Scent of Danger

by Judith Rochelle

  “Our problem is there’s an element of, call it treachery, wecan’t pin down,” Rick told her. “If Xena and I do have a link, I’d be hopingshe could help identify it.”

  “No, I’m afraid not. I’m sorry you’ve made the trip up herefor nothing. If you’d told me over the phone the real purpose of the visit I’dhave saved you the trouble.”

  She rose from her chair. The visit was over.

  “What about coming to Maryland at your convenience to let usdo some tests?” Mia asked. “Show you some of the things we’re doing. We’rereally looking for people who can help us find others with psychic gifts andtrain them to use them.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Will you do at least one thing for me?”

  “What’s that?”

  Mia handed her a slip of paper. “Here are the telephonenumbers for Faith, her Aunt Vivi and me and the web address for The LotusCircle. Will you at least check out the website? Maybe call and talk to usabout the Circle and how you might fit in? Vivi would like to make both you andXena part of it.”

  “That much I can do.” She folded the paper and slipped itinto her pocket, then looked pointedly at her watch. “Meanwhile, there arethings I have to take care of.”

  Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry, Rick thought ashe unfolded himself from his chair. When he started toward the door Xena was athis side at once, teeth gently holding a chunk of his khakis. She tugged at thematerial, then bumped her head against Rick’s hand.

  “She’s telling you to be careful, Mr. Latrobe,” Kellyexplained.

  “Don’t worry. Careful is my middle name.”

  Kelly walked them out to the helicopter and stood in thetall grass, Xena beside her and watched as they lifted off.

  “I think we came on a little too strong,” Dan said over theheadphones.

  Mia made a face. “No kidding. From trying to get herinterested in the program to throwing her into your little project is a bigstretch. I can’t think of many people who’d jump at the chance to go to Iraq.”

  “Let’s give her a little time to get over the shock of ourvisit. Then you can call her again and see if you can exert your unboundedcharm on her. Get her to come down to the office. Maybe Harry can help.”

  “I should have kept my mouth shut,” Rick said. “But I’lltell you guys. I have a bad feeling about this entire Iraq situation. A reallybad feeling.”

  * * * * *

  Kelly was still unsettled by the visit, just picking at thefood she fixed for herself and turning everything over in her mind.

  I could probably think more clearly if the image of RickLatrobe didn’t keep getting in my way. How can I possibly be attracted to a manI hardly know?

  Her cell phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts.

  “Hello?”

  “Am I disturbing you?”

  The deep voice resonated over the wireless connection andKelly’s stomach did a little flip.

  “No, not at all.” She tucked the phone between her ear andher shoulder and carried her plate to the sink, scraping it into the disposal.“I was just sitting here not eating my dinner.”

  “I hope we didn’t upset you in any way today.”

  She could hear the instant concern in his voice.

  “No, no. That’s not it at all. I was just…turning thingsover in my mind.”

  “I know this will sound screwy and I probably shouldn’t evenbe making this call. I know this is coming out of nowhere but I just couldn’tget you off my mind.”

  She stuck the plate in the dishwasher and picked up theglass of wine sitting untasted. “I-I’m glad you called. And I’m glad you’rethinking about me.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “I was thinkingabout you too.”

  “Please don’t think this is a come-on line but I’ve neverhad a reaction to another woman the way I have to you. I feel…something and I’dlike the chance to see where it goes.”

  “Me too.” She was so rusty socially she wasn’t even sure shewas handling this right. Would he think her too bold? Too shy?

  “If only I didn’t have this damn Iraq trip coming up and theproblems over there. But the minute I get back I’m coming up there. Is thatokay with you?”

  “Yes. I’d really like that.” She shoved her free hand in herpocket to keep it from trembling. “Maybe you could… I mean, would you be ableto stay for a few days?”

  His laugh was warm, like melted chocolate and she could hearrelief in it. “I can stay for as long as you want. After this, I’ll have plentyof down time coming.”

  “Well.” She laughed, feeling free and lightheaded. “That’llbe good then.”

  “Yes. Yes, it will.”

  “I’m glad you called.”

  “Me too. Kelly?”

