Page 28 of Pervade Montego Bay

I approached him, feeling an unfamiliar emotion at seeing this man trapped in here. He could have escaped to freedom, and yet he’d done the honorable thing.

Xavier had showered, too, and unlike me he’d gotten off light on the bruises. There was a cut on his right eyebrow covered in a steristrip from where the doctor had given him the onceover.

His blue eyes looked no less trusting and he welcomed me with a dazzling smile, which had a curious effect on my senses. This compelling need I felt to reach out and draw him to me made my brain freeze.

It’s because we’ve shared a common threat, nothing more.

I forced a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than you, apparently.”

I reached for the glass of water on the side table. “Here.”

He took it. “That was a bit of a rush. Bet you liked it.”

“That’ll teach you to accept a ride with a senior officer.”

He drank the glass dry. “I’m not allowed out of here?”

“I’ll talk to the Commander.”

“Your bestie, Oliver Hague.”

I smiled ruefully. “I’m fairly sure I’m on his shit list.”

Xavier stretched out his legs “I really need to jog around.” He peered up at me. “How the hell could you stand this confinement for all those years?”

“I kept busy.” I gestured towards him. “The doctor gave you the all clear?”

“Yeah. Bruised ribs, that’s about it. How about you?”

I placed my hand on my contused chest. “I’m invincible.”

“Still, they might want to get their prized commander checked out.”

“You’re the man of the hour.”

“Looks like they had a contingency plan.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Those were our men who attacked us on the road.”

I’d not seen who was inside the lorry that had crashed into us, but that made no damn sense.

Instead I said, “Maybe I can help with your case when we get back to England?”

“I’ve tasted your brand of help. Don’t care for it.”

“Start talking, Xavier.”

“Why are you suddenly interested?”

“The mood takes me…now talk.”

He pushed himself up. “My mission was to wipe out any software evidence of what the British government was up to on foreign soil.”

“It couldn’t be done remotely?”