by Ciana Stone
The waiter approached, bearing fresh drinks. Cord nodded his thanks and took a stout drink of his beer before he spoke. "I just can't understand a man who would hit a woman. Any man who would do that should be beaten.
Cassie watched closely as Cord polished off half of his beer. She realized that Victor's name had no impact on Cord. She swallowed her drink, set the empty glass down on the table and considered her tactics.
Cord gave her a quizzical look as she inhaled the drink. He raised his eyebrows as he looked from her empty glass and then back to her face as if to ask if she wanted another drink. Cassie gave sort of a noncommittal shrug as if leaving the decision up to him. Cord motioned for the waiter again and finished off his beer as he indicated they wanted another round.
"Would you like something to eat?” He was beginning to feel the effects of the beer on an empty stomach.
Cassie shook her head no and bowed her head. Cord put his hand over hers on the table as the waiter delivered their drinks. He patted her hand kindly, lending his compassion and support.
Cassie continued with her harrowing account of how Victor beat her and made her do terrible degrading things. She told Cord what a complete monster Victor was, how afraid she was of him and how she wanted desperately to get away from him forever.
Cord sat quietly through her ramblings, ordering more drinks as she drank them like water, one after the other. Against his better judgment, he drank far more than normal. Her story made him wonder how she had managed to survive all that she’d suffered.
His pity and compassion were genuine, he would have felt bad for anyone in her position. But his feelings were amplified by memories of their short affair, so long ago.
He thought about the turn of events, how out of the blue, she showed up in his life again. It was almost as if the whole drama had come full circle. First, their chance meeting years ago in Rome, at the high point of his career and his first big government contract, suddenly rich beyond his wildest dreams. Now here, running into her like this, at a time when it looked like his career was teetering on the edge of a bottomless chasm.
It must be destiny.
After several minutes, she said in a small voice. "I really don't want to be alone tonight.”
Cord looked away and reached up to scratch the back of his neck. A thought of Morgan pushed its way into his mind. If she ever found out about the first time, it would devastate her, he thought, fighting the temptation. To let it happen a second time would be tempting fate too much. "Uh – Cassie, you and I are both married and I–" He paused, at a loss for the words. "Well, things are different now."
Cassie's eyes blazed with sudden ferocity, causing Cord to sit back in his seat at the scathing glare. "You men are all alike! You think that just because I'm hurt and vulnerable, I want to crawl all over you!"
Cord's embarrassment shrank him down to nothing. He felt like a worm. Completely humiliated, he rambled on about "letting his inner thoughts tangle with reality" and other such inane chatter. As he heard the words that came out of his mouth, he decided he would be better off if he just shut up and said nothing.
Cassie felt Cord's withdrawal and feared that she might have come on too strong. She pretended she was relenting somewhat and took his hand in hers. "Cord, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I guess I'm just not thinking straight. This thing has me so torn up I just don't know if I'm coming or going anymore."
A gentle hesitant smile started to pull at the corner of his mouth, and she pressed her advantage. "You're the kindest, most compassionate man I've ever met, Cord. I know you didn't mean any harm. I'm--” She gave a small choking sob to draw the moment out. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm so confused – and all these drinks – well you know. Maybe I should just go lie down."
Nodding in agreement, Cord helped her to her feet. She leaned heavily against him as he placed his arm around her waist and guided her away from the table.
With Cassie holding tightly to him, Cord walked her from the restaurant. His arm circled her waist as they made their way down the corridor. She leaned heavily against him, resting her head against his shoulder. He wanted to get her to her room so she could sleep it off. Surely, she was ready to pass out.
Cord stopped in front of her door, unlocked it for her, and pushed it open. The lamp on the nightstand softly lit the room.
“Look, I better−” his words were cut short as Cassie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. She kissed him deeply and for a moment his resolve weakened.
She withdrew from the kiss and raised one hand to her bruised lips. That gave Cord the time he needed to compose himself and make the right choice.
"Look, I really can't stay. I've got some work to do. Why don't you get some rest and maybe I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Just one drink, a nightcap," she pleaded, pressing her body up against him. "Please?"
"No." Despite the temptation, he couldn’t give in. "I've had enough, and I really have to go. I’m sorry.”
Cord turned and headed down the hall, pausing for a moment in mid–stride as if he was going to change his mind, then continued on.
She watched from the doorway as Cord walked to his room. When he entered his room without looking back, Cassie's anger and embarrassment at being rejected took control.
She stomped into her room and slammed the door shut. "This is all your fault, you sorry bitch!” She muttered to herself as she crossed into the bathroom to look at Morgan's handiwork on her bruised face.
Cord pulled out his cell phone as soon as he was in his room and dialed his home number. He knew Morgan hated being alone and even more than that; he needed to hear her voice to bring him back to his senses. Cassie's overtures had tempted him far more than he'd like to admit. The phone went to voice mail. He tried her cell phone. There was no answer and voice mail didn’t kick in.
That's odd.
