by Diane Saxon
“But, Salter…” Strachan leaned forward and drummed his fingers on the table. “We’re talking about the involvement of Captain Perry in the death of innocent victims.”
Barbara’s stomach clenched in a vicious spasm.
“Not yet, we’re not. Captain Perry hasn’t been implicated, or she would have been arrested by now.” Dominic sighed and turned his attention back to the colonel. “Look, sir, with all due respect, I know you. I know you well. We go back a long way, but what Strachan is asking is unreasonable. Barbara came to me of her own free will and requested that I assist her.”
Hunt leaned back in his chair, making it groan in loud protest as he let out a loud bear-like guffaw.
“You’re no longer in the army, son. You may think Strachan is being unreasonable, but he’s Captain Perry’s commanding officer, and I’m sure he has her best interest at heart.”
With icy composure, Dominic straightened.
“Under HIPAA law, Barbara is entitled to her privacy, even from the army.” Strachan vibrated with fury. His large hands curled into tight balls, and his knuckles turned white. Barbara’s heart quivered, and she found she couldn’t lift her gaze beyond the man’s chest. She turned her attention back to the colonel, who stared at Dominic, a puzzled frown flitting across his features. It was evident he didn’t know. He wasn’t part of this chess game.
Strachan, though, knew exactly what the game-play was. “I don’t care about HIPAA laws. For Captain Perry’s own welfare and your security, I would suggest you turn over your records and we escort her to an army facility where she’ll be better cared for.”
Aware of Dominic’s stillness beside her, Barbara resisted the temptation to glance at him. She knew his dark brows would be dipped over his wintry gaze and could only hope the other man would back down with grace, surprised when Dominic’s soft brogue broke the silence again.
“You want to obtain permission for me to surrender my records, Strachan? Feel free to try, but through official channels. I won’t divulge anything unless I’m compelled to through the courts.”
Barbara’s quiet snuffle of amusement gained her a gentle nudge of Dominic’s foot against hers. His knee tapped against her leg, and she wondered if he kept it there for comfort or to make sure she understood not to interfere. He was in no danger of that. The man appeared to have the situation fully under control, but the hard press of the compact he had strapped to his calf reassured her he’d not left her completely disarmed. His firearm was well within her reach should she need it.
She hoped to hell she didn’t.
“In the meantime, gentlemen…” He came to his feet in a decisive move. The chair scraped against the wooden floor, indicating his patience was at an end. As she suspected, the quiet, unassuming professor had a heart of steel. “I suggest you let me get on with my job. If I deem it necessary for you to do yours, I won’t hesitate to give you a call.”
Barbara came to her feet at the same time as the other men. A sly glance over her shoulder at the quiet movement behind her was all it took for her to realize Zak was ready for any eventuality. It seemed like he was willing to take part in a pissing contest too.
To her surprise, Colonel Hunt gave a careless shrug, raised his arm, and scrubbed his fingers through his thinning hair. “Thanks for the coffee.” He held out his hand and gave Dominic’s a firm shake. “Good to see you again, Dominic. Keep in touch.”
“You too, sir.”
Strachan slipped from behind the kitchen table, and much to Barbara’s relief, failed to proffer his own hand before he took two steps toward the door and then paused.
“Perhaps a look around your facilities before we go? I’d be interested to see what security measures you take. Just out of curiosity, you understand.”
The wily bastard didn’t surprise her, but every muscle tightened. With a swift look, she took in the brief flicker of surprise on Hunt’s face and reassured herself the professor was not stupid and the second gun he’d holstered under his cardigan was easily accessible if she needed it. As his body shielded hers from their view, it wouldn’t be difficult to relieve him of it.
She took another sideways glance at Zak. The slight quirk of his blond eyebrow in his otherwise immobile face almost made her smile. She was damned if he wasn’t a mind reader too. Somewhere hidden deep in the depths of his serious professionalism, she swore there lived a man with a wicked sense of humor. A quiet man, a ghost. He’d have been good to have in Afghanistan with her. She was certain he would have gotten her back any time. She spared him a split second more of her attention before she returned it to the other three men.
It took just a moment for Dominic to respond, “Sure, why don’t I let Zak show you around? I’m a little behind. If you need me when you’ve finished, I’m sure he’ll let me know.” With a curt nod, he turned to face her. “Barbara, shall we continue?”
Left with no choice, the three other men remained while Dominic allowed her to precede him out of the room. Even with him behind her, it still didn’t stop the insidious crawl of tension up her spine causing the hairs on the back of her neck to tingle her nerve endings. Dominic redirected her with a quick tap on her shoulder, so she realized he wanted her to go to his study and not to the lockdown unit.
She waited until the door clicked shut behind them, “Will Zak…?” It was only a slight downward twitch of his eyebrows, but Barbara caught it and changed direction. “…show them my room, too?”
Dominic’s lips moved into an involuntary smile. “I’m sure he will.”
Hands held loose by his side, he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Hard eyes met hers.
She wondered what the hell made him believe they were being monitored. She surveyed the study he’d stopped using days before and cruised her gaze around the room, the huge window.
