Cinderella's Secret Agent

by Ingrid Weaver

  The realization was so easy, it must have been there all along, but he’d been too stubborn to see it. Looking death in the face tonight seemed to have cleared his vision.

  He loved her.

  But what about the children she wanted? When she discovered he couldn’t give them to her, what then? Would it be Elizabeth all over again?

  I’m not going to betray you…. I’m not like that other woman.

  Was that true? Would Maggie be willing to accept him as he was? Could he ask that of her?

  Considering the mess he’d made of things when he’d left her, he might never get the chance to find out.

  “Agent Rogers?”

  Del started, returning his gaze to the medic.

  “I’m taking you off active duty for forty-eight hours,” she said.

  “Now wait a minute. You can’t—”

  “I have the authority, and you know it. You lost a significant amount of blood. Your pressure’s down. Once the adrenaline wears off, you’re liable to collapse, and that’s not going to do anyone any good. You should be in a hospital.”

  “It’s just a flesh wound. It’s not that serious.”

  “Somehow, I figured you would say that.” She fashioned a sling out of a triangular bandage and fitted it around his neck. “At least keep this arm motionless. You shouldn’t be on your feet, let alone on the street.”

  Del knew she was right. As he pushed himself out of the chair, he felt a cold tingling in the tips of his fingers. As much as he wanted to join the hunt for Simon, he would have to trust the rest of the team to finish the job.

  Yet for the first time in eight years, Del didn’t really want to finish the job. His job wasn’t his life. He didn’t want to be on duty or in a hospital or recuperating alone in his hotel room. What he really wanted was to go to Maggie.

  The colored lights of patrol cars and emergency vehicles flashed in the courtyard, multiplied by reflecting puddles. As was always the case after a SPEAR operation, the local law enforcement people were running interference with the public and the media. Credit for the raid and the arrests would go to the police to insure the continued anonymity of SPEAR.

  Del bypassed the waiting ambulances and returned to the surveillance site. He stopped there just long enough to change into his civilian clothes before he stepped back into the night. He hung onto a lamppost to steady himself against a brief wave of dizziness, then pushed off and headed for the subway.

  The lights and sirens faded behind him. So did the past eight years. He wasn’t concentrating on his surroundings; he wasn’t thinking about his job. His mind wasn’t on the hunt, it was already on Maggie and what he would say to her if she gave him the chance.

  Would she see him? He wouldn’t blame her if she refused, but he would try anyway. After daily dealing with one of the riskiest professions on earth, Del was finally going to risk what really mattered—his heart. He was going to tell Maggie the truth about everything. He only hoped he had half the courage she had.

  Chapter 13

  It was three o’clock when the key turned in the lock. Maggie dragged her foot along the floor to stop the motion of the rocking chair and twisted her head to look at the door.

  She knew who it was. Del was the only person besides herself who had a key.

  She seemed doomed to repeat her mistakes, didn’t she? A spare key was how Alan had come in uninvited. Giving Del a key had seemed like a good idea at the time—once he had started spending the nights here, it was the only way he wouldn’t interrupt her with his comings and goings when she was busy with Delilah. She had believed she could trust him with a key. After all, he’d been the one to install the lock in the first place.

  Yes, well, she would remedy that as soon as the locksmith opened for business, she decided, watching as the door pushed open only to be stopped by the security chain.

  “Maggie?”

  The sound of Del’s deep, rich voice murmuring her name sent tingles down her spine. She remembered how it had sounded in her candlelit bedroom, how it had felt with his lips against her skin. Had it only been four hours? She pushed the chair into motion, trying to tamp down the traitorous reaction of her body. Think about other things. Chocolate. She must have chocolate somewhere in this apartment. That would take her mind off him, wouldn’t it?

  “Maggie, please let me in.”

  Her eyes misted over. He sounded so sincere, so sweet, as if he really cared.

  But she couldn’t let herself trust him. She was through with trust. She was through with men. She would ignore him until he went away.

