“The door was open, and I thought maybe something was wrong,” Curt said from the doorway.
Christy shrieked, calmed herself, then quickly pulled the lid to the crate back in place.
Curt came forward with a frown. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay?”
“I…I’m…it’s just that…” Christy gave up and tried to settle her nerves.
Curt reached out and took Christy’s face in his hands.
“What’s wrong, Christy?”
“Nothing.” She looked away.
“You’re lying to me,” he said softly. “Trust me, Christy. I love you, remember?”
Christy felt a lifetime of regret wash over her. If she couldn’t trust Curt, then how could she love him? And she did love him. She loved him so much it broke her heart to think of losing him.
“Where’s Sarah?”
“Huh?” Christy questioned dumbly. She was standing between a DEA officer and millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine. How could she possibly think of Sarah?
“You remember, Sarah?” Curt said in low even tones. His calm was driving Christy crazy. She couldn’t tell him about Grant’s demands. She couldn’t tell him about the drugs. Weren’t DEA officers required to turn over such evidence? And if he did, she wouldn’t have what Grant wanted, and he would take Sarah away.
“Sarah’s at the hospital,” Christy lied and saw something akin to sorrow wash over Curt’s expression. She began to tremble in earnest as his hands slid down from her face to her shoulders.
“No, she’s not,” Curt replied. “Grant has her.”
“Wha…what? How did you…I mean…” Christy paused as if waiting for an answer and saw that none was coming. “How did you find out?” she finally managed to question.
Curt refused to release her. “The phone is tapped. It has been for some time.” His words were matter-of-fact but couldn’t have stunned Christy more. Of course! she thought. How foolish of her not to realize that Curt would have taken such a measure. She wanted to be angry at him for the intrusion but instead felt relieved that he knew. What he didn’t know about were the drugs because she’d never talked about the drugs over the telephone.
Curt watched the color drain from her face. “I just want to help you. Can’t you believe me? Can’t you trust me just a little, Christy?” His voice was pleading, and Christy couldn’t take the pressure anymore.
“I’m so sorry, Curt.” She began to cry, and Curt pulled her into his arms.
“It’s all right. I guess I’d have done the same thing if I thought someone I loved was in danger. Caring for someone and seeing them hurt makes you do strange things. I’m proof of that.”
“I didn’t know until this morning,” Christy whispered between sobs. “I wanted to tell you, but…” She stopped and pulled away. “Curt, I’m so scared.”
“I know, sweetheart, but I’m here to help. I want to put Grant away permanently, and then you’ll never need to worry about Sarah again. We can work this out together, but you have to help me. Have you given Grant the money yet?”
“No,” Christy said, shaking her head.
“But you did meet him?”
“Yes,” Christy admitted hesitantly, “but he did not have Sarah with him.”
“Where was she?”
“I don’t know. Curt, please,” she said, reaching out to take hold of his muscular arms. “I’m afraid if you interfere with this, he’ll leave the country and take her away. He might even hurt her; he might hurt you. Please, Curt. Please don’t interfere. I’ll do anything you want. Anything!”
Curt eyed her carefully. “Anything?”
Christy nodded. “Yes. Anything! I don’t want you to get killed. I’ll marry you or whatever else you say, but please…” She began crying so hard she couldn’t speak.
Curt pulled her close and waited for her to calm down before he spoke again.
“There is only one way this can work out, Christy,” Curt said softly against her ear. “And that is if you love me enough to trust me with your life and Sarah’s. I know it won’t be easy, but I’ve come to love that little girl, too, and I won’t see her hurt. As for my own well-being, I kind of like the idea of sticking around to marry you, but not because you don’t have a choice in the matter. I want you to marry me because you can’t imagine life any other way. I want you to marry me because it fulfills all your dreams and needs and desires.”
Christy gripped him tightly, almost afraid to let go for fear he’d never again hold her. Grant would kill him; she just knew it.
As if reading her mind, Curt spoke again, “I’m good at my job, Christy. I’ve been at it for a long time. I can handle Grant and anyone else who comes between us. God has destined me to find my parents’ killers, but He’s also destined me to love you.”
Christy drew a ragged breath. “I don’t know enough about God to understand what He wants me to do.”
“Then pray about it and trust your heart to do the right thing. God is righteous and good. There is no lie or deception in Him. He wants us to emulate Him, so there can be no lie or deception in His will for us.”
Christy looked up into Curt’s face and knew he was right. She had to take the plunge and step out in faith. She had to trust God and trust the man she loved.
“All right,” she said, struggling to gain confidence. “What do you want me to do?”
Curt sighed in satisfaction. “Tell me what Grant wants you to do. Tell me where you’re to meet him and when.”
twenty-one
Christy began to shake so hard that Curt pulled her back over to the chair, sat himself down in it, and pulled her to his lap. “I’m supposed to wait for his phone call,” Christy said be-tween chattering teeth.
Curt nodded, acting as though they had all the time in the world.
Christy continued, “I have his money, and I’ve already paid all the hospital and funeral bills.”
“Were those also part of his demands?”
Christy nodded. “He wanted the money so he could leave and start over.”
