Person of Interest
Page 10
He hadn’t dragged her into an alley and held her clamped against his body as Agent Hennessey had, but admittedly, the circumstances were different so there could be no actual comparison.
“Focus, Elizabeth,” she ordered, putting aside thoughts of Hennessey and his muscular body.
If David had wanted to learn about her work for the CIA he would have had to “bug” her. She felt confident that the CIA regularly monitored the vehicles they used and, certainly, Agent Dawson would keep himself bug free. But she, on the other hand, had no idea about such things. Hadn’t even anticipated the need.
First she checked through every single undergarment she wore to work. Nothing. She ran the beam of light over her room and located the jewelry box. Jewelry really wasn’t something she cared to accessorize with but occasionally she did wear a necklace or bracelet.
Nothing unexpected there.
That left only her clothes and her purses.
She did regularly change bags.
And each time Agent Dawson picked her up she had already changed into her street clothes. She wasn’t like a lot of the medical professionals who lurked around in public while wearing scrubs. Not that it was such a bad thing, she supposed. She simply wasn’t comfortable doing so.
She pulled the door to her walk-in closet almost completely shut, leaving just enough room to reach out with one hand and flip on the switch. Once the door was closed, she set Agent Dawson’s flashlight aside and started her search.
Every jacket, skirt and pair of slacks had to be examined from top to bottom, inside and out. She didn’t know that much about electronic listening or surveillance devices but, again, plain old common sense told her they could come in virtually any shape or form.
Before diving into her clothes, she went through her bags. There were fewer and they were certainly easier to rummage around in.
Nothing suspicious. A few crumbs from the packs of snack crackers she carried in one. A couple of dollars in another. Wow! A peppermint breath mint from her favorite restaurant in the last one she picked up.
She unwrapped the mint and popped it into her mouth before moving onto her clothes.
This would take forever.
If Hennessey woke up she would be in serious trouble. She wondered if Dawson had told the other agent on duty about their little excursion. He hadn’t mentioned it and she hadn’t asked.
Hurry! Hurry!
Her hand stilled, backed up and moved over the pocket of her favorite slacks. A tiny bump. Her heart thundering, she reached inside and withdrew a small wad of chewed gum wrapped in tissue.
“Great,” she huffed.
The door to her closet suddenly opened and Elizabeth wheeled around to identify her unexpected guest.
Not Dawson.
For several moments she couldn’t breathe.
David.
Then the lingering redness and swelling crashed into her brain.
Hennessey.
“We’ve already done this, Doc,” he said calmly but those startling blue eyes gave away the fury brewing behind that laid-back exterior. “Our technicians didn’t find anything. You’re not likely to either.”
“This wasn’t Agent Dawson’s idea,” she said quickly. “I forced him to bring me here.” She smoothed her suddenly sweaty palms over her thighs. “I threatened to come alone if he didn’t bring me.”
“Dawson and I have already spoken.”
“Oh.” She looked around at the wreck she’d made of her closet. And she’d thought the worst thing she had to worry about was falling prey to Hennessey’s charm. Look at what she’d done. She wasn’t equipped to play this kind of game. “I guess I’ll just clean up this mess.” She manufactured a shaky smile for him. She refused to admit that coming here had been too dumb for words. She’d needed to come. “You don’t have to hang around. Dawson will bring me back.”
“I sent Dawson back already.”
She blinked, tried to hide her surprise. “Okay.” She reached for a jacket lying in a twist on the floor. “I’ll be quick.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
He exited the closet, closing the door behind him.
Elizabeth stood there for a time, grappling for composure.
David had cheated on her. She didn’t need any evidence. She knew.
The CIA obviously thought he’d used her as well or they wouldn’t have been nosing around in her house. There was no arguing that conclusion. A part of her wanted to be angry, wanted to scream, but what was the point? It was done. David had done this to her.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and fought back the tears. She would not cry for or about him. He was gone. He’d been gone for a long time before he died.
Any other emotional wringers she put herself through related to him were a total waste of energy.
Slowly, piece by piece, she put the contents of her closet back to order, purses and all.
She thought about snagging a few items to take back with her, but she wouldn’t be there much longer. There was no need.
As soon as she opened the door she flipped off the closet light. It took several moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She thought about turning on the flashlight but there was really no reason since she knew her way around her own bedroom.
“You finished with what you came here to do?”
She stumbled back, gasped, before her eyes finally made out the image of someone sitting on the bench at the foot of her bed. The voice left no question as to identity.
Hennessey.
“Yes, I guess so.”
Since he made no move to get up she sat down next to him.
Joe told himself to get up, to get the hell out of her bedroom, but he couldn’t.
He kept torturing himself over and over with the images her words evoked even now. He knew with certainty that Maddox had made love to her in this room. With her on top…with him behind her. His hands on her breasts.