  “I know you’re awake, Maggie,” he said, keeping his voice low enough not to disturb her neighbors. “I can hear the rocking chair creaking.”

  She pressed her feet flat on the floor and pulled her lower lip between her teeth. She didn’t want to talk to him. More than that, she didn’t want to listen.

  But she wasn’t the only female in this apartment who recognized the sound of Del’s voice. Delilah, who had been dozing fitfully against Maggie’s shoulder, lifted her head and let out a happy gurgle.

  “Why is Delilah awake?” he asked quickly. “Is she all right? Does she need a doctor?”

  Oh, damn. Damn! Just when she thought she might have the willpower to turn him away, he had to bring up Delilah. He might have deceived her about other things, but Maggie knew with a mother’s instinct that Del’s feelings for Delilah had to be genuine.

  She hung onto Delilah as she rocked forward and let her momentum carry her out of the chair. She padded over to the door, her gaze going to the laundry basket that held the sheets she and Del had made love on all evening….

  Gritting her teeth, she shoved the basket aside with her foot and stood behind the door. She wouldn’t look at him. Hearing him was bad enough. “We’re fine, Del. Thank you for your concern. Now go away.”

  “Not until you hear what I have to say.”

  “No.”

  “All I’m asking for is a chance.”

  “For what? To leave me again? I’ve been down that road before, Del, and I don’t plan to return. I’m not going to wait around and pretend things will change.”

  “Maggie—”

  “No. I may be a slow learner, but I’m not stupid,” she said. “Please, just leave.”

  The chain tightened to its limit as the door panels rattled with a thump. Startled, Maggie took a step back. Del had the strength to force his way inside if he wanted, but she hadn’t thought he would go that far.

  “I’m not trying to excuse the way I acted,” Del said, his voice barely above a whisper. “There’s no excuse. I was an idiot.”

  “Then that makes two of us. Goodbye, Del.”

  “You said I owed you the truth. That’s why I’m here.”

  “It’s too late—”

  “Don’t say that, Maggie.” He paused. In the silence, she could hear him draw in a labored breath. “Ten minutes. That’s all I’m asking. Give me ten minutes to explain, and then if you still want me to leave, I’ll go.”

  “Del—”

  “Please.”

  It was only one syllable, yet the small word shook with sincerity. Maggie tipped back her head, struggling for the strength to resist him, but it was no use. With one hand on Delilah’s back, she moved forward and looked through the narrow crack the chain allowed.

  The moment she caught sight of Del, she gasped. Only four hours had passed since he had left her, but the change in him was frightening. His skin was waxen, his eyes too bright. He was leaning hard on his right shoulder, his body slumped against the door. He hadn’t been trying to force the door open, he had fallen against it for support.

  “Oh, my God,” she breathed. “Del, what on earth happened to you?”

  “I’ll explain later.” He paused. “And I mean it. I really will explain. No more lies, Maggie. I promise.”

  The left sleeve of his navy windbreaker was empty. She saw an edge of white fabric and realized his arm was supported by a sling. Was that b
lood on his hand?

  Without pausing to think further, she shoved on the door with her shoulder, put enough slack on the chain to unhook it, then swung the door open.

  Del swayed on his feet and grasped the door frame with his good hand. “Thank you.” His nostrils flared as he straightened up and stepped inside.

  “My God, Del. You’re the one who needs a doctor,” she said, backing up. “Go sit down and I’ll call—”

  Her breath caught on a startled cry. No sooner had Del crossed the threshold than a figure rushed toward them from the stairwell down the hall.

  Disbelief kept Maggie frozen for a critical split second. Being a New Yorker, she had always taken precautions with security. She knew crime happened every day. But a mugger? Here in the corridor? Where she carried her trash to the garbage chute every day and Robbie played superhero? Oh, God, no! “Del!” she cried.

  Del spun around, but her warning came too late. A tall, bearded man barreled into him, hitting him square on his injured arm. Maggie felt her stomach roll at the agony that creased Del’s face, yet he recovered his balance quickly, placing himself between her and the stranger, whipping his right elbow in an arc toward the stranger’s throat. “Maggie, run!” Del ordered. “Get out!”

