Night Watch

19

Sharp Memorial Hospital

San Diego

HER MOTHER AND OLIVIA WERE outside the ER with Lynch when Kendra was wheeled out into the hall by a nurse.

“Stupid,” her mother said shakily as she came toward her. “Completely stupid. I don’t know how I raised such a total idiot.” She bent down and slid her arms around Kendra. She held her tightly for a moment. “Lynch tells me that you’re not being punished for that idiocy. You’re going to be okay?”

“I’m okay now. The wound isn’t going to be a problem.” She gave her a quick hug. “They’d let me go home now, but I got a little dehydrated in the desert, and they want to pump me full of fluids. They’ll release me first thing in the morning.”

“I would think they’d keep you longer. Running around that desert, then-” Dianne stopped and drew a deep breath. “Don’t do this kind of thing again. It’s not permitted from now on.”

“Hush.” Olivia pushed her aside and gave Kendra a hug. “I agree completely with the spirit of her message, but not her delivery. I’ll chew you out myself, but not until you get out of the hospital, and I have you at my mercy.” She turned to Dianne. “Now let her go to her room, Dianne. And we’ll go to a bar and have a stiff drink and swear at her, then maybe give the tiniest prayer of thanksgiving. Sound good?”

“Excellent.”

“I thought so.” Olivia brushed a kiss on Kendra’s forehead. “I’ll see you at the condo tomorrow morning. Gird your loins, kid. You’re going to hear from me.”

“I’m shivering in my boots. Sorry I put you through it.”

“Me, too. But I’ll find a way to get back at you.” She turned to Dianne. “Now give her another hug and come along. That drink is calling my name.”

“Presently.” Dianne thrust an overnight case at Lynch and stood frowning at Kendra. “I meant it, you know.” She paused. “But perhaps I’m not entirely angry that you were such an idiot. I was proud of you, too. It was good what you did for Waldridge.” She turned away. “But that’s after the fact. You should have been smart enough not to have had to risk your neck for him. Next time, keep that in mind.”

“I will,” Kendra said gently. “I promise.”

“See that you do.” Dianne turned to Lynch. “Okay, get her to her room and see that they give her those fluids.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lynch said. “Though I believe my job will just be to tag along with this nice nurse.” He smiled, his gaze on the nurse’s ID badge. “Marty? Sorry to keep you waiting, Marty. I know you have your job to do.”

“No problem. Take your time.” The nurse was smiling back at him with the slightly dazzled look that Lynch usually managed to elicit, Kendra noticed wearily. Sometimes it amused her, but now she was just grateful Lynch’s charisma almost automatically guaranteed that things would go smoother.

Lynch turned back to her mother. “Good night, Dianne. I’ll call and give you a report when I leave here.”

“Tag along?” Dianne repeated dryly, her gaze on the nurse as she joined Olivia and started down the hall. “I doubt if you know the meaning of the phrase.”

“Of course I do. I’m a real team player.” He waved the nurse to go down the hall. “Let’s go, Marty.” He fell into step with Kendra’s wheelchair. “Good night, ladies,” he called back to Dianne and Olivia. “I’ll keep you informed.” He looked down at Kendra, and said in an undertone, “And you do know they’ll both be on my ass if they don’t receive a call that meets with their approval? So you’d better have a good night.”

“You won’t know if I do or not.” She looked up at him as the nurse wheeled her into a room at the end of the hall. “Go home, Lynch. They cleaned me up in that ER, but you still look like you’ve been through a war.”

“When I see you tucked in.” He leaned against the wall and watched the nurse help her onto the bed. “I made a promise.”

“Yes, you did.” She leaned back wearily against the pillows. She was suddenly aware of the weakness she hadn’t permitted herself to acknowledge before. “Thank you for bringing them, Lynch. I was going to call both of them, but I might not have gotten around to it right away.”

“Imagine that.” He watched the nurse move around the room. “You only had to contend with bullets and dehydration and hired killers chasing you down. Hardly worth mentioning.” His gaze shifted back to her. “Anyway, they knew how much you cared about them. You called your mother, and she found a letter to Olivia when she went to your studio after she flew back here. So I knew that those were two people I had to make certain to bring up to date.” His lips twisted. “Of course, I might not have had the entire list. Did you send out any other touching good-bye’s to anyone else?”

“No, thank heavens. Those were the only two. At the time, I felt as if it was something I should do, but I obviously made a complete mess of it.”