The colonel’s car with blacked out windows parked in the driveway could quite easily have people inside recording their conversation. She squinted at the yard. When had Dominic begun to think their discussions could be recorded? Why would he even think that?
She’d bet her life it was when he’d started using the dream machine facility. When he’d dismissed Emilio.
She closed her eyes in self-disgust. How the hell had she missed it? It had almost had a great big red arrow pointing the way, but she’d been more concerned about her own self-preservation and missed the whole wider picture.
What an idiot she’d been. How had she not realized the smooth move underground had been totally contrived? So obvious she could kick herself. The Dreampsych Transcender wasn’t just concealed behind a sliding wall to keep it from being accessible to his clients. It was a secret. An official State secret Dominic was responsible for.
Suspicion crawled through her. He’d deliberately avoided any mention of it while the colonel and Strachan were there, steering them away from the subject quite neatly. There’d been no concern about the Dreampsych Transcender, no hint about it being why they were there. It was obvious they had no knowledge of it. It wasn’t what Strachan wanted. He only wanted her, and the slimy little guy with the black eyes had something to do with it.
There were questions to be asked, and this time she’d be the one doing the asking. Next time she got Dominic alone in the underground facility. Why was he being bugged? Why was he receiving a visit? She’d thought it was just her in danger, but it wasn’t. She’d brought it not only to his work, but right in through the front door with Emilio right behind her.
She’d not thought to ask anything about him, relieved only to find he’d gone, glad to be rid of the uneasy feeling he’d given her. The same one Strachan managed to inspire.
A sick curl of doubt balled in her stomach. Where all along she’d believed she was there because Dominic was doing Flynn a favor, it was evident at some point he had started to believe her innocence and stepped up to protect her. It begged the question for how long had he been obliged to provide protection?
“So, Barbara. Take a seat.”
>
She sat immediately, her gaze trapped by his. The smooth warmth of his voice soothed her sea of doubt and settled her.
“Tell me. What made you uncomfortable with Colonel Hunt and Curly Sue?” She wanted to laugh out loud, but his face was set. The slight twitch of his eyebrows warned her again, so she leaned back in her chair, crossed one leg over the other, and rested her hands on her thighs.
“It was his aftershave, sir.”
She noticed he never corrected her natural address of respect this time, allowing it to pass.
“His aftershave?” He gnawed at the inside of his cheek.
“Yeah, smells like shit.”
“Okay.”
“No, not really. It reminded me of the blazing sun, the oppressive heat, the stinking bodies.”
Dominic gave a slow blink as though what she’d revealed was a surprise to him. It probably was. After all, she’d told him very little. He had no idea of Strachan’s involvement prior to the man turning up. He couldn’t have known.
Strachan had written the report, sent the photographs. Everything he’d accused her of was on the file. There was no reason to doubt her commanding officer’s word.
Except, for some reason, Dominic appeared to have done so despite the little she’d given him.
He shuffled to make himself more comfortable and jerked his cardigan into place, his movement familiar and comforting. “You want to talk about it? The time when you were stuck with him in the heat and the smells?”
A negative flicker crossed his face, and she couldn’t resist the smile that stretched her mouth into a genuine grin. He got it. Whatever the hell it was, he got it.
“No, sir, his stench just brought back a memory. Uncomfortable as it was at the time, it causes me no anguish, and I did not develop post-traumatic stress from his body odor.”
Dominic smiled in response, his cheeks creasing while he lifted his hand and pushed back the dark flop of hair from his forehead. He removed his spectacles and took a moment to fold them neatly before he laid them on his desk. “Okay, I know it’s been a short session, but I think we’ll leave it there for today. Go and relax. Read a book.” She understood the slight narrowing of his eyes. Don’t move. Don’t go anywhere.
Dominic opened the door just as Zak approached with their visitors. “Colonel Hunt and Strachan are leaving, Dominic. I’m about to see them out.”
Barbara stepped up behind him, touched his back just behind the gun, and felt the hard flinch of his muscles in response, but his voice remained even as he addressed the others. “It was good to see you, gentlemen. We appreciate your concern.”
Colonel Hunt raised his eyebrows, but Strachan’s face flushed an angry red. “I’m sure we’ll see you again…and you Perry.” He raised his left hand and pointed a thick forefinger at her. “I’ll definitely see you again.”
Loose limbed, she followed them through to the kitchen, knowing the problem wasn’t about to go away on its own. From the tension in Strachan’s, shoulders he’d be back. Without a doubt, he would be back.
»»•««
“What would you like to talk about today?”
“I don’t know. I’m tired. I don’t want to talk about my sex life. I don’t want to be tested. I just want to…”
“Relax.”
She chewed her lip while she watched him and considered whether it was a good time to broach the subject she’d spent all too long thinking about. It would never be a good time.
“What happened to your wife?”
“My wife?” Surprise lightened his eyes, and his thick black lashes fluttered. It wasn’t often she caught him off balance, and she took no pleasure in it. It may just be better to drop the subject, but the dream had made her curious.
