The Ranger's Secret

by Rebecca Winters

  “I was only thinking of your physical comfort.”

  “You people don’t give a damn about anyone’s comfort.”

  Sid flashed Chase a covert glance of surprise.

  “Agent Manning is my contact here in the States,” Chase explained. “I realize I’m dead to you, but as he explained, an Al-Qaeda cell is still hunting for me. For a long time we’ve feared you and Roberta might be a target. Now that you’ve learned I’m alive, it’s important you know exactly what happened before Roberta was born. The explosion that killed everyone at the site wasn’t an accident.”

  Her eyes darkened to an inky-blue. Finally a connection.

  “He’s right, Ms. Bower. Both he and his parents were operatives for the CIA helping gather intelligence while they worked undercover as archaeologists. They served faithfully many years until their true agenda was discovered and they were wiped out along with a dozen others.

  “Only two bodies in the rubble were found still alive. Both had been given up for dead, but one of the doctors literally brought Dr. Myers back to life. Our people got him out of the country to a hospital in Switzerland where he spent over a year learning to walk again, not to mention undergoing several operations in order to recuperate from serious chest and stomach wounds.”

  Her face paled. Chase saw her sway and was ready to steady her, but she leaned against the doorjamb. “I don’t believe any of it.”

  Sid reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out an eight-by-ten envelope. “These photos will convince you otherwise. They were taken after the explosion and at the hospital after Dr. Myers was flown there for surgery.” When she wouldn’t make a move to touch it, Sid tossed it onto the hall floor behind her. It slid across the tile.

  “Knowing your relationship with him,” Sid continued, “you were flown home immediately and put under protective surveillance in case Al-Qaeda operatives traced you here for retaliation. Because your life was in danger, Dr. Myers had no choice but to stay away from you. He gave up his work as an archaeologist to go to work for us full time.”

  Chase saw the muscles working in her throat. “I’ve given you more time than you deserve. You’ve had your say, now get out!”

  His hands formed fists. “I need to talk to you, Annie.”

  Her face closed up. “I’ve needed to talk to you for ten years. Now it’s too late.” She shut the door in his face.

  Sid turned his head toward Chase. “I’ve been in this business a lot of years, but I never met anyone as hard to crack. I’m not sure it’s possible.”

  “It isn’t,” Chase whispered in shock. When he’d told Vance he feared she wouldn’t be able to forgive him after she’d learned the truth, even he hadn’t counted on the depth of her trauma. Pain consumed him.

  He was dead to her.

  Chapter Four

  Annie stared at the brown envelope lying at the edge of the tile. Wherever she moved, it followed her like a living thing. Her survival instincts told her to burn it without viewing the contents.

  If by any chance Agent Manning had told her the truth, more than ever she had no desire to see pictures of the man who’d never once tried to contact her since he’d been released from the hospital, not even through a third party.

  Danger be damned! He’d seen a way out of their relationship and he’d taken it. There was only one reason he was making contact with her now. He’d found out he had a daughter. On Wednesday he’d spoken to Roberta on the phone. This morning he’d been stalking them out in front and had seen her leave the condo and get in Julie’s car.

  Who did he think he was to be absent for over a decade, and then swoop in to demand he and Annie talk?

  There was no way she’d let him have access to Roberta. Annie needed to talk to her father’s good friend, Clive Radinger. She’d met him several times at her parents’ home when they’d entertained. He was supposed to be the best attorney in Northern California. She would hire him to put a restraining order on Robert, but she’d keep it a secret from her family.

  If Robert was so paranoid he’d actually chosen to remain dead to her until now, she reasoned he would shy away from undue publicity that could attract public attention to him or Roberta. Not wanting to waste a second, she snatched the envelope from the floor and went into the bedroom to make that phone call.

  In a few minutes a receptionist answered. “Radinger and Byland.”

  “Hello? This is Annie Bower, Joseph Bower’s daughter.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d used her father’s name for an entrée, but this constituted an emergency. “Is Mr. Radinger in?”

  “He is, but he’s with a client.”

  “If you’ll put me on hold, I’ll wait for him. This is extremely urgent.”

  “It could be a while.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Very well.”

  While Annie waited, she put her phone on speaker and sank down on the side of the bed. In case he wanted to know what was in the envelope, she thought she’d better open it. With only one arm free, it took some ingenuity to undo the seal. Out fell six glossy black-and-white photographs.

  Her gaze fell on them. All she could see was a blood-spattered male body lying on his back with his arms and legs flung wide. The huge, gaping wound in his chest looked like a heap of spaghetti. It brought bile to her throat. There was so much blood on his face, she wouldn’t have known who it was if she hadn’t recognized the shape of Robert’s head.

  Her eyes traveled to another photo showing him lying on a stretcher facedown. The base of his spine looked like someone had taken a hacksaw to it. His trousers were totally drenched in blood.

  Her cry resounded in the bedroom before she rushed to the bathroom and lost her breakfast. Five minutes later Annie returned to the bedroom, shaking like a leaf. For a moment she didn’t realize the sound she could hear was a dial tone. She put a hand to her mouth, having forgotten all about the call to the attorney.