  Get out. It was what she had said to him only moments ago. But she didn’t want to leave him. With one arm in a sling, Del was hopelessly outmatched by this mugger.

  But what could she do to help? She clutched Delilah to her chest. She had to protect her baby. She had to do what Del said, she had to leave. She could go to Armilda’s. She could call the police from there.

  Even as she made the decision, Maggie was bolting for the open door.

  The stranger knocked Del to the floor with a vicious kick to the groin. Reaching out his arm, he snagged the back of Maggie’s T-shirt as she tried to go past.

  The sudden pain in her neck brought her up short. Choking, gasping for breath, she kicked out behind her, trying to break his hold. Her heel connected solidly with his kneecap.

  There was a growl of pain, then Maggie felt herself pulled off her feet and flung backward through the air.

  She screamed, curling her body to shelter Delilah as she felt herself falling. She hit the floor on her back, knocking the air from her lungs. Her head slammed hard into the corner of the coffee table. Delilah’s panicked cries were the last thing she heard as darkness enveloped her.

  It was worse than a nightmare. It was a living hell.

  Del gritted his teeth against the agony in his arm and the pain in his crotch and rolled to his knees, his gaze riveted on the terrifying tableau in front of him. Maggie was crumpled on her side on the floor, her eyes closed, her breathing shallow. Yet even in her unconsciousness she was sheltering her baby in her arms.

  “How touching. It’s a regular little love nest you have here.”

  Using the wall for support, Del slowly pushed to his feet. He lifted his gaze from Maggie and stared into the flat brown eyes of the man he had been hunting for the better part of a year.

  He had expected to confront his quarry on a dark street or a booby-trapped warehouse or any number of stakeout scenarios. Simon and his evil belonged in another world, the world of SPEAR.

  But not here at Maggie’s. Oh, God, not here. Seeing this man, this evil genius, in the same room with Maggie and her baby was wrong. It was obscene. It was hell. And he had no one to blame but himself. How could he have let down his guard and allowed this monster to follow him? But he’d be damned if he allowed Maggie and Delilah to pay for his mistake.

  Delilah squirmed against her mother’s breast, her cries full of impatience and puzzlement, but not, thank God, bearing any trace of pain.

  Del took a step toward them.

  Simon pulled a gun from beneath his jacket and pointed it at Del. “That’s far enough, Rogers.”

  “So you know who I am.”

  “Naturally.” He pressed the fingertips of his free hand to his temple and turned them outward to display the line of blood. “You’re the one who gave me this bitch of a headache. You’re Del Rogers, the only man alive who could have made that shot.”

  “I’m sorry I missed,” Del said.

  “You never miss. Jonah always did try to surround himself with the best.”

  Del’s arm felt as if it were on fire. He could feel fresh blood from the gunshot wound trickle hotly down his arm. He tried to shut it out and concentrate, to think rationally, to put his mind on the job. He needed control.

  But damn it, how could he be cool? The bastard had invaded Maggie’s apartment. He had hurt the woman Del loved. Del didn’t want to line up a surgically perfect shot to knock him out, he wanted to leap across the room and rip Simon’s throat out with his bare hands.

  “Close the door,” Simon said, motioning with the gun barrel.

  Del didn’t move. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to close the door. We don’t need any nosy neighbors complicating our business.”

  “First, let the woman and child go. They’ve got nothing to do with this.”

  “On the contrary. They are an important part of my plan.”

  “Give it up, Simon. We know all about your scheme to assassinate Jonah. We have all of your associates in custody. There’s no point—”

  “Oh, don’t give me the you’ll-never-get-away-with-it speech. We both know that I always do. Now go over there and shut the door.” When Del still didn’t move, Simon swung the gun barrel to point at the center of Maggie’s forehead. “It makes no difference to me which one I use. If I shoot the mother, I’ve still got the baby.”

