“I’ve been, um, spending time on the Lotus Circle site,” sheadmitted. “Just checking things out.”
“Good, good. Mia will be pleased.” He grinned. “So willFaith’s aunt. She’s dying to meet you.” The smile went away. “But one thing ata time. If you can do this, we’ll want to hire you and are prepared to pay youany fee you name.”
Kelly set the coffee cup down on the desk next to her andheld up her hand. “First of all, I appreciate the offer of money. It’ssomething that’s always good to have. But this…is personal with me, not a job.Xena and Rick connected. That means he and I connected also and I wouldn’t beable to live with myself if I walked away and left him in danger. I came downhere because, like you, Xena believes—and therefore so did I—that Rick is in greatdanger. Secondly, I still feel that if I’d gone with him to Iraq this might nothave happened.”
“I keep telling her she’s wrong,” Harry broke in, his firstcontribution to the conversation. “But she won’t listen to me.”
“Your grandfather’s right. And if you’re going to be of anyhelp to us, you need to get past that. Okay. What’s your situation in Maine?”
“All my dogs have been signed out to the clients. All right.I guess I didn’t drive all this way just to deliver a message. I’m prepared tostay as long as you need me.” She looked at Harry. “Granddad? What do youthink?”
He smiled at her, a combination of patience, tolerance andresignation. “I think these are good people and if you can help them youshould. It’s not going to do me any good to tell you there might be danger init for you too, because you’ll just ignore me.” He looked out the window at thetruck. “I’ll just trust Xena to take care of both of you.”
Kelly turned her gaze back to Dan. “Okay. When do we getstarted?”
* * * * *
They left her pickup at the airfield and choppered Kelly andXena into the grounds of Dogwood House to avoid the possibility of beingfollowed. Since Rick’s accident had happened right after he left the airfield,at the exit closest to that location, Dan and Mark agreed someone might stillbe keeping an eye on that spot.
They had some reservations about transporting Xena but Kellyjust gave them an impish grin, hopped into the cabin and belted herself andXena into two seats. Looking up she told them, “We’re ready.”
Xena barely moved during the trip, rock steady and erect inher seat, Kelly murmuring in her ear now and then. Dan, who occasionallyglanced over the back of his seat, could have sworn the dog was actually givingher silent answers.
They landed on the Dogwood’s helipad where Janet Housemanwaited for them. Kelly led Xena over to the woman, held out her hand to Janetand shook it. She whispered in Xena’s ear, the dog sniffed the air all aroundthem, then she held out her paw for her own handshake.
“I have to show her you’re friendly,” Kelly explained inanswer to Janet’s raised eyebrows. “But believe me, if she detected the leastscent of danger about you, you’d be flat on your back right now and I’d have tokeep her from grabbing your throat.”
“I guess it’s a good thing for Rick that she’s connectedwith him,” Janet chuckled. “Come on. He’s been looking forward to yourarrival.”
Kelly kept a light hold on Xena’s collar as they allfollowed Janet into the clinic and took the elevator to the second floor. Whenthey walked into the suite assigned to Rick she was floored at what she saw.She could have been walking into a luxury suite at the most expensive motel,except for the medical equipment in the bedroom. Someone was forking out a lotof money for this. Then she saw the man who had consumed her thoughts lying ina hospital bed, and she felt something in her heart turn over.
Xena tugged hard against her restraining touch. She releasedher and in two bounds the dog was beside Rick, sitting next to the bed, lickingthe man’s hand, which he held down to her. Greeting complete, she turned toface the others and emitted a low growl.
“I guess we don’t have to worry about guard duty,” Dancommented with a wry grin.
Kelly moved closer to the bed and took a hard look at Rick.He’d lost a little weight, he was paler than she remembered and his face wasstill lined with pain. He was bare from the waist up, his chest wrapped inheavy bandages. Monitoring equipment was pushed into a corner, ready in case itwas needed again. Even whatever IV lines might have been connected to him weregone.
“We took him off everything just this morning,” the tall manon the other side of the bed told her. He held out his hand. “Troy Arsenault.”
“Troy’s one of our partners,” Dan told her. “He served as amedic when he was with the SEALs. He’s been overseeing Rick’s care.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you and the wonder dog,” Troy said.“I can see nobody was exaggerating.”
Kelly went through the same process with Troy that she hadwith Janet, signaling Xena that this too, was a friend. Then she looked againat Rick. All they’d had was that visit in Maine and that painfully short phonecall that had been so full of promise. But she’d been building dreams on it,only in her dreams he wasn’t lying in bed wounded.
”You have no idea how good you look to me,” he said in asoft voice.
He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, then liftedit to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her skin. The jolt of electricity thatpassed between them was just as strong as the other times they’d seen eachother. When she saw Rick’s eye narrow slightly she knew he felt it too,especially when he refused to let go of her hand.
Troy cleared his throat. “I think I’ll take a break for awhile. If nobody needs me, that is. Or anything.”
Vaguely Kelly heard Mike chuckle, then say, “I don’t thinkany of us will be missed. Let’s go get some of Janet’s excellent coffee in hercafeteria and see where we go from here.”
Neither Kelly nor Rick paid much attention to the outer doorclosing. Xena, her Psi intuition working overtime, moved away from the bed,allowing Kelly to move closer.
“I’ve missed you,” Rick told her.
She laughed. “How could you miss me? You hardly know me.”
“Some people you can be around all your life and neverreally know them. Others it takes only minutes. I think we belong in the secondcategory.” His eyes flashed with shards of heat. “You don’t know how many timesI’ve replayed those phone calls over and over in my head. After I was shot theywere the only things that got me through the pain.”
Butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach and aflush heated her cheeks. How was she supposed to handle this? Handle herunexpected feelings for him?
“Rick, I should tell you. I’m not very good at this.”
He raised an eyebrow. “At what? Making conversation?”
“Well, that too.” She tugged at her hand but he refused tolet her go. “I’m very…” she shrugged, “awkward with men.”
“Awkward.” He repeated the word. “Has someone told youthat?”
“No. They don’t have to. I just don’t have the easy timewith it most women do.”
He shifted slightly on the bed, the muscles in his facetightening at the discomfort.
“You shouldn’t move,” she told him, instantly concerned.
“If you could just raise the head of the bed a little I’llbe fine.” He made a sound of disgust. “I can’t lay around here forever.”
“But you can until the doctor releases you. You don’t wantto re-injure yourself and be out of commission for a lot longer.”
“I’m a lot tougher than Dr. Janet wants to believe. But ifyou really want me to keep still, lean over here and kiss me. Please? I’veimagined it more than you can believe.”
Feeling a blush creep up over her cheeks, Kelly pressedherself against the bed and leaned down to touch her lips to his. She wasstartled when one arm came around to pull her even closer and the kiss became alot more than she’d intended.
Rick nibbled at her lips, then licked them, tasting themwith a rough silk tongue that demanded entrance into her mouth. She opened forhim and his tongue swept insid
e like a marauder, taking everything she had togive.
In her entire life she hadn’t been kissed that way. Chillsand heat raced in tandem over her body, her breasts throbbed, her nipples achedand she felt moisture at the apex of her thighs. Tentatively, almost shyly, shedueled with his tongue, tasting the flavor of him that, despite the hospitalessence surrounding him, was distinctly Rick.
They were both breathing heavily when they broke the kiss.
“If I’d had you around the past week I’d probably be out ofthis bed by now,” he told her. ”You’re better than all the medicine in theworld. And a damn site prettier to look at than Troy.”
She giggled, almost embarrassed at the boldness shedisplayed. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Hell no. I want a lot more of that. Now pull a chair closeto the bed and tell me about this peculiar idea you have about you and men.Because from where I sit—or lie down—I’d say you’re just about perfect. Oh andin a little while, we’re going to try that kissing again. Trust me on that.”
Xena, still in her place next to the bed, gave a gentlebark, her eyes moving from one to the other.
“Think she’s telling me I’m out of line?” Rick asked.
“Actually I think she’s giving us her blessing.”
“I knew that dog was smart. Now come on. Let’s hear allabout this hang-up of yours.”
Blushing, Kelly pulled the chair over and perched on it. Shesincerely hoped she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself. But more of thatkissing sure sounded good.
* * * * *
Rick couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Focusing on thedebacle in Iraq instead of Kelly had become a real problem. How could a womanhe’d just met take up so much of his mind? Be so prominent in his thoughts.
He’d been lying here in Dogwood House, fighting the pain,doing everything Troy insisted on so he could heal quickly and waiting for theright moment to call Kelly. His redhead. That’s how he’d come to think of her.He didn’t want to be fogged out on pain meds or having a bad spell. She’d know,she’d be able to tell and he didn’t want her pity. Not that. Anything but that.
He must have had good karma in another life because here shewas delivered up to him like an early Christmas gift. He could hardly believeit. Ostensibly she was there so Xena could be an early warning system in caseof danger. His partners believed whoever was after him wouldn’t be defeated byordinary security methods.
So here was Xena, his early warning system, his defender.And with her, the redhead he wanted more than any other woman in the world. Forhowever long she stayed here, he’d have to take advantage of every opportunityto build a relationship. This was his chance. He couldn’t afford to blow it.
As he feasted his eyes on her sitting next to him andlistened to the soft lilt in her voice, he began putting his plan together.He’d win her over, one step at a time.
* * * * *
“But I can’t help you,” Zarife protested to the man at theother end of the cell phone call. He had been dragging his feet on the ordersto find where Latrobe was sequestered. After checking all the hospitals andclinics he’d done nothing else, afraid to call too much attention to himself.“I already told our common friend. I am not in a position to do anything and Icannot afford to jeopardize my situation.”
“Now you listen to me,” Greg Jordan told him. “Without myboss your family never would have scored the big hit they did. They’d still bewhining in their tents about what Saddam stole from them. So don’t tell me whatyou can or can’t do.”
“But if I start asking questions, someone will get suspicious,”he cried. “People never talk about that agency. They have very powerfulfriends.”
“Then we just have to find a way around it, right? I knowfor a fact you’re plugged into many of the Washington circles. That’s how myboss found you. And found out so much about you. And your family.”
Zarife paced back and forth in his living room. Even thoughhe was alone he couldn’t keep from looking over his shoulder and glancing outthe window. He would give anything not to be having this conversation. Hewondered what his father would say if he knew what was happening.
“Are you there?” Greg prodded. “This man, if he puts all thepieces together, could pull the plug on everyone. Including your father.”
“I will do my best but you should not rely completely on me.Surely you have other contacts.”
“And I’m working them all. Every one of them. But thatdoesn’t mean you can jack me off on this. You’re an important piece of thepie.”
“I understand. I will see what I can do.”
Zarife slammed the cell phone onto the table. What a mess.What a damned mess. He needed to speak to his father ASAP.
He felt his shoulders sag with relief when he heard hisfather’s voice on the phone. He’d waited nearly two weeks for the man to callhim, his patience wearing thin each day and his nerves growing more ragged. Butthey’d agreed the elder al-Dulami would call him when he had things undercontrol.
“It is so good to hear from you,” he said. “I have worried agreat deal.”
“All is well,” his father assured him. “Better than could beexpected, as a matter of fact.”
“Do you know they want me to find Rick Latrobe for them?I’ve received two different calls.”
“Can you do this?” he father asked.
Zarife’s grip on the phone tightened. “I don’t know. I toldthem if I start asking questions about this man, I’ll call unwanted attentionto myself.”
“Find a way to do this. We cannot afford to leave Latrobealive.”
He needed to change the subject. “Are the plans in place?”
“Yes. We are ready to recapture what is rightfully ours. Thefirst attack will take place in three nights. Once that first village is ours,we will move forward through our former territory and reclaim each site one byone.”
Excitement coursed through Zarife’s veins. It was finallyhappening. All the years of planning, of searching for the right connections,were finally paying off. “How soon shall I join you?” he asked.
“You must stay where you are until the territory issecured,” the elder al-Dulami told him. “You are our eyes and ears to thepolitical scene in the United States. You will be able to give us firsthandreactions and collect information we need.”
Zarife tried not to let his disappointment show in hisvoice. He didn’t want to be slogging along at his boring job, pretending to besomething he wasn’t one minute longer. He wanted to be where the action was. Toshare in the thrill of triumph.
But he was an obedient son and would do whatever his fatherthought would be best. Would give the best results.
“All right,” he said. “But please call me and let me knowhow the first raid goes. I wish you success.”
* * * * *
He hadn’t wanted to call Zarife. As a matter of fact, GregJordan wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. Any link to what wasabout to happen over there could only mean more trouble for him and he had morethan his share at the moment.
Employing a number of disguises, he’d checked out RickLatrobe’s house, the perimeter of the airfield where Phoenix kept its smallfleet and the building where the Phoenix Agency offices were located. He’d evengotten himself hired onto the crew that cleaned the building, hoping for achance to get into the office, only to be told Phoenix had its own crew andtheir floor was locked from outsiders.
He was paying what he considered exorbitant sums of money totwo men he trusted implicitly, men who could scour the underbelly of politicsand black ops to see if they could find anything. Men who tag-teamed with himto check likely places. So far everyone had come up empty, including Zarife.
But time was fast running out. Noise was being made and RickLatrobe had to be eliminated before the noise got too loud to turn off.
Maybe just this once he’d catch a lucky break.
Chapter Nine
Kelly’s stay at Dogwood House was nothing if notinteresting. It was obvious from the
first day that Rick Latrobe had his ownideas about how things were going to work and it had nothing to do with Xena’spsychic powers. Her first challenge came in the discussion of where she wouldsleep. Janet had set aside a guest room for her but Rick refused to hear of it.
“She stays here with me,” he insisted.
Kelly laughed self-consciously. “Xena’s your guard, not me.”
“But where Xena stays, you stay. And she’s not leaving myside.” He reached down to caress the dog’s head. “Right, girl?”
Xena woofed.
“See?” Despite his pain, Rick had a glint of mischief in hiseyes. “She agrees with me.” He was holding her hand again and tugged herforward. “I wish this bed was big enough for you to crawl right in here withme,” he whispered.
“Rick! People are watching us.”
“Good.” One corner of his mouth turned up in a grin. “I wantthem to be so jealous of me their eyes will turn greener than yours. Now howabout another of those healing kisses?”
“Healing?” she teased.
“Oh, yeah. You have no idea how much better they make mefeel.”
“Honestly. I just don’t think it would be appropriate for meto sleep in here. How about the sitting room? I’ll be perfectly comfortable inthere.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “It might get a little crowded. That’swhere Troy sleeps.”
“Oh.” She glanced over at Troy who was doing his best toswallow a grin.
“Besides,” he persisted. “How much danger could you be in?I’m the walking wounded. And barely walking at that.”
She tried again. “We barely know each other, Rick.”
“But if you stay in this room we’ll get to know each other alot better.”
Kelly had to laugh, he looked so much like a little boyasking for an early Christmas present.
“Okay, okay. You win.”
She realized she was outmaneuvered on the bed but what shegot was far beyond what she expected. She thought someone would bring in arollaway but instead the bed they set up was a full-sized double. Not that itdidn’t fit easily into the huge room. Troy stood by, posture casual but sensesalert, while the bed was made up with fresh linens.
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