by Diane Saxon
In the silence, he pushed his hair back from his forehead. For her sake, he needed her to know the truth. “I want you too.”
The slow roll of her body brought her upright, her face close, and her gaze met his. When her voice came, it was low and husky. “I feel there’s a ‘but’ coming.”
How could she know what she did to him? With just one touch of her lips against his skin, one dab of her tongue. If she made another move, he was toast, no matter what his ethics. With a regretful smile, he raised his hand and cupped her cheek. “But… you’re my patient and I’m your doctor. It goes against every principal I have, every ethic of my profession to act on our attraction.”
He didn’t want to have sex with Barbara. He wanted to make love. If she understood the depth of his feelings, he’d be in deep shit.
“You’d lose your job.”
With one last stroke of his thumb across her jawline, he withdrew his hand and let it drop once again into his lap. “I would. We’d both regret it.”
In any other situation, he would pass her to another psychiatrist, let someone else deal with her. But he couldn’t. Something bad was brewing, and she needed him. The threat was more than a figment of her imagination, but so far, neither he nor Zak had managed to pinpoint where it had come from. All he knew was someone was watching and waiting.
“Maybe you would, Dominic, but I wouldn’t.”
He pulled a shaky laugh from the depths of his chest as he came to his feet. Maybe he wouldn’t regret it, maybe she was worth it, but right now, he wasn’t willing to take the risk for her safety.
“So, are we still on for that lasagna?”
Her light laughter followed him as he stepped from her room and swung the door closed behind him.
It was okay, everything was going to be all right.
»»•««
The sharp trill of the telephone grabbed his attention.
Let it ring.
No caller I.D. showed. Dominic squinted at the screen. Yeah, he knew what it meant. They’d taken a little longer than he thought to contact him, but he’d expected the call. In the back of his mind, he’d known it would come, but with the time they’d taken, a vague hope had kindled. It had been nine days since Barbara arrived, but the trust between them had definitely started to kindle. Every day in each other’s company helped firm up that bond, but not enough yet for her tell him her deepest secrets, her darkest fears. And they were running out of time. Only a couple more days and she’d have to return to her unit. If he couldn’t persuade her to open up by then, she was going to struggle.
He let out a small puff of disgust as the phone continued to ring. No one yet knew the number, except a select few. He’d started to believe Emilio hadn’t taken any further action. Naïve of him. The guy had been deadly efficient before the recent sloppy turn, which Dominic attributed to nerves, but now he had the added incentive of money. Someone was willing to pay a lot for information, and that someone could surely not just be Strachan.
Four rings and Dominic hovered his fingers above the phone, wondering how desperate they were for him to answer. On the sixth ring he picked it up. “Professor Salter.”
“Dominic? Is that you?”
“Yes.”
“Colonel Phil Hunt here.”
A small ripple of surprise ran through him. He hadn’t expected it to be Phil Hunt. Surely he was one of the good guys? Then again, he’d believed Emilio was a good guy. Strange how little money it had taken for the good guy to turn.
The main frustration was, who’d paid Emilio and why?
If only Barbara would open up, it would make all their lives a lot simpler. At least he’d know where the enemy lay and how many of them there were. As it was, Dominic had no idea who he could call on for help until their plans unfolded.
“Hi, Phil, how’re you doing?”
“Good, good. You?”
They’d be talking about the weather in a minute, and he didn’t have the patience.
“Busy. What can I do for you, Phil?”
The short silence was filled with static before Phil spoke again. “I hear you have Captain Barbara Lynn Perry there.”
Well that answered his question. Straight to the point, no messing. Phil obviously wasn’t in the mood for pussy-footing around, either. Dominic decided to slow it down, judge how deep in shit they were and how much time they needed to wrangle their way out of it.
“Yup. She’s decided to do a little relaxation while she’s on vacation.”
“So I believe.”
