by Jo Leigh
“I know. You didn’t. But I need you to be clear.”
“I’m perfectly clear. And perfectly furious that you had to go and spoil something perfectly wonderful.”
“I didn’t mean to spoil anything.”
“But you did, you big jerk. You’re so damn worried about tomorrow that you can’t enjoy today. Well, we might not get a tomorrow, who knows? Or we may see a hundred tomorrows. It doesn’t matter, because the only thing real is right now. You and me, in this bed, in this house. What’s real is how you made me feel. And how I made you feel.”
He looked at her for a long time, at her determination and her righteous anger. And then he laughed. Hard.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I am a big jerk,” he said. “A colossal jackass.”
“Damn straight,” she said. And then he saw her lip curve up, just a hair.
He took her hands and pulled her to him. “Can you forgive me?”
“No,” she said. “Never.”
“Never’s a long time.”
“I don’t have any other plans.”
“How about if I give you something else to think about? Something distracting?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “There’s nothing you can do that will make me change my mind.”
“How about this?” he asked, moving his hand down below the comforter.
Her eyes widened as he touched her. “Oh, okay. You’re right. That’ll work.”
He laughed again, but only for a moment. Only until he kissed her.
Chapter Sixteen
Jack woke up with a start. Something had pulled him from sleep, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Certainly it wasn’t the woman sleeping in his arms.
He looked at her and was amazed at how much he cared about her. She’d opened a door he hadn’t even known existed. She’d shown him he did have a heart. A heart that could love, and could break.
God, she was beautiful! Her blond hair was tousled. Her skin was smooth and luminous. Her eyelashes, resting on her perfect cheeks, captivated him for several moments.
It still amazed him that she hadn’t minded his scar. That she hadn’t minded that he was no acrobat in bed. All she’d done was love him senseless. He could barely believe it, even with the proof lying right next to him.
He turned carefully to look at the clock. It was early, just after six. What had woken him? What was still scratching at the door of his consciousness?
Something about Frank. That was it. Something about what had happened yesterday. But what?
Maybe it was being shot at. It had probably brought up some memories of when he’d been wounded. That seemed logical, but…
He’d go wash up. Shave. Think of something else. Think of Hailey.
It took him longer than usual to get out of bed, not just because he didn’t want to disturb her, but because his cane was in the other room. He used the bedside table to stand and then gritted his teeth for the walk to the bathroom, stopping briefly to put on the robe Hailey had lent him.
To his surprise, the walk wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t great, but he could handle it. Could the exercises have worked so quickly? Or was it just the natural healing process? He didn’t care. All he knew was that it was a good sign. The first ray of light he’d seen since the night he’d been shot.
No, that wasn’t true. Hailey had taken him out of the darkness. Megan, too.
He thought about the woman and the little girl as he went about his morning routine. It struck him that he was humming. An old Glen Campbell song. “Galveston.” He hadn’t heard the song in years. He hadn’t hummed in…He’d never hummed.
He concentrated on shaving without butchering his face, and then he saw a beautiful woman appear in the mirror. Hailey.
“Good morning,” she said, her voice still husky with sleep.
“Did I wake you?”
She shook her head.
“I’ll be done in a second.”
“Don’t rush on my account.” She sat on the edge of the bathtub, her pink bathrobe falling open to reveal her legs. He made the mistake of looking. The sight of her legs had him wanting her again. He stirred, wondering if he could ask her to put off her shower for about an hour.
She was looking at her feet. Rocking gently back and forth. She must have heard him humming a minute ago, because now she was softly humming the same tune.
Then it hit him. He dropped his razor and gripped the sides of the sink before he fell. Galveston. He hadn’t caught it yesterday. It had slipped right by him.
“Jack?” Hailey said, suddenly at his side. “What’s wrong? Is it your hip?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“What? You look as white as the shaving cream.”
He got a towel from the rod and wiped his face, replaying in his head the conversation with Frank word for word.
“Tell me!”
He swallowed, then faced her. “Yesterday, after the gunshot…”
“Yes?”
“Frank told me to go home. That it would take me two hours to get here.”
She nodded, not getting it.
“I never told him we were in Galveston. I never told anyone. But he said the ferry would be murder. How’d he know that?”
Her face changed from confusion to fear. “He might not have meant anything by that, Jack. It might have been just an assumption.”
“What if it wasn’t? No, no. You’re right. Not Frank. He wouldn’t do anything like that. He’s a straight-up guy. He’d never do anything illegal, and he’d sure as hell never do anything to hurt me.”
“Right,” she said. “It was a misunderstanding. You’re just worried, that’s all.”
“Yeah,” he said, not really believing it.
“Maybe you slipped and told him on the phone?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t. There’s no way he could know we were here. I never said a word.”
“I can’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head. “It just doesn’t feel right.”
“When does betrayal feel right?” He put the towel back on the rod. “Why don’t you take your shower?” he said. “Then I think you’d better pack.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “It’s not safe here, Hailey.”
