”
    â€œGood grief! A hundred dollars a whiff?”
    â€œAll in the line of duty.” Grinning, Hawk pushed out of the easy chair. “I’ll let you know later how it goes.”
    â€œSame here.”
    Dayna was already strategizing the autographing in her mind when her partner opened the door. He froze for a moment, putting her on instant alert, before making a brief announcement.
    â€œYou’ve got company.”
    Kim Li, she thought with a leap of excitement.
    She hurried forward. Two skips later came to dead stop. Luke stood in the hall with his feet planted wide and a distinctly unfriendly expression on his face. When his glance cut from Hawk to Dayna, it didn’t get any friendlier.
    â€œSo you and Callahan know each other.”
    â€œObviously,” she returned. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
    â€œThe hell it isn’t.”
    He started into the room. Hawk blocked his entry with one sidestep.
    â€œI’m not feeling real sociable right now,” Luke warned. “You might want to get out of my way.”
    â€œAnd you might want to rethink your tone.”
    Hawk’s drawled reply ratcheted up both the tension and the testosterone. Dayna figured she’d better wade in before blood flowed.
    â€œIt’s okay, Mike. Let him in.”
    Hawk stood aside. After surveying the suite with a narrow glance, Luke brought his gaze back to Dayna.
    â€œCozy,” he commented, obviously thinking she shared the suite with Hawk. She didn’t disabuse him.
    â€œWhat do you want, Harper?”
    â€œAn explanation, for starters. It appears we have a mutual acquaintance in Mr. Callahan here. What’s your connection to him?”
    Irritated by both his tone and his presence, Dayna struggled to put her personal animosity aside.
    Hawk had already relayed his opinion regarding Harper to her and to Lightning. OMEGA’s director had given the green light to use the pilot’s expertise if necessary. Dayna wasn’t ready to include Luke, but she knew she had to feed him sufficient information to