“I wouldn’t say that, but you clearly made some mistakes.”

“Now that’s diplomatic,” she said dryly. “I can always count on you, Lynch.”

“Yes, you can. Not that you’ve demonstrated any degree of faith that you could lately.”

His voice was without expression, but she could sense the edge beneath it. He was definitely not pleased with her. How could she blame him? She had known this would be his reaction when she had deliberately not told him what she was planning to do. “You would have found a way to stop me.”

“Yes, I would.”

“It was the only thing I could-”

“No, it was what you chose.” He inclined his head. “And I have no intention of discussing it with you when you’re lying in that hospital bed. When I attack, I prefer an opponent to be on their feet.”

“So you can knock them down?”

“It has a certain appeal at the moment.” He turned to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kendra.”

“Yes.” But she had to say one more thing. “You saved both me and Waldridge today. I haven’t said thank you.”

“No, you haven’t. You’re welcome.” He smiled recklessly. “But I didn’t give a damn about Waldridge at the time. I still don’t. If I’d had to go in another direction, Waldridge would have just been collateral damage.”

She felt a ripple of shock. “Charles Waldridge should never be considered collateral damage.”

“Maybe not to you. I’m having a few problems with him. Good night, Kendra.” He went out the door.

She lay there, only vaguely aware of the nurse dimming the lights, putting the burner phone her mother had brought on the nightstand, and leaving the room.

Lynch’s words had been disturbing and so had been the leashed emotion she had sensed since she had left the ER. It had probably been present since he’d brought her from the desert, but she’d been too wired and profoundly relieved to notice.

And now she wasn’t in any shape to probe the mental and psychological mysteries of Adam Lynch. The pain medication they’d given her was taking effect, and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She’d have to deal with Lynch in the morning…

2:35 A.M.

Her phone was ringing, she realized drowsily. The hospital room was still dark, but she could see her phone screen flickering on the bedside table. Who the hell would be calling her at the hospital in the middle of the night?

Something must be wrong.

She reached for the phone. No ID. Maybe a wrong number? But she couldn’t take a chance of not answering after what she’d just gone through.

“Kendra Michaels.”

“You sound half-asleep,” Charles Waldridge said. “And so you should be. Yes, it really is two thirty in the morning. Just another bit of blame to heap upon my head, Kendra.”

She was suddenly wide-awake. “Why on Earth are you calling me at this hour, Charles? Are you all right?”

“Yes and no.” He paused. “But I had Griffin call and check on you, and he said you were doing splendidly. I asked him to get your burner number so that I could check on you later myself. How is that wound?”

“Practically nothing. Why is it yes and no?”

“The physical checkup I went through showed that I was in the pink of health considering what I went through for the past week. Everyone was particularly happy that my brain functions were positively normal.”

“That’s wonderful.” She paused. “What’s the no?”

“The fact that I’m disturbing your sleep and calling you at two thirty in the morning.” He added soberly, “Because I may not be able to talk to you again for a long time.”

She stiffened. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve spent the last six hours being debriefed on Night Watch by Griffin and his boss, John Howell, the director, plus several members of congressional committees who are very interested in the progress I’ve made. It seems I’m an asset who can increase their political clout because I can give their voters a gift they can’t get anywhere else. They’ve scheduled another round of talks with more committee heads this afternoon.”

“And that means you may have to go to Washington or some university think tank?”

“That means I’ll have to go on the run,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“I know how it works, Kendra. It starts off with my being treated as if I walk on water and everyone kowtowing. Then there’s a subtle change as the program is infiltrated by the money and power brokers. I watched it with Night Watch.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that. I know Griffin is honest and wouldn’t intentionally set you up with anyone who wouldn’t want the best result from Night Watch.”

“Not intentionally,” he repeated. “But now the word is out about what I’m doing and how successful it’s proving to be. I tried to play it down, but the investigation is ongoing, and it’s attracting too much attention. It’s going to be a political football game, with me as the football.” He paused. “And one of the senators who was sitting at that table was Robert Lockart. I’d met him before he was elected to Congress. He’s an industrialist Dyle brought on board with your stem-cell procedure years ago. He was particularly interested in the commercial possibilities of it. He didn’t know anything about the work I’d done lately on Night Watch, but he was exceptionally interested today. To quote Mr. Shakespeare, he has a lean and hungry look.”

“But the government could protect you.”

