--
"You can't be serious!" Jensen looked incredulously at Don.
"I am absolutely serious." Don's voice was quiet as he glanced around the room. Colby was there, of course, but his face was a mask. Unusual for him, Don mused to himself. Braden had a surprised look that mirrored the one on Jensen's face. Adam was back to his usual form, cool and collected, with the faintly amused expression that gave nothing away.
"Let me get this straight," Braden spoke up. "You want to use Eleanor to lure Bairan out."
"Yes."
"Don't you think you should ask Eleanor first?" Colby finally spoke up.
Don eyed him with curiosity. There was something simmering just under the surface of that mask, but he couldn't quite place a finger on it.
"Ask Eleanor what?" Eleanor stood at the doorway, a surprised look on her face. Hannah was just behind her.
Jensen and Braden took a step back. Don shook his head at the action, they were separating themselves from the situation. "Ask you about luring Bairan out."
She looked startled. Then speculative. Don brightened marginally at that unexpected reaction.
"Let's do it," Eleanor said decisively. "I'm tired of being the mouse in this cat and mouse game of theirs."
Don grinned, elated that he had pegged her right.
"What do you want us to do?" Hannah asked.
There was a split second of total silence, before Colby exploded, "No!" He turned on Don with a snarl. "Hannah stays out of this!"
Don thought he had prepared himself for Colby's reaction, but he took a step back before he could stop himself. He'd never seen Colby's eyes so hard and cold. All the muscles in his body were tensed in barely restrained fury. There was no doubt about it, Don thought, Colby looked like a mountain lion preparing to pounce on his prey. He held his hands up as he tried to placate Colby. "She doesn't have to be a part of this, Colby. It's her choice."
Colby's eyes narrowed, "Which implies to me that you've already spoken to her."
Was it possible for his eyes to harden even further? Don wondered to himself as he met the hard, green eyes, glittering in cold fury.
"I won't have Hannah put in harm's way." Colby said, flatly.
"No, I have not spoken to her previously." Don stood his ground, surprised at the difficulty he was having in facing Colby down. "And I don't want either of them hurt. But we can't play this waiting game forever."
"Absolutely not. Hannah stays out of this." Colby was implacable.
Don saw Jensen's and Braden's eyes widen before he saw Hannah move towards Colby. He was on the verge of stopping her when she laid a hand on Colby's arm. Colby's flexed bicep made Hannah's hand look small and helpless. She tugged at his arm when his attention remained unwavering on Don. He saw her tug again before Colby's eyes left his with the utmost reluctance, to look down at Hannah. Don felt Adam shift slightly, the only indication that he was in any way affected by the tableau. He held a hand out to stop Eleanor when she moved as though to stop Hannah.
The silence in the room almost suffocated Don as he watched Hannah kiss Colby on his clenched jaw and whisper something in his ear. Colby frowned in annoyance, but his left arm circled Hannah's waist, and his hand spread across the small of her back. Hannah's left hand trailed up Colby's chest in a caress as she continued to murmur in Colby's ear, and Colby's right hand came up to catch hers. Don tensed, ready to spring, then Colby's expression turned into exasperation as he lowered his head to kiss her.
He would never have thought it possible, but Don felt it the moment each man in the room relaxed. He looked at Adam and was amused to see him lift a shoulder in an almost imperceptible shrug. He knew, in his mind, that Colby would never hurt Hannah, but the stark contrast between the suppressed fury in the muscular man against the gentleness in the slight woman had given all of them pause.
Don cleared his throat. He was relieved that the fury had abated even though Colby sent a scowl in his direction. "So, let's plan this, shall we?"
"What did you have in mind?" Adam asked.
"Have Ali Sharef and Mahmet Hassan spread the word that someone else is tailing Eleanor and is about to snatch her. Get Bairan to get moving. Then have Eleanor slip away from your officers." Don met Adam's eyes with a calm that he didn't feel.
Adam looked thoughtful. "That might work." He glanced at Colby, "It'll be more convincing if she and Hannah both slip away." He looked amused when Colby scowled at him.
"We can go to Hampton Court," Hannah murmured.
Colby tensed again, the muscles in his shoulders bunched as though he was getting ready to pounce.
Don watched in fascination as Hannah turned her face into Colby's neck and rub her cheek against him. That was all it took for Colby to relax.
"Alright. I'll set things in motion. I'll let you know when we can do this." Adam nodded and went on his way.
"What now?" Eleanor asked, a slight tremor in her voice gave her nervousness away.
"Now we wait," Don said gently. "We're going to chart things out. It'll be another hour or so before we can leave."
Eleanor nodded, and she left with Hannah to while that time away in their little office.
--
"You never cease to amaze me, Hannah." Eleanor shook her head at Hannah when they got back to the little office.
Hannah looked surprised, "What are you nattering on about now?"
"He looked dangerous. Even when they were on alert he didn't look this dangerous. He looked like he could kill with his hands. God only knows what he's been trained to do. And you stepped up to him!" The fear and shock came back with her words.
Hannah touched Eleanor with a gentle hand, "Colby would never hurt me."
"You don't know that!"
"Yes. I do."
Hannah's serene expression left Eleanor speechless.
--
"She wasn't afraid of you." Braden said to Colby with some fascination.
"Who? Hannah? Why would she be afraid of me?" Colby was astonished.
"You looked a little daunting there." Jensen said dryly.
Colby shrugged, "I would never hurt her."
The other men were silent for a moment.
"Knowing it is one thing, Colby," Don finally said.
"I don't know why you're all making such a big deal of it." Colby was getting exasperated. "She trusts me."
"And I envy you that trust," Don said quietly.