Next, he tried Juan's number. Voice mail picked up and Cord left a short message. "Juan, hi, it's Cord. I'm in Andrews County, and I'd like you to give me a call as soon as you get this message.”
He left the phone number of the hotel and the room he was in and then hung up and opened his laptop. "Well," he said. "Three strikes, you're out.” He tried to log onto Juan’s computer.
"Home run!” He said with a smile. “Thank you, Morgan!” It was good to know that in a world of uncertainty, he could always count on Morgan.
An image of Cassie standing in her doorway looking up at him as if she could gobble him up gave him a sudden pang of guilt. Oh yeah. He thought as he grabbed his messenger bag and started out the door. I can always count on her, but can she count on me?
Chapter Five
Cotton Creek, Texas
Morgan brushed out her hair and stared at her reflection for a long moment before she left the bedroom and went downstairs to the den. She felt a little foolish. After clearing her throat, she spoke louder than normal.
“Agent Samuels, if you can hear me, I’d really like to speak with you.”
Inside the surveillance van, Mark Samuels was cursing his replacement for not showing up. Now he was stuck in the surveillance van until morning. His eyebrows rose in surprise as he heard Morgan’s words. An initial surge of excitement carried him from his seat to the door of the van. Then doubt set in. The last time he tried to talk to her, she gave him a black eye. He hesitated for a moment but only a moment. He wasn’t prepared the last time. This time he would be and if she tried to get physical, he’d just have to restrain her.
The idea of restraining her had a certain appeal, he had to admit. However, the idea of being recorded and the guys back at the Bureau tuning in had no appeal at all. He rewound the tape and made sure to start it over and record over her message to him. Then he redirected the big ear toward the middle of the Alexander’s property where the only sound it would pick up was the wind and maybe an occasional animal.
With his rear protected against unexpected surprises and his male pride restored, he left the
van and got into his car.
Odessa, Texas
Cassie was furious with Cord for turning her down. She stormed around her room, throwing everything she could get her hands on.
"That fucking asshole!” Her scream was accompanied by the sound of breaking glass as she tossed a glass against the wall. When she finally ran out of breakable things to throw, she flopped down on the bed and tried to come up with a way to get even with him.
Several devious and some very violent ideas crossed her mind, but she rejected them. Although she hated to admit it, she wanted him. When sudden inspiration hit, she jumped up and ran into the bathroom.
After repairing her makeup, she brushed her hair, and peeled off her clothes. With a grin, she wrapped herself in one of the hotel bath towels. “That’s the ticket.” She said to her reflection in the mirror.
She grabbed the ice bucket from the table and took off out the door to the icemaker where she filled the bucket. With her props ready, she then made her way to Cord's door.
"Cord?” She tapped lightly on the door. “Are you awake? It's me, Cassie. You won't believe what I did. I went out to get some ice and got locked out of my room. Cord? Can you hear me? Let me in. I'm standing out here in nothing but a towel. Cord?"
She pressed her ear to the door but didn't hear anything from inside the room. This time she knocked loudly. "Cord?" she yelled. "Cord, can you hear me?"
Still there was no response. Cassie pounded on the door with her fist and screamed. "Cord! Open the door!"
Cord's door didn't open, but several other doors on the hall did. "Hey lady, pipe down!" A man down the hall yelled. "Some people around here are trying to sleep!"
"Fuck you, asshole!” She snapped as she marched back to her door. "Shit!” She’d left her key on the dresser.
Furious with Cord, she stomped back down the hall into the lobby. To the tune of several snickers and a sly grin from the desk clerk, she requested another key for her room.
Once back in her room she decided to call to see if Cord would answer the phone. After several minutes, she hung up.
There has to be a way to get to him, she thought as she fixed herself a stiff drink. As she rummaged through her purse for something to coat her split lip, she ran across her lock pick set.
"Of course!" She exclaimed happily and headed for the door.
Cotton Creek, Texas
Morgan opened the door as Mark Samuels walked up the front steps. Her eyes widened and her heart sank. With his eye swollen and bruised the way it was, just how likely was he to give her information?
“You wanted to see me?” Mark stopped at the door.
“Yes. Please.” She moved back and gestured to him. “Come in.”
“Thank you.” He stepped through the door and waited for her to close it.
“Would you like something to drink?” She led the way into the den.
“No, thanks.”
“Have a seat.”
Mark sat down on the couch and Morgan debated how to open the conversation. For a moment, she simply stood in the middle of the room, her hands unconsciously clasped tightly together.
Morgan had not stopped to think that Mark had heard the recording. With all that had happened with the woman, Ghost, and now the video, her mind wasn’t all that clear. All she could think of was finding out who the woman was and proving the video was a fake. As over–dramatic as someone else might think it to be, she felt that her life depended on it.
“Umm, thanks for coming.” She forced herself to take a seat and perched on the edge of the couch some distance away from him. “And I’m sorry about− “She looked at his swollen eye. “−you know.”