“Could it? Look at the political system. The U.S. government and economy is just as bureaucratic and self-serving as Great Britain’s. Perhaps more. I can’t risk letting anyone else control my work. The project is nearly finished, and I won’t let it be hijacked, as Dyle was trying to do. The minute I sat down for that debriefing and watched the eagerness light up those faces, I knew what I was going to have to do.”

“Run away,” she whispered. “But that would have to only be the start. What else?”

“Set up a lab somewhere that’s safe from interference. Finish the final research myself. I have control of the patents, but I won’t file them until I have the version I need.”

“It would be very expensive.”

“I have the money. When I left London, I transferred all my funds to the Caymans. Once I leave here, I start looking for a place to set up a facility and get to work.”

It sounded simple. It wouldn’t be simple. There would be all sorts of land mines around every corner. It would be terribly difficult. “You’re positive this is necessary?”

“I’m not being paranoid. I sat there at that table, and it was déjà vu, Kendra. I could see it happening.”

And so could Kendra. Waldridge’s research was too tempting not to attract the supremely ugly as well as the good. “So when do you have to leave?”

“In the next few hours.” His voice was rueful. “I think that Griffin was ordered to put a guard at my hotel to ‘protect’ me. But I can probably slip away since they think I’m flattered by all the high-powered attention. I made that very clear.” He added ironically, “After all, I’m only a simple scientist. I just wanted to call and tell you what was happening. I won’t phone you again once I’m in the wind. There’s such a thing as plausible deniability.”

“I know.” She was trying to think. This was all wrong. She had thought it was over. After all he’d been through, Charles shouldn’t have to run again. She could see why he felt he had to do it, but he would be vulnerable. She hated the thought of him alone, perhaps hunted. “That’s a lawyer’s term. I’ve always hated it. People should just do what they think is right and shout it out.”

He chuckled. “Typical Kendra philosophy.” He paused. “I’ll miss it. If the situation weren’t this potentially hazardous, I might ask you to go on the run with me. It might make life interesting.”

“No, it wouldn’t. As soon as you set up your lab, I’d fade into the test tubes.”

“Incubators.”

“See? I’m already not up to your standard.”

“Wrong. You’re definitely up to any standard I could devise,” he said gently. “It’s been a singular experience, spending this time with you. In spite of everything, it’s been a grand adventure, hasn’t it, Kendra?”

“A grand adventure,” she repeated. “But then, that’s the way it started out with us.”

“True. And, when I’ve finished the project, I’ll be in touch and we can-”

“Charles, that’s not the way this is going down,” she interrupted. “You’re almost as clumsy at good-byes as I am. Only this isn’t life or death yet. And it doesn’t have to be, if it’s handled right. But your disappearing into the sunset is not handling it right.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“If what you say about those committee members is true, the minute you disappear, Griffin will be pressured into trying to find you. The FBI is very good at what it does. You might not even know when they’ve found you.”

“Surveillance? I’d be careful, Kendra.”

“And since you’re superintelligent, it might be fine. It might not. In any case, I’d be worried, and I’d prefer not to be.”

“I have to do this, Kendra.”

“I’m not trying to talk you out of it. I’m just saying that if you’re going to do it, it has to be done right.” She tossed her blanket aside, got out of bed, and disconnected her fluid IV. “Here’s what you do. Slip out of your hotel, take a taxi to the airport, and rent a car. Pick me up outside the hospital in an hour.”

“What?”

“Just do it, Charles. Okay?” She hung up before he could argue with her.

A moment later, she was in the bathroom, washing her face and running a brush through her hair. Then she moved to the closet and snatched the pants and shirt her mother had sent to the hospital. She put them on, flinching as she drew the shirt over her bandaged arm. There was no way she was going to face an argument from the nurses at the front desk, so she’d have to find a way to slip out without being noticed.

She stopped and sat down before she faced putting on her shoes. She was short of breath, and her muscles were very sore.

Ignore it. She could get through this. Use this time until she met Waldridge to think and plan. She had an idea which way to go, but it had to become more clear, every detail precise.

Detach.

Concentrate.

“IS YOUR FRIEND, GIANCARLO, who owns that jet still in the country?” Kendra asked Lynch as soon as he picked up her call.

“I have no idea. What the hell are you doing calling me at this hour? You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“It didn’t work out that way. Would you find out if he is and will lend you his jet? I suppose it doesn’t matter. You’ll manage to fix it somehow. I’m heading for Montgomery Field right now. Will you meet me?”

