For the next three days both Mac and Jessie avoided Sterling. Even Elizabeth seemed distant.
The only friendly face in the compound was Burt’s and he constantly plied her with food, pretending that nothing was different.
“Sorry, Sterling, Mac doesn’t cut me in on his plans unless I need to know,” Burt told her one afternoon in her quarters.
“Would you tell me if he did?”
“No, probably not.”
“I haven’t seen much of Jessie,” she said. “Is she—okay?”
“If you’re asking if she’s upset about you and Mac, I don’t think so. Confused maybe. Even though she’s happy for her father, sharing you with him is something she’ll have to get used to.”
“Burt, I’m not sharing Mac with anyone!”
“Good for you. He needs someone to give it to him but good.”
“No, you don’t understand. I’m leaving. I can’t stay here. But I can’t leave, not without his approval. I don’t even know the way out.”
“This isn’t about leaving, this is about Mac,” Burt said. “You won’t let yourself care about Mac. Why? Are you afraid that he doesn’t feel the same way about you?”
“I don’t feel any way, Burt. Mac brought me here and he’s completely taken over my life. I’ll admit it would be easy to just let him, but I can’t. I just can’t.”
Burt glanced at her, puzzled. “I was under the impression that you called Mac and asked for his help.”
“Well—I did. But I didn’t expect all—this.”
“Sterling, most people turn to those they care about when trouble comes. Just like you did.”
She looked at Burt, with all the sadness she felt apparent in her eyes. “Yes, but don’t you see, Mac helps everyone. I’m just the latest of his projects.”
“I don’t think so,” Burt protested. “And neither do you or Mac. You just don’t know how to let go of the pain you’ve wrapped yourself in. That might hurt even more.”
Long after Burt left, Sterling thought about what he said. Mac was no stranger to her. Granted, she’d never seen him before her arrival in New Orleans, but they’d talked so often, about so much. No, that wasn’t true. They’d talked about the football player who couldn’t face a future outside of sports and the young woman assigned to help him find another future to focus on. There was the librarian who lost her memory and the Gypsy doctor who helped restore it. And then Conner, who’d been separated from Erica by a lie that nearly cost them everything.
Now Mac had taken on Sterling Lindsey, whether she wanted it or not. Maybe if she knew she could leave, she wouldn’t feel so trapped.
Sterling finally turned to her only link to escape, her computer. It was time she learned about Shangri-la.
After extensive searching, she found a topographical map of the mountain and the surrounding area, both before Mac’s alterations and after.
Their arrival had been cloaked in darkness and Mac’s window on the world didn’t show the area directly beneath the steep cliffs. But the map revealed a large lake at the base, fed by the underground river in which she’d swum for her exercise.
Later that afternoon she explored the path of the water as a potential escape route. She managed to enter the hole in the rock through which the water disappeared, but it soon narrowed to several smaller openings, too small for her to get through.
Discouraged, she went back to the office, where she found the elevators that led to the top, but those going to the base of the fortress were in a different location. And she had no doubt that Mac had made the exit too difficult to use and hidden it so well that outsiders couldn’t gain access to it.
Still from the hushed tones of Mac’s friends, she knew that Jonah was a feared man. If anyone could get to her, it would be Jonah. And if that happened, Mac and Jessie would be in danger. She couldn’t let that happen. Not to two people she loved.
Love? Where had that come from? She was simply a friend to Jessie and a willing playmate in Mac’s bed. There was no room for, nor any suggestion of, love or commitment. There couldn’t be. The obstacles and the risks were too great.
Vincent Dawson might not be her biggest enemy, after all. She had to find a way to escape.
For hours she looked at the plans, thinking, studying, coming up with new ideas, and discarding them. Finally, she leaned back and closed her eyes. Vincent Dawson might not be able to get in, but it appeared equally unlikely that she would be able to get out. She started looking for Mac but couldn’t find him anywhere.
She finally gave up and went to Jessie’s room. “I hate to bother you, Jessie, but do you know where your father is?”
“I haven’t been able to find him. I … I thought he was with you.”
“I haven’t seen him for several days.”
“But you work in the office right next door and you two are …”
“We aren’t anything, Jessie. You jumped to conclusions that were—wrong.”
She looked puzzled. “But I thought … I mean I know Mac is … interested in you. Anyone can see that.”
“He only thought he was. At any rate, that’s all over. But I do need to talk to him, and he seems to be avoiding me. Do you think you could find him?”
Jessie studied Sterling for a moment and said exactly what was on her mind. “Let me tell you something, Sterling. Whatever Mac does, he thinks it through and then he acts. If he didn’t do that with you, it’s because you hit him broadside when he wasn’t expecting it.” She grinned. “Imagine that, the big man got himself into something he couldn’t handle and he ran.”
“Jessie, I don’t think it’s quite like that. There are some things you don’t know, things I’m not at liberty to tell.”
“No problem, Sterling. He’s always telling me to break out of this jail and get a life. It’s time he had a little help practicing what he preaches.” She picked up the phone. “Elizabeth, I’d like to speak to my father. Where is he?”
