by Spear, Terry
Glancing at the dining table and not seeing their champagne, he called out, “Where are our drinks?”
“In the fridge,” Dale hollered back. “Nothing worse than hot bubbly.”
Allan pulled the glasses of champagne out of the fridge. Once their food was warmed up, they sat down to enjoy it.
Buttering his asparagus, he asked, “Is there anything about Wilson that might help us to identify him when we catch hold of him again?”
She furrowed her brow, apparently deep in thought. “He had a bullet wound in his left shoulder. In about the same place yours is. He also had a knife wound in his left side.”
“Didn’t you wonder about that?”
She avoided his eyes. “Yeah, well, I guess I’m rather gullible when believing people. Men in particular.”
Allan at once felt like a heel all over again. Wilson had the serial killer instinct. He could talk himself out of a maximum security prison, if they ever got him confined to one.
“I’m sorry, honey.” Allan leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I didn’t mean to sound so disbelieving. The guy could sell a desert island in the middle of nowhere, he’s that convincing.”
“After Roy and then the guy I was engaged to, I shouldn’t have trusted Wilson either.”
Allan shook his head. “We’re not all like that. You had to feel some of us were decent.”
“Yeah, you.” She scooped up some potatoes. “He said he’d been taken prisoner by terrorists when he was on vacation in Columbia. They’d nearly killed him.”
“He was telling the truth in part, only he was the terrorist, killing vacationers in Columbia for their money. Maybe one of his own men got knife happy. As for the bullet in his shoulder…” Allan speared a chunk of meaty lobster. “That was mine.”
Jenny’s full pink lips parted slightly. “Oh, my God, Allan. No.”
“Yeah. Stevens was there, disappeared though in the thick of the shooting. I never thought about it before, but now that I know he’s part of Wilson’s terrorist organization, I realize he would have told Wilson who shot him.”
Jenny touched the shell of her lobster. “Now you’ve gone and married me.”
“Yeah, and pulled the money out of his grasp. He’s really not going to be happy when he learns I’m back to haunt him.” He patted her hand to reassure her as her eyes remained big and full of worry. “Can you think of anything else about him?”
“He’s got one blue eye and one brown. He was pretty mad at me when I walked in on him in the bathroom one time and saw him with his contacts out. I thought I’d heard him in the kitchen, and he hadn’t locked the bathroom door. Seemed to have bothered him that I saw his eyes weren’t the same color. But then he quickly made up to me for getting angry.”
Allan frowned. He really didn’t like hearing how the bastard had wormed his way into Jenny’s life. He had to know all he could about Wilson, but in hearing about it, his stomach hardened like a rock, thinking of how intimate they must have been.
He waited to hear anything further from her recollections, not wanting to continually prompt her, to force her to divulge what had to be painful memories to her now. But when she didn’t speak further, just poked at her lobster, he reached over and clasped his hand over hers. “Come here, honey.” He pulled her from her chair. With her nestled in his lap, he said, “Can you think of anything else?”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “I heard him talking on the phone once. But he quickly ended the conversation. Naturally it made me suspicious because my ex-fiancé had pulled the same thing with me. Only he’d been calling his new girlfriend on the sly.”
He realized the breakup with her fiancé still bothered her, but he needed to keep the focus on Wilson for now. Anything they could glean about him was more important. Later, he wanted to hear everything about her life. He ran his fingers over her hands. “What did Wilson say?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I caught bits and pieces. I hadn’t realized until now, but there was something about him that made me afraid. He never seemed to want to talk to me about his past. Even when I asked him about his wounds, as concerned as I was that someone would injure him like that, he seemed annoyed. But I’m not naturally suspicious of people and when he explained things like he did, I believed him. Still, when I heard him on the phone, I grew afraid, terrified he’d catch me listening to him. Yet, I couldn’t break away from listening, wanting to know if he did indeed have another girlfriend, maybe, since it had happened to me before.”