He waited in the white noise of the phone for the man to make his move, declare his intentions, but the silence stretched out and he sighed. Whose team was Phil on? Dominic would be damned surprised if the guy was a turncoat. It was more likely he’d been used.
“Was there something you wanted, Phil?”
“Yeah…”
He may be a psychiatrist, expected to be patient, but he wasn’t a mind reader, and quite honestly, the man had already irritated him. The mere ring of the phone had irritated him. The timing couldn’t have been any worse.
“…from the information I have been presented with, I feel I need to pay a visit. Check up on Barbara. I’m really concerned about her welfare, her state of mind. I don’t know what information you have on her, Dominic, but I’m really concerned you may have been misled.”
Misled. By whom? Why would anyone want to mislead him, unless they were trying to cover something up? There were only two people involved as far as he was concerned. The woman currently in his care and Strachan, the guy who’d written her damning report. While Dominic knew Barbara was hiding something, it was because she was too scared to reveal the truth, whereas he suspected Strachan was covering a lie.
Dominic pulled at his bottom lip as he contemplated who Emilio had allowed to set them up with, make them all targets. He’d be damned surprised if Strachan had managed to enlist the colonel’s help by means of a payment. But he may well have deceived him. Like he’d tried to deceive Dominic with the in-depth reporting of Barbara’s offenses.
“I think I’m all set, Phil, but thank you for your offer.”
“It wasn’t an offer, I’m afraid, Dominic. I have to insist. For the sake of security and the welfare of the captain. You are, after all, no longer in the army, and she is.” Indeed, his voice was insistent, making it obvious he wasn’t going to allow Dominic to control the situation. Perhaps control wasn’t what Dominic wanted them to think he had. He tucked the phone under his ear as he pulled his electronic diary toward him and tapped on the calendar to open it up. He needed to buy a little time. If he could just delay the visit. “When would you like to come? I’m afraid I’m a little tied up until mid-next week.” By which time there’d be no need as Barbara would be back with her unit.
The soft snort from the other end of the line gave him all the answer he needed.
Dominic repressed the sigh. Maybe once he had Colonel Hunt on the premises, he could assess the situation better and divulge his dilemma without compromising his doctor/patient status. “So, Colonel. When would it suit you?”
“Let me see. I’m free around midday tomorrow.”
As he hung up after agreeing on the details, Dominic leaned back in his chair. He’d been given no option but to agree to the visit. The colonel had left him with no choice. His movements measured, Dominic returned his electronic pen to the desk and smoothed his tongue over his teeth while he considered his options. Out of patience, he snatched up the pen again and tapped it against his wooden desk while he contemplated his computer. If he used it now, there was a possibility anything he researched could be tracked. Same went for any of the devices they used on the Wi-Fi system. Zak had carried out in-depth checks to ensure there were no further devices, but if they were determined enough to have persuaded Emilio to plant them, plus enlist the help of a colonel, it was unlikely they hadn’t tried to hack into the computer systems. Whoever they were. Strachan couldn’t possibly work alone.
Even
if he left the building and went to a cyber café, they would still be able to trace his movements. Unless he used the cyber café’s own computers. It might buy him some time, but the information he would be searching for any government department worth their salt would be able to trace back to him. It would take them less than twenty-four hours. A risk he wasn’t prepared to take. He didn’t have twenty-four hours.
Frustration warred with concern as he flipped his hair back from his forehead with his free hand and then slapped the pen on the desk again.
There was an alternative. It was just a matter of whether he could tap into the Dreampsych Transcender to make it do what he wanted it to do. The Dreampsych Transcender was untraceable as even at the highest security, it didn’t exist.
It was a certainty they didn’t know about the Dreampsych Transcender room. No one did except Dominic, Zak, and Barbara. Emilio hadn’t known of its existence. He hadn’t needed to know. He’d only been there to set up security. A security that had been entirely compromised by him. Zak was unquestionably faithful, and Barbara had no means or reason to communicate with the outside world, least of all her enemies.