Every breath he drew into his lungs carried the scent of her. Her room, her whole house, smelled of her. Nothing but her. She was a doctor. She was never home long enough to cook. Only to soak in a tub of fragrant water. To shower with her favorite soap and shampoo.
She didn’t wear perfume. Only the soap or maybe the subtle essence of the lotion sitting on her bedside table. He hadn’t needed to turn on a light since arriving to see any of this. He’d been here with the techs when they’d gone through her things. He’d touched the undergarments she wore next to her skin. Had inhaled the scent of her shampoo.
And then he’d watched her. Twenty-four/seven for weeks. Until he’d thought of nothing but her.
“He used me, didn’t he?”
The fragile sound of her voice carried more impact than if she’d screamed at him from the top of her lungs.
“Yes, we believe so.”
Silence.
“For how long?”
“That we don’t know.”
“That’s why you said you wouldn’t lie—” she swallowed “—like he did.”
“Yes.”
“So…” She sucked in a ragged breath, tearing the oxygen out of his with the vulnerable noise. “Maybe it was real in the beginning?”
“Maybe.”
More silence.
“I loved him, you know.”
He squeezed his eyes shut against the tears he heard in her voice. “I know.”
“Do you know how he died?”
That information was off-limits to her…but how could he let her wonder. “He died in the line of duty. That’s all I can tell you.”
“Will you take me back now?”
“Yes.”
Joe stood. He reached for her hand and led her from her room, along the short hall and down the narrow staircase. He’d been in her home enough times to know the layout probably as well as she did.
He locked the door for her when they’d exited the rear of the house. Then they walked quietly through the moonlight until they reached his sedan.
Nothing else was
said as they made the trip back to the safe house.
Joe took several zigzagging routes to ensure they weren’t followed.
Daylight wasn’t far off when they finally parked in the garage.
She got out and went inside. He didn’t follow immediately.
He needed to walk off some of the tension shaking his insides. He’d alternated between wanting to yell at her and wanting to kiss her. Managing to get by without doing either was a credit to his sheer willpower.
He’d wanted to make her forget that bastard Maddox, but he’d resisted.
She didn’t need him taking advantage of her vulnerability.
He might be a lot of things, but that kind of jerk he wasn’t.
Inside the house he trudged up the stairs. He dreaded lying down again knowing sleep would not come. Their earlier candid discussion had kept him awake the greater portion of the night as it was.
He’d known when she left the house.
He’d followed but hadn’t interfered at first, only when she’d stayed too long he’d had no choice.
The time he’d given her had been enough. She’d come to her own conclusions in her own time which was best. Anything he’d said or asserted would only have been taken with a grain of salt, would have put her on the defensive.
He didn’t bother with the light in his room. Just kicked off his shoes and peeled off his shirt, inhaling one last time the smell of her where her arm had brushed against him as they’d sat on the bench in her room.
He stripped off his jeans and climbed into the bed. He was tired. Maybe he’d catch a few winks after all.
The instant his eyes closed her voice whispered through his head. Every intimate detail she’d relayed today echoed through his weary mind. He fisted his fingers in the sheet, tried his best not to think about how her nipples would feel against the palms of his hands. He licked his lips and yearned for her taste.
He could have gotten up and taken a cold shower. Probably should have. Instead he lay there and allowed the sensuous torture to engulf him. Didn’t resist.
He was too far gone for that.
ELIZABETH LAY in her bed, her knees curled up to her chest. Director Calder had known the truth. Hennessey had known. Maybe even Dawson.
She was the only one who hadn’t had any idea that David was using her.
How could she have been so blind?
She clenched her jaw to hold back the fury. How could he do that to her? He’d professed his love for her and all along he’d been using her.
How long had he planned his little coup?
At least one thing was for sure, he hadn’t gotten to enjoy the fruits of his evil deeds.
A part of her felt guilty for thinking about his death that way, but the more logical part of her reveled in it. He might have used her, but he’d paid the ultimate price in the end. Along with three of the agents she’d given new faces.
Her stomach roiled with dread.
Who else would die before Hennessey could stop this?
Was there nothing she could do?
Give them new faces?
But if it were that easy the CIA would have suggested it.
No.
It would never be that simple.
Hennessey would have to risk his life to get close enough to the devils behind this to take them out.
One was a woman.
A woman who would undoubtedly expect him to make love to her as David likely had. And then she would know that Hennessey was an imposter.
Heat rushed through Elizabeth in spite of her troubling thoughts. She just couldn’t help the reaction. She needed him—wanted him.
But that would be yet another monumental mistake on her part. She didn’t need to make any more mistakes far more than she needed to indulge in heart-pounding sex with Hennessey.
But she could dream about him. And how it would feel to have him kiss her and hold her close.
There was no rule against fantasies.
She remembered that night three months ago when he’d held her against him in the darkness. His body had felt strong, powerful. His muscles hard from years of disciplined physical activity and maybe from the feel of her backside rubbing against him.
