by Rebecca York
Chapter Fifteen
A noise in the doorway made Jenny turn quickly. Grant was standing there, his gaze fixed on her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered, trying to read his expression. They’d gotten very close while she was in the VR. She’d ruined that by running away, and she felt her insides clench when she thought about what might have been.
Then she swept that longing away. She had no business dragging a good man like Grant into the muck with her.
As he studied her, she wondered what he was thinking.
“You look a lot like Lily,” he finally said.
“And you look a lot like Mack. That’s convenient,” she countered, turning the conversation away from herself.
He laughed. “Right. Exactly like Mack.”
She turned back to the mirror to have one last look at the wig.
“We should get going.”
“Uh huh.” With no real alternative, she turned and followed him toward the front of the building.
He held her back as an ambulance drew up at the entrance. Medics rushed into the building rolling a stretcher between them. They moved into the lounge, where Lily was waiting, her hand clasped with Mack’s. He helped her onto the stretcher, and the medics covered her body with a sheet that came up to her mouth. Next they draped a towel over the top of her head so that hardly any of her face was visible.
When she was ready, they wheeled her out, with Mack sticking close to her side. As soon as the doors closed, they pulled away sirens blaring.
Grant gave them a few minutes to clear the industrial park. Then he motioned to Jenny. “Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here while the getting’s good.”
She followed him to the car and climbed in quickly, her mind scrambling for a way to get out of the mess she had created, because she knew they were going to check out her story. And they’d find some big holes. The only alternative she could think of was the one she had used earlier, only she was going to have to be a lot cleverer.
oOo
Carlos had seen an ambulance speed up the road to the Decorah office. Either one of the sleepers was sick, or something else was going on. Were they transferring Jenny? Or was that what they wanted anyone who was watching to think?
He was still considering his options when he saw a Decorah car coming down the access road. From the license, he could see it was the car that belonged to one of the Bradley brothers. Mack and Grant. Mack, the guy who had pretended to be an innocent bystander, was married to the doctor who had been so rudely interrupted doing her striptease. And the other was single—and maybe involved with Jenny Seaver, Carlos was guessing.
The car paused at the stop sign, waiting for traffic to clear on the highway. The couple inside looked like Lily Wardman and Mack Bradley, but Carlos had a funny feeling about the setup.
He called Tino on his cell.
“You follow that ambulance and find out what’s going on. I’m going after the car that just made a right.”
oOo
Despite using the ruse of the ambulance, Grant was alert for anyone following as he turned onto the highway and headed for the Decorah safe house. Once he imagined he saw a silver midsize sedan following, but it zipped past and disappeared into traffic.
Jenny was watching him. “What?”
“I thought I saw someone tailing me. But it passed us.
She craned her neck, looking through the windshield, but saw nothing.
The cars ahead of him slowed, and he hit the brake.
“An accident?” she asked.
“I hope it’s just a slow down.”
He shifted in his seat, impatient to get off the road and get Jenny to a safe place. But there was no way around the traffic that crept inch by inch along the highway.
An ambulance came speeding along the shoulder—presumably not the same ambulance that had carried Lily to the hospital.
Jenny glanced at him. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t speak.
He was tempted to ask what she was thinking, but he didn’t press her, partly because he wasn’t sure how to respond.
He was going to protect her. But he was having trouble picturing a relationship with her. He’d thought she trusted him. More importantly, he’d thought he trusted her. Obviously neither of those things was true anymore. And now he was going off to be locked in a safe house with her until the Decorah team determined she was no longer in danger. He was hoping they could do it quickly. And then maybe they could talk—and she would tell him the things she was still holding back. She’d let him wonder if she’d been raped. But was that even true? Or had she seen an opportunity to keep him at arm’s length?
After the initial traffic slow down, it was another twenty minutes before he drove past a three-car wreck. Then he was able to speed up again.
Once he was moving along on the highway, he looked around for the silver car he’d spotted. He thought he might have seen a similar vehicle, but then it was gone again.
He took a couple of turns, making sure he didn’t take the direct route to the safe house. But finally he pulled up at the gate in the fence that encircled the wooded property.
After putting his key card into the slot, he pressed a code on the keypad. When the gate opened, he drove through and waited for the barrier to close behind him before he started up the winding drive toward the dwelling.
Floodlights came on as they approached what looked like a typical Maryland farmhouse.
They both climbed out of the car and walked up a couple of stairs to the front porch. When Jenny stepped inside, she stopped short as she looked around at the interior. The first floor had been completely transformed into a great room with a modern white eat-in kitchen taking up one quarter of the space and a comfortable lounge area occupying most of the rest.
“Nice,” she murmured.
“There’s a gym downstairs and a shooting range.”
“Really?”
“All the comforts of home. And there’s a safe room that’s invasion proof, in case of trouble.”
“But you’re not expecting any.”