She listened a moment. “I don’t believe that. You always know where he is.” She punched another number on the phone. “Burt, where’s my father?” Her expression was even more puzzled as she dialed yet a third time. “Joseph, tell my father that I have a problem and I need to speak to him immediately.”
Finally, she replaced the handset and turned to Sterling. “I don’t understand. Nobody seems to know where he is. Either he’s left the mountain or he’s refusing to talk to me.”
“I can’t believe he’d refuse to talk to you, Jessie. Is it possible that he has left? Would you know if he did?”
“No,” she admitted, “not unless he told me. There are helicopters and planes coming and going around here all the time.”
“What about cars? Does everyone fly in and out?”
“No. I think that some of the construction materials are trucked in. And food supplies. But the only way I’ve left the mountain—since the … accident … is by air.”
Sterling knew how hard that statement was for Jessie to make. So far Jessie had never talked about the accident except to say her mother had been killed and she’d been hurt. Sterling wondered how much she remembered.
“Your accident occurred here?”
“Yes. My mother … lost control of the car going down the mountain. It shot over the edge and landed in the lake. I was thrown out. She drowned.”
“Do you know where the automobiles are kept?”
Jessie frowned. “I must have known once. But not now. I can’t remember. Maybe Mac closed off the way.”
Back at her computer, Sterling searched the archives once more. Finally, just as her eyes were crossing with exhaustion, she found it. The underground garage. It wasn’t at the base of the mountain as she might have expected. It was about halfway to the top. The way to the bottom was apparently hazardous and no longer used.
Sterling leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Complications. Complications. She could almost understand Alice. Though she could never know what drove the tormented woman to suici
de, she knew Mac well enough to know that he’d done everything possible to help Alice. Just as he was helping her. And she, too, was dying to escape. Like Alice, her own simple world had become more complicated than she could face.
Then a voice came on her computer. “You have mail.”
She sat up. “Mac?”
The message spelled itself out on the screen. Sterling, I have Mr. McAllister. I think you know that it’s you I want. A simple trade will save him. Come alone, to the chapel on the lake, at dawn.
There was no name at the bottom.
Jonah. The man who was sent to kill her wasn’t going to invade Shangri-la; he’d found a way to make her come to him. She glanced at her watch. It said twelve midnight. She estimated that she had five hours before dawn. In five hours she had to find the way out of the mountain and to the chapel. Mac couldn’t be sacrificed for her. There was Jessie to think about.
Sterling had cheated death once. Now she had to face the possibility that she might not be that lucky the second time around.
Hastily, she composed a note to Conner. He ought to be told that Dawson had Mac and knew what she was doing, in case she failed. Briefly, she explained the situation, typed the E-mail, and set the computer to send it at seven A.M. That way, if she managed to free Mac, he could head off Conner’s armed response and avoid bloodshed.
Sterling printed out the map of the old garage and the exit down the mountain. From the schematic, she could see no way to reach it, but that was the only way she could escape unnoticed by Mac’s “Big Brother” spying system.
First, she had to change into some kind of reasonable dress. A fleece running suit over a flannel T-shirt. Heavy socks and running shoes. She reached for her purse, then laughed at herself. A driver’s license was the least of her needs right now. What she ought to have was a gun and a flashlight.
She had neither.
Two hours later her legs were burning with fire and she’d begun to stumble. She still hadn’t found the way to the garage and she was running out of time. Desperate and weak, she returned to her quarters, let herself inside, and sank into her wheelchair.
“Where’ve you been?”
It was Jessie, wiping sleep from her eyes. Dried tear streaks lined her cheeks.
“I—I was looking for the garage.”
“I tried to reach you. Mac’s gone. You were gone. I thought …”
Sterling forced herself to stand once more and made her way to the bed. She opened her arms and felt Jessie crumple against her. “You thought we’d both abandoned you?”
“I didn’t know what to think.” Jessie sniffed. “To start with, I was just mad. Then I got scared.”
“So am I.”
Jessie cried for a moment, then hushed. “Why were you going to the garage? Nobody goes there anymore.”
Sterling thought about lying, then decided that she needed Jessie’s help if she were going to save her father. “Jessie, I want you to do something for me. Will you?”
“If I can.”
“Your father is in danger. He’s been kidnapped by a very sinister man. I—I have to get to the garage. I need a car to get down the mountain and I need it quick.”
“Mac’s in danger? Why?”
“I can’t tell you. Just know that I’m responsible. I brought the danger here and I have to end it.”
Jessie leaned back and wiped the corner of her eyes with the tail of her nightgown. “I’ll call Burt.”
“No! Trust me, Jessie. I can’t take the chance that Burt will stop me from leaving.”
“But what can you do?”
“I can save Mac. If you’ll help me.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
They started toward the corridor, but Sterling’s pain was so great that she had to hold on to the door or else she’d fall.
“What’s wrong?” Jessie asked.
“I can’t walk any farther right now. My legs need a rest.”
“Let me get your chair.” She pushed the chair to Sterling and waited.
“Damn!” It isn’t fair. The bastard that did this to me is about to hurt Mac and I can’t even get to him to stop it.
“Sit down, Sterling. Do you have anything to take—for pain?”
