Secrets She Kept

by Debra Webb

  Where was Flynn?

  Memories of him pulling her against him in the night invaded her thoughts. She’d shivered from the cold invading her very bones and he’d pulled her against his big body to keep her warm. Several times during the night she had awakened to the feel of his protective arms around her, his shoulder like a pillow and the length of his body radiating heat into hers.

  “Flynn?”

  She got to her feet, dusted herself off for the good it would do. No answer. She ran her fingers through her hair. Apparently she’d slept through him being taken away.

  Had Aikman summoned him for another meeting?

  Her heart kicked into a faster rhythm. Maybe they’d already taken him off this damned mountain. Maybe she wasn’t going anywhere.

  Aikman had requested to keep her.

  She chafed her arms to create some heat with the friction. Flynn would never go for it. He’d said so last night. He wasn’t going without her.

  Then again, it was possible he hadn’t been given a choice this time.

  For a few minutes she walked around, warming up her stiff, aching muscles. She really needed to use a bathroom but she doubted she would be permitted to leave her small prison. A few more minutes and she decided she couldn’t wait any longer. She chose the corner the farthest away from the remains and relieved herself. The dead guy had likely been forced to do this for days or weeks before his body could no longer resist death.

  Another ten or so minutes elapsed with her walking back and forth across the center of her prison cell when the stone suddenly rolled away from the opening. She moved to the wall and braced for whatever trouble might be coming. If one of the guards came in for her, she could fight him off for a while. As weary as her body was, the battle might not last long.

  “Out!”

  The voice was male but not one she recognized. She didn’t move.

  “Come out!” the man demanded. “Time to eat.”

  Her stomach rumbled. Getting out of here was better than staying. If it involved food, that was all the better. She pushed away from the wall and moved to the opening. On her hands and knees she scurried out as quickly as possible and shot to her feet. She didn’t like being in a vulnerable position. She looked up, and two men—guards she presumed—stared down at her as if she were some sort of alien.

  She blinked repeatedly to help her eyes adjust to the light. It wasn’t that bright but it was a hell of a lot brighter than inside that hole she’d been stuck in all night. The two stared at her for a moment longer, then gestured for her to go to the left. Her gait was a little off at first but she soon found her rhythm. One of the guards ambled in front of her, the other behind her. They led her back the way she’d originally come into this cold, dark place. Once they were outside the cave, she squinted against the way brighter light. The sun was up but it was still early. She was escorted to one of the twig shacks and ushered through the primitive door.

  A woman waited inside the shack.

  “Take off your clothes and get into the tub.”

  She stared at Sadie, waiting for her to obey the issued command. Her hair was long and dark like Sadie’s but her skin was pale. If a bath was on the agenda, Sadie wasn’t about to argue with her. She stripped off her clothes and toed off her shoes. Once she was in the tub the woman peeled the bandages from her hands and ordered her to sit. Sadie complied.

  It was at precisely that moment that she considered maybe she was to be the morning kill. Maybe she was breakfast. She jerked her attention to the left just in time for a pail of water to be poured over her head. Surprisingly it was warm. A bar of soap was tossed into the tub with her and she went to work washing her face and body. It felt so good. More water poured over her and the woman started washing her hair. Sadie didn’t complain. It felt amazing to have her scalp massaged. She could sit here and savor the attention for hours.

  Then came more water, only this time it was cold. When she was thoroughly rinsed, the woman helped her towel off and provided a pair of blue cotton shorts and a white tee. Sadie had no idea where the clothes came from but they fit and she was glad to be out of the days-old sweats. She tugged on the same shoes she’d been wearing since her time at the compound. They were finally dry after their trek through the water. The blisters on her hands and feet were still tender but there was nothing she could do about that.

  The woman ushered her over to a table and chairs and prepared food for her. The plate was metal, more like a pie tin. Scrambled eggs and toast were heaped onto the plate. A tin of water stood next to it. Sadie didn’t wait to be told—she dove in. She was starving. She hoped Flynn was given food before he was taken to wherever he had gone. The food suddenly felt like a lump of cement in her stomach. She felt guilty about the nice bath and the hot food considering she had no idea where he was or what might be happening to him.

  Focus, Sadie. You can’t stay strong and be of any use to anyone if you don’t eat.

  As she forced bite after bite into her mouth, first one and then another woman came into the tiny shack and climbed into the tub of water she’d used. After five women had bathed, they shared the duty of carrying out pails of the dirty water.

  Sadie understood the concept of conservation but she was immensely grateful she’d been first this morning.

  The woman with the long dark hair led her back outside. One of the guards who’d escorted her from her cell was waiting. He led Sadie through the woods and to yet another shack-like house, this one larger. Once they were inside, she could see that this one was built into the mountainside and the interior was more like an actual house. A long corridor led to another door. The guard opened this door and urged her inside.

  “And here she is. The woman we’ve been waiting for.”

  The man behind the desk stared at her, a grin on his face. Another man stood, rising above the chair that had prevented her from seeing him.