  Del trembled with suppressed rage. He was unarmed—he never brought weapons to Maggie’s. Because of his wound, his reaction time was slower than normal and he only had the use of one hand. The chances of him reaching Simon and overpowering him before he could pull that trigger were slim to none. So, as much as every nerve in his body was screaming with the need for action, he could do nothing. He reached out and swung the door shut. “If you want a hostage, take me,” he said.

  “Oh, no. I have another use for you, Agent Rogers.” Still keeping his gun trained on Maggie, Simon rounded the couch and sat down. He leaned over and gave Maggie’s cheek a brisk slap with his free hand. “Wake up.”

  Del strained forward. “If you hurt her, I will kill you,” he said.

  “You never kill anyone,” Simon began.

  “I will kill you,” Del repeated, slowly and distinctly, meaning every word.

  Something in his tone must have convinced Simon it was no empty threat. He didn’t slap Maggie again. Instead, he shook her shoulder.

  Maggie’s breathing quickened. Her expression changed from the slackness of unconsciousness into a wince. She blinked twice and gazed around blankly. As full awareness returned, her eyes widened and she clutched Delilah more securely to her chest. The baby’s sobs tapered off.

  Simon gave her shoulder another shake. “Sit up,” he ordered.

  Still cradling her daughter protectively in front of her, Maggie braced her back against the bottom of the couch and sat. Then she turned her head and sank her teeth into Simon’s hand.

  At Simon’s shout of pain, Del sprang across the room, ready to take full advantage of the momentary distraction.

  But instead of trying to shake Maggie off, Simon merely moved his gun. The tip of the barrel nestled against Delilah’s tiny ear. “Makes no difference to me,” he snarled, his gaze on Del. “Tell her. If I shoot the baby, I’ve still got the mother.”

  Bile rose in Del’s throat in a scalding rush. He stopped where he was. “No!”

  Maggie whimpered and pulled her head back. She was breathing fast through her mouth, the color draining from her face. Her gaze darted wildly around the room until it steadied on Del.

  Seeing her panic helped him find the strength he needed to tamp down his rising desperation. “Stay calm, Maggie,” he said. “And do what he says. It’ll be all right.”

  “Yes, listen to
your boyfriend,” Simon said.

  Maggie gave a strangled sob. “Please, don’t hurt my baby,” she cried. “Take whatever you want. Just don’t—” Her voice broke. “Don’t hurt her.”

  Simon clamped his hand on Maggie’s shoulder. The bite mark on his skin was welling with blood, but he didn’t appear to notice it. “That’s what I want to hear,” he said. “You have a smart woman here, Rogers.”

  “What do you want, Simon?” Del asked.

  “I want to finish the job you interrupted,” Simon replied. “I want Jonah.”

  “I don’t know where he is.”

  “No, but you can get him for me.”

  “I can’t—”

  “Of course, you can. All you need to do is use the special number on that cell phone you carry. You do still have it, don’t you?”

  As always, Simon’s inside knowledge of SPEAR was as accurate as it was disturbing. The man had been one step ahead of them all along.

  “I’m proposing a simple trade,” Simon continued. “You give me Jonah, and I’ll give you back the woman and child.”

  “You plan to kill him,” Del stated.

  Simon lifted one shoulder, keeping his gun trained on Delilah. “If I don’t kill Jonah, then I’ll kill these two. I have plenty of bullets. It’s up to you.”

  “Del?” Maggie asked, her voice high-pitched with impending hysteria. “What’s he talking about? Do you know him?”

  “Oh, yes,” Simon answered for him. “He knows me. And he also knows I never bluff. Well, Rogers? Make your choice. What will it be? Jonah’s life or theirs?”

  There was no choice, Del thought. Simon had no reason to bluff. He also had no reason to keep his word. He would use Maggie and Delilah to get what he wanted, but then he would have no qualms about disposing of them at the earliest opportunity.

  He was a conscienceless bastard. He was pure evil. And to keep Maggie alive, Del would have to bargain with him.