It wasn’t hard to read Mark’s reaction from the way his jaw tightened. But when their gazes met, she saw something else. Was that pity? She quickly looked away, embarrassed by the way her eyes filled with tears.
Little did she know it was her weakness that was her power. Mark moved to put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice. Mark forgot about the black eye, the bureau, being professional and his dislike of Cord. His hand tightened on her shoulder and pulled her toward him.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered.
The sympathy in his voice unglued her. Before she knew it, she was sobbing against his shoulder with his arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
Morgan drew back. It was then she realized that he and probably the entire FBI knew everything. “You know, don’t you?”
“About the affair? Yes. I heard.”
“Is it real or is this something you manufactured to make him look bad?”
“Of course not.”
“So, you have no idea who the woman is or why she was out there in the woods?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The woman in the video. The one who shot my dog.”
“Shot your−hold on. Are you telling me that whoever the woman is on the recording, you’ve met her?”
Morgan felt anger flash, fast and hot. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on or what you people are up to, but I’m really not in the mood to play games. That woman was on my property with a gun. She shot my dog, and she had a video on a thumb-drive that I found in her car of her and my husband. Not to mention that we’re being spied on in our home. I don’t know what you think we’ve done, or why you’re doing this to us, but I’ve had it with this game.”
“Mrs. Alexander – Morgan, believe me. I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Yeah, sure.”
“No, seriously. “
“Look, there’s no point in denying that you and your husband are under surveillance. But I swear to you that I have no idea about someone shooting your dog.”
Morgan looked into his eyes and held his gaze for a long moment. Suspicion wasn’t an easy thing to let go of, but something told her he was telling the truth. And if she wanted information, she needed his help, so she’d have to take a chance.
“Okay, then the question is, who is this woman and what’s she up to?”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning and tell me exactly what happened?”
Morgan hesitated then stood. “I’ll do better than that. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Odessa, Texas
Picking the lock of Cord's hotel room door was a simple matter. No longer than it would take someone to insert a key and let themselves in, she had the door unlocked. The room was dark.
"Cord?" she called softly.
When there was no answer, she turned on the light switch by the door. The room was empty.
"Where the hell did he go?" She started to leave but decided that sooner or later he would have to come back to his room.
Tossing the towel aside, she posed herself seductively on the bed to wait for him. Thanks to the amount of alcohol she’d consumed, she promptly fell asleep.
*****
Cord arrived at the lab feeling exhausted and slightly intoxicated. Damn. He rubbed his temple as he walked down the corridor. That girl sure can drink.
He wished he had quit sooner. When he reached the computer he’d requested be left free for him, he placed his case on the table and sat down. All the beer he’d consumed demanded release, so he headed back down the hall to the men’s room.
His thoughts turned to Cassie. She was incredibly tempting, and very beautiful. Not beautiful like Morgan, he mentally compared them. Cassie was like a model or someone in the movies. Always dressed in just the right way to attract attention, and always made up perfectly as if an artist had painted her face. She gave the appearance of artfully designed sexuality.
Morgan, on the other hand, looked like a fairy tale story of some wild woodland nymph, sun tanned and athletic, naturally sensual and uninhibited. She was more at ease barefoot and in an old tee shirt than dressed up.
Two totally different women, both beautiful and both desirable. C
ord felt a twinge of guilt. Even though he hadn’t done anything this time, he’d been tempted. It’d been hard to turn Cassie down and even now part of him almost wished he hadn't. But he hoped he’d learned his lesson the last time.
He’d carried the guilt of what he’d done all this time. Often, he thought about telling Morgan, just blurting it out; but he always changed his mind. He was afraid of how she would react if he told her. He knew she’d be hurt beyond words and hurting Morgan was something he couldn’t bear to do.
Although he hated to admit it, the real reason was more selfish. He was afraid of losing her. It was that fear more than anything that had stopped him tonight.
He returned to the task at hand, accessed the communication software and called Juan's computer. Once successfully linked, he keyed in his password and began to search for the data he needed. After locating everything he required he downloaded all the necessary programs and disconnected the link. He thought of starting in on it right away but was just too exhausted to concentrate. Instead, he shut down for the night and left to return to his hotel.
Cotton Creek, Texas
By the time Morgan and Mark returned to her house, he was eager to talk with Andy Smith at the bureau. Sure enough, someone besides them was maintaining surveillance on the Alexanders.
“I know you probably won’t like this, but I need to see that thumb-drive.” He said as they entered the family room of her home.
Morgan stopped dead in her tracks, and he could see she was hesitant to comply. “Look, maybe you’re right and it’s a fake, something manufactured. But either way, in order to find out who the woman is, I need a face.”
She turned to look at him. “On one condition.”
“Which is?”
“That you promise you’ll share any information you get about her with me.”
“Mrs. Alexander, I−”
“Promise.”
“You know I can’t.”
“Mark, please.” She reached out to take his hand. “I know you have your career to think about and I swear to you that I don’t want to put it in jeopardy. But this is my life we’re talking about. I have to know.”
