“True. Which is why I'm glad I have the chance to apologize and see if can make it up to you over cocktails.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Apologize for standing me up or for stealing Captain Kemal?”

Kaela was no pushover for the Austin charm offensive. This was going to be more complicated than he thought.

“Okay. Let's deal with this in tiny steps. First, I apologize for missing the dinner date. I was unexpectedly tied up and couldn't make it. As for Captain Kemal, you'll have to admit you made a mistake by not holding him with some sort of retainer while you went off to Paris.”

“Please spare me the lecture. I never thought you would steal him after you warned me to stay away from this place because it was too dangerous and an infringement of Russian territory.”

“You'll have to admit I was right about the danger,” he said, glancing at the wreckage of the helicopter.

Kaela took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I'll grant you the obvious. But I'll bet nobody gave you or your NUMA friend an invitation to drop by for tea.”

“That's correct, but it doesn't make it right.”

“You sound like my mother,” she said with mock disgust. “Your apology for missing dinner is accepted. Luckily, my producers bankrolled enough money to lease a helicopter, so I wouldn't have hired Captain Kemal anyhow. You still owe me, though.”

Austin noticed the twinkle in the amber eyes and realized she had been setting him up, using his guilt as leverage.

“You're playing me like a fish, aren't you?”

Kaela threw her head back and laughed. “I'm certainly trying to. You deserve to be jerked around after trying to put me off with that phony shark smile and the 'small world' routine. Real smooth character! Next thing you'd be asking me what my astrological sign was. Well, it's Capricorn, in case you're interested.”

“I didn't mean to make it sound like a singles bar. My sign is Pisces, by the way.”

“Pisces? That's fitting for a NUMA guy.” She put her notebook aside. “I'd advise you to stay out of singles bars. With that corny line, you'd go home alone every night.”

Austin decided he really liked this woman. She was tough and feminine at the same time, had a sharp sense of humor and plenty of intelligence. And the qualities he admired were gift wrapped in a lovely package.

“Okay, now that I've snapped up the hook, I'll let you reel me in. But only to a point! What does your devious little soul want from me?”

“The truth, for starters. Why are you here, for instance? And who are the tough guys in the black suits? And why are the people around here so damned unfriendly?”

“Is this for a story?”

“Maybe. But I want to know mostly because I want to know. Curiosity is the best tool of a good reporter.”