“Are you going to tell me why you’re not in the hospital?”

“I will when you get there. I’d rather you spend the time on the phone with your friend, Giancarlo. Will you meet me?”

Silence. “I’ll meet you.” He hung up.

Charles tilted his head as he glanced at her from the driver’s seat. “You’re nothing if not a whirlwind, Kendra. You’re certain all this will come together?”

“No,” she said bluntly. “But it has a chance. And if it does come together, it will be better than your wandering around blindly and letting Griffin find you.” She glanced at him. “That’s the first time you’ve questioned me since I got in the car. Doubts?”

“Yes, and I wouldn’t be blindly wandering. I just don’t have a plan in mind yet. However, I’m perfectly willing to put myself in your hands.” He smiled. “Because even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll enjoy watching you one more time before I have to break out on my own again.”

“I’m glad I have entertainment value.” She picked up her phone again. “Now I have another call to make, and I only hope that I can be persuasive instead of entertaining.” She was punching in the number. “Anyone will tell you that’s not usually my area of expertise.”

Montgomery Field

Lynch was standing in front of the hangar at the deserted airport when their car drew up before it. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his black leather jacket, and his expression was harder than Kendra had ever seen it. He gave a cool glance at Waldridge as they got out of the car. “I thought you might be mixed up in this.” He turned back to Kendra. “I’m here. That’s all I promised.”

“Giancarlo?”

“He’s ordered that his Cessna be fueled up and put at my disposal.” He paused. “I told him I’d let him know later if I’d actually be using it. I don’t like taking orders, Kendra.”

“It wasn’t an order. It was a request. I just didn’t have time to make it a polite one.”

“And any request should have come from me.” Waldridge stepped forward. “I can understand how you wouldn’t want to be involved, Lynch. You’ve done more than enough for me. Forget this. I’ll handle it on my own.”

“You will not,” Kendra said impatiently. “It would be too easy to get screwed up. And I don’t intend to let that happen. I want to get back to my kids and not have to worry about you.”

“Your kids?” Lynch’s expression changed the slightest bit. “What do they have to do with anything?”

“They obviously don’t. Because I’ve had to put their therapy on hold since all this began. And now Charles is becoming all noble again, and it will probably end up having Jessie slicing me open and putting another disk in me.”

“That won’t happen,” Lynch said grimly. “Never.”

“Never,” Waldridge repeated. “It’s time you stepped away, Kendra.”

“Not until I’m certain that this is going to work out.” She was seething with frustration as she turned to him. “Listen to me. Can’t you see? Lynch is perfect.”

“At last I agree with something you’re saying,” Lynch said.

“Be quiet. I can only deal with one thing at a time.” She locked eyes with Waldridge. “Look at him. You saw what Lynch did at that ridge. He’s a damn rock star. Neither of us have probably ever seen anyone as good as Lynch at what he does.”

“Are you saying I need a bodyguard?”

“Probably. But that’s not what he does. I don’t know exactly what he does myself. I know he fixes things. They send for him when everything goes to hell. When a government is crashing. When a cartel needs to be taken down. When someone needs to be found who people don’t want to be found. I don’t know what else. I don’t know if I want to know. But he fixes things.” She punched her index finger on his chest. “And you need to be fixed.”

He blinked. “Indeed? Not only is that humiliating to me, but there appears to be a problem with the rock star accepting the gig.”

Yes, there did, and she was probably doing this all wrong. But she was tired and worried, and her arm was beginning to throb. She whirled on Lynch. “Look, I know I’m asking a lot of you, but Charles is going to go off on his own and set up a lab to finish the Night Watch Project. He got scared off by some of the potential players whom Griffin’s boss brought into the debriefing yesterday. He thinks that he could be drawn into the same nightmare he went through with Dyle. He’s not going to allow it. He believes he has to go on the run.”

Lynch’s face was totally without expression. “Do you think he could be right?”

“Yes, Charles has been through it all before. He knows the signs.”

“And what do you want me to do?”

“He needs a place that’s totally safe, where he’s protected, where no one will ask questions.”

He smiled crookedly. “What? In this world? You’re dreaming, Kendra.”

“I don’t think so. You have so many enemies, Lynch. You built that gorgeous house here that has every security device known to man and could repel a small army. You did that because you wanted to be able to relax within those walls.” She paused. “But you’re not a man who takes anything for granted. You’d prepare for the day when you might have to leave that house and go on the run yourself. You’d have a place set up for yourself that’s everything I described.”