  “Yes, Rick?”

  “I’ll be back before you know it. Be sure your dogs aretaken care of because I want your full attention.”

  “You’ll have it,” she said, then added softly, “Stay safe.”

  When she hung up she held the phone against her cheek,smiling so broadly she thought her face would crack.

  Chapter Five

  Rick rolled out of bed at four in the morning, showered anddressed quickly, picked up the duffel he’d packed and set the alarm for thehouse before heading for the garage. He was three blocks down the street whenon an impulse he pulled out his cell phone. He’d just spoken to her last nightand she’d probably think he was an idiot. Not to mention she was probably stillasleep. But he needed to hear her voice one more time before he left.

  “Hello?”

  He loved the way she answered, with a light question mark atthe end.

  “It’s me. Rick.”

  “Is everything okay?” He could hear the worry in her voice.

  “Yeah, it’s fine. Listen, I know I probably woke you—”

  “No. It’s okay. I…wasn’t really asleep, anyway. And I’m gladto hear from you.”

  He chuckled. “I think you’ve bewitched me.”

  “I have?” Her voice had a musical lilt to it that made hisgroin harden. “What makes you think that?”

  He was dead serious now. “Because I can’t stop thinkingabout you.”

  “Oh.” Just a breathy little sound but it wasn’t helping hisbody any.

  “Listen, you probably should try to go back to sleep. I justwanted you to know I can’t wait to see you again.”

  “Me, either,” she said in a tone almost a whisper. “You takevery good care of yourself, Rick Latrobe.”

  “I will. I have something special waiting for me when I getback.”

  He couldn’t stop grinning all the way to the airfield.

  * * * * *

  Loading the Hercules C-130J was a tedious process. The grayof dawn was barely dissipating when vetted drivers had picked up the arms andthe Humvees that morning in specially designed trucks, each driver accompaniedby two armed guards. Fortunately the munitions dealer was on the outskirts oftown so they were able to avoid traveling through the city to reach theairfield. The fewer eyes that registered the convoy, the better.

  On the trip back from Maine they had all agreed that, justto be safe, Rick’s visibility needed to be nonexistent. For the past few days,after they’d returned from the trip to Kelly’s farm, he’d heeded everyone’swarnings and stayed in an anonymous condo Phoenix owned. It was one they usedwhen they needed to hide high-profile people and if anyone had to go in or out,sneaking through the basement garage was easy enough. So he’d coordinatedeverything with Mike and Ed from the condo, chafing at the bit to get this overwith and wondering if he was just chasing shadows.

  He wished he could dig around in his brain and find thepuzzle piece he was trying to remember. Maybe it was nothing but he didn’tthink so. He had a feeling that if he could pull it out it could be the key tounlocking the mystery.

  He’d also had more time than he wanted to think about Kelly,to remember her standing in the wash of the rotors waving goodbye to them. He’dnever thought about any woman t
his long. Not ever. And he didn’t think it wasjust her unavailability that made her so attractive. No, just as he and Xenahad formed a link, so had he and the lithe redhead. One he fully intended topursue just as soon as he got this business in Iraq over and done with.

  He still carried the marks of the accident and his ribsstill ached but he was improving every day. Troy had replaced the soft castwith a tight bandage so he could maneuver his hand better. Period. He’d beeninjured worse than this before. He’d just have to get past it.

  Now he stood just inside the hangar where the plane waswaiting, watching as load after load of arms was checked off on two clipboardsand rolled into the vast open space of the plane’s belly. The three Humvees,roofs modified to provide access for turret machine guns, were the last to beloaded. They contained seats only for the driver, the shotgun rider and twoseats in the back, one of which was for the machine gun operator. Each day theywould escort the construction convoy to one of three sites where GraingerCaldwell was working and provide extra cover while the workers plugged away attheir jobs.

  “And pray they don’t meet up with an IED or suicide bomber,”Rick muttered under his breath. Improvised Explosive Devices were scarier thananything because you never knew when you were going to run into one.

  Ed and Mike were both doing their preflight checks for thethird time. Everyone had picked up on Rick’s unsettled feeling. His so-calledaccident hadn’t helped any so, as Mike said, they were making damn sureeverything was zipped up from their end.

