stupid not to be wary of someone who's just kidnapped me."
"Be wary. Wary is smart." He smiled slightly. "And you're very smart."
"How do you know?" She remembered the remark about her fireman father. "You've managed to get a dossier on me."
He nodded. "And it was very interesting reading."
"I'm glad I could entertain you."
" Entertain isn't quite the word. Your career has led you into some pretty rough scrapes. It's a wonder you were able to wriggle out of some of them." He got up from the table to bring a pot of coffee from the counter. "For instance, when you shot that terrorist in Iran, I'd have bet against your chances of getting out of the country alive. You did all the wrong things to preserve your neck."
"Like what?"
"You trusted someone in the Embassy to arrange to smuggle you out. The Embassy is always too visible. You waited two days to head for the border. It should have given the terrorist group time to find you. They must have had extremely poor intelligence and leadership." He poured coffee into her cup. "And you didn't kill your target."
"I'm not a murderer. I was there to get a story. I shot Al Habim in self-defense."
"And because you didn't kill him, he came after you again in Cairo. If the CIA hadn't had you under surveillance, you could have been history."
"Why do you think they had me under surveillance? Do you think I'm stupid? I knew Al Habim would come looking for me. I was hoping the CIA would catch him and be able to extract information."
"Excellent." He smiled. "But evidently the Company had reasons to want him dead. So you might as well have done it yourself and saved everyone the trouble."
"Is that what you would have done?"
"Every case is different, but I tend to lean toward keeping myself alive and in one piece. The CIA is always a wild card. There are too many politicians with too many agendas whirling around them."
"You talk as if you know."
"I have a certain familiarity with them." He lifted his cup to his lips. "I have a great admiration for many of their agents, but I've found that no one but me has quite the same desire to maintain my health and well-being."
"I can see why," she said through her teeth.
"My, what bitterness. Are you only tolerant when it concerns terrorists?"
"I'm not tolerant of anyone who interferes with my life or freedom." She pushed back her chair. "And now I want to talk to John Logan. Call him."
"Whatever you say. I'm surprised you waited this long." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Logan? Judd Morgan. Alex Graham wants to talk to you." He handed her the phone, rose to his feet, and began stacking the dishes. "Give him hell. I shouldn't be the only one suffering."
She ignored him. "Logan?"
"Sorry, Alex. I didn't want to do this."
She recognized his voice. Until this moment she hadn't really believed what Morgan had said. "Bullshit. You tell this bastard to let me go."
"I can't do it. I told you where my priority lies. Sarah has to be safe, and if you won't be sensible, then you'll have to be--"
"Kidnapped?"
"Kept safe in spite of yourself."
"And you think I'll put up with it? I'm getting out of here, and when I do, I'm going to cause you so much trouble your head will spin."
"I'm sure you will. But hopefully the FBI will have removed any threat to Sarah by that time. I'm pulling every string I know to find out who those men at Arapahoe Junction were."
"And I'm supposed to sit here locked up with this asshole while you try to do something the FBI can't?"
"I have a chance. I have a friend who specializes in that kind of information."
"Another criminal like Morgan?"
"No, not like Morgan. I understand he has different talents."
"Kidnapping."
"It wasn't supposed to come down to that. Morgan tells me that the situation called for more drastic measures than he'd planned."
"But you agreed to it."
"After the fact." He paused. "He said it was the only way to keep you alive, and keeping you alive is the only way I can keep
"Be wary. Wary is smart." He smiled slightly. "And you're very smart."
"How do you know?" She remembered the remark about her fireman father. "You've managed to get a dossier on me."
He nodded. "And it was very interesting reading."
"I'm glad I could entertain you."
" Entertain isn't quite the word. Your career has led you into some pretty rough scrapes. It's a wonder you were able to wriggle out of some of them." He got up from the table to bring a pot of coffee from the counter. "For instance, when you shot that terrorist in Iran, I'd have bet against your chances of getting out of the country alive. You did all the wrong things to preserve your neck."
"Like what?"
"You trusted someone in the Embassy to arrange to smuggle you out. The Embassy is always too visible. You waited two days to head for the border. It should have given the terrorist group time to find you. They must have had extremely poor intelligence and leadership." He poured coffee into her cup. "And you didn't kill your target."
"I'm not a murderer. I was there to get a story. I shot Al Habim in self-defense."
"And because you didn't kill him, he came after you again in Cairo. If the CIA hadn't had you under surveillance, you could have been history."
"Why do you think they had me under surveillance? Do you think I'm stupid? I knew Al Habim would come looking for me. I was hoping the CIA would catch him and be able to extract information."
"Excellent." He smiled. "But evidently the Company had reasons to want him dead. So you might as well have done it yourself and saved everyone the trouble."
"Is that what you would have done?"
"Every case is different, but I tend to lean toward keeping myself alive and in one piece. The CIA is always a wild card. There are too many politicians with too many agendas whirling around them."
"You talk as if you know."
"I have a certain familiarity with them." He lifted his cup to his lips. "I have a great admiration for many of their agents, but I've found that no one but me has quite the same desire to maintain my health and well-being."
"I can see why," she said through her teeth.
"My, what bitterness. Are you only tolerant when it concerns terrorists?"
"I'm not tolerant of anyone who interferes with my life or freedom." She pushed back her chair. "And now I want to talk to John Logan. Call him."
"Whatever you say. I'm surprised you waited this long." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Logan? Judd Morgan. Alex Graham wants to talk to you." He handed her the phone, rose to his feet, and began stacking the dishes. "Give him hell. I shouldn't be the only one suffering."
She ignored him. "Logan?"
"Sorry, Alex. I didn't want to do this."
She recognized his voice. Until this moment she hadn't really believed what Morgan had said. "Bullshit. You tell this bastard to let me go."
"I can't do it. I told you where my priority lies. Sarah has to be safe, and if you won't be sensible, then you'll have to be--"
"Kidnapped?"
"Kept safe in spite of yourself."
"And you think I'll put up with it? I'm getting out of here, and when I do, I'm going to cause you so much trouble your head will spin."
"I'm sure you will. But hopefully the FBI will have removed any threat to Sarah by that time. I'm pulling every string I know to find out who those men at Arapahoe Junction were."
"And I'm supposed to sit here locked up with this asshole while you try to do something the FBI can't?"
"I have a chance. I have a friend who specializes in that kind of information."
"Another criminal like Morgan?"
"No, not like Morgan. I understand he has different talents."
"Kidnapping."
"It wasn't supposed to come down to that. Morgan tells me that the situation called for more drastic measures than he'd planned."
"But you agreed to it."
"After the fact." He paused. "He said it was the only way to keep you alive, and keeping you alive is the only way I can keep
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