by Lynn Ames
Kate pulled back just enough to bite Jay’s lower lip, sucking it into her mouth. She let that go, only to continue her assault on Jay’s jaw, neck, ears, and throat. She tasted greedily, savoring the scents and flavors.
Without warning, emotion overtook her senses as she opened her heart to the love Jay gave so freely. Her mouth trembled over Jay’s nipple; she closed her eyes and willed her body to stop shaking, to no avail.
Jay reached up and captured Kate’s face with her hands. Slowly, she lifted herself until her mouth met Kate’s. With their lips just millimeters apart, she said, “I love you. Make love to me.” Her voice was husky and low. Its timbre reached to Kate’s very core and wrapped itself around her heart.
Kate nipped at Jay’s bellybutton, then licked and kissed the same spot. She sucked on Jay’s hip bones, first one, then the other. She smoothed her palms over hardened nipples, groaning with pleasure as she felt Jay’s body respond.
Finally, when neither one of them could wait any longer, Kate lowered her mouth to Jay’s center and feasted.
Their twin orgasms left them both breathless and awed once again by the incredible power of their love.
“Grayson?”
“Who is this?”
The Value of Valor
“You’ve been looking for me.”
“I doubt it. If I’d been looking for you, I’d have found you.”
Peter laughed. “Better hire more competent help next time.”
“Let me guess, Peter Enright.”
“Very good.”
“What do you want?”
“I’ve got something important to you; you’ve got something I want. I want to trade.”
It was Grayson’s turn to laugh. “What is it you think could be so important to me?”
“Dr. Jonathan Englert.”
“Don’t know him, don’t need him.”
“You’re lying—you and I both know it. Stop the games.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few moments.
“All right, what is it you think I have that you might value?”
“Dr. Barbara Jones.”
“Never heard of her.”
“I said,” Peter tried to modulate his voice, “I want to make a trade—
Englert for Jones—tomorrow night.”
Another momentary silence ensued.
“All right. Midnight—at the Lincoln Memorial.”
“That’s a bit ironic, don’t you think?” In truth, Peter was thinking of all the many places Grayson could, and most likely would, have snipers hiding.
“Take it or leave it, Mr. Enright.”
“Fine. But first, I need proof that Dr. Jones is alive. I want to talk to her. Once now and again five minutes before the meet.”
“Out of the question.”
“I don’t talk to her, there’s no deal. I’ll take your scam public.”
“You’d never see the lovely Dr. Jones alive again.”
Peter tried to sound nonchalant. “She’d understand.”
“Would she, now? That’s quite a woman.”
Peter ignored the clumsy attempt to make him reveal his emotions for Barbara. “Yes or no?”
“I get to talk to Englert, too.”
“Of course.”
“Where can I reach you?”
“I’ll call you back in thirty minutes. Be ready.” Peter hung up the phone.
“Did he bite?” