Defender: Intrepid 1

by Chris Allen

  Morgan sat quietly, watching her, fighting the frustration of the past weeks. He’d been such an idiot, allowing his deep feelings for her to cloud his view of the big picture. Was it a selfish yearning for a normal life? A desire to settle and forget about the solitary, cat-and-mouse existence he had embarked upon? Probably, he thought. An element at least. But it was more, much more than that. It was her.

  The tears were rolling freely down her tanned cheeks. He could see she was afraid, finding herself in the midst of a game for which she was ill-prepared and ill-equipped. Of course, Morgan now knew she was with the Foreign Office and not the Red Cross. But it was also clear she had been deliberately cast adrift by someone desperate to discredit her, or worse, someone intent on using her for distraction – Johnson. Davenport was convinced of it, and her eleventh-hour email cry for help had been all the confirmation they needed.

  Biting back the bitterness, Morgan reached a hand across to her. She held a hand out to him. He took it and pulled her close. She fell into his arms, sobbing.

  CHAPTER 51

  Lundt took a deep breath. He looked around to see if there were any faces that were becoming too familiar. He was using a public phone booth in the shadows near Sydney’s Central Railway Station. There were no obvious signs that he was being followed. “Make sure you’re there, Cornell. Go to the spot where I told you, and then you make yourself invisible.”

  He hung up and dialed another number.

  “You got the email I sent before I left Perth?” Lundt asked when the phone was answered.

  “Got it,” the reply was deadpan.

  “All I need is top cover. You’ve got the pics I sent you, the man and the blonde? He’ll be easy to recognize, pasty-faced bastard, starting to go bald. First sign of him in the park, you let me know. And I need to know if he has anyone with him or anyone who looks like they’re hovering around him. Detailed descriptions. Understood?”

  “Understood.” A pause. “The blonde’s a real looker. I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on that for a while.”

  “You may get your chance if this goes to plan. How many guys have you got?”

  “Four. One driver, me and three other guns. One guy will stay with the driver and they’ll sort out the girl. The other two will be with me in the park. Enough?”

  “Yep. Car?”

  “Old model Land Rover Discovery. It’s clean. Got the side opening rear door, like you asked.”

  “Good. Tell your crew to keep their eyes peeled for cops or another crew. First sign of trouble and we’re out of there. If the plan changes, take my lead.”

  Lundt hung up, then headed off to find a bed for the night.

  CHAPTER 52

  “I think I’ll slip into something more comfortable.” The sparkle had once again returned to the beautiful big blue eyes he remembered so well, although they were now red and swollen.

  Morgan and Ari had sat in silence for twenty minutes, holding each other. Ari had cried and cried until, eventually, she’d stopped, said she was sorry, and clung to Morgan as tightly as she could. But now a familiar lightness had returned.

  “Seeing you in something even more comfortable sounds like a great idea,” he replied with equal waywardness. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Well, whatever I decide on, you’ll have to leave. A gentleman should never be present when a lady is changing. I believe that Commander Sutherland has arranged a room for you along the corridor,” she teased, laughing.

  “I think I’d rather stay put, thank you very much,” he replied.

  “Anyway, you’re the one who should be getting changed,” she said as she flicked his tie. “Sydney’s in the middle of a heat wave, major.”

  “Habit, I’m afraid. I’m meeting Dave a bit later to go over the game plan.”

  “Oh, God! That’s right,” she said, with a suddenly distant air. “It’s so good seeing you, being with you again, that our reason for being here slipped away from me. For a moment.”

  “I know, Ari, for me, too. But, I guess that’s obvious. Are you OK about all this? Cornell and Lundt, I mean.”

  “Not really. I just want it to be over. If what you suspect of Abraham Johnson is correct, he’s as good as condemned me. For all I know, this Lundt person could tap on my door, announce, ‘Room service’, and blow my brains out the moment I open it.”

  “I’m sure it won’t come to that,” he said reassuringly. “We’ve got counter-terrorism officers all over this place and at the Novotel where Cornell’s staying. I need you to lie low. Johnson doesn’t have to know that we’ve got you under wraps. You just respond to him via email as per his instructions, and assure him that you’re carrying them out to the letter. Meanwhile, you sit here, watching movies, working your way through the room service menu. Safe and sound. OK?”

  “Will you come back to me after you’ve met with Sutherland?”

  “I hope you’re not planning to distract me from my duties. I’m supposed to be looking after you.”

  “Spoilsport,” she said, jokingly. Then, more seriously, “Anyway, we have to get through this. Whatever happens, happens. And when it’s all over, we have a lot of talking to do. I’ve been so worried about you, Alex, after everything that happened in Africa, and then after we left each other in Spain. Your friend Sutherland, hasn’t let on much, and you sure didn’t let on anything in your email back to me either.”

  “Well, in fairness, there wasn’t a great deal of time. You were about to get on a plane when you sent me that email about Johnson. All I had time to do was tell you Dave Sutherland would make contact with you in Sydney and that I was on the next flight out of London. As for Dave, he’s not exactly the world’s most engaging conversationalist at the best of times. He usually only lightens up when he’s about to bust someone in half.”

  “Funny, that’s what he said about you.” They laughed. “Alex, what about this Renegade thing I saw among Johnson’s papers? Are he and Turner really connected?”

  “We don’t know for sure, but Davenport is all over it. He’s just appointed a new personal assistant, headhunted her from the International Criminal Court in The Hague. So, I’m sure she’s currently neck deep in everything to do with Johnson and the Renegade Group. Meanwhile, Dave and I are focused on this end of it; the Lundt connection, I mean.”

  Ari was silent for a moment, trying to take it all in.

  “Have you and Dave known each other very long?” she asked.

  “Only about a year. I was in the Paras, while he was in the US Navy SEALS. Somehow we both ended up in this outfit, but when you’ve served in similar units and environments, the links and commonalities are so strong that you might as well have known each other for twenty years.”

  “That’s nice. Rare, I suppose.”

  “It’s a brotherhood. You’re either in it or you’re not. There’s an unspoken loyalty and understanding.” Morgan was touched by her interest. Her eyes had not left his face once.

  “Now tell me this, and I swear on the Official Secrets Act that I will never divulge a word to another living person.” She flicked her right hand up, playfully taking a sacred oath. “How is it that you guys – Intrepid I mean – are part of Interpol? I always thought Interpol was full of policemen, not soldiers.”

  “It is full of policemen. It’s just that after 9/11 the UN Security Council decided that Interpol needed some gunslingers. So that’s us.” Morgan wanted to avoid discussion of Intrepid, and the conversation was definitely heading that way. “This is really great music. Who is it?”

  “Oh, she’s one of my favorites – Madeleine Peyroux. This album’s called Careless Love. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, definitely. Different to what you were listening to in Spain, though. Lily Allen, wasn’t it?”

  “Oh, yeah!” She laughed, acknowledging the obvious contrast. “I love her, too. But this is my quiet music. It soothes me.”

  “I can see why.”

  “Listen.” She reached for a remote, i
ncreasing the volume.

  Ari luxuriated in the music. Her eyes closed and her breathing fell into a peaceful unison with the gentle murmur of the harmonies. Morgan sat watching her, enjoying the moment. He was stunned by how they had renewed their connection in such a short space of time. Things between them felt so natural.

  She slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze fixed straight on Morgan. Unhurriedly, she unfolded herself from the sofa and moved to the edge of the bed. She pushed aside some clothes and stretched out, lying on her side, knees bent, propping herself up on one elbow so she could see him. She raised her left arm and held her hand out open, beckoning Morgan to her. “Come and lie beside me,” she breathed. “Just hold me for a while. Please.”

  Morgan stood, his eyes never leaving hers. He took off his jacket and, as discreetly as possible, removed his gun from the small of his back, dropped it onto the sofa and walked over to her. He took her hand and she pulled him down. He lay back upon the pillows and she immediately nestled her head against his chest, left arm draped across his body. Morgan slipped his hand around her shoulder and held her comfortably. He could feel her melt against him, drawing a leg across his and nuzzling naturally into his neck.

  “Finally, you’re here,” she said.

  They remained silent for a time and allowed themselves to be carried away by the serenity of the music. A thousand miles, it seemed, from the troubles they had followed from the other side of the world.

  CHAPTER 53

  Across Sydney, in a street near Central Station, Jenny Sullivan tossed and turned.

  Sweat flowed down her body, soaking into the sheets tangled around her long, brown legs. She rolled restlessly from one side of the bed to the next, trying to catch a puff of the breeze that seemed to be deliberately avoiding her open windows, cursing the antiquated air-conditioner for choosing this summer of all summers to finally break down and die.

  Temperatures had been in the high thirties for two weeks; bushfires were erupting across New South Wales, and local television stations bombarded viewers with warnings about total fire bans, arson investigations, conserving water and protection against UV rays. Even this late in the evening, the heat was so unbearable it was impossible to sleep and, as she lay there irritable and tired, she prayed for the break in the weather everyone was talking about, and dreamed of racing out into a heavy downpour, allowing the warm kiss of the rain to soak through to her tingling skin.

  The peal of the after-hours bell interrupted her wishful thinking. She had attended to many late-night arrivals from the airport, but there was something different about this one. The cool timbre of his voice on the phone and the total air of confidence that had pervaded his conversation were so overpowering that she had felt her anticipation grow from the very moment she had put down the phone.

  “Don’t be a loser,” she said to herself, easing up from the disheveled bed.

  Jenny quickly slipped her lithe, naked body into a short silk robe, kicked on a pair of sandals, and headed out to the motel’s reception, tousling her long black hair with both hands. When her eyes fell upon the dimly lit stranger who stood smoking beyond the locked glass doors of the lobby, her heart skipped a beat.

  She was riveted by the primal lure of his features and the shadows cast upon them by the lights outside. She felt his piercing eyes strike at her through the darkness, unashamedly traversing every inch of her body. His solemn mien and casual self-confidence was intimidating. But in the instant that she began to feel uneasy and vulnerable, the tall, dark traveler flashed a broad smile, allaying her alarm and compelling her to let him in. Her heart was beating faster, and as she held his gaze assuredly, she discreetly drew the already undersized robe up further over the peachy cheeks of her slender, tanned behind.

  “Now, don’t tell me you’re the little lady I spoke to on the phone?” His voice was a deep rumble. “A man couldn’t be that lucky.”

  “I’m afraid so. Manager, maid, cook and receptionist. All wrapped up into one tiny little package.”

  “And what a fine package it is,” he breathed, deliberately allowing the back of his hand to brush against her thighs as he eased his way inside.

  “I’m Jenny,” she said softly.

  “John,” Lundt replied. “John Bogle.”

  He took her hand, holding it longer than necessary.

  “Have you decided how long you’re going to stay here at the Sandpiper?”

  “Well, sweetheart, I reckon meeting you just added a week to my plans. How about I pay for seven days and we’ll see what happens?”

  “I’m sure I can fit you in,” she cooed. “This place can get pretty boring. People usually only stay a night and then fly off somewhere else. We’re cheap and we’re a quick trip to the airport. I’m used to entertaining myself, so it’ll be nice to have someone regular around.”

  She moved closer, leaning on the counter beside him, studying every inch of the rugged stranger as he signed into the motel register. He made no attempt to disguise that he wanted her, allowing his eyes to shamelessly wander all over her. Jenny wanted him too. She couldn’t explain it.

  Slowly she slid even closer, cradling her full breasts in her arms, just inches from him, allowing the soft folds of the robe to fall open a little more, her swollen nipples pushing hard against the tight fabric.

  “Here’s your room key,” she whispered, rattling it in her hand. “Number seven. Back outside and to the right. You can’t miss it.”

  “Lucky seven,” he replied softly, licking the end of the pen and sliding it deeply between the mounds of her breasts. Why not? Lundt thought. The distraction would do him good. “I might just pour myself a drink before I hit the hay. I could sure use some company.”

  “Give me a minute to freshen up.”

  CHAPTER 54

  “You OK?” Morgan whispered into Ari’s hair. The music had stopped. He didn’t know how late it was, but it was starting to get dark outside. He felt a small patch of dampness against his shirt. Tears? “Ari?” he whispered again. She stirred.

  “So much has happened,” she began quietly. “So much that it’s all become a jumble. William Evans’s illness; that weasel Johnson sending me off to Malfajiri like Lara bloody Croft, supposedly to help you, only to find I was actually spying on you for him. All those people killed over there. Thousands of them. And that smell, that terrible smell. Death, everywhere. Then, back in London and everything’s the same. It’s like a different planet.”

  Morgan stroked her hair gently. He remained silent, letting Ari find her way amid the mess of thoughts and memories streaming through her.

  “Following Cornell around the city on some stupid errand for Johnson that made absolutely no sense, and with nothing to go on, only to find out I was being followed by Scotland Yard. And now all you’ve told me about Johnson, this Lundt person and the Secret Service. God! When I agreed to go to Malfajiri, I thought it would be good for my career. If only I’d been able to speak to Violet. None of this would have happened.”

  “Yeah, I heard that she’s your mentor. An Oxford connection, right?”

  She nodded on his chest. “I still have no idea why this is happening to me. People have been killed. And Johnson. Is he really involved in all this?” Morgan squeezed her shoulder lightly. He stayed silent. “I know it’s over for me in the Foreign Office, without doubt. Probably anywhere in government. I knew that the moment I got on the plane to come out here. I’ve been played, used. I’m finished. I feel so stupid. And now there’s you. It’s all so unexpected. I told you before, I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

  “Ari …”

  She moved to rest her chin on his chest and looked at him, pressing her finger to his lips to keep him quiet. He obeyed.

  “I know what you’re going to say, but I don’t want you to say it,” she said. “I know it’s ridiculous, but it is how I feel. Our time together in Spain meant a lot to me, and I know it meant a lot to you, too. But I also know that this is impossible timing for us. Ther
e’s too much going on in our lives for any of this to make sense. That’s what you want to say, and I know that’s right.”

  Morgan felt his heart turning once again to stone.

  “So, what are you saying?” he asked. “That’s it? It’s over?”

  “Don’t be like that. Don’t! I can feel you tensing up. I know it’s not what you want to hear but it’s the truth. Maybe, if we weren’t in the middle of this …”

  Morgan’s arm fell away from her and he let out a stifled sigh. Gazing up at the ceiling, he wondered what the point was in even thinking about a normal relationship, a normal life. Just when he thought he’d dealt with the memory of her, she returned to him and then, when it looked like they would have another chance, she was shutting him down, again.

  Ari could feel him closing off from her but that wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t really know what she wanted. How could she get that across to him without making things worse? She slid along the length of Morgan’s body, entwining her legs around his. Her lips were open and her breath was warm across his face.

  “Alex,” she said tenderly. “Please don’t shut me out. I’m not saying I don’t want to be with you it’s just—”

  Morgan’s phone rang. It was dark outside, the first violet shades of night had been drawn. He disentangled himself from her, sat up and reached for the phone on the bedside table.