“I’ve come to tell you that I’m leaving for Amsterdam.” She paused. “And that as long as I’m alive, I’ll make sure that you’re not given one drop of RU2.”
His eyes widened. “I beg your pardon?”
“Isn’t that one of the perks Ogden promised you? That he’d find a way of getting you RU2 after the battle was won? You’ve fought so hard, Longworth. Even Migellin commented on it. It wasn’t only for money and political prestige.”
He laughed. “This is nonsense. You wouldn’t catch me within ten feet of an untested drug.”
And he was doing his best to make sure RU2 remained untested. Kate smothered her rage. “Not in public.”
His eyes narrowed on her face. “What are you trying to say?”
“That you have AIDS, Senator.”
He laughed again. “You’re really reaching.”
“I’m a doctor. The first time I met you I noticed that you didn’t seem well. You appeared pale; your hands shook. I chalked it up to nervousness, but you’re a pro. You shouldn’t have been nervous. And later at the cemetery your wife appeared very concerned about you being exposed to that little shower. She didn’t strike me as being the type to go against you in anything.”
“And you’ve built your case on that bed of sand?” he scoffed.
“No, it was all purely speculative. A shot in the dark. Even if you were ill, what were the chances of it being something we could use? But we have a very good private investigator. I turned him loose and he unearthed a little clinic in Maryland where you undergo treatment. Sunnyvale Physicians Care. Sound familiar?”
“No.”
“It should. You’re a major stockholder. But you only acquired it last year. Raymond Ogden is also on the board. Did he persuade you that you needed his help to keep your illness secret?”
“AIDS carries no stigma these days. People understand that anyone can get it.”
“Do they? Then why do you hide it? Because you’re a politician and you know that there’s still plenty of prejudice out there to ensure that you wouldn’t be voted back into office.”
“I’m not ill.”
“Not critically. You may last for years. You could be cured.” She paused. “With RU2. But you’re not going to get it. I don’t care what Ogden promised you.” She glared at him. “You’re not going to deny help to everyone else and then sneak back to your little Sunnyvale for a dose yourself. No way. I’ll watch you die by inches first.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m telling you that you drop the bill and support RU2 or you’ll die. Simple.” She stood up and moved toward the door. “You back out or no RU2. Not for you. Not for your wife.”
“My wife?”
She stopped at the door and looked back over her shoulder. “She didn’t tell you? Six months ago she went to a Dr. Timkin here in town. Don’t worry, she used another name. She tested HIV positive.” For the first time she noticed a break in his control. “You really didn’t know.”
“I’ve been careful,” he muttered. “She shouldn’t be—Why wouldn’t she tell me?”
“Why don’t you ask her?”
“Pretty heavy reconnoitering,” Seth said.
“Well, I didn’t knock anybody on the head.”
“You might as well have.”
“I did feel like smashing him. How could anybody be that selfish, that cruel?”
“Years of practice?”
“Be serious. I’m worried about this.”
“It seems to me you’ve got most of the bases covered. Good work.”
“Luck.” She shook her head wonderingly. “My God, how lucky. I played a hunch and hit the jackpot. Or RU2 hit the jackpot. Maybe sometimes the good guys do win. It kind of makes you believe in guardian angels.”
“And who’s our guardian angel? Noah?”
“Maybe.” She suddenly frowned. “It’s still a gamble. Ogden has so much influence over Longworth. He might convince him that he can still get him RU2.”
“I really wouldn’t worry about Ogden.”
Seth smiled.
Quivering rat.
Ogden crashed down the telephone. Did he have to handle everything himself? That bastard Longworth caving in at the first sign of trouble. Didn’t he have enough to worry about with the police on his ass twenty-four hours a day? He couldn’t even go back to Seattle.
Longworth would have to be shoved back in line. It shouldn’t be a problem. Sometimes things had to be handled in person. Longworth had been too cowardly to tell him in person that he wanted out. He’d always been able to bully Longworth into doing whatever he wanted. It just took sheer force of presence.
He picked up the telephone. “Have my car brought around.”
He grabbed his black overcoat from the hall closet. It always made him look imposing. Not that he needed to look imposing. He was imposing. He’d be able to manipulate Longworth with no—
His black limousine was pulling up in front of the door.
He didn’t wait for the chauffeur to get out. He opened the door himself. “Senator Longworth’s, George.”
The limousine slid silently away from the house.
Someone was in the front seat beside the chauffeur, he realized with annoyance. He’d told George he wasn’t to give any of the servants lifts into town.
“You can just let your friend out here, George. And tomorrow you can pick up your—”
“It’s not George,” the man in the passenger seat said. “His name is Dennis.” He turned around in the seat.
“Hello, Ogden,” Marco Giandello said.
* * *
EIGHTEEN
* * *
Almost packed?” Phyliss asked.
“Almost.” Kate carried another armful of clothes from the bureau to the suitcase on the bed. “How about you and Joshua?”