“But—”
She shook her head. “He said something about putting someone out of their misery. Of course people say things like that when they’re mad, so I really didn’t think anything of it. And frankly, I was glad he wasn’t talking to a girlfriend. Now that I know more about him, I realize I’d have been better off if he had been.”
“Anything else you can remember?”
She shook her head. “It all comes back in puzzle pieces. Lots of it doesn’t even make sense. It’s like I see a face, sometimes a brief glimpse of an incident. Sometimes even a sound makes me remember something. Like the air conditioner turning on.”
Allan stroked her bare arm. “Music. Sometimes playing a piece of music will bring on a memory. I was listening to a particular song when Millie told me she wanted a divorce. Believe me, I don’t care for the piece anymore. It always makes me think of the conversation we had.”
“I’m sorry, Allan.” She kissed his cheek.
Sighing deeply, he wondered how he could ever have gotten so lucky to have Jenny. Garcia’s words came crashing back to him. You’ll thank me for this assignment. Allan hated to admit it, but the boss was right this time around. Then his thoughts shifted to the music and the memories that got him worked up over Millie and their divorce. “I’m wondering if you might have some CDs in your home that could help you to remember anything.”
“I’m on it,” Dale hollered from the living room.
She whispered to Allan, “Are they listening to everything we say?”
“You bet. Dale will call the details you’ve remembered about Wilson into the boss.”
She wrinkled her nose.
He kissed it. “What, honey?”
“I forgot they were here, quite frankly.”
He smiled. “Only doing their job.” He patted her thigh. “Let’s eat. Then we need to discuss the tactics for tonight.”
He wasn’t used to having a woman under his care while they concerned themselves with a battle with terrorists. And now for the woman to be his new wife, the whole scenario made his skin crawl. Somehow, they had to capture or kill Stevens and the rest of his goons, then get Jenny to a safe place again.
When they both finished eating their dinner, Allan led her to the living room.
Dale jumped up from the couch and sat on a chair next to Cameron’s to make room for Allan and Jenny. They sat down together, their legs touching, his hand holding hers. He couldn’t help the feeling that tonight he would lose her for good if he wasn’t careful.
“Okay, we need to discuss something of the logistics of the situation tonight.” He faced Jenny. “Did you have gas mask training in the Army?”
“Yes. You think they’ll use gas?”
“We have to consider every possible scenario, but yeah, I think it’s a good possibility.”
“Don’t you think they’d expect you to be prepared for them?”
“Yeah, but Wilson’s not a patient man. Whoever doesn’t get a job done right for him, he terminates. We figure Stevens already said he’d have you delivered to him tonight, since he told you he was going to walk with you.”
“I don’t understand why he thought I’d go along with his scheme.”
“Dale came up with a couple of reasons. He didn’t believe he could get you out any other way. Possibly he figured you’d believe him, just like Millie and countless other women believed his lies. But if he had an inkling of what you’d do…run away, not trusting either him or us, he might have t
hought he could get to you easier that way. I suspect he wasn’t prepared for you to run. I believe he thought you trusted him, and thought we were the terrorists. Otherwise, I’m sure he might have picked you up before you even made it to the bridge.”
She nodded. “He did put doubts in my mind all right.” She shuddered. “I’m just glad my recklessness didn’t get anyone hurt.” She squeezed Allan’s hand. “So what’s the plan?”
“We stay here until he strikes. I’ll remain in the bedroom with you. Cameron and Dale will stay in the living area. Lantham and the others are guarding the first two floors. We have four others outside on perimeter alert, an early warning system.”
Pulling her close, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “After Stevens and his men are captured, we’ll move to another safe house. Only we haven’t been told where yet.”
“You won’t reconsider and let me borrow one of your guns, honey?”
Dale grinned, but shook his head. “Never trust a woman with a gun.”
“Got a sordid past?” Jenny teased.
