She grimaced at the sound of grinding that could be felt as well as heard, as diamond-tipped cutters made short work of the diorite and granite layers. She nodded, satisfied, and turned to flip back the door flap of their tent. Greg and Abby turned to nod to her, and Sonya continued to stare at a small screen.

“Excellent work.” Jack Monroe turned to her. “You’ve managed to take a shot of something using the same camera they must use to snap pictures of Bigfoot and Nessie.” He gave her that grin she both hated and loved.

She stared, feeling like a bolt of electricity ran right through her. Her mouth hung open, and she had to consciously snap it shut.

“What… the hell… are you doing here?”

“He’s my specialist, of course.” Valery Mironov entered the tent. He was whip-thin, but looked fit and elegant in his coverall uniform. “I’m sure I told you I’d be bringing one.”

Cate rounded on Mironov, jerking a thumb back at Jack. “But not that one.”

“Thanks, and no offence taken.” Jack still grinned.

“I wanted the best, and Mr Monroe is the best.” He looked from Cate to Jack, and then back to Cate, a single eyebrow raised. “I hope you two professionals won’t find working together a problem?”

Jack held up his hands. “I’m fine with it.”

I’ll bet you are, she thought and steamed, feeling her heart race. The damned thing was she couldn’t yet tell if it was from anger at being ambushed, or from excitement. She decided to play it cool, and worked at relaxing her features. She smiled. “No, no problem at all.” She held out her hand to Jack. “I was just a little surprised is all. Good to see you again.”

“Same.” Jack grabbed her hand, and shook it.

His hand felt hot, and her heart rate went up another few beats.

“Excellent.” Mironov clapped, and then turned. He spoke quietly in Russian to Sonya who nodded and laughed softly. He then crossed to the others. “Greg Jamison and Abigail Burke, I believe.” Mironov shook hands with each and then returned to Cate, taking her by the arm and leading her away a few paces. He bent and lowered his voice.

“It is good to see you again, Cate. I hope I didn’t embarrass you, but time was short, and I needed the best. There simply is no time to worry about emotional politics.”

She waved it away. “Forget it; when did you get here?”