“You’d feel comfortable doing that?”
Lynch smiled as he gazed at Jessie. “Yes, I’d feel comfortable. You can, too, Waldridge.”
“Then it appears your decision is made, doesn’t it?” He was still looking at Kendra and Jessie as he added, “Much easier than the one you made when you told Kendra you’d take me on. That was a close call for me. It all rested on a couple of sentences, didn’t it?”
Lynch’s eyes narrowed on his face. “Did it? What were they?”
“The first was when Kendra was so exasperated because she’d had to ignore the therapy for the kids she teaches. The second line was when she said that of course she wasn’t going with me. I believe that clinched the matter in my favor?”
Lynch didn’t answer.
“But I’m curious, if she hadn’t said those words, would you have just let me go out on my own, or would you have found a way to have Griffin find me in the fastest way possible?”
Lynch looked him in the eye. “What do you think?”
“You’re too smart to do anything that would irreparably cause an upset in your relationship with Kendra. I’ll go for the former, which, according to Kendra, might have the same result.”
“Or there could have been four or five options.”
“Absolutely, you’re a man of limitless possibilities. But those two were the most obvious.”
“And how would you have responded?”
“I would have done my best to disappear and keep Kendra from trying to rescue me again,” he said quietly. “That’s my real threat to you, Lynch. Our relationship is very complicated, and you don’t have to worry about my ever becoming her lover. There’s too much else going on that has to do with gratitude and pride and admiration. Maybe deep friendship and a hint of a father-figure image thrown into the mix? God knows what else. But the one certain thing she knows now is that we’ll always be friends, and Kendra doesn’t have any idea how to go halfway with anything.”
“Is this going somewhere?”
“Oh, yes, most definitely. When you whisk me off to my safe little paradise, you must not ever tell Kendra where it is. Because if she ever got a hint that something was wrong with me, she’d be there in the next breath. She couldn’t help herself. She has an almost maternal protective instinct about the people she cares about. That’s who she is, and it will never change. I think you know that.”
Lynch nodded slowly. “And I had no intention of telling Kendra where you were.” He shrugged. “Though I knew I’d catch hell.”
“You can tell her it was my decision.” Waldridge smiled. “I always get special dispensation because of the gratitude thing.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“But think how grateful she’s going to be to you for protecting me while I strive to do my all for humanity. I’m sure you’ll be splendid and innovative, and we’ll become fast friends while you’re doing it. Isn’t that better than destroying me?”
“I don’t want gratitude any more than you do, Waldridge. It just confuses things and gets in the way.”
“Exactly.
Lynch was silent. “And I never said I wanted to destroy you. That wasn’t one of my chosen options.”
“Yet.”
He shook his head. “I like what you’re working on. I appreciate what you gave to Kendra. I was thinking more about option four.”
“And what was that?”
Lynch smiled.
“I’m not to know? A mysterious threat to hover eternally over my poor head?” Waldridge chuckled. “You’re a terrible and complex man, Lynch. Maybe I should be the one to rescue Kendra.”
“Really? Then perhaps option five would be better.” His gaze returned to Kendra and Jessie. “Make a friend of Jessie Mercado, Waldridge. You may definitely need her if you decide to make my life difficult. But I don’t think you will. You’re a driven man, and you’ll be too busy to worry about me.”
Waldridge’s smile faded. “But not too busy to worry about my friend, Kendra,” he said quietly. “I’ve made a huge investment in her happiness. You will treat her well, Lynch.” Then he was once more smiling. “But then we both know that Kendra will not permit anything else. However, just remember: If you don’t behave satisfactorily, and someday you desperately need a heart or some other vital organ, I’ll see that you never receive it.”
Lynch looked at him, stunned. “Damnation.” And then he started to laugh. “Option six?”
Waldridge nodded serenely. “Option six.”
* * *
“YOU KNOW THAT THIS isn’t going to be a permanent arrangement,” Jessie warned Kendra as she reached into the passenger seat to get her duffel. “I’m not going to let my business go down the tubes while I play babysitter to Waldridge at some godforsaken back-of-beyond hideout.”
“I never expected that you would. I’m just grateful that you’re taking the time to protect him during the initial stage and set up his security.” Kendra made a face. “And I’m sorry that I can’t afford to pay you the kind of money Delilah Winter would throw at you for the job. I don’t even know if you’ll need hazard pay or not.”
“It’s part of my job to make certain that I won’t.” Jessie smiled. “And that Waldridge won’t either. I’ll keep him safe, Kendra. I’ll wrap him in a cocoon and won’t let him out until he’s finished his work. Before I leave him, he’ll be surrounded by top-notch people who will answer to me.” She looked at Lynch. “And to him. There’s no way Lynch is going to have it any other way. By the way, where is this place we’re going?”
“I don’t know. Things were moving too fast. I’ll ask Lynch when I take you to the plane.”