  On rubbery legs she moved to the bed to hang up, then redialed the number.

  “Radinger and Byland.”

  “H-hello. It’s Annie Bower calling back.”

  “I’m glad you phoned. He’s still on that other call. Do you really want to wait?”

  She swayed in place. “N-no. I’ve changed my mind about talking to him. Please don’t say anything. If I need him, I’ll call and make an appointment.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  Annie clicked off. She was in shock over the pictures spread out on the bed. One photo showed a close-up of his bloodied face covered in cuts. This picture was exceptionally gory because he was such a striking man. The sight of him riddled with bits of the bomb brought home as nothing else could the evil of those who’d caused the mutilation done to him.

  By rights he should have died with the others, yet it was no dead man who’d appeared at her door a little while ago.

  She shoved the pictures under her pillow out of sight, not knowing what to do or where to turn. In agony she collapsed on her back and sobbed. This was a new horror on top of the old.

  When her cell phone began ringing she was in no shape to answer it, but the person on the other end wouldn’t give up. Using her free arm for leverage, she sat up and checked the caller ID in case it was her parents or the school phoning, but she knew full well who it was. Naturally the ID was blank.

  Annie feared he was still outside the condo. What if he waited until Roberta got home from school and then approached her, forcing a confrontation of the three of them.

  Today Annie’s mother planned to pick up the girls and bring dinner home with them. She started to panic because, if either of them saw Robert, they’d recognize him at once.

  She’d brought back photographs from Afghanistan. Most of them had been framed and were placed around Roberta’s bedroom. Annie kept several framed pictures on her own dresser and by the bed. The rest had been put in an album Roberta went through all the time and showed her friends.

 
; Robert had put her in an untenable position. She was damned no matter what she did, but if she refused to talk to him, he was capable of anything and it could affect Roberta. She would do whatever it took to protect her daughter.

  Her hand reached for the phone and she clicked on. After a brief hesitation she said, “What is it you want?”

  “To talk.”

  “There’s nothing to discuss. I could have done without the photographs and am deeply sorry for the horror you went through, but have no fear. You’re still dead to me and Roberta. That’s the way I want it to stay.”

  “At any moment you might get your wish.”

  His comment brought her up short. “You mean you’re going to be disappearing again? If that’s the case, why bother telling me?”

  “I’m not going anywhere, but there’s something else you need to know about me. Unfortunately when we came to the door earlier you were so upset, I held back.”

  “Held back what?”

  “Let me backtrack for a minute. When I heard you had a daughter and learned that her name was Roberta, I realized she was my daughter, too. Knowing I’d made you pregnant, I wanted to be a part of her life and help care for her. But you need to know about my medical condition. It might influence you not to tell Roberta about me. I would understand that and leave you alone.”

  His words rocked her. “That sounds very noble. What medical condition?”

  “There’s a piece of shrapnel lodged in my heart.” When the words sank in, Annie felt a tight band constrict her lungs. “It’s in an inoperable position. As long as it doesn’t move, I’m all right. After ten years I’m still here, but there are no guarantees. Roberta would have to know that.”

  Annie could hardly swallow, let alone respond.

  “Every two months I have it checked at a private clinic. No one knows about my condition except Agent Manning and Chief Rossiter. Because ten years have gone by without incident, it gives me hope for a few more. How many, only God knows. At this point you deserve—no, you have the right to know everything about me before you decide to let Roberta know I’m alive. I’m aware it could influence your decision.”

  A cry escaped her throat. “Are you telling me you were afraid you might die of your injury and that’s the reason you never tried to contact me?”

  “No. I’ve already given you my reasons for remaining dead to you, but now that I know I have a daughter…everything’s changed,” he said emotionally. “I know you’re going to say that it hardly makes sense for me to show up now and endanger both your lives, but I’ve talked with my superiors.

  “We’ve come to a consensus that ten years has minimized the threat of danger as long as I remain at the park. The uncanny coincidence that you applied for the archaeology position will make it possible for me to see our daughter on a daily basis.”

  “That’s out of the question. I’ve already withdrawn my application.”

  “If you take the job,” he said, ignoring her, “there’ll be no safer place in the world for all of us where I can protect you. Homeland security is especially tight there. I want to get to know my daughter, Annie. As long as she’s told the whole truth about me and you think she can live with it, then this is the one way we can be together.”

  By now she was shaking. How could she tell Roberta her father was alive in one breath, and then in the next, tell her he could die any time from an injury to his heart? This was insanity! “I’ve told you I don’t want anything to do with you.”

  “I’m well aware of that fact, but would you punish Roberta who has her own father ready and willing to love her? How do you think she’ll feel if later on she finds out you made the decision to keep her away from me after you found out I’m alive?”

  Her breath caught. “The only way she’d find out would be if you told her!”

  “I’ve already told you I wouldn’t do that, but can you be positive there won’t be another coincidence down the line that brings an accidental meeting of the two of us?”