  They’d chartered this particular model plane because it wasnewer and faster and could climb higher if need be. It also had an advancedtwo-pilot flight station with digital avionics, state of the art GPS andnavigation systems and just about anything else you could think of. GraingerCaldwell was footing the bill and Charlie Grainger had told them to get thebest.

  “There’s millions of dollars riding on these contracts,” hetold Rick for perhaps the hundredth time. “I can’t afford to have the workersgetting hurt. That’s why we did the big security thing. That’s why I’m payingthe big bucks for the load you’re ferrying over there.”

  “Everything will be fine,” Rick assured him, quieting hisown uneasy feelings. “Have I ever let you down yet?”

  “I trust you with my life,” Charlie said. “Now I’m trustingyou with everyone else’s. And the future of this company. Don’t let me down,okay? I just don’t trust the whole situation over there. I’ve got this weirdfeeling something’s not right.”

  “We’ve got it handled. No problem. And Greg’s set up on hisend to receive the goods. I’ll be there in about a week to make sure everythingworks the way we set it up.”

  “I appreciate that. And it will be reflected in your fee.”

  Rick had grinned. “Always good words to hear.”

  So call him a Nervous Nellie. He just wanted to keep hisword to Charlie. And come out of this in one piece.

  The last thing to be loaded was their provisions, the coffeeand sandwiches that would keep their bodies fueled during the long trip. Theplan was to leave as early as possible. Flying time was approximately twentyhours, which meant Ed and Mike would trade off in the left hand seat. Rick, whohad his license but seldom used it, would sit in the right when needed to givesomeone time to rest.

  They would be landing first for refueling at a civilianairfield that Grainger Caldwell had access to for its European operations, thenlaunching from there to Baghdad. But the stop would be a short one. Iraq waseight hours earlier than Maryland and they wanted to land early in the morning.

  “Almost ready,” Mike said, moving over to where Rick wasstanding.

  “I’m set on my end. Let me just sign off on these guys sothey can get their checks and we’re good to go.”

  As he stood in the shadow of the hangar door, completing hispaperwork, he could have sworn he heard a dog barking loudly. Frowning, hepeered outside at the runway and the surrounding area but there wasn’t ananimal to be seen.

  A chill chased itself over his backbone.

  * * * * *

  “I’m telling you, he was nowhere to be found.” Gabir wassweating profusely as he clutched his cell phone. Fear was making his heartbeataccelerate.

  “Excuses, excuses,” Zarife said. “The plane is getting readyto take off. I’m looking at it right now.”

  “But that’s impossible. It won’t leave without Latrobe.”

  “Latrobe is in the hangar, you idiot. Wherever he’s been,they snuck him in this morning. I just watched the goods being loaded. Theyshould be taking off shortly.”

  “What can I say?” Gabir was tripping over his words. “Whatcan I do?”

  “Nothing,” Zarife snapped. “I will have to take it fromhere. Go home and stay there and pray I need you again. Otherwise you become adisposable nuisance.”

  The call disconnected and Gabir was left holding a silentphone and praying.

  * * * * *

  Kelly sat cross-legged on the bed, still holding the phonein her hand. Funny little tingles were racing over her body and she wishedshe’d recorded the call so she could hear his voice over and over.

  God, you’re acting like a fourth grader.

  No. A fourth grader has more dating skills than I do.

  Is that what I’m doing? Dating? I think Rick Latrobe hasa lot more than that in mind.

  Oh, God, I hope so.

  She lay back against her pillows. She’d slept fitfully sincethe day of the Phoenix visit. Xena was a nervous wreck, totally unlike herusual behavior. Kelly had tried everything to soothe the dog, even taking heron the long hikes she loved but nothing would distract her.

  At night Xena woke Kelly up whining and nudging her, pacingthe floor and trying to tug her out of bed. During the day, when Kelly workedwith the dogs, unlike Xena’s usual habit of sitting quietly and watching, sheraced from house to kennel and back, nose raised as if sniffing the air.

  “What is the matter with you?” she asked over and over. “Ican’t stand you, girl. You’re driving me nuts.”