  Flynn.

  The relief that gushed through her made her knees weak. He was still here. More important, he was alive.

  Rather than aim her question at Flynn, she stared directly at the other man. “What happens now?”

  “Now, the two of you head out.”

  So Flynn had been right. This man—Aikman, she presumed—had never intended to keep her. The threat was nothing more than leverage to garner their cooperation.

  “We’ll take you as far as the road where you dumped the SUV. You’ll be on your own from there.” Aikman turned to Flynn. “As you know, I’ll have eyes on you at all times. Once you’re inside, I’ll wait for your signal to make my move.”

  Sadie kept her thoughts to herself. There was no point in asking questions until she and Flynn were alone.

  Flynn nodded. “On my signal.”

  Aikman nodded and with that gesture they were escorted from the man’s office and back outside his rustic dwelling. Two all-terrain vehicles waited. One guard climbed aboard each vehicle and ordered Sadie and Flynn to do the same. Once she climbed on behind a guard and Flynn did the same with the other, a third guard dropped the black cloth bags over their heads. Aikman intended to keep their location a secret.

  The vehicle bumped over roots and rocks and God only knew what else. Sadie held on tight no matter that she’d just as soon not touch the guy driving. Holding on to the enemy was better than risking a potentially fatal injury from bouncing off this rocky ride. She focused on counting off the minutes.

  Half an hour later the vehicles stopped.

  “Get off,” the driver shouted over his shoulder at her.

  Sadie reached up and removed the bag, then climbed off the ATV. The guard snatched the hood back from her as if he feared it might carry his fingerprints. She smoothed a hand over her hair as she watched the two drive away, bouncing and bumping over the terrain. When they were out of sight, she scanned the area. Woods. So thick they almost blocked the sky.

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sp; She turned to Flynn. “You’re still sure about this plan?”

  “I don’t have an option.”

  She turned all the way around, surveyed the woods once more. Nothing but trees and brush. “The way I see it, we can go in whatever direction we like.” Her gaze settled on him once more. “You don’t have to finish this if it means you’ll end up dead.”

  Flynn held her gaze for a long moment before he finally spoke. “You go. Stay south and you’ll find your way to the main road running into Winchester. If I still had the emergency beacon you could use that, but they took it so you’ll be on your own. Keep your movements quiet and you’ll be fine.”

  Sadie was shaking her head before he finished talking. “Either way we go, we go together.”

  “They have Winters,” he said, his tone grave. “I have two hours to show up or he’s dead.”

  Son of a bitch. Frustration, then fury tore through Sadie. “He should have listened to you.” To both of them for that matter.

  Flynn shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Prentiss had learned my identity before I left the compound with the two of you. We were never getting off this mountain without doing this or something like this.”

  “In that case, I guess we should get moving.” Damn it all to hell. “We have a timeline we have to stick to.” When he would have issued another protest, she held up her hand and shook her head.

  Obviously not happy about her decision, Flynn led the way to the narrow rutted road. It split through the forest like a dusty brown snake. Sadie shuddered. She was extremely thankful they hadn’t run into any creepy creatures. At least not the kind without legs.

  When the silence had dragged on about as long as she could tolerate, she said, “You know, I thought you left me this morning.” Might as well make conversation while they walked toward their doom.

  He glanced at her. “You still don’t trust me?”

  “It wasn’t about trust.” In fact, she hadn’t considered the idea of trust in a while now. She had instinctively trusted him. “I assumed you weren’t given a choice. Then they took me for a bath, gave me clean clothes and fed me. The next thing I knew I was in Aikman’s office with you.”

  His gaze traveled down the length of her, pausing on her bare legs before shifting back up to her face. “I noticed.”

  His attention swung back to the road. She smiled. Funny how such a simple, offhanded compliment could give her a moment’s pleasure even at a time like this. But then, when you might not live beyond the next few hours it didn’t take much.

  As cold as she’d gotten in that cave last night, it was already hot enough to make her sweat this morning. The humidity was off the charts. Made the uphill journey even more of a slog.

  Since Flynn had given her a sort of compliment, maybe she would give him one. “Thanks for keeping me warm last night.” She flashed him a smile. “That was very gentlemanly of you.”

  “I thought you were keeping me warm.”

  Her jaw dropped, then he grinned. “You’re a real comedian.” She laughed. “Seriously, though, I appreciate it. I woke up shivering after you were gone but I remembered you keeping me warm through the night.”

  “You’re welcome, but it was a mutual exchange.”

  Combined body heat. “What’s going to happen when we get there?” As much as she would like to pretend they wouldn’t really have to return to that damned compound, she knew there was no way around it outside the cavalry showing up out of the blue to take over the situation.

  No one even knew their exact location. They were on their own and the chances of either one of them surviving were about nil. If they walked away, Levi, her target, would die. No matter that they would likely all three die anyway, she couldn’t just walk away and leave him without attempting to do something. She glanced at the man beside her. She couldn’t just walk away and leave Flynn to deal with this on his own, either.

