“Barring some unforeseen disaster,” he said, bracing himself for the explosion he knew would come, “Wu Kim Li will compete in the final rounds. We need to make sure you do, too.”
“Make sure?” Deep creases slashed into her forehead. “You’re not suggesting we rig the tournament, are you?”
“Not exactly.”
“C’mon, boss! I’ve never cheated in my life and don’t intend to start now. I know my golf game is a little rusty, but I’ll make the cut.”
“I’m sure you will, too. Assuming worst-case scenario, however…”
“There is no worst-case scenario,” Rogue countered stubbornly. “I will make the cut.”
“Assuming worst-case scenario,” Nick continued with unruffled calm, “we need to make sure you at least tie with the last-place finisher in the qualifying rounds so you both go on to the championship round.”
She didn’t like it. He could see disgust written all over her face. She’d come around, though. She understood the stakes in this game and would balance her sporting instincts against the needs of the United States.
It took a few minutes. Her teeth stayed locked. A muscle twitched in the side of her jaw. Her fingers drummed a furious tattoo on the console.
“Okay,” she finally conceded. “Assuming worstcase scenario, how do we pull it off?”
A rueful smile spread across Nick’s face. His wife, the guru of all things electronic for OMEGA and several other government agencies, had jumped at this challenge. Mackenzie was huddled with the wizards in OMEGA’S Field Dress Unit now.
“Mac is waiting for you upstairs. She’s been working on several devices.”
“Uh-oh.”
Uh-oh was right. Thankfully, FDU’s labs were sound-, shock wave- and bombproof. Its walls would contain the blast when Rogue saw what Mac and her diabolical geniuses had come up with.
Hours later, a fuming Dayna paced the first-floor reception area.
“You won’t believe what Mackenzie wants to stick in my golf bag! GPS-guided balls. Distance-finding sunglasses. A super-charged three iron, for God’s sake.”
Lightning’s temporary executive assistant sat behind her elegant Louis XV desk. Gillian Ridgeway, daughter of two of OMEGA’s former superstars, played a mean game of golf herself. Amusement and sympathy lit her blue eyes.
“You won’t need any of those aids.”
“Damn straight, I won’t.”
Jilly continued to make sympathetic noises until Dayna worked through her snit.
“Sorry,” the agent said with a wry smile. “I just needed to let off a little steam.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Actually, Gillian Ridgeway was there to fill in for Elizabeth Wells, longtime executive assistant to several of OMEGA’s directors. Elizabeth had undergone hip-replacement surgery the week after Jilly returned from a State Department assignment in Beijing. On leave from State and unsure whether she wanted to become a career bureaucrat, Jilly had offered to fill in for Elizabeth.
Black-haired, blue-eyed and as stunning as she was vivacious, she soon wrapped OMEGA’s male agents around her little finger. The female agents liked her, too, which said even more for her sparkling personality.
She and Dayna had grown especially close. The two women were almost the same age and both enjoyed sports. They teamed up for golf or tennis whenever Rogue was in D.C. and routinely skunked their opponents. They’d also shared a few locker-room secrets. So Dayna wasn’t surprised when Gillian made a too-casual observation.
“I understand Hawkeye is working this op with you.”
“That’s right. He’s flying in from Algiers. We meet up in Scotland.”
“Say hi for me, will you?”
“I will, but only if you promise to stop torturing the poor man.”
“Torturing him?” Gillian assumed an expression of wide-eyed innocence. “Moi?”
“Come off it, Jilly. You know you lay on a double dose of sultry whenever Hawk’s around. Despite that, he still thinks of you as the gawky teenager he taught to shoot.”
“Maybe,” she replied with a small smirk, “and maybe not. Just tell him hello for me.”
When Dayna hooked up with Hawk in her suite at one of St. Andrews’ venerable old hotels, she dutifully relayed the message.
“Gillian said to say hi. And you look like hell.”
Hawk shot her a surprised look from sunken, redrimmed eyes. “Jilly said that?”
“The last bit came from me. What happened in Algiers?”
“Sand, sand and more sand.” A smile slipped through the bristly beard sprouting on his cheeks and chin. “But we got Mustafa.”
Whooping, Dayna leaned across the coffee table to punch her fellow agent in the shoulder.
“Score one for our side!”
His smile took over the rest of his face. No one would classify Hawk as handsome. His features were too rugged and his tough, don’t-mess-with-me demeanor too intimidating. But when he relaxed and let the real Mike Callahan show through, Dayna could understand why Gillian was so determined to make the man see her as something other than a gangly teen.
“It took a little longer than expected,” he admitted ruefully. “I had to leave the bastard hanging across the saddle of a camel to get here in time for this tournament. Speaking of which…”
Scraping a palm across his bristly chin, he made the abrupt mental shift so necessary for survival in their business.
“Any more definitive word on whether the Wus really intend to defect?”
“None. All we have to go on is that cryptic message from Kim Li.” Dayna shuffled through the folder of material she’d prepared for him. “Here’s your registration packet and a detailed agenda.”
The International Pro-Am Charity Tournament had grown into one of the biggest events in women’s golf. Spread over an entire week, the schedule was crammed with money-raising activities. The public could watch the practice round, first two preliminary rounds and final championship rounds—all for a fee, of course. Fans and participants alike could also take part in the slew of silent auctions, continental breakfasts, autographing sessions, high teas and photo ops salted into the schedule.
“Our first official function is the kickoff banquet tonight,” Dayna informed Mike. “That’s when they’ll draw for the initial pairings and course assignments.”
She’d registered him as her personal guest, which would give him access to VIP seating at all events and, subsequently, to Dr. Wu. Along with the banquet ticket and laminated pass, she’d also prepared a thick binder.
“Mackenzie digitized the layouts for all five St. Andrews’courses. You can call up a three-dimensional topography of any hole, anytime, on your cell phone.”
“Yeah, I took a look at the layouts during the flight from Algiers. They’re pretty slick.”
“They are, but I thought you might also want hard copies to study. They’re easier on the eyes.”
Particularly eyes showing a whole lot more red than white. Hawk accepted the thick binder with heartfelt relief.
“Bless you, my child. I’ll go through the schematics this afternoon. What’s on your agenda until the banquet?”
“Wu Kim Li reserved a bay at the driving range