Dominic let his mind wander, but the one thought that kept surfacing was he needed help from a much higher level. Just to hedge his bets in case his judgment of Hunt was wrong and he’d also been bought.
The mere thought of it rebelled in his mind. He’d known Hunt too long to believe it. He understood the man’s character. A true soldier through and through. While his logic insisted he’d thought the same of Emilio, a small wriggle of doubt wormed its way through. He’d known Emilio had character flaws. He’d just never understood they could have run so deep.
Good old-fashioned sneakiness was required. So far, his work with Barbara had been unofficial, the facility not yet commissioned. It was time to put things in place with some tactical maneuvers of his own.
In the meantime, Dominic needed to ensure Barbara never got wind of the impending visit until it was upon them. If she did, he was convinced she would rabbit. If she took off, she’d lose her job, her security, and the confidence in herself she’d been struggling to keep.
He glanced at his watch. A little over eleven hours to keep a secret, hot-wire a computer, research highly confidential information, and prepare for his visitor. Time enough to let Barbara know of the colonel’s forthcoming visit when she woke in the morning, but by then he could well have resolved the problem.
Chapter Nine
Evil permeated the kitchen in an overwhelming waft of nauseating aftershave. An aroma she recognized from endless hours in Gus Strachan’s company. He may not have lavished it quite as thick in the desert, but the extreme heat had intensified the smell, filling her lungs and burning her nostrils in the close confines of the Black Hawk.
She’d managed to maneuver things back then so she was never in his company when she wasn’t flying. She didn’t really care what the rest of them thought as long as she didn’t have to sit for long hours at a time smelling Strachan’s body odor mixed with the sickly sweetness of his aftershave. That, together with his interminable whining and under his rancid-breath remarks about her breasts, her lips, her ass, and how she could satisfy him. If anyone could run a campaign on how to be a chauvinistic pig, he’d be their star pupil.
Of course, she hadn’t been able to bear the sight of him or his proximity then. Even before the incident.
Heat raged through her body from her inner core to sprinkle her skin with beads of sweat. The tight squeeze of her throat was due both to anxiety and the stench. At least there was no dried-on body odor this time. However, the guy’s personal smell was not something she would ever forget. He’d been up too close and personal under circumstances she would rather not remember.
She slid into the nearest chair, rested her forearms on the table, and stared at her fingernails. Immaculate. She’d made sure they were. It was a matter of pride and presentation, and a soldier never had nails bitten to the quick. Although it would have been such an easy job to demolish them. It was all about control, and just as she had controlled the desperate desire to ravage her nails, she also controlled the rapid burn and escalated pulse, bringing them back in line as she stared at her relaxed fingers.
The suspicion that Dominic knew about the visit long before he’d informed her niggled. If she’d thought Strachan would turn up, she’d have been out of there, but with the amount of warning Dominic had given her, she’d been left with no choice but to stay.
When she was ready, she glanced up. Faced the demon.
It wasn’t so very difficult with the solid presence of Dominic in the seat next to her, and Zak, whom she’d passed as she walked into the kitchen. In his favored position, he leaned against the doorframe, eyes cool, arms crossed over his chest. She knew he’d have Dominic’s back. She could only hope he’d have hers too.
“Good to see you again, Perry. I hope you’re recovering well.”
“Recovering from what, sir?”
“I assume post-traumatic stress.”
She met Strachan’s piercing gaze and kept hers flat. She could deny it, but it may make the situation worse. “I’m getting through it.”
His pale skin flushed to the roots of his sandy hair, red spots forming in the middle of his cheeks. “Good to hear.”
Dominic leaned back in his chair, linked his fingers, and rested them on his flat belly with every indication he was thoroughly relaxed. “So, Colonel Hunt, as I said on the telephone last night, and as you can see, there’s really no need for your help at the moment, but I’m sure if the situation changes, I know how to get hold of you.”