He laughed. “No. But we’ve been trained to shoot at moving objects, in this case, the bad guys. I imagine all you had were stationary targets and never fired on a living being before. Not only that, but we can’t afford to have you shoot one of us by accident.”
She smiled. “All right. I’ll use a lamp again.”
Dale chuckled. “I told you she was a handful.”
Allan rose from the couch and pulled Jenny up. He directed his comment to Dale and patted his cell phone. “If you need me for anything, call. I’m going to take Jenny into the bedroom and help her get her gas mask fitted properly.”
Cameron winked at Jenny.
“Besides, gentlemen,” Jenny said over her shoulder as Allan led her to the bedroom, “I have to get changed into my uniform, too.”
The notion his wife needed to wear Army fatigues so that she could more easily fight off the villains sat heavily on Allan’s mind. No way did he want her in the midst of the battle, trying to fend off the bad guys. He had every intention of making sure they never got near her again.
Chapter 14
Already Jenny’s nerves stood on edge. But it wasn’t solely about Stevens and his rash plans to take her. Something deeper plagued the shadows of her mind. Something sinister. Glimpses of killing a man…no, two, had suddenly come to mind while she’d talked to Allan over dinner. But when Dale had said she’d never had to shoot a living target, she knew it wasn’t so.
Was that why she’d had to leave the service early? Because of an Army mishap? She’d killed two men by accident? The more she tried to remember, the more addled her mind became.
Allan busily pulled gas masks out of a case, oblivious to her distress. Did he know why she left the service?
“Allan?” Her voice sounded hollow, almost scared to her ears. She swallowed hard.
He looked up at her. His eyes widened. “What’s wrong, Jenny?” He joined her and led her to the bed.
He always seemed to know when she was upset. She’d never known a man who was so observant, concerning a woman’s emotions, as far as she could remember. Or was it that he worried she was terribly frightened about the coming battle?
“We’ll be all right. Really.” He kissed her cheek.
She sat down on the mattress. “Do you know why I left the service?”
“You received an honorable hardship discharge so you could take care of your dying aunt. She had cancer, and her only son and her husband had predeceased her.”
“Oh.” She rubbed her temple. That didn’t explain the images of the men she’d killed. Nor did it reduce the dread that filled her stomach.
“What’s wrong? You’ve lost all the color in your face again. What are you remembering?”
“I don’t know. It’s like I said before. I get bits and pieces, but can’t remember all the details or how they fit together sometimes.”
“What bits and pieces are you seeing now?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
He studied her for several minutes, then took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. “Feel free to talk to me about anything. If something’s bothering you, it may be that you’ve confused your memories, and they’re not what they seem. I can always have headquarters check out your story. If it pertains to Wilson, the boss will want to know anything you have to say about him.”
She nodded. But there wasn’t any way she was telling this ultra law-abiding, by-the-book, moralistic husband of hers that she’d killed two men. Had she done so in self-defense? She closed her eyes trying to conjure up the images. She couldn’t see anything. Only blackness.
When she opened her eyes, Allan crouched at her side, waiting for her to recall something, anything. She attempted a smile. He didn’t smile back, only furrowed his brow, undoubtedly still worried about what plagued her.
“Did you want to help me with my gas mask?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He still seemed reluctant as he waited by her side. But when she didn’t say anything further, he rose from his crouched position and retrieved the mask.
Once she’d fitted hers properly to her face, she set it on the bedside table. “Now what?”
“You said you were going to change.”
“Yes.” She stood and turned her back to him. “Can you get my zipper?”
She wanted him to make love to her one more time before all hell broke loose. Allan probably wasn’t in the mood though, his mind most likely considering darker matters.
After he unzipped her dress, he pulled it off her, then leaned over and licked her neck. When his hands shifted to her breasts and he nuzzled her cheek, hope flourished as her hormones began to heat.