She did, but she couldn’t afford to be fuzzy-headed now. “No,” she said through clenched teeth. The pain wasn’t letting go even as she lowered herself into the chair. “Just get me to the garage.”
Jessie hesitated. “I’m not sure I know the way. I was a little girl then. And Mama—Mama was so upset that night. It was dark and I was afraid.”
Sterling could sense her fear. Jessie’s hands tightened around her chair and her body stiffened in fright. Sterling spoke softly to her. “Jessie, listen to me. I know you can do it. You need to. You can help Mac.”
“I couldn’t help my mother.”
“You were a little girl then. Now you’re an adult.”
She hesitated a long time, then said, “Sterling, I never told Mac, but I didn’t want to go. She was acting weird and I was scared.”
“Why did you go?”
“I thought if I got in the car with her, she wouldn’t leave.”
“Jessie, stop. Take a deep breath and listen. She was sick. She didn’t know what she was doing. It was an accident. People who know how to deal with those things couldn’t save your mother. Neither could you. But you may be able to help me save your dad.”
Jessie tried to stop shaking. She loosened her grip and relaxed her shoulders. Her distress was still evident, but she was making a valiant attempt to control herself. “All right. I’ll try to find the way, but I’m not sure I remember. And if Burt or Raymond tracks us, we’re never going to get there.”
“But you know a way to override the system, don’t you?”
“Only to unlock doors. I learned to do that before Elizabeth came and the nannies would lock me in my room.”
Sterling shuddered. What kind of lonely life must this girl have led? “Tell you what, let’s get to my computer and see what we can do.”
That step seemed innocent enough and Jessie agreed. But forty-five minutes later they were forced to give up. Jessie dashed back to her quarters to dress and they started down. From the family elevator, they switched to one of a series of service elevators. Jessie studied the panel.
“I’m not sure which floor it’s on.”
“If I read the plans right,” Sterling said, “it’s on the west side of the third level.”
Jessie caught Sterling’s shoulders and squeezed. “Let’s do it.”
The car descended, then came to a stop and the door opened. The corridor beyond was dark and damp. There were no lights here. “Now what?” Jessie asked. “We could run right past the door and not know it.”
Sterling allowed herself a small sigh. Her back hurt. Her legs hurt. Her heart hurt. What was Jonah doing to Mac? Would she be able to get there in time?
“Why does this man want you, Sterling?” Jessie asked.
“It’s not important.”
“Damn it, Sterling! I’m not a child. I’m twenty years old and I’m tired of everyone treating me like one.”
“You’re right, Jessie. If you’re expected to be an adult, you should be given the respect due you. The man who has your father was hired by the man who shot me.”
“Whoa! Why don’t you just call the police?”
“Because he’s a very important man in Washington. They wouldn’t believe me and he’d win.”
“And Mac knows the truth. That’s why he brought you here—so the bad guys couldn’t get you.”
“Yes.”
“Then what?”
Sterling didn’t know how to answer her. “That’s a good question. I guess we never got that far.”
“So, since they couldn’t get to you, they got to Mac, knowing you’d come to his rescue.”
“Yes.”
She started pushing Sterling down the dark corridor. “The question is, how’d they know?”
That caught Sterling by surprise. “What do you mean, how’d they know?”
“Well, if I knew that I’d die if I left: here, I’d stay. How could they be certain that you’d come out to save my father?”
The blackness surrounded them. Sterling felt along the wall at intervals in order to keep from running into it in the darkness as she thought about Jessie’s question. She was right. How could they be sure?
“Because,” Jessie said, answering her own question, “somebody on the inside told them that you and Mac are in love. That’s the only answer.”
“But that’s crazy. We’re not. I mean … he’s not. Your father and I met in person for the first time the day I came to New Orleans.”
“But it’s obvious that he cares. He seems younger, more carefree. I thought that you went way back.”
“Well,” Sterling considered, “I guess you could say we do. We’ve talked on the phone and through E-mail for years, ever since I started to work for Conner.”
“Now Uncle Conner has Erica and you have Mac. At least you will once we outsmart the bad guys. I used to wish Uncle Conner was my dad. He seemed so cool, always had time to play with me.”
“Your father loves you, Jessie. He just doesn’t know how to deal with you as an adult.”
“No. He tries but he’s never known what to do with me.”
In that moment Sterling knew that Jessie was wise beyond her years. And maybe she was right. Sterling hoped that Jessie was wrong about a spy inside reporting on their activities. Then, in the distance, they caught sight of a red light.
An exit sign.
Jessie let out a deep breath. “I think we found it, Sterling.”
“I think you’re right.”
Jessie let go of the handles of the chair and walked to the door, running her fingertips up and down the frame and across the metal expanse. “There’s no knob. No way to open it.”
“The computer identifies your voice, doesn’t it?” Sterling asked.
“Sure, and yours too.”
“But I’m guessing that this is part of the old system. Let’s see. Open.” Nothing happened. “You try it.”
Jessie took a deep breath in the silence. “Open! Open, you dumb, freaking door!”
“Jessie!”
Mac's Angels: The Last Dance: A Loveswept Classic Romance Page 13