“Did he want anything else?” Curt asked, never taking his eyes from Christy’s tear-streaked face.
Christy thought for a moment, realizing that she needed to ex-plain the drugs to Curt. She and Grant had only discussed them at the mall, not over the telephone. Curt might have monitored every single call she’d received, but he couldn’t possibly know about her conversation at the mall. She hesitated, wanting to tell him, but knowing that if she did and he didn’t allow her to meet Grant, Sarah would be lost to her forever.
She searched his face for a moment, looking for something that would tell her what she should do. Curt’s eyes were filled with love and patience, and Christy wanted to wrap her arms around him and forget all about Grant and Sarah.
“Christy,” Curt spoke her name in a low, hypnotic way. “You can’t trust a man like Grant to live by his word. Whatever he’s promised you, whatever he’s demanded, you have to realize that he’s dangerous and evil. Men like him never play by our kind of rules. Chances are better than not you’ll show up with his money, and he’ll leave you with nothing.”
Christy started to protest, but Curt put a finger to her lips.
“I’ve dealt with Grant’s kind before. He’ll use Sarah as long as he can benefit by it. What’s to keep him from returning from time to time to demand more money from you? This isn’t the end of anything,” Curt said in a voice betraying weariness. “It’s only the beginning.”
“But he promised,” Christy finally remarked.
“Sure he did, honey,” Curt said gently. “Look, I know you want to believe him, but ask yourself why you should. I know I’ve deceived you in the past, Christy, but everything is on the level now. I only did what I did because of the investigation. I didn’t know you then—even if I was falling in love with you. I’m not lying to you anymore. I risked it all to confide in you, to solicit your help. Please, Christy, tell me everything. Did Grant demand anything else?”
Christy got to her feet and walked over to the crate. Struggling with her emotions, she paused. Taking a deep breath, she pushed aside the lid and looked back at Curt.
“He wants this, too,” she whispered. “It seems there’s a great deal of cocaine in here, and Grant says it belongs to him.”
Curt got to his feet, his eyes penetrating Christy’s heart with their warmth and admiration. “I know,” he said with a bit of a smile.
“You knew?”
“Yeah,” Curt nodded. “In fact, I arranged it.” He reached out and touched her face with his fingers. “Thank you for trusting me, Christy. I love you so much, and now I know you really love me, too.”
Christy threw her arms around his neck. “Of course I really love you, but what are we going to do?” she questioned fearfully. “Grant says I’m to pack the drugs in my car and meet him later. He’s going to call me, and if I don’t do everything he says, Sarah could get hurt.”
“Christy, I want you to listen to me,” Curt began. “The DEA is going to work with you on this exchange, and maybe, if we all do exactly as we’ve planned it out, nobody will get hurt, and Grant will go to prison for a very long time. Are you with me on this?”
Christy refused to lift her head from his shoulder, but she nodded. “Then I want to go over every detail of this with you. There will be a lot of lives at stake, not just Sarah’s. I’m not at all happy about letting you participate in this exchange,” Curt said, and Christy jerked away from him at this.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Curt quickly hushed her. “I know you have to be involved. I don’t have to like it, though. Just as you’re feeling rather protective of my life, I feel five hundred times more protective of yours. I’ve had training, and I know how ruthless these people can be. You haven’t, and you don’t know the ropes the way I do.”
Christy realized that Curt was right. She would have to listen and learn, right down to the most minute detail, in order to keep blood from being shed. Blood that could be Curt’s.
“Tell me what I need to do,” she said softly. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
Curt smiled and gave her a wink. “Just keep thinking that way, and when this is all over, I’m going to cash in on those promises.” Then taking her hand, he led her from the room. “The plan goes like this…”
Christy had just finished loading her car with the drugs in just the way Curt had instructed her when the ominous ring of the telephone signaled Grant’s call.
“Do you have my stuff?” Grant asked, not even bothering to identify himself.
“Yes,” Christy said nervously.
“Good. Meet me back at the mall, south side. Be there at four sharp.” Before Christy could respond, Grant disconnected.
Christy turned back to Curt, who sat on the sofa, calmly waiting for her to tell him everything Grant had said. “I’m to meet him at the mall at four.”
“Same mall? Same place?” Curt questioned.
Christy looked surprised for a moment and Curt smiled. “I heard the first arrangement on tape, and I wasn’t about to let you meet that man without protection. I was only about fifty feet away when Grant made you sit with him on the bench.” He frowned at the memory. “I nearly blew my cover when he pulled you into his arms.”
Christy laughed out loud, a nervous laugh that betrayed her fear and anxiety, but helped to relieve her tension. “I should have known. You and God,” she mused. “Neither one of you will let me wander far, will you?”
Curt got up and closed the space between them. “Not on your life, Christy.” He kissed her soundly, then pointed Christy in the direction of the old railroad wall clock. “We have an hour and forty-five minutes. Wanna cuddle on the porch swing?”