“Do we have time?” she whispered, hoping to hide the sudden urgency she experienced, to have him deep inside her, warming her belly before the showdown.
“All the time in the world. He won’t attempt to hit us for several more hours. He’ll come under the cover of darkness when we’re the least awake. The only thing is we’ll have to be more quiet this time.”
“Why?”
“Dale and Cameron might hear us.”
“They already assume what we’re up to.” She didn’t want to give up another chance at bliss with Allan.
“Sure, but I like to keep them guessing.”
She chuckled. “Why, Allan, you’re blushing.”
He touched her cheek. “So are you, my dear.”
She yanked his T-shirt out of his pants, not wanting to waste a precious moment.
In seconds flat as if they were in a race to beat the devil, he’d stripped out of his clothes and lifted her onto the bed. He looked down at her and smiled. “You’re so beautiful.” His gaze lingered on her breasts, then he laid down beside her, his fingers caressing her abdomen with gentle strokes.
***
Even now as Jenny touched Allan’s chest, her nipples tightened into firm rosy-tipped nubs. She was like a dream he’d never envisioned that had come fully to life under his caresses. He leaned against her, catching her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, then moved downward, touching her eyelids with a sweep of his lips. Her soft skin begged for more as he brushed his mouth against her cheek. His mouth trailed along the delicate curve of her jaw, downward over the fleshy hollow of her throat, skimming lower to her breast.
She combed her fingers through his hair, her touch light and breathless as a summer breeze, and softly moaned as he slid his tongue in circular motions over her rigid nipple. His name escaped her lips, short of breath and half a plea, encouraging him to draw lower. He nuzzled his face against her soft belly, the blood pulsing in his ears as he realized he couldn’t prolong the inevitable much longer.
His lips returned to hers, his tongue tracing the sweet contours, full and swollen, slightly parted. With the thrust of his tongue inside her mouth, he felt he’d conquered her mind and body. She played with his tongue with hers in an erotic dance as she arched in his arms, the sensation filling
him with urgency.
“I’m sorry, honey.” He slid off her. He smiled as her eyes widened. “When I touch you,” he said, yanking a condom out of its wrapper, “I lose control. And believe me, this hasn’t happened to me in years.”
Her mouth curved upward. “I thought you didn’t want to…”
He grabbed her ankles and pulled her legs apart. “Right.” She chuckled, deeply sensual, triggering a renewed sense of urgency. He plunged deep inside her, causing her to catch her breath. Instantly, she met his pelvis with her own, sparking a new flood of adrenaline to course through his system. “Ah, honey, you feel so good.”
Her soft breath panted against his cheek as her fingers pressed against his buttocks, encouraged his thrusts. She drew her legs up at an angle, permitting him to probe deeper. Her wet heat surrounded him, hugged him, pulling him toward the point of no return. The pinnacle grew near.
He turned away from her slightly, her body shuddering with pleasure. He dipped his fingers downward, eliciting a soft moan deep from her throat. Smiling, he slid his fingers between her legs and stroked, bringing her to the same point of arousal he’d reached, bringing her to the peak of erotic perfection.
“Ah,” she cried out, “God, I love you.”
He thrust several more times, deeply, determined to join her in the aura of bliss. He groaned when he came, the dampness of their bodies sliding against each other in flawless rhythm. With every fiber of his body set on fire, he thrust again. Then in silence, he sank against her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I love you, Jenny.” Then he sighed. “We’ll rest for now,” he whispered into her ear. “We have all the time in the world.”
He prayed to God they did, as he rolled off her. After disposing the condom, he returned to the bed and pulled her against his body. Reaching for the covers, he drew them up to their shoulders, then he closed his eyes and held her firmly against his chest. His fingers traced the soft skin of her arm in gentle caresses. He didn’t want to think of what would happen next. He only wanted to enjoy the peaceful moment they had together now, lovers united in such a special way, he was certain if there was such a thing as a soul mate, she was the one for him.