When she’d touched him tonight…felt the size of him against her palm, she’d wanted to rip off his clothes and look at all of him for a very long time. Just look. Then she wanted to learn all there was to know about him on a physical level.
How he tasted…how his hands would feel gliding over her skin…
She drifted off to sleep with that thought hovering so close she could have sworn it was real.
Chapter Nine
Director Calder remained seated at the table but Joe was far too restless to stay in one place. He poured himself a fourth cup of coffee and grimaced at the bitter taste.
“You’re absolutely certain you’re ready to do this?” Calder asked once more. “Any further delay could be detrimental to our chances, but I’m not willing to run the risk of sending you in too soon.”
“Do I look ready?”
Joe faced the man the president himself had chosen to oversee one of the nation’s most important security agencies and let him look long and hard. He’d put the colored contacts in this morning. He’d wanted to try them out while Elizabeth was preoccupied going over dates with Dawson.
Calder moved his head slowly from side to side. “You look just like him.” He blew out a breath. “It’s uncanny, Hennessey.”
Joe nodded. “I know.” Even he had been shaken this morning. As he’d gone about the morning ritual of going to the john, he’d caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and done a double take. His tousled hair had looked like it always did first thing in the morning, but his face…well, suffice to say it wasn’t his.
The swelling and redness was gone entirely—at least as far as he could tell. It was as if he’d gone to bed last night with a little of both and then this morning poof.
He’d gone back to his room and called Dawson. He needed a distraction for Elizabeth until he could get used to the change himself.
She’d mentioned a day or so ago that sometimes this sort of abrupt change happened, but he wasn’t prepared. He seriously doubted that she would be either.
Once he’d put the contacts in he’d had to brace himself on the counter to keep from staggering back from the mirror. The transformation had been incredible.
He, for all intents and purposes, was David Maddox.
“We knew Elizabeth was good,” Calder went on, “but this is beyond our greatest expectations.”
Joe had been watching this new face emerge from the aftermath of surgery and he’d known the transformation would get him by, but this was far more than that. This was almost scary.
He thought about Elizabeth and the way she’d sneaked back to her home the other night. He’d wanted to comfort her. To hold her until she came to terms with the way Maddox had used her. But he’d held back. She hadn’t needed any more confusion. She’d needed someone who understood…someone to listen and he’d done both those things.
In the three days since she’d been distant. Not that he could blame her. She’d just learned that the man she’d loved had cheated on her, used her. Had likely never really cared about her. That was a hard pill to swallow, even for a fiercely intelligent woman who was also a skilled surgeon.
Learning the truth had, in a way, facilitated what had to be done. Elizabeth had focused more intently on their work and so had he. A lot had been accomplished.
He was ready for this mission.
“Where is she now?”
“She’s with Dawson. He’s going over significant dates with her to see if she recalls anything relevant.”
Calder frowned. “Haven’t we already done that?”
“I needed her distracted for this meeting.” Joe leaned against the counter and forced down more of the coffee.
“You’re still convinced she had nothing to do with this,” Calder wanted to know.
Calder nodded. “I do. It’s Allen who’s still not on the same page with us. But I’ll take care of him.”
Joe breathed easy for the first time since this operation started. He knew what Maddox had done. No way would he stand idly by and let Elizabeth take the fall for anything that bastard did.
“Is it essential that we wait the next three days before I go in?” Joe ventured. He knew the plan as well as anyone, but he wasn’t sure staying here with Elizabeth for seventy-two more hours was a good idea.
“We have to trust our intelligence, Hennessey,” Calder said, telling him what he already knew but didn’t want to hear. “Word is that she’ll be in-country in just over forty-eight hours. We don’t want to rush this thing.”
The director was right, no question. But Joe’s instincts kept nagging at him to get into position. There was nothing specific he could put his finger on. The best analysts in the world were processing new intelligence every hour of every day. If anything had changed, Joe would know it right after Calder.
The fact that Calder was literally sitting in on this one personally made it the highest priority mission. So far three agents had been ambushed, two while involved in an ongoing mission. Stopping those assassinations was imperative. Additionally, Dr. Elizabeth Cameron had been Calder’s brainchild. He had personally brought her into the Agency’s family. He and Dawson, discounting Maddox, were the only ones allowed to approach her, until this operation. Joe had a feeling that Calder felt responsible for the woman’s safety as well as her actions, good, bad or indifferent.
When Calder had gone, Joe went back to his room to study his reflection in an attempt to grow accustomed to the face staring back at him. It wasn’t easy, considering he would have liked to rip Maddox apart himself if someone hadn’t beat him to the punch. That the bastard’s body hadn’t been recovered only infuriated Joe all the more. But three credible eyewitnesses had testified to what they had seen. The shooter had been found but he’d refused to talk and ended up offing himself the first chance he got.