“That would be helpful,” Jessie said dryly. “I’ve moved around the world enough to have contacts almost everywhere, but I’d like to get things moving before we touch down.”
Jessie was operating at her usual top speed, Kendra thought. The knowledge filled her with both confidence and relief. “One other problem: Griffin knows you had a connection with Waldridge. He might try to find and question you. I don’t know if he’ll cause you any—”
“I’ve got it covered. I left a message on my answering machine that I was visiting my dad in New Orleans. Then I called Dad and told him to avoid anyone who might ask about me.”
“Will he be able to do that?”
Jessie chuckled. “Yes, and enjoy every minute of it. He’ll leave trails and blind alleys and make certain that Griffin’s agents just miss me every time.” She added, “Until I get back, and they happen to stumble on my dad and me in a piano bar on Bourbon Street.”
“But if Griffin suspects you’re playing him, he could cause you big-time headaches. He has mega influence with law enforcement in California.”
She shrugged. “I’ll take the risk.” She shook her head. “Stop frowning. You’re not responsible for me. Waldridge was my client before I even met you.”
“But I managed to pull you into a hell of a lot more than you expected to face.” She grimaced. “I thought it was over, Jessie. I didn’t want you to have to go through any more because I asked you.”
She smiled. “Hell, it was a grand game. Waldridge was worth it. We both knew it. I could have said no at any time. I didn’t do it. The only thing different I would have chosen is that I’d been the one to do that last bit with you. I’m alone a good deal of the time in my work.” She met her eyes. “I liked having your company, Kendra Michaels.”
Kendra nodded. Their experiences together had been wild and exciting and evoked memories of her past. It had forged bonds that she knew would last. “Another time? You were always challenging me. We still have unfinished business.”
“Another time,” Jessie agreed as she picked up her duffel and started and started across the tarmac. “And now to face Lynch. Did you tell him I was coming?” She held up her hand. “Never mind. I know. There wasn’t time. I’ll handle it.”
A moment later, Jessie stopped in front of Waldridge and Lynch. She turned to Waldridge and
smiled. “Here we are again.” She shook his hand. “It’s good to see you. I’m glad if there’s trouble brewing, I’m going to get in on the beginning instead of the end. I’m much more effective if I can initiate preventative measures.”
“Kendra says that you’ll be everything I’ll need.” He smiled. “And that I have to put myself entirely in your hands. What a delightful idea.”
Jessie shot a wary glance at Lynch. “And what do you think about it, Lynch?”
“I think that you obeyed Kendra and not me in a situation that could have gotten her killed.”
“Yes.”
“Will that happen on this job?”
“It might. You know how situations change, and so do solutions. But I can promise you that I won’t act without immediately letting you know. Is that good enough?”
He was silent, staring at her. “You kept your word at the desert. Good enough. Get on the plane.” He was glancing at the sky. “Dawn’s starting to break, and the airport will be stirring. I want to be out of here in five minutes.”
“Right.” Jessie looked over her shoulder as she entered the plane. “Waldridge, I want to go over your complete daily routine as soon as we get in the air. I’ll need it to set up a schedule…” She was gone.
“Trust her.” Kendra took a step closer to him. “I’m not very good on trust myself, but you can trust her, Charles. She won’t let you down.”
“How can I not if you vouch for her? Because there’s no one I trust more than you.” He cradled her cheeks in his hands and kissed her forehead. “You’ve done everything anyone could ever hope to do, Kendra.” He looked down into her eyes and said gently, “Now, let me go, my friend.”
“Of course, I will. But I’ll be in touch and there’s email—”
“No, I won’t answer. When the project’s over and safe, I’ll call you, and we’ll meet for a drink to celebrate. Until then, I don’t exist for you. Do you understand?”
She understood, but she could still feel her eyes sting with tears. “Now who is protecting whom?”
“That’s what friends do. In life, it’s always a trade-off.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “And don’t try to interrogate Jessie or Lynch.” He chuckled. “Of course you will. But they’ll be sworn to silence on penalty of not being invited to our party when my prison gates are thrown wide.” He released her and started up the steps. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “And you’d better have something interesting to tell me that will be worth my catching up on. It’s going to be a boring couple of years for me.”
He disappeared into the plane.
She drew a deep, shaky breath and stood there looking after him.
“Get going,” Lynch said roughly. “Get the hell out of here, Kendra. And call your mother on the way home as I told you to do.”
She turned to face him. His expression was stone hard. Angry. He looked angry. “I’ll remember.” She tried to pull herself together. “I know this is going to be a massive inconvenience for you, and I don’t blame you for being upset.”
“You’re right, it’s going to be a major pain in the ass, and it will last longer than I care to think about.”
“If there’s any way I can share the load, you only have to tell me. After all, it’s my responsibility.”