Christy laughed and pushed away. “No!” she stated emphatically. “I want to wash all this mess off my face and start over with fresh makeup. Seems like I’ve spent the last few weeks crying day and night.” She wiped under her eyes, knowing she probably looked a mess. “Then I want to eat something, because I feel like I might get sick if I don’t. Then, if there’s still time, I might sit with you on the swing, Mr. O’Sullivan.”
Curt grinned. “I’ll make lunch.”
“I thought I proved to you that I could cook.”
“You did, but I figure if I fix lunch while you fix your makeup, we’ll have more time on the swing.”
Christy rolled her eyes, but Curt noticed that she wasted very little time scurrying up the stairs.
As soon as she was gone from sight, Curt’s grin faded and a look of worry crossed his features. Quickly he picked up the phone and dialed his team members.
“Debbie, it’s Curt. I take it you heard Burks’s call,” he said when his partner answered the phone.
“I heard. What about Christy? Is she with us on this?”
“Yes. She showed me the drugs and told me everything Grant had demanded of her. She’s going to be okay,” Curt replied. “She loves me, Debbie.”
“I never would have guessed,” Debbie said in mock sarcasm. Curt could imagine her smiling face as she continued. “A woman would have to be made of granite not to give in to a man who pursued her as hard as you have, Curt.”
“Well, I suppose I was rather enthusiastic. Anyway, the plan goes as scheduled. I’ll instruct Christy where to park. You know her car; the drugs will be in the trunk. Better get our hospitality team to update Denver P.D. while this goes down.”
“You got it,” Debbie answered confidently. “Oh, Curt,” she added hesitantly, “be careful.”
“I’ll most certainly do that. I’ve made it to twenty-seven, and now I have a woman who loves me and a baby who needs me. I’ve got too much at stake.”
Curt hung up the phone and went to the kitchen. After putting the coffee maker to work, he pulled out wheat bread and mustard and put together roast beef and swiss sandwiches, just the way he’d once seen Christy do for herself. He was cutting a cantaloupe into slices when Christy walked into the room.
“I feel famished,” she admitted and plopped down on the kitchen bar stool. “I suppose you’re used to all this and it doesn’t phase you much anymore, but this sneaking around detective work, isn’t for me. I’d gain forty pounds in a month.”
Curt laughed and put a plate of food in front of her. “You could stand a little meat on your bones.” He grabbed his own plate and joined her. “The coffee will be done in just a minute. Why don’t we pray?”
Christy nodded and bowed her head, waiting for Curt to speak. “Would you mind saying the blessing, Christy?”
She lifted her face for just a moment and met Curt’s eyes. “I’m not sure I know what to say.”
“Just speak your heart. God honors that kind of prayer over all the rhetoric and memorized poetry in the world,” Curt replied and closed his eyes.
Christy bowed her head again and opened her heart. “Dear God,” she whispered, “I ask You to bless the food, but even more I ask You to bless the people who are trying to help me. I ask that You guard them and protect them from Grant and his evil ways. I want so much for everything to work out. God, please don’t let Sarah be harmed. And God,” she paused, “please keep Curt safe. Don’t let Grant hurt him, because I love him, and I intend to see to it that he marries me like he keeps asking me to do. Amen.”
Curt coughed, trying to cover his amusement with Christy’s statement. “I take it that was a yes,” he mused.
Christy looked at him for a moment. “Yes.”
“You’re really going to marry me when this is all said and done?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even blink.
“And you’re going to love me forever and give me lots of beautiful children who look just like you?” he grinned.
�
�Yes,” she sighed.
“Good,” he replied in a rather clipped, smug way. “Just so we have that straight.” He had his sandwich halfway to his mouth when he glanced over and met Christy’s determined stare.
“You are going to be careful, aren’t you? You aren’t going to play the hero and try for this to be movie-of-the-week material, are you?”
Curt put the sandwich down and reached out to take Christy’s hand. “I’m going to be more careful than I ever have been in my life. Because until now, I really didn’t care if I stayed on this earth or went on to live with God in heaven. But now I do, and I want to get old with you.”
Christy let out a sigh of relief and glanced at her watch. Then with a mischievous smile, she began wolfing down her sandwich. She wasn’t about to spend time worrying, not when the porch swing awaited them.
The calm and peace passed much too quickly, and soon Christy found herself waiting at the south mall entrance for Grant to appear. She fidgeted with her briefcase and wondered how she would ever manage to remain calm. Curt had wired her with a minimum of audio equipment so that he and the other team members could keep track of what was going on. It was imperative that she act as if nothing were amiss.
“You’re right on time,” Grant said, sneaking in behind her.
Christy nearly jumped a foot. She turned with an angry retort on her lips, but found Grant’s arms once again empty.
“Where’s Sarah?”
“She’s outside in the car with a friend,” Grant replied.
“I want to see her,” Christy insisted. “And I want those papers.”
Grant patted his pocket and pulled the papers out. “They’re all signed, nice and legal. I told you, I don’t want the brat. I just want the money and my drugs. You did bring both, I presume?”
“Yes,” Christy replied. “I have the money here, but the drugs, of course, are in the trunk of my car.”
“Good. Let’s go get them,” he suggested and put his hand on Christy’s arm.
Wings Like Eagles Page 15