  Now she gave Xena a stern look as she pulled the covers overher. “We’re glad he called, aren’t we, girl. But now we need to get some sleepor we won’t be worth spit in the morning.”

  Xena lay down next to the bed, head on her paws, whiningsteadily.

  “Fine. Whine if you want to. But I have to get some sleeptonight, so keep that in mind.”

  It seemed she had barely rested her head on the pillowbefore the dream came. Rick, his face in shadow, raced toward her, weapon slungover his shoulder. Only it wasn’t Rick. He was tucked into a corner. The manturned and spotted him. Sharp cracks split the air, punctuated by loud barking.One more snap and he tumbled forward, landing on her chest. She tried topush him off, her breathing constricted but she couldn’t make him move.

  She was gasping for breath when she awoke, sweat runningdown her face and Xena lying on top of her.

  “Off.” She pushed at him. “Get off me, you big lug. You’resuffocating me.”

  She shook her head to come fully away but the terror of thedream wouldn’t leave her. Looking into Xena’s eyes, she realized that somehow,in a state of sleep, she’d connected with the dog’s thoughts, with what she wasdreaming.

  Xena put her face close to Kelly’s and barked, twice.

  “Okay, okay. I hear you. Let me up so I can reach thephone.”

  She blinked and realized bright sunlight was coming inthrough the windows. Her bedside clock read nine o’clock. Oh, hell. She’d sleptright through the alarm. Picking up the two-way radio on her nightstand shepressed the button to call the kennel.

  “We’re here,” came a cheerful voice. “We just thought we’dlet you sleep in this morning. Everyone down here is okay.”

  “Thanks. I’ll be down as quickly as I can.”

  She stumbled to the closet to find the jeans she’d worn theother day. Digging in the pocket, she pulled out the slip of paper Mia Romeohad given her during the visit. She sat on the edge of the bed, phone in onehand, the slip
of paper in the other. Xena barked again.

  “Okay. All right. I’m calling. I just hope they haven’t leftalready.”

  The phone on the other end rang several times and Kelly wasready to hang up when a female voice answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Mrs. Romeo?”

  “Yes? Who is this?”

  “This is Kelly Monroe.” This is stupid. Xena, what haveyou gotten me into? “You gave me a list the other day and it had thisnumber on it.”

  “Yes. Kelly, of course.” She heard a voice in the backgroundand Mia saying something back.

  “I’m sorry for bothering you but Xena wouldn’t take no foran answer.” She giggled nervously.

  “It’s fine, Kelly. Really. I was just checking a cataloguefor the museum. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Kelly swallowed hard. “This is going to sound really stupidbut you can’t let Rick get on that plane.”

  There was a short silence. “Why not?”

  “Please don’t think I’m joking but I connected with one ofXena’s dreams and she woke me up. If Rick goes over there he’s in terribledanger.”

  “Tell me exactly what you dreamed. Wait, let me get a piece ofpaper. Okay, go ahead.”

  Kelly related as much of the dream as she could. “It wasn’tvery long but it was explicit. Someone’s going to kill him. You can’t let himget on that plane.”

  “Hold on a moment, can you? Just a sec.”

  Kelly waited. Then Dan Romeo’s voice sounded in her ear.

  “Kelly? This is Dan. Can you repeat what you told Mia?”

  So she told it one more time, her heart thuddingerratically. She was too late. She knew it. And so did Xena, pacing andwhining.

  “I hate to tell you this,” Dan said, “but Rick’s alreadyleft. The plane flew out of here this morning.”

  Kelly’s stomach clenched. Xena skidded over to her and puther head on Kelly’s knees, her eyes looking at her with silent accusation.

  “Can you get hold of him?” she pleaded. “I’m sorry. I know thisis so idiotic. I must sound like an idiot to you but I saw Xena’s dream. Rickis in very grave danger.”

  She was glad Dan Romeo’s voice sounded calm and solid. “Takea deep breath, Kelly. I can call Rick on his satellite phone and pass thisalong. He can’t turn back but at least it will make him more alert. Did thedream show you specifically where the attack would take place?”