  Her thoughts flicked back to a recent conversation she’d had with Roberta. We’re studying California history. Mrs. Darger showed us a video the other day. We’re going to go on a field trip to Yosemite next year near the end of school.

  Annie shook her head. “This is a nightmare.”

  “Why? What did you tell her about her father? Does she even know the truth?”

  “Yes—” she almost shouted in defense. “Yes,” she mumbled, trying to calm down.

  “Then why is this a nightmare? Unless you’re on the verge of marrying someone else and she already thinks of him as daddy.”

  Her hand tightened on the phone. “There isn’t anyone else,” she admitted in a weak moment. She’d dated other men, but she’d only allowed those relationships to go so far before she backed off because she couldn’t commit.

  Only now did it occur to her Robert was probably involved with some fascinating female. The women she knew in Kabul, foreign or American, had coveted her relationship with him. Since she’d been younger than any of them, she couldn’t believe it when he’d singled her out. He was one man who could have had any woman he wanted and was an even more arresting male now. How many had there been since he’d left the hospital in Switzerland?

  “When will Roberta be home from school?”

  The unexpected question set off alarm bells. “Why?”

  “Because I’m walking up to your door as we speak. In case you feel she can handle all the truth, we need to work out a plan face-to-face before I meet her for the first time. In the event you don’t end up taking the job in the park, we have to talk about visitation rights.”

  “No—”

  “Don’t you think her input will be crucial when she learns she can visit me at the park any time she wants to? It’s your choice how we handle it.”

  “Robert? Please don’t do this—” she begged frantically.

  “My name is Chase Jarvis. It’s just one of the many things about my fictional background Roberta and her grandparents will have to have explained to them. I saw them leaving the condo last night, by the way. Ages ago I told you I was looking forward to meeting them, but I didn’t realize it would take ten years before I had the opportunity. There’s no time like right now to talk this through.”

  He’d run her to ground. “Y-you’ll have to give me five minutes.”

  “No problem. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Annie knew that. The ramifications terrified her.

  WHEN THE DOOR OPENED and a pale Annie with her arm in a sling stood back so Chase could enter, he could breathe again. He saw no change in her except she’d put on sandals and had run a brush through her glossy hair.

  Once inside the condo he noted the yellow-and-white color scheme in the front room with its splashes of blue. She’d placed potted plants around with an artistic eye. A basket of fresh violets sat perched on the coffee table in front of the yellow-and-white-striped couch. Two French provincial chairs in a taffeta plaid of blue, yellow and white completed the living room arrangement.

  Everything reflected the warm personality of the woman he’d fallen in love with. She’d decorated her condo along traditional lines, creating a cozy, comfortable atmosphere for herself and their daughter. Give her free rein with his house in the park and they’d have a showplace.

  It had been needing a woman’s touch. Her touch. He’d needed, craved her touch for too long. Being with her like this again made him want to catch up on ten years all at once. He wanted an on-the-spot fix that would obliterate the pain of the past so they could take up where’d they’d left off before the explosion, but he knew it wasn’t possible. He had to slow down and let her set the pace.

  She shut the door behind him. “Come in the living room.”

  As he moved out of the foyer, he felt inquisitive eyes wander over him, undoubtedly trying to see through his sport shirt and trousers to the massive scars on his torso and lower back. The shrapnel in his heart wouldn’t be visible without an X-ray, of course.<
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  Several plastic surgeries had helped make the damage somewhat more presentable to human eyes, but even the doctors who’d attended him had to admit those photographs weren’t a pretty sight. However, their shock value had at least made a fissure in that wall of ice encasing Annie, otherwise he wouldn’t have made it inside her home.

  Standing in the middle of the room, he said, “I fell in love with our daughter over the phone. When I saw her leave the condo earlier, my entrancement was complete. She has a faint look of me, but all the important parts are you. To say that you’ve done a superb job raising our child would be a colossal understatement.”

  She stood opposite him. He noticed her breathing had grown shallow. “The last thing I want is for her to be hurt!” she cried. “You suddenly show up back from the dead with your pretty speech, not having a clue what this could do to her.”

  “I know what it has done to me,” he said calmly, “so I think I have some idea of the impact it will have on her. But if we do this right, then she’ll have the benefit of being loved by the two people who love her more than anyone on earth. I’ll love her and protect for as long as I’m granted breath.”

  He could see she was trembling. “How do you do something like this right?” She was fighting for Roberta’s life. The anguish in her tone cut him to the quick.

  “You’re still recovering from the crash and look pale. Before we talk about it, I’m going to get you a glass of water.”

  Despite her protests, he walked through the dining room to the sunny kitchen. He checked a couple of cupboards until he found a glass. As he turned on the cold water tap she joined him. One glimpse of her drawn features and he forced her to sit on one of the white wood-and-wicker chairs placed around the breakfast table.

  “Drink this, Annie. You look ready to pass out.”

  Incredibly, she did as he asked.

  “Do you need more painkiller for your arm?” When she didn’t immediately answer, he told her he’d get it and headed down the hall to her bedroom. Going on instinct he found the medicine on an end table next to her bed.