“Marie, the child in the Dreampsych Transcender, mentioned her mother died before she was born. I assumed she meant in childbirth, but she said…”
“No.”
He screwed up his face, removed his glasses, and pinched the bridge of his nose, making her regret asking. It was obvious it was painful for him. “How did you meet Marie?”
“I told you. I met her in the Dreampsych Transcender. When you put the library scene together for me to relax.”
Dominic dug his fingertips into his brow while he frowned at her. “It’s not possible.”
“Oh. I see. You don’t have a daughter?”
“Yes. I have a daughter; her name is Marie.”
“She has long dark hair, same shade as yours.”
“Yes.” He seemed to be grinding his teeth.
“But her eyes are very different. Deep dark chocolate.”
“Her mother’s eyes.”
“Her mother. Yes, she mentioned her mother.”
“But Marie should never have transferred over to your program. I never put her there. I would never…”
Oh God. He hadn’t wanted her to know about his daughter. Of course he wouldn’t. She was his patient. A subject he was analyzing. She wanted to kick her own butt for bringing the matter up. “Put her in danger?”
His gaze bored into hers. “I didn’t mean that. But,” confusion flitted over his features, “that’s a dangerous machine.”
“I’m sorry, I…” Her stomach churned. She wanted to leap up from the chair, but he made the move first, coming around the desk to stand beside her.
“No. Barbara, it’s not your fault. I keyed in a scene. Her details must have been attached somewhere in the software program. It’s my problem.” He crouched beside her and took hold of her hands. His warmth instantly soothed her chilled fingers. “I was trying to create a library set for you, and off the top of my head, I thought of my room at home.”
She sank back into the chair, her fingers linked with his. “Your home?”
“Yeah.” He smiled and the tension faded from his face. With a careless shrug, he shuffled nearer and released one hand to rest it on her thigh. Heat radiated through her skin, and she tried not to be distracted by his closeness. His serious eyes met hers, and the disappointment that he was committed to another woman gave an unreasonable tug at her heart.
“So, is your wife real? Or did she die?” She couldn’t imagine his pain.
He drew in a long breath and huffed it out as though he was trying to decide whether or not to speak about it. “She was real.” When he kneeled by her side and rested both hands on her knees, Barbara remained silent and waited for him to speak.
“She liked a man in uniform.” From the way he said it, it sounded like he thought any man in uniform would have qualified. “She was fun, wild even. We had some great times.” He glanced up at her, shrugged, and then bowed his head to study the hand that smoothed small circles on her knee as though he found it too painful to look her straight in the eye. “Anyway, when we found she was pregnant, we thought we’d make a go of it. You know, get married, settle down, have kids. More than one. She was twenty-eight. I was almost thirty, so it should have worked.”
He fell silent and rubbed his fingers through his hair, letting the thick strands waterfall over his forehead.
Patient, she waited for him to continue, knowing his mind hovered in the past. When he did, the unease in her chest tightened.
“We didn’t suit. Simple as that. We would have ended up divorced. She was so much wilder than I’d imagined. I’m not sure having a baby to look after would have slowed her down. She believed I’d escort her everywhere, where in truth I spent most of my time away from home. I was deployed.”
He turned wintry eyes to meet hers.
“She met an old boyfriend one night while I was away. She was almost ready to have the baby. About three weeks from her due date. She took off with him on the back of his motorcycle. Left me a note to say she needed a life.”
Barbara’s chest constricted at the shake of his head.
“Ironic, because it was the end of it. She died that night when the bike hit a tree. She went over the top of him, a clean break of her neck. Not another mark on her, she still looked beauti
ful.”
Barbara raised her hand to cup his cheek. “You must have loved her very much.” Sorrow gave her heart a painful squeeze.
“No, that’s the pity of it. Neither of us really loved each other. Our relationship was a sad waste, except for Marie. She was only a few weeks premature. The paramedics performed an emergency caesarian at the scene, and she came out perfect. They let me take her home a couple of days later, and the rest as they say, is history.”
He sounded almost casual, but she still felt his pain. He’d loved his wife at some point.
His jaw flexed beneath her fingers, and she withdrew them, only to have him catch them in his. He pressed an unexpected kiss to her palm and then dropped her hand and came to his feet in one swift move.
A gentle sadness filled his smoky eyes as his mouth quirked up at the edges. “I have absolute faith that you would never harm any child.”
Relief flowed through her as she followed him up and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Thank you. Thank you for your faith in me.”
The touch of his firm fingers under her chin compelled her to raise her head and meet his gaze.
He dipped his head, and his firm lips brushed her cheek in a gentle kiss.
“I do have faith in you, Barbara. I trust you.”
»»•««
Her heart stumbled while the darkness in the room engulfed her.
Thoughts of Dominic filled her mind, keeping sleep at bay.
He trusted her. Against all odds and without her full disclosure.
She listened to the sound of her own breathing as she brought it back under control. She needed to empty her mind, relax her body. If only Dominic’s pain hadn’t touched her soul deep.
The darkness was no denser when she closed her eyes, but the vision of soft gray sorrow washed over her as she allowed it to transport her into a restless sleep.