“Where will we go?”
“We’ll figure it out later. Now go on. Get ready. I’ll put some coffee on. You take care of Megan.”
She touched his arm, then kissed him on the cheek. “We’ll get through this,” she whispered. “Together.”
He nodded, then left for the kitchen. It was all he could do to make it to his cane. His hip hurt like hell.
HAILEY WORKED QUICKLY, trying not to panic and not to frighten Megan. She threw her things into her suitcase and then borrowed one from her mother’s closet for Megan’s things. By the time she was finished, Jack’s duffel bag was packed and ready in the living room, and Megan was busy drawing at the kitchen table.
So intent was she that her little tongue stuck out, just the tip, as she scribbled furiously. Hailey felt the familiar tug that had already become a part of her. The love she felt was deeper than a few days. It was a lifetime kind of love. And with it came the need to protect her. To keep her safe.
Then she looked at Jack. He was so despondent she ached for him. There had to be something they could do.
She’d thought about it all morning, and she knew Jack was thinking about it, too. Only one idea had come to her, but she was afraid he wouldn’t go for it. And if he didn’t?
No, she’d make him see that it was their only chance. She walked over to him, out of Megan’s hearing range. He took her hand and kissed her palm. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“About what?”
“Today shouldn’t have been about this,” he said.
“I’ll get over it.”
He sighed as he looked at her deeply, as his troubled gaze searched her face. “It’s no good,” he said. “I don’t think we should use the compute
r. For all we know they’ve already figured out a way to hack in to your mailbox. And I don’t think I should call Frank.” He closed his eyes for a second, then looked at her again. “And I can’t call Bob, because I can’t trust a living soul except you.”
She leaned over and kissed him gently on the mouth, then moved back to present her idea. “I was thinking…” she said.
“About?”
“About what we can do.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I think we should go to Faraday’s office. Tonight, late.”
“You mean break in?”
She nodded. “What we need is some kind of tie between the names those initials might represent and Faraday. We need a connection there, and we need some kind of proof that the numbers are what we think they are, right?”
“Yeah, but we’re not going to get it by breaking into his office. And even if we could get the evidence we needed, I’m in no shape to take any risks.”
“I know,” she said. “That’s why I’m going to do it.”
His incredulity made his mouth open as he tried to form words. Finally he gathered himself together enough to say, “No. No way in hell. No.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” she joked. But he wasn’t in a joking mood.
“It’s not going to happen,” he said. “And that’s final.”
She didn’t react to his edict. She’d been prepared for it. “Here’s what I figure,” she said. “We have to get out of here. We have no place to go. No place safe. Except I know a shop downtown. I’ve actually been there with one of my web-site clients. It’s like a spy-supply store. They have little microphones and cameras, everything we’d need.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but she put her hand on his lips.
“We’ll be in contact every second. I’ll get in and get out. No one will be the wiser.”
“How will you get in?”
“You’ll help me.”
“And what about security? Cameras, alarms?”
“We’ll be cautious. If something goes wrong, I’ll leave. I’ll be out of there in a heartbeat.”
“No,” he said, his voice and demeanor immovable.
“Jack, we know we can’t stay here. They’ll come for us. We can’t go home and we can’t ask for help. They’re going to get Megan if we don’t do something.”
“Not this.”
“Then what?”
“I can’t let you do this. I won’t.”
“I won’t be alone. You’ll be with me every step of the way. I’ll just be your legs, that’s all. And if you say to get out, I will.”
“What about her?” he asked, nodding at Megan.
“I’ve thought about that, too. Do you think your ex would look after her?”
He laughed. “Crystal? Baby-sit? She gets hives around kids.”
“You could ask her.”
“Okay, let’s assume she says yes. That we go to this store and outfit ourselves like James Bond. That you manage to get into Faraday’s office. What are you going to do if someone shows up? If you’re trapped, I can’t come get you. Do you understand? I won’t be able to help if something goes wrong.”
She nodded. “I know. And I’m willing to take that risk.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t live knowing that someone wants to hurt Megan. Because I can’t stand the thought of someone hurting you. I’d rather die than see either of you in pain.”
“What happens to me if it’s you who—”
“I’ll be fine. I promise. If it looks at all like I’ll get caught, I’m out of there. I’m not doing this to prove anything, Jack. I’m doing it because we have no other choice.”
He didn’t answer. He stared at Megan for a long time. He flinched, and she knew he was thinking about Frank. Then he turned back to her. “It’s all gone,” he said. “Everything I ever counted on.”
“No,” she said. “It’s different. Not gone.”
“I’m a cripple, Hailey. I can do exercises from here to the next millennium, but I’m never going to be whole again.”
“You think that because you limp, you’re not whole? You’re the most complete man I’ve ever met, Jack McCabe. You’re thoughtful and strong and funny and smart. You’re kind and you’re sexy. I can see why Crystal loved you.”