“Not any longer. You heard him, you’re out of it.” He added through set teeth, “I certainly heard the bastard. How could anyone possibly follow a parting speech like that? He went straight to option ten.”
She frowned. “Option ten?”
“Never mind. You would have had to be here.”
“I am here. And I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that I’m being closed out. The least you could do is tell me where you’re taking him.”
He shook his head. “No way. I’ll let you know when I get those incubators to him. That’s as far as I’ll go.” He was standing on the steps, his legs slightly parted, and his blue eyes glittering recklessly. “You want me to fix this? Consider it fixed. But it’s my way, Kendra. I’m having enough interference.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. I know how much I owe you for this.”
“Yes, you do.” He took a step closer and kissed her. Hard. Hot. Searing. He lifted his head and pushed her away. “And there’s one thing I’m going to collect on right now.”
She couldn’t breathe. Her body felt as if it was on fire. She could feel her pulse leaping in the hollow of her throat. “What?”
“You’re going to make me a promise.”
She instinctively tensed. “I am?”
“You’re damn right you are.”
“What am I supposed to promise?”
He whirled to go up the steps. “When you start handing out all those heart-wrenching good-byes to all and sundry, I’m going to be on the list.” He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes blazing, and his expression hard and stormy. “No, I’m going to be first on the list. Understand?”
Her mouth fell open in surprise. “I understand.”
“I want to hear it.”
“I promise. First on the list.”
“Good. More later.”
The door slammed shut behind him.
She stood there, watching dazedly as the plane began to taxi down the runway. Nothing had turned out exactly as she had intended. Somewhere along the way, she had lost control.
She shook her head as she turned away and headed for the car. By the time she had reached it, she was already recovering. It was not as if everything wasn’t working out well. She would find a way to regain control of the situation. She would just have to think about it and come up with a way to do it.
Detach. Concentrate.
She looked back at the Cessna, which was now in the air. Jessie, Charles, and Lynch were on that plane. She had thought she was ready, eager, to go back to the normal tempo of her life with family, friends, and work. But she wanted suddenly to be there in that plane with them, planning, helping, on the front lines, instead of being sent home to safety.
Lynch.
She could almost see him standing there on the steps, his eyes glittering down at her. Powerful, dominant, and issuing challenges as he always did.
“More later, Lynch?” she whispered as she started the car. “You’re damn right. You haven’t seen anything yet.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Since the publication of the very first Kendra Michaels novel, we’ve received many queries about the procedure that gave her sight. Since Night Watch goes into more detail than any of our previous books, this seems like a good time to pass along some of the real-life medical advances that have inspired us.
Since 1998, Professor Pete Coffey of University College London has conducted much of the pioneering work in retinal-cell regeneration and even his earliest procedures (much like the one Kendra undergoes in Night Watch) were successful in restoring the vision of several of his subjects. His work gave birth to The London Project to Cure Blindness, which has been pushing even more boundaries in the years since. The team is currently conducting stem-cell trials to treat Age-related Macular Degeneration, which causes blindness in over 30 million people worldwide. Other exciting cell-based blindness cures are being explored in California, spearheaded by Gabriel Travis at UCLA and Henry Klassen at University of California, Irvine.
Spoiler alert! Don’t read the following until you’ve finished reading Night Watch.
Many readers may assume the Night Watch organ reproduction project is the stuff of science fiction, but some forms of the process are actually here today. Dr. Anthony Atala is doing fascinating work with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He and his team have taken human cells and grown replacement blood vessels, muscles, skin, and a complete urinary bladder. The ultimate goal is to re-create other vital organs that are a perfect match for patients, eliminating the need for organ donors in most cases. Atala and others have developed 3-D printers that actually print replacement organs using wa
ter-based solutions containing animal cells. Philadelphia tech company BioBots has actually brought such a printer to market, and although such efforts have yet to be approved for human use, serious work is under way.
Exciting times, indeed.
ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN & ROY JOHANSEN
The Naked Eye
Sight Unseen
Close Your Eyes
Shadow Zone
Storm Cycle
Silent Thunder
ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN
Hide Away
Shadow Play
Your Next Breath
The Perfect Witness
Sight Unseen
Live to See Tomorrow
Silencing Eve
Hunting Eve
Taking Eve
Sleep No More
What Doesn’t Kill You
Bonnie
Quinn
Eve
Chasing the Night
Eight Days to Live
Deadlock
Dark Summer
Quicksand
Pandora’s Daughter
Stalemate
An Unexpected Song
Killer Dreams
On the Run
Countdown
Blind Alley
ALSO BY ROY JOHANSEN
Deadly Visions
Beyond Belief
The Answer Man
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
IRIS JOHANSEN is the New York Times bestselling author of Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn’t Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing the Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora’s Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On the Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, No One to Trust, and more. You can sign up for email updates here.
Night Watch--A Novel Page 35