“Would I?”

“Yes. And I need you to lend it to Charles for a while, then set up everyone surrounding him as if you were the one in hiding.”

“If there was such a scenario, you’d be asking for a lot.”

“I know.” She moistened her lips. “He’s worth it, Lynch.”

“Is he? I really only have your opinion on that. I always like to make judgments for myself.”

“But you know what he’s-”

He held up his hand to stop her. “I’m thinking about it. But I have to know everything connected to the problem. Am I going to have to arrange protection for you there, too?”

She frowned. “No, of course not. Why would you have to do that?”

“It was a possibility. How long will he need to be in hiding?”

“He’s not sure. Possibly a year, maybe longer.”

“Is Griffin going to be involved in a search for him?”

“Charles thinks it likely that-”

“I think that I should speak for myself,” Waldridge interrupted. “This is all judgment calls on my part, too, Lynch. I believe a certain amount of pressure will be applied on the pretext that I could be in danger. Griffin might feel he has to find me. I don’t know about the extent of that search.”

“Griffin doesn’t drag his heels. Your cover would have to be perfect.” His gaze was fixed absently on the airport tech filling the Cessna. “There would be a hell of a lot of loose ends to tie up…”

“Will you fix it?” Kendra asked. “Is there a place?”

His gaze shifted back to her. “It’s a big favor. You’d owe me.”

“Of course I would.” She asked slowly, spacing between each word. “Is there a place?”

He turned on his heel and started toward the Cessna. “There’s a place.” He was striding quickly across the tarmac. “Get on the plane, Waldridge. From now on, you do everything I tell you to do without question. Understand? You may be a god in your particular universe, but from now on your universe is limited to your lab. But if you manage to make it through this mess and win the Nobel Prize, I might even bow down and worship at the altar like the rest of your fans.”

“Not bloody likely,” Waldridge murmured as he fell into step with him as Kendra followed behind. “But I’m not a god, and I’m certainly not a fool. If Kendra says I need fixing, and you can do it, who am I not to cooperate?”

“Kendra needs to do some fixing herself.” Lynch was looking over his shoulder at Kendra. “I take it you went AWOL from the hospital?” When she nodded, he said, “When you leave here, you go back to your condo. Leave Waldridge’s rental car at a metered spot downtown. It’ll be towed and the rental car company will get a call once it hits the impound lot.”

Kendra nodded. “Okay…”

“Then you call your mother and ask her to meet you at your condo. You tell her that she’s to tell anyone who questions her that she received a call from you in the middle of the night and you told her to pick you up outside the hospital. You told her you couldn’t sleep, and you saw no reason why you should have to stay there.” He smiled. “Considering your reputation with the FBI field office, they won’t find it unusual you wanted to run your own show. But Dianne will say she didn’t want to leave you alone. So like a good mother, she bunked down on the couch and was available in case you needed her.”

“As an alibi?”

“Yes, you won’t need one. No crime has been committed. But it might throw off anyone who thinks you have anything to do with Waldridge’s disappearance. I’ll lay a few more false trails for them to follow, but they’ll come to you first.” His lips twisted. “And Dianne will be completely convincing if it means she’s doing something that will protect her hero and still keeping you safely here in San Diego.”

“Yes, she will,” Kendra said. “Though I don’t want to involve her.”

“She was mad as hell that you didn’t involve her the last time. She may forgive you if you let her do this.” He turned back to Waldridge. “And can you give me an idea where those incubators with the organs would be taken in London? Biers said he didn’t know.”

“He knew. Probably the test lab on the south side. Why?”

“Another loose end. After I leave you, I’ll have to go and grab all those incubators and ship them to your new lab. You don’t want anyone else to have access to them if they have a finished product.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” He smiled. “I was worried about them. I’m glad you thought of it. That could have been a disaster.”

Lynch waved his hand impatiently. “I’ll need all the details about transporting. I don’t know anything about keeping live organs healthy.”

“My area,” Waldridge said. “I’ll make it easy for you to fix that problem.” They’d reached the steps, and he turned to Kendra. “It seems that this may be-”

“Who’s that?” Lynch stiffened, his gaze on two headlights spearing the darkness as a car drove onto the airport grounds. “I don’t like this.”

“I do,” Kendra said as she whirled and started hurrying toward the car that had just stopped. “I was afraid that she wouldn’t make it, and I’d have to send her after you.”