“Correct,” he agreed, then continued, “We have three bedrooms and three baths upstairs. The first room on the right is yours. There’s clothing in the closet and in the dresser. I’ll be at the other end of the hall. You can go up and relax, if you want. Or you can take a tour of the kitchen.”
He watched her weighing her options. “Maybe I’ll go up.”
“Sure.”
When she was gone, he looked to see what the team had put in the pantry and the refrigerator. Then he checked his e-mail to find out what Teddy had turned up on the mysterious Rambo or Gabe Thompson.
oOo
Carlos had stayed well back as he followed the Decorah car. He was in the white car that Tino had been driving earlier.
He and the other security man had changed cars a half hour earlier—after he had woven through traffic, causing the three-car accident on the highway, before speeding away.
As he’d anticipated, the accident had slowed the Decorah guy down considerably, giving Carlos a chance to get into position behind him again—then trade off with Tino so that neither one of them was following the whole time.
He’d hatched the plan after Tino had called to report that the ambulance was a decoy. The lady doctor had emerged from the emergency room entrance ten minutes after the ambulance had taken the “patient” in. And one of the Bradley brother had met her. They’d hugged and driven off together.
All that led to the further conclusion that the couple in the car were Jenny Seaver, disguised as Lily Wardman, and the other Bradley brother—Grant. That all sounded hard to follow, but it was really pretty simply. They’d used the ambulance as a decoy to spirit Jenny away, and he’d hustled to get on top of the deception. Plus now he knew where the little bitch was hiding. She couldn’t stay in there forever. And maybe there was even a way to persuade her to come out. If not that, maybe
he could lure out the guy who was guarding her. Grant Bradley.
He’d have to think about those tactics. For the time being, he was content to know that he hadn’t lost Jenny Seaver.
oOo
Jenny opened the door and walked into the first room on the right. It was clear immediately that it had been decorated for female guests. There was a four-poster double bed that looked like mahogany, a matching dresser and mirror, a muted Oriental rug on the polished wood floor, and a small padded rocking chair in one corner. The bathroom wasn’t large, but it had been nicely outfitted with a small marble-topped vanity, a shower and one of those modern toilets that lets you use it like a bidet.
One wall of the bedroom was taken up by a closet with apparel that seemed to be her size. As she looked through the clothing, she saw jeans, less casual slacks, shirts and tees, plus running shoes, heels and flats. It appeared that someone had gone to a lot of trouble to give her a wardrobe. Had Grant bought all that? And what was he assuming about how long she’d be here?
The last thought was unsettling. Decorah might think she was going to be safe, but she doubted it—even with the men who had invaded the patient facility eliminated. Rambo would figure out where she was again and send more goons.
She glanced over her shoulder, then turned on the light and closed the bedroom door. Next she glanced toward the window, wondering if anyone could see her from outside. Quickly she closed the blinds, trying to convince herself that she felt safe.
As she paced the room, she thought back over the way the Decorah agents had acted when they’d interviewed her and shown her the video. She was sure they were keeping something from her, but she had no idea what it was.
She let the inevitable conclusion of that scenario play through her mind and shuddered. But she couldn’t deal with it now. And she was dead tired. Which was weird because she’d had a nice long sleep a few hours ago, courtesy of the drug Dr. Wardman had given her.
Once again she glanced toward the door, then began opening drawers in the dresser. She took out a pair of sweatpants, then grabbed a tee shirt from a hanger in the closet. She went into the bathroom to put them on, then climbed into bed, still worried about something she couldn’t quite name. But she was too wrung out by everything that had happened to examine any problems now.
She couldn’t help wishing she was back in the VR. She’d been safe there. No, that was just an illusion. She’d known all along that she couldn’t stay. And she’d been right. Only hours after she’d left an invasion force had come to scoop her up. And what if they had caught up with her?
She shuddered. For now, she should stop torturing herself. She had to get some rest and then figure out what she was going to do in the morning.
She wondered if it was possible to sleep, but really she was so emotionally and physically exhausted that she dropped off quickly. And in her sleep, she got everything she wanted.
Against all odds, she was back in the VR, so happy to find herself in the familiar, calming environment. Coming in through the room Lily had set up as a transition for visitors, she knew at once where she was.
Raising her arm, she saw that she was wearing the running suit that she remembered from the first time she’d awakened here. Even the soft fabric against her skin was comforting. And with a feeling of relief, she stepped into the elegance of the lobby, breathing in the flower-scented air and looking around at the opulent surroundings. It was like coming home to be here again.
The women behind the desk looked up and smiled. “We missed you. Welcome back.”
“Thanks. I missed being here,” she answered with heartfelt honesty. How had she ever come up with the idea of leaving this peaceful place?
“Are you going to your room?” the desk attendant asked.
“I think I’ll go down to the pool.”
“Did you bring a suit?”
“I’ll stop in the lobby shop.”