  “I have one sibling, a sister, and my parents.” Sadie wasn’t sure why she made this abrupt announcement. Just seemed like the thing to do. They might as well enjoy each other’s company until they were taken prisoner again.

  He said nothing for a while, just kept walking. She did the same.

  “No siblings. Parents are long gone. It’s just me.”

  So he was completely alone. “No wife or kids or best buds?”

  He shook his head. “The job fills those slots.”

  This she understood all too well.

  “Same here. Although my parents aren’t going to be happy if I don’t come back.”

  Another span of silence.

  “I guess I’ll have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  She glanced at him again and this time he was looking back. They smiled simultaneously. It was foolish, she knew, but the shared smile had butterflies taking flight in her stomach. “I’m sure they would appreciate that. I know I would.”

  The conversation waned from there. What was there to say? They both had at least a couple of choices. If they chose not to go through with this, Levi would die. If she walked away and left Flynn to go on his own and he and Levi didn’t make it out, she would have to live with that decision. Levi was not Flynn’s problem but he was choosing to take that responsibility. No way was she leaving him to do her job. Walking away wasn’t an option.

  An hour later, the road was scarcely more than a path now. They were close. Sadie remembered the terrain. The memories sent a chill over her skin. Whether it was self-preservation or utter desperation, she suddenly stopped.

  “There has to be something else we can do.” She surveyed the endless woods. “Someone who lives out here who has a phone or a vehicle.”

  There was no one. She was aware of this. Not anywhere close by at any rate. Still, she couldn’t not ask the question again. Being ambushed was one thing but walking into a death trap was just plain crazy. Of course, that was exactly what she’d done to get into the compound in the first place.

  What did that say about the two of them? Maybe they both had death wishes that they explained away with their careers.

  “There’s no one for miles.” He stopped walking and turned to face her. “I understood the risk when I started this. There’s no way out.”

  Sadie moved in on him, taking the three steps between them. “Are you doing this for you or for your father?”

  He looked away from her but not before she saw emotions cloud his eyes. “Does it matter?”

  She folded her arms over her chest to prevent reaching out to him. One of her instructors had warned her about a place exactly like this. The place you find yourself when you’ve lost all sight of the difference between your life and your work. When work becomes more important than anything else—even surviving.

  “This is the job, Flynn. This isn’t about you or your father. This is the job. Justice. Doing the right thing. Taking down the bad guys for the greater good, not for your own personal reasons. Like maybe revenge.”

  He laughed, shook his head. “Did you spend the last hour thinking up that speech or did you suddenly remember it from your agent-in-training handbook?”

  She had definitely hit a nerve. “Don’t be a smart-ass. I’m only trying to help. To make you see that we’ve both lost sight of what we were trained to do. What we swore to do when we started this journey.”

  “I don’t need a lecture, and the only way you can help is to walk down that mountain to safety while I do what I have to do.”

  Now he was just being arrogant. “Levi Winters is my target. He’s my responsibility. I have just as much right to walk into this trap as you do.”

  He stared at her long and hard. “It’s only a trap if you don’t see it coming.”

  “We need a plan, Flynn. We shouldn’t just walk into this, whatever you want to call it, without a plan.”

  “I have a plan.”

  That was the mom
ent she remembered what Aikman said. The memory had rocks forming in her gut. “What did your friend mean when he said he would wait for your signal?”

  “Let’s go.”

  When he would have turned to start walking again, she grabbed him by the arm. “We’re in too deep for you to blow me off at this stage of the game.”

  He stared at her, his own anger blazing in his eyes.

  “It means just what he said, I give the signal, he and his people invade. I’ve given them the access codes along with the guard locations. Now let’s get moving.”

  Did he really think she was going to let it go? “What’s the signal?”

  Since they didn’t have a cell phone, beacon, flare gun, air horn or any damned thing else, just how the hell did he expect to give anyone outside the compound a signal?

  The stare-off continued. Ten seconds, fifteen, twenty.

  Enough. She made up her mind then and there. She grabbed him by the shirtfront and jerked his face down to hers. Then she kissed him. Kissed him hard on the mouth. Kept her lips pressed to his until he reacted. His fingers plowed into her hair and pulled her more firmly into him, deepening the kiss, taking control.

  She poured herself into the kiss, into the feel of his mouth, his lips and his palms against her face. When the need for air forced them apart, he looked her straight in the eye and said, “I’m still not telling you.”

  The answer to the question was suddenly as clear as shiny new glass. He had no way of sending a signal.

  “They have someone inside, don’t they? That’s the person who’ll give the signal when you’ve done whatever it is Aikman has asked of you.”

  He looked away.

  She shook her head. “All this time they’ve had someone inside. Why the hell do they need you?”

  “We’re running out of time. Let’s go.”

  She grabbed him by the forearm, kept him from turning away. “No. Not until you tell me the truth.”

  Fury tightened the lips she had only moments ago kissed. Wanted to kiss again, damn her.

  “You don’t have a need to know, Agent Buchanan.”