“Her?” Lynch called.

“Jessie,” Kendra said over her shoulder. “I couldn’t let Charles go without making certain he had proper security. And I couldn’t expect you to stay and protect him. Jessie probably won’t stay either, but she’ll be able to set up a security system she can trust.”

“And that you can trust,” Lynch said dryly.

She didn’t answer. She had reached the car, and Jessie was opening the driver’s door and getting out.

“I HEARD HER TALKING TO Ms. Mercado in the car, and she didn’t have an easy time persuading her,” Waldridge said as he watched Kendra and Jessie standing there talking. “But Kendra was very determined, and Jessie finally gave in.” He glanced at Lynch. “But since you’ve made it clear that you’re going to be in charge, I’m wondering if you’ll let Kendra have her way in this.”

“I’m wondering, too,” Lynch said. “Jessie might be useful if she agrees to the same rules I give to you. She’s ex-military, and she might do it. She’s smart, she’s good, she doesn’t make mistakes. It would free me up to go after those incubators right away while Dyle’s pals are still running around in a panic after they hear he’s dead. I could drop her off with you, snatch the incubators, then come back and finish the rest of the setup.”

“You’d feel comfortable doing that?”

Lynch smiled as he gazed at Jessie. “Yes, I’d feel comfortable. You can, too, Waldridge.”

“Then it appears your decision is made, doesn’t it?” He was still looking at Kendra and Jessie as he added, “Much easier than the one you made when you told Kendra you’d take me on. That was a close call for me. It all rested on a couple of sentences, didn’t it?”

Lynch’s eyes narrowed on his face. “Did it? What were they?”

“The first was when Kendra was so exasperated because she’d had to ignore the therapy for the kids she teaches. The second line was when she said that of course she wasn’t going with me. I believe that clinched the matter in my favor?”

Lynch didn’t answer.

“But I’m curious, if she hadn’t said those words, would you have just let me go out on my own, or would you have found a way to have Griffin find me in the fastest way possible?”

Lynch looked him in the eye. “What do you think?”

“You’re too smart to do anything that would irreparably cause an upset in your relationship with Kendra. I’ll go for the former, which, according to Kendra, might have the same result.”

“Or there could have been four or five options.”

“Absolutely, you’re a man of limitless possibilities. But those two were the most obvious.”

“And how would you have responded?”

“I would have done my best to disappear and keep Kendra from trying to rescue me again,” he said quietly. “That’s my real threat to you, Lynch. Our relationship is very complicated, and you don’t have to worry about my ever becoming her lover. There’s too much else going on that has to do with gratitude and pride and admiration. Maybe deep friendship and a hint of a father-figure image thrown into the mix? God knows what else. But the one certain thing she knows now is that we’ll always be friends, and Kendra doesn’t have any idea how to go halfway with anything.”

“Is this going somewhere?”

“Oh, yes, most definitely. When you whisk me off to my safe little paradise, you must not ever tell Kendra where it is. Because if she ever got a hint that something was wrong with me, she’d be there in the next breath. She couldn’t help herself. She has an almost maternal protective instinct about the people she cares about. That’s who she is, and it will never change. I think you know that.”

Lynch nodded slowly. “And I had no intention of telling Kendra where you were.” He shrugged. “Though I knew I’d catch hell.”

“You can tell her it was my decision.” Waldridge smiled. “I always get special dispensation because of the gratitude thing.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“But think how grateful she’s going to be to you for protecting me while I strive to do my all for humanity. I’m sure you’ll be splendid and innovative, and we’ll become fast friends while you’re doing it. Isn’t that better than destroying me?”

“I don’t want gratitude any more than you do, Waldridge. It just confuses things and gets in the way.”

“Exactly.

Lynch was silent. “And I never said I wanted to destroy you. That wasn’t one of my chosen options.”

“Yet.”

He shook his head. “I like what you’re working on. I appreciate what you gave to Kendra. I was thinking more about option four.”

“And what was that?”

Lynch smiled.

“I’m not to know? A mysterious threat to hover eternally over my poor head?” Waldridge chuckled. “You’re a terrible and complex man, Lynch. Maybe I should be the one to rescue Kendra.”

“Really? Then perhaps option five would be better.” His gaze returned to Kendra and Jessie. “Make a friend of Jessie Mercado, Waldridge. You may definitely need her if you decide to make my life difficult. But I don’t think you will. You’re a driven man, and you’ll be too busy to worry about me.”