He looked at her as if he thought she was crazy. She wondered if she should say more, but the dismissal in his gaze told her no.
“Haven’t you been paying attention? I have nothing. I told you. All I’ve ever been is a cop, and now I’m not a cop anymore. All I could ever count on was my training, and a bullet took care of that. I have nothing to offer you. Nothing.”
“You have your mind and you have your courage. So as far as I can see, you have the whole world at your feet. There’s nothing you can’t do.”
He shook his head, then turned away. He swallowed twice, then cleared his throat. When he turned back, his eyes glistened with tears. “I want to believe you.”
“Then believe me.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
She kissed him again. “You can. You just have to want to.” She stood up and went over to Megan. “Guess what?” she said, her voice high and light. “We’re going to go see that nice lady friend of Jack’s,” she said. “As soon as he makes a phone call.”
She picked Megan up and felt the little girl’s arms wrap around her neck. Of course she could do this. She could fight armies and win. Because she was doing it for Megan. And for her only chance at happiness.
He shook his head. “No. I mean it. No.”
“Jack, I mean it, too. I’m doing this. Alone if I have to. So you might as well get on with it.”
He went to the phone, his limp more exaggerated than it had been in days. He dialed, then waited a moment. Then he said, “Crystal? I’ve got another favor to ask.”
“Gee, what a surprise.”
“Look, this is important, or I wouldn’t ask you.”
He heard her sigh. She’d give him hell about this. She had some excellent points, Crystal, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Hailey.
“What is it?” she asked grudgingly.
“I need you to watch the kid. Just for tonight.”
She burst out laughing. “Me? Baby-sit?”
“Yeah, you.”
“Frank said you were going off the deep end. Now I know he’s right.”
Jack’s heart practically stopped beating. “You’ve been talking to Frank?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you tell him that I’m with Hailey and Megan?”
“No.”
He breathed again.
“He told me.”
Dammit. That’s how come they’d gotten so close. Frank must have traced him through the Cadillac. Followed him to Galveston. It made real sense now, even though it was still so hard to believe the Frank he knew could be working for someone like Faraday.
“Are you still there?” Crystal asked.
“Yeah. We’ll bring Megan over in an hour or so. She’s a good kid. You’ll like her. And Crystal?”
“Yeah?”
“Do me a favor and don’t talk to Frank anymore. At least, not for awhile.”
“I assume you’ll tell me why.”
“When it’s over. Then I’ll tell you everything.”
JACK DIDN’T LIKE IT. He didn’t like any part of it. But nothing he’d said so far had dissuaded Hailey from this crazy scheme of hers.
They’d reached Faraday’s offices just after one in the morning, and now he was driving slowly around the perimeter, trying to get a feel for the layout and to check out the security measures. At the front of the building he saw a night watchman sitting behind a counter. For some reason, probably the dark street and the brilliant light in the window, it reminded him of that painting Nighthawks.
Hailey sighed. “I didn’t think there’d be an all-night guard.”
“So, you happy now? You ready to give it up?”
“Is ther
e an alternative? Apart from leaving the state and changing our names? But then, that didn’t work for Roy, did it?”
Jack cursed and she slugged him in the shoulder.
“Good thing Megan isn’t here,” she muttered.
“The kid’s gotta learn some time. Hell, she’s getting an education with Crystal, you can count on that.”
Hailey’s brow furrowed. “Jack, it’s a little late to tell me the woman is dangerous, don’t you think?”
He patted her knee. “Don’t worry. Megan will be fine. Confused, but fine.”
“Okay, then. I’ll just have to get past the guard, won’t I?”
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“I’m not sure.”
“And if he has cameras in the hall? He’ll get a real nice picture of you breaking in. It’ll probably be on the front page of tomorrow’s paper.”
“I’ll find out if he has cameras, and if he does, I’ll find out if they show the hallways. Sometimes they don’t.”
“This is insane,” Jack said, pulling the car to the curb at the side of the building. “Hailey, I can’t let you do this. There are a million reasons you shouldn’t even try.”
“But one very compelling reason I have to.”
“I can’t be Megan’s mother if something happens to you,” he said, knowing he was hitting below the belt.
She winced. “You won’t have to be. As long as we keep the lines of communication open, everything will be fine.”
“And if we don’t?”
“I’ll get out of there so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
“It’s already spinning. Dammit, Hailey, I can’t do this.”
“Sure you can. You will.”
“Why?” he asked, grateful for the lamppost on the street. He could see her face, see her incredible eyes. Of course, he could also see her determination.
She leaned over and kissed him, and not just a quick buss. It was a kiss that made him remember every detail of last night. Their first night together. Probably their last. When she pulled back, her hand lingered on his cheek. “You will because you care about me,” she whispered.
“I do?”
She nodded. “Don’t panic. I know you haven’t gotten that far yet. But I certainly intend to be there when you do.”