“Joshua’s packed.” She paused. “I haven’t started.”
“You’d better hurry. Seth’s giving last-minute instructions to Tony, but he should be back soon.”
“What instructions?”
“You don’t think I’ve given up trying to push through the testing on RU2? It’s not going to be a piece of cake even now that Longworth has come out in support.”
“It would go faster if you were here to push it yourself.” Phyliss smiled. “You’re A1 at pushing.”
“I need to be in Amsterdam. I can probably start testing there within three months. There’s not much time left for some people.”
“Like your father.”
She nodded. “But not only Daddy. I’m not that selfish.” She closed the suitcase. “Scat. You need to start packing.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Kate turned to face her. “What?”
“I’m staying here.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to ram RU2 through the roadblocks those idiots are putting up. I’m good at pushing too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t know until I started thinking about it. In a way, Michael died for RU2 too. Maybe I’ll be able to make some sense out of it if I make sure that RU2 is all it can be.”
“But Joshua will—”
“Joshua will miss me. You’ll miss me too. Even that scamp Seth will miss me. You’ll all have to suffer. I have things to do with my life.”
Kate gazed at her in dismay. “I never meant to keep you from doing what you wanted to do.”
“You didn’t keep me from doing anything. It’s easy to fall into a rut with people you care about. It’s time I got out of the rut.” She smiled. “So I’m going to get me some executive duds and give Tony so much work to do that he’ll be begging you to come back.”
“I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”
“You have Joshua. And I think you can have Seth.” She paused. “If you want him. Do you want him?”
“It’s a complicated situation.”
“Do you want him?”
/> Seth gently cradling her father in his arms. Seth teasing Joshua. Seth quietly holding her and talking. Seth in bed. Face it. Stop hiding. Be honest with yourself as well as Phyliss. “Oh yes, I want him. No doubt about it.”
“He won’t be easy but he’ll be worth it. You never like easy anyway.”
“What are you talking about? I was perfectly content with my life before all this happened.”
“You mean you forced yourself into a mold because you were tied to Dandridge by your father. People with very strong wills can talk themselves into anything. I told you once that nothing was ever going to be the same for us. That doesn’t mean it can’t be good.” She gave Kate a hug. “Now stop looking so woebegone. This is the right thing for me to do.”
Kate nodded, her arms tightening around her. “I know. I just—” She wasn’t behaving well at all. She took a step back and said brusquely, “When Seth comes back, we’ll have to brief you, and we’d better set up a conference call every week to discuss any problems.”
“Two calls the first month. After that I should be rolling.” She moved toward the door. “I’ll go break the news to Joshua.”
Kate was sitting on the bed, staring at the suitcase, when Seth came in a short time later.
He stopped. “What the hell’s wrong now? Has Longworth gone back—”
“Phyliss isn’t going with us. She’s decided that she has to move on. You should sympathize with that. Isn’t that what you always do?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If Phyliss has her way, RU2 will get approval here before Amsterdam.”
“If anyone could do it, she could. You have a problem with it?”
“Only because I’ll miss her. We’re a family.”
“It’s not as if you won’t see her again.”
“Not for a long time.” She raised her gaze from the suitcase to look at him. Gypsy. Peter Pan. Machiavelli. Nurturer. He was all of those things and Phyliss was right, he would never be easy. What the hell? Most good things weren’t. She stood up and squared her shoulders. Go for it. “So I’ve decided you’ve got to take up the slack.”
He gazed at her warily. “What?”
“You heard me. My family is slipping away. Phyliss is gone. Someday Joshua will leave. Daddy . . .” She drew a deep breath. “So you’ve got to be my family. I figure if you don’t do anything stupid, you should be around for at least another fifty years.”
“Fascinating. I feel like a replacement part in a dishwasher.”
“Shut up. Do you think this is easy? What if you get tired of me? What if you get bored? What if you decide to run away from us?” She went into his arms and laid her head on his chest. “Well, I won’t let you go. I’ll follow you. It’s time you had a family too. You’ll get used to us.”
“It’s a possibility.”
“And you can stop being so damn enigmatic. I know you love me and I think you know I love you.”
“Oh yes, but I wasn’t sure you’d admit it. I thought I had my work cut out for me. I figured I wouldn’t get you to this point for another six months.” His arms tightened around her. “Do you think I don’t know I’m not what you want in a man? It doesn’t matter. Get used to the idea. You’re stuck with me. I’m here for the long haul. But I won’t change. You’ll have to accept me as I am.”
“I have accepted you. You’re what I want.”
“And when did you make this momentous discovery?”
“When I saw you holding my father in your arms,” she said simply.
He pushed her away from him and cradled her face in his hands. His voice was tense. “What if you change your mind? I told you how I react when I’m pushed away. I wouldn’t be fair or accommodating. I’d manipulate and scheme and use every dirty trick I know to stay.”