Waldridge’s smile faded. “But not too busy to worry about my friend, Kendra,” he said quietly. “I’ve made a huge investment in her happiness. You will treat her well, Lynch.” Then he was once more smiling. “But then we both know that Kendra will not permit anything else. However, just remember: If you don’t behave satisfactorily, and someday you desperately need a heart or some other vital organ, I’ll see that you never receive it.”

Lynch looked at him, stunned. “Damnation.” And then he started to laugh. “Option six?”

Waldridge nodded serenely. “Option six.”

“YOU KNOW THAT THIS isn’t going to be a permanent arrangement,” Jessie warned Kendra as she reached into the passenger seat to get her duffel. “I’m not going to let my business go down the tubes while I play babysitter to Waldridge at some godforsaken back-of-beyond hideout.”

“I never expected that you would. I’m just grateful that you’re taking the time to protect him during the initial stage and set up his security.” Kendra made a face. “And I’m sorry that I can’t afford to pay you the kind of money Delilah Winter would throw at you for the job. I don’t even know if you’ll need hazard pay or not.”

“It’s part of my job to make certain that I won’t.” Jessie smiled. “And that Waldridge won’t either. I’ll keep him safe, Kendra. I’ll wrap him in a cocoon and won’t let him out until he’s finished his work. Before I leave him, he’ll be surrounded by top-notch people who will answer to me.” She looked at Lynch. “And to him. There’s no way Lynch is going to have it any other way. By the way, where is this place we’re going?”

“I don’t know. Things were moving too fast. I’ll ask Lynch when I take you to the plane.”

“That would be helpful,” Jessie said dryly. “I’ve moved around the world enough to have contacts almost everywhere, but I’d like to get things moving before we touch down.”

Jessie was operating at her usual top speed, Kendra thought. The knowledge filled her with both confidence and relief. “One other problem: Griffin knows you had a connection with Waldridge. He might try to find and question you. I don’t know if he’ll cause you any-”

“I’ve got it covered. I left a message on my answering machine that I was visiting my dad in New Orleans. Then I called Dad and told him to avoid anyone who might ask about me.”

“Will he be able to do that?”

Jessie chuckled. “Yes, and enjoy every minute of it. He’ll leave trails and blind alleys and make certain that Griffin’s agents just miss me every time.” She added, “Until I get back, and they happen to stumble on my dad and me in a piano bar on Bourbon Street.”

“But if Griffin suspects you’re playing him, he could cause you big-time headaches. He has mega influence with law enforcement in California.”

She shrugged. “I’ll take the risk.” She shook her head. “Stop frowning. You’re not responsible for me. Waldridge was my client before I even met you.”

“But I managed to pull you into a hell of a lot more than you expected to face.” She grimaced. “I thought it was over, Jessie. I didn’t want you to have to go through any more because I asked you.”

She smiled. “Hell, it was a grand game. Waldridge was worth it. We both knew it. I could have said no at any time. I didn’t do it. The only thing different I would have chosen is that I’d been the one to do that last bit with you. I’m alone a good deal of the time in my work.” She met her eyes. “I liked having your company, Kendra Michaels.”

Kendra nodded. Their experiences together had been wild and exciting and evoked memories of her past. It had forged bonds that she knew would last. “Another time? You were always challenging me. We still have unfinished business.”

“Another time,” Jessie agreed as she picked up her duffel and started and started across the tarmac. “And now to face Lynch. Did you tell him I was coming?” She held up her hand. “Never mind. I know. There wasn’t time. I’ll handle it.”

A moment later, Jessie stopped in front of Waldridge and Lynch. She turned to Waldridge and smiled. “Here we are again.” She shook his hand. “It’s good to see you. I’m glad if there’s trouble brewing, I’m going to get in on the beginning instead of the end. I’m much more effective if I can initiate preventative measures.”

“Kendra says that you’ll be everything I’ll need.” He smiled. “And that I have to put myself entirely in your hands. What a delightful idea.”

Jessie shot a wary glance at Lynch. “And what do you think about it, Lynch?”

“I think that you obeyed Kendra and not me in a situation that could have gotten her killed.”

“Yes.”

“Will that happen on this job?”

“It might. You know how situations change, and so do solutions. But I can promise you that I won’t act without immediately letting you know. Is that good enough?”