Barbara allowed her gaze to stray to the other man at the table, who cradled his coffee in his meaty palms. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been aware of him as she strode into the room. Her senses were far too well-honed for her not to have been. It was just Strachan’s mere presence had demanded most of her attention. She wished to God Dominic had allowed her a gun. She would have felt so much safer. Although he wasn’t supposed to be armed, Barbara knew without a doubt he would be carrying a knife. He’d not the skill nor talent Flynn had, but he wielded it with an uncompromising ferocity she’d witnessed.
“I don’t think you’ve met Colonel Hunt before, have you, Barbara?” Dominic’s soft brogue persuaded her to stay calm.
“No. Good to meet you, sir.”
The larger man’s gentle smile was contrary to the flint in his eye. “You too, Barbara. I only wish it were under better circumstances.”
She reached across the oak table, surprised at how quick he was to envelope her hand in his. He held it a little longer than necessary while he gave her a long, cool appraisal, the heat from the coffee cup transferring through their palms to make hers sweat just a little.
Instincts on full alert, she made her own assessment, never once letting down her guard. She slipped her fingers from his and wondered how the hell Strachan had managed to involve such a high ranking officer.
She raked her gaze over his square face. There was no way he was involved. Strachan had influenced him. The guy might have the hardened look of a veteran, but his eyes met hers with a directness that told of his ignorance of the real situation. He’d believed what was in her file. Somehow Strachan had escalated the situation and manipulated it to suit his purposes.
She was pretty certain that was the case, but she’d learned to trust no one. “What exactly is your perception of the circumstances, sir?”
She appreciated the quick amused quirk of his eyebrow. It may just be Strachan had made a mistake involving Colonel Hunt. The man didn’t appear to be anybody’s fool, and with the status he held, she was damned sure he wasn’t. How much knowledge did he have, and how much of it did he believe?
He shuffled in his seat and made his big frame more comfortable as the chair groaned. He returned his hand to the coffee cup. “I assume you’ve been privy to your file?”
She glanced at Dominic’s impassive face and knew she had to lie. If they b
elieved she’d seen the report from Strachan, then they had to assume she’d denied the charge. “No, sir, I declined.”
“Why would you do that? You were entitled to see what was held on your files.”
“Yes, sir. I didn’t feel the need to see. Dominic invited me here in my own time, to undergo a psychiatric-style assessment to see if I was suffering from post-traumatic stress, and as far as I’m concerned, we’re still working on it.” There wasn’t a single twinge of guilt as she lied straight to her senior officer. It wasn’t so difficult to do when her life hung in the balance.
“Can you tell me exactly what form this assessment has taken so far?”
Dominic’s light cough drew all of their attention. He kept them waiting while he sipped at his coffee, giving an indolent shrug. “That’s confidential doctor/patient information. Barbara, you are not required to disclose anything that may have taken place during any of our closed door sessions.”
A sharp image of her attempting to rip his clothes off flashed before her eyes, and she dipped her head to take a sip of her own drink while she got her mind back on track. Yeah, like she was about to reveal any of it to these two. They’d have her hog-tied and removed before she had a chance to tell them he’d resisted her. Much to her eternal regret.
“I beg to differ.” She transferred her attention to Strachan, who set his cup down with a sharp snap. “Under Federal Rules of Evidence, we have every right to know what’s been discussed.” His movement caused a waft of body odor to float her way, causing her throat to clench with dark memories.
“No, Major Strachan. You do not.” Dominic’s calm response held her in check. She needed to place her trust in the man who held her future in his hands. “Right now, I’m in the middle of making an assessment of my patient. I can tell you there is nothing so far to prompt me to feel obliged to report Captain Perry. You are not entitled to any confidential information shared between us at this time as I have found nothing to inspire my concern. However, if when I have finished, should you wish to obtain said information, you may apply to the federal court of law and request it through them. Then, and only then, will you be privy to the information, and only to the extent the federal courts feel necessary.”