“Dammit, I’m not going to change my mind. I admire you. I respect you. I love you. And you’re not getting away from me. So will you marry me?”
“Is that in the deal?”
“That’s in the deal. I want an official stamp on my family.”
He smiled slowly. “I’ll have to think about it.”
Happiness surged through her. It was going to happen. “I’ll give you until we reach Amsterdam. After that I’ll find myself a Dutchman.”
“Oh, it won’t take that long. Okay, I’ll marry you.” He kissed her. “On one condition.” His eyes were gleaming and his expression alight with mischief.
“I can hardly wait to hear it,” she said warily.
“My dog. You’ll have to adopt my dog too. Poor mutt. I hate to put him through that hassle again. Do you happen to know what the quarantine restrictions are in Holland?”
About the Author
IRIS JOHANSEN has more than twenty million copies of her books in print and is the bestselling author of Fatal Tide, No One to Trust, Dead Aim, Final Target, Body of Lies, The Search, The Killing Game, The Face of Deception, And Then You Die, Long After Midnight, and The Ugly Duckling. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia.
Bantam Books by Iris Johansen
Fatal Tide
Dead Aim
No One to Trust
Body of Lies
Final Target
The Search
The Killing Game
The Face of Deception
And Then You Die
Long After Midnight
The Ugly Duckling
Lion’s Bride
Dark Rider
Midnight Warrior
The Beloved Scoundrel
The Magnificent Rogue
The Tiger Prince
Last Bridge Home
The Golden Barbarian
Reap the Wind
Storm Winds
The Wind Dancer
Praise for the bestselling novels of
Iris Johansen
DEAD AIM
“Smoothly written, tightly plotted, turbocharged thriller . . . Megaselling Johansen doesn’t miss.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will stay up all night reading this cat-and-mouse chase.”
—Booklist
“The nonstop action and slick plotting won’t disappoint.”
—Publishers Weekly
NO ONE TO TRUST
“With its taut plot and complex characters, [No One to Trust] is a vintage, fan-pleasing Johansen.”
—Booklist
“Fast-moving plot . . . another zippy read from megaselling Johansen.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Gritty, powerful and fast-paced, No One to Trust starts off with a bang and never lets up. . . . This is one thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
—Romantic Times
BODY OF LIES
“Filled with explosions, trained killers, intrigues within intrigues . . . It all adds up to one exciting thriller.”
—Booklist
“A romantic thriller whose humanity keeps the reader rooting for its heroine every step of the way.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[Johansen] doesn’t let her readers down.”
—The Star-Ledger, Newark, New Jersey
FINAL TARGET
“A winning page-turner that will please old and new fans alike.”
—Booklist
“A compelling tale.”
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Thrilling . . . will have fans of the author ecstatic and bring Ms. Johansen new readers.”
—BookBrowser
THE SEARCH
“Thoroughly gripping and with a number of shocking plot twists . . . [Johansen] has packed all the right elements into this latest work: intriguing characters; a creepy, crazy villain; a variety of exotic locations.”
—New York Post
“Johansen’s thrillers ooze enough testosterone to suggest she also descends from the house of Robert Ludlum. Johansen pushes the gender boundary in popular fiction, offering up that rarity: a woman’s novel for men.”
—Publishers Weekly<
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“Fans of Iris Johansen will pounce on The Search. And they’ll be rewarded.”
—USA Today
THE KILLING GAME
“Johansen is at the top of her game. . . . An enthralling cat-and-mouse game . . . perfect pacing . . . The suspense holds until the very end.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Most satisfying.”
—Daily News, New York
“An intense whodunit that will have you gasping for breath.”
—The Tennessean
THE FACE OF DECEPTION
“One of her best . . . a fast-paced, nonstop, clever plot in which Johansen mixes political intrigue, murder, and suspense.”
—USA Today
“The book’s twists and turns manage to hold the reader hostage until the denouement, a sure crowd pleaser.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Johansen keeps her story moving at breakneck speed.”
—The Daily Sun, Chicago
AND THEN YOU DIE
“Iris Johansen keeps the reader intrigued with complex characters and plenty of plot twists. The story moves so fast, you’ll be reading the epilogue before you notice.”
—People
“From the first page, the reader is pulled into a realm of danger, intrigue, and suspense with a touch of romance and enough twists and turns to gladden the hearts of all of her readers.”
—Library Journal
LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT
“Flesh-and-blood characters, crackling dialogue and lean, suspenseful plotting.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A lively, engrossing ride by a strong new voice in the romantic suspense genre.”
—Kirkus Reviews
THE UGLY DUCKLING
“Outstanding. A real page-turner. Many will add [Iris Johansen’s] name to their list of favorite authors.”
—Associated Press
Turn the page for a sneak preview of
FATAL TIDE
The next electrifying novel of suspense from
Iris Johansen
Coming from Bantam Books
in September 2003
Long After Midnight Page 34