He was silent, staring at her. “You kept your word at the desert. Good enough. Get on the plane.” He was glancing at the sky. “Dawn’s starting to break, and the airport will be stirring. I want to be out of here in five minutes.”

“Right.” Jessie looked over her shoulder as she entered the plane. “Waldridge, I want to go over your complete daily routine as soon as we get in the air. I’ll need it to set up a schedule…” She was gone.

“Trust her.” Kendra took a step closer to him. “I’m not very good on trust myself, but you can trust her, Charles. She won’t let you down.”

“How can I not if you vouch for her? Because there’s no one I trust more than you.” He cradled her cheeks in his hands and kissed her forehead. “You’ve done everything anyone could ever hope to do, Kendra.” He looked down into her eyes and said gently, “Now, let me go, my friend.”

“Of course, I will. But I’ll be in touch and there’s email-”

“No, I won’t answer. When the project’s over and safe, I’ll call you, and we’ll meet for a drink to celebrate. Until then, I don’t exist for you. Do you understand?”

She understood, but she could still feel her eyes sting with tears. “Now who is protecting whom?”

“That’s what friends do. In life, it’s always a trade-off.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “And don’t try to interrogate Jessie or Lynch.” He chuckled. “Of course you will. But they’ll be sworn to silence on penalty of not being invited to our party when my prison gates are thrown wide.” He released her and started up the steps. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “And you’d better have something interesting to tell me that will be worth my catching up on. It’s going to be a boring couple of years for me.”

He disappeared into the plane.

She drew a deep, shaky breath and stood there looking after him.

“Get going,” Lynch said roughly. “Get the hell out of here, Kendra. And call your mother on the way home as I told you to do.”

She turned to face him. His expression was stone hard. Angry. He looked angry. “I’ll remember.” She tried to pull herself together. “I know this is going to be a massive inconvenience for you, and I don’t blame you for being upset.”

“You’re right, it’s going to be a major pain in the ass, and it will last longer than I care to think about.”

“If there’s any way I can share the load, you only have to tell me. After all, it’s my responsibility.”

“Not any longer. You heard him, you’re out of it.” He added through set teeth, “I certainly heard the bastard. How could anyone possibly follow a parting speech like that? He went straight to option ten.”

She frowned. “Option ten?”

“Never mind. You would have had to be here.”

“I am here. And I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that I’m being closed out. The least you could do is tell me where you’re taking him.”

He shook his head. “No way. I’ll let you know when I get those incubators to him. That’s as far as I’ll go.” He was standing on the steps, his legs slightly parted, and his blue eyes glittering recklessly. “You want me to fix this? Consider it fixed. But it’s my way, Kendra. I’m having enough interference.”

“I’m not going to argue with you. I know how much I owe you for this.”

“Yes, you do.” He took a step closer and kissed her. Hard. Hot. Searing. He lifted his head and pushed her away. “And there’s one thing I’m going to collect on right now.”

She couldn’t breathe. Her body felt as if it was on fire. She could feel her pulse leaping in the hollow of her throat. “What?”

“You’re going to make me a promise.”

She instinctively tensed. “I am?”

“You’re damn right you are.”

“What am I supposed to promise?”

He whirled to go up the steps. “When you start handing out all those heart-wrenching good-byes to all and sundry, I’m going to be on the list.” He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes blazing, and his expression hard and stormy. “No, I’m going to be first on the list. Understand?”

Her mouth fell open in surprise. “I understand.”

“I want to hear it.”

“I promise. First on the list.”

“Good. More later.”

The door slammed shut behind him.

She stood there, watching dazedly as the plane began to taxi down the runway. Nothing had turned out exactly as she had intended. Somewhere along the way, she had lost control.

She shook her head as she turned away and headed for the car. By the time she had reached it, she was already recovering. It was not as if everything wasn’t working out well. She would find a way to regain control of the situation. She would just have to think about it and come up with a way to do it.

Detach. Concentrate.

She looked back at the Cessna, which was now in the air. Jessie, Charles, and Lynch were on that plane. She had thought she was ready, eager, to go back to the normal tempo of her life with family, friends, and work. But she wanted suddenly to be there in that plane with them, planning, helping, on the front lines, instead of being sent home to safety.

Lynch.

She could almost see him standing there on the steps, his eyes glittering down at her. Powerful, dominant, and issuing challenges as he always did.

“More later, Lynch?” she whispered as she started the car. “You’re damn right. You haven’t seen anything yet.”