negotiation.”
She could live with that. For now. “Okay.” She tugged the .32 from her waistband, then turned on the flashlight long enough to give him a quick block of instruction in the gun’s use. “Just stay in the bushes and keep quiet.”
“You know how I feel about guns.”
“I’ll feel a lot better if you take these.” She held out the gun and the flashlight.
A beat of silence passed before he relented. “Don’t worry about me.” His fingers closed reluctantly around the butt of the weapon and he took it from her. He accepted the flashlight a little more readily. “I can take care of myself. You’re the one I’m worried about.”
“Don’t use your phone unless you have no other choice. If you call the authorities, Jeffrey, my situation could be compromised.” She’d given back his BlackBerry as a sign of good faith when he’d agreed to make the rest of the trip with her.
“I won’t call anyone unless absolutely necessary.” Another disinclined conciliation.
Olivia considered what might happen if she didn’t return. “It’s one-fifteen. If I’m not back by three, I want you to make your way back to the SUV and disappear for a while. Take a vacation somewhere. Just don’t go back to California for the next week or so.” She wasn’t completely certain he would be safe even then, but it was the best advice she could offer at this point.
He made a sound that might have been a laugh had it not been chock-full of worry. “If you’re not back soon, I’m going to the police.”
She supposed she couldn’t expect to control his actions if she didn’t return. She could only offer her best advice. There simply was no way to make him fully understand the situation. The concept was too foreign for a normal person’s mind to wrap around.
Nothing would ever be the same from this moment forward. Jeffrey still believed in her, cared about her, wanted to protect her. But once he knew the whole truth, any feelings he had for her would disappear like so much smoke in the wind. Regret trickled through her. Once again her life had been taken away from her. Ripped from her as if she was so insignificant that her feelingsher happinessdidn’t matter.
“I’ll be back as quickly as possible.”
She disappeared into the dense woods without saying more. Anything else would only make what she knew came next more difficult. Jeffrey didn’t deserve to have his life at risk. It was her problem.
If she didn’t make it out, Jeffrey might never be safe againdepending upon what the enemy wanted. No one deserved to die for someone else’s sins.
Determination roared through her. That settled it then. She’d just have to get through this and make sure Jeffrey didn’t pay for her transgressions.
Deputy Director David Hamilton’s log home, nestled amid the soaring evergreens and hardwoods of the Virginia countryside, presented the perfect Norman Rockwell setting. Serene, natural and welcoming. But she knew better than to be fooled by the lovely picture spotlighted in its meticulously landscaped clearing by the low-slung moon.
Bulletproof windows. Half a dozen armed security guards. Motion sensors. Maybe even a few booby traps.
A walk in the park for Sheara. But Olivia hadn’t played this game in a long time. Stepping on an unexpected “boom” rig or stumbling over a trip wire that would warn security of her presence held no appeal whatsoever.
With her Beretta tucked in her waistband and the hunting knife sheathed in her right hiking boot, she slowly slipped into stealth mode. Her movements were a little stilted at first. She made more noise than she would have liked. So she took her time breaching the boundary into the clearing. No need to rush. She had to get her groove back.
She held her breath as she took the first step. When no explosion sounded and the pounding of booted feet didn’t echo nearby, she figured she’d cleared the first hurdle.
She hunkered down behind a cluster of
She could live with that. For now. “Okay.” She tugged the .32 from her waistband, then turned on the flashlight long enough to give him a quick block of instruction in the gun’s use. “Just stay in the bushes and keep quiet.”
“You know how I feel about guns.”
“I’ll feel a lot better if you take these.” She held out the gun and the flashlight.
A beat of silence passed before he relented. “Don’t worry about me.” His fingers closed reluctantly around the butt of the weapon and he took it from her. He accepted the flashlight a little more readily. “I can take care of myself. You’re the one I’m worried about.”
“Don’t use your phone unless you have no other choice. If you call the authorities, Jeffrey, my situation could be compromised.” She’d given back his BlackBerry as a sign of good faith when he’d agreed to make the rest of the trip with her.
“I won’t call anyone unless absolutely necessary.” Another disinclined conciliation.
Olivia considered what might happen if she didn’t return. “It’s one-fifteen. If I’m not back by three, I want you to make your way back to the SUV and disappear for a while. Take a vacation somewhere. Just don’t go back to California for the next week or so.” She wasn’t completely certain he would be safe even then, but it was the best advice she could offer at this point.
He made a sound that might have been a laugh had it not been chock-full of worry. “If you’re not back soon, I’m going to the police.”
She supposed she couldn’t expect to control his actions if she didn’t return. She could only offer her best advice. There simply was no way to make him fully understand the situation. The concept was too foreign for a normal person’s mind to wrap around.
Nothing would ever be the same from this moment forward. Jeffrey still believed in her, cared about her, wanted to protect her. But once he knew the whole truth, any feelings he had for her would disappear like so much smoke in the wind. Regret trickled through her. Once again her life had been taken away from her. Ripped from her as if she was so insignificant that her feelingsher happinessdidn’t matter.
“I’ll be back as quickly as possible.”
She disappeared into the dense woods without saying more. Anything else would only make what she knew came next more difficult. Jeffrey didn’t deserve to have his life at risk. It was her problem.
If she didn’t make it out, Jeffrey might never be safe againdepending upon what the enemy wanted. No one deserved to die for someone else’s sins.
Determination roared through her. That settled it then. She’d just have to get through this and make sure Jeffrey didn’t pay for her transgressions.
Deputy Director David Hamilton’s log home, nestled amid the soaring evergreens and hardwoods of the Virginia countryside, presented the perfect Norman Rockwell setting. Serene, natural and welcoming. But she knew better than to be fooled by the lovely picture spotlighted in its meticulously landscaped clearing by the low-slung moon.
Bulletproof windows. Half a dozen armed security guards. Motion sensors. Maybe even a few booby traps.
A walk in the park for Sheara. But Olivia hadn’t played this game in a long time. Stepping on an unexpected “boom” rig or stumbling over a trip wire that would warn security of her presence held no appeal whatsoever.
With her Beretta tucked in her waistband and the hunting knife sheathed in her right hiking boot, she slowly slipped into stealth mode. Her movements were a little stilted at first. She made more noise than she would have liked. So she took her time breaching the boundary into the clearing. No need to rush. She had to get her groove back.
She held her breath as she took the first step. When no explosion sounded and the pounding of booted feet didn’t echo nearby, she figured she’d cleared the first hurdle.
She hunkered down behind a cluster of
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