With a sudden flood of energy, she strode across the marble floor and stepped into the small store, where she examined the swimming suits on shelves along one wall and snatched up one. With the scant garment clutched in her hand, she hurried out of the building and down the path to the pool complex.
Usually she might pass some of the other guests on her way. Paula could be out here painting. Or Shelly might be playing on the lawn, watched over by her nurse. But not today, and Jenny was glad that she was alone. She didn’t want to see any of the people who lived here. There was only one person she wanted to meet.
Her heart beat faster as she descended the steps to the pool, her gaze sweeping over the sparkling blue of the water. The swimming complex was empty, and she hesitated for a moment. Was she wrong? Had she come here only to be disappointed?
Thrusting that worry aside, she hurried to the cabana where she and Grant had made love. After stepping inside, she started pulling off the running suit. When she was naked, she reached for the bathing suit, then tossed it onto the chair in the corner. Instead, she went to the hanging rack and took down one of the terry robes. Her heart was thumping as she shrugged into the robe and tied the belt. Once again she wondered, was she wrong about all this? Or . . .
She didn’t allow herself to finish the sentence as she stepped outside and scanned the pool area. Her heart leaped when she saw Grant coming down the steps. He was dressed in faded jeans, but that was all he was wearing. He was barefoot and shirtless, and his gaze fixed on her. He walked with deliberate purpose, each step bringing him closer to her.
She forgot to breathe as he stopped in front of her, only inches away, a question in his eyes.
“Grant,” she breathed. “I wanted you here.”
“I wasn’t sure you did.”
“Never doubt how much I want to be with you,” she answered, hearing the slight quaver in her voice.
Every word she spoke was true. Forget that back in the real world, everything had been wrong between them. Here, everything could be right, because she was making the rules.
The thought gave her pause. Back in the real world?
He was watching her, and she knew that he wouldn’t reach for her. She must be the one because she had to prove that her words of reassurance to him were true.
Chapter Sixteen
In the great room of the safe house, Grant tried to focus on the laptop computer screen, tried to read the information that Teddy Granada had sent him. But keeping his mind on work was impossible. All he could think about was the woman who had walked upstairs—the woman who had walked away from him a little while ago.
It was his own fault, he supposed. He’d practically pushed her away because no matter how much he wanted to protect her—and trust her and help her heal—he couldn’t really let down his guard, not after all her deceptions. And he understood that it was because of his own fear that she could hurt him more than any other person in the world.
He knew that was true. But he was alone, and it was safe to admit how much he wanted her—and how much he wanted a future with her.
With a sigh, he set the computer on the side table, leaned back in the comfortable chair and closed his eyes, imagining that the two of them were together again in the VR, the way they had been the time he’d come down to the pool, and they’d made love. He’d been elated that she’d reached for him. Then the next day, she’d run away, and he’d known she was really saying good-bye.
He shoved that last part aside. She’d had her reasons for running, and he knew a big factor was her fear that he and the other Decorah people were in danger because of her.
But now it was like a miracle. They were back in the VR together, as though none of the bad stuff had happened. Not her running away. Not the shoot-out among the sleeping patients. Not her lies. And not his deception.
“Grant, I wanted you here—so much,” she murmured, and he also heard the words in his mind like when he and his brother communicated without speaking.
I wasn’t sure you did.
Never doubt how much I want to be with you,” sh
e answered.
He had never encountered anything like this—but he let himself surrender to the experience, telling himself that he would deal with reality later. Right now, all he wanted was to get as close to this woman as he could.
oOo
Jenny shoved doubt away and reached for Grant, raising her arms so that she could cup the back of his head and bring his mouth to hers.
She felt instant heat—and relief—that the two of them could bridge the gap she had created by leaving the VR against doctor’s orders.
She’d done it because all the bad stuff was her fault. Much as she wanted to deny it, she knew it was true.
As Grant’s lips touched down on hers, he made a sound deep in his throat, a sound that told her he wanted this as much as she did.
And as he claimed her, he took the lead, moving his mouth against hers in nibbles and sweeping caresses and finally more intimately when she opened her mouth for him. Last time neither of them had known what to expect. This time each of them was sure of the other. And each of them knew how to give the other pleasure.
While he kissed her, he gathered her close, his hands moving over her back and shoulder and into her hair. She could feel his erection, hard and bold.
When she moved against it, he caught his breath.
“Don’t. I want to go slow.”
“How is that possible?”
She felt him grin. “Because I’m not going to make love with you until you’re as hot as I am. Come inside.”
She watched him grin again as he knitted his fingers with hers and led her through the curtains into the private cabana. Only it wasn’t the cabana she had stepped out of a few minutes earlier.
It was totally transformed into a bedroom in a pleasure palace. The walls were draped with golden hangings. The floor under her bare feet was made of something soft that felt like a cross between plush carpet and well-tended lawn. And in the center of the room was a wide bed with embroidered pillows at the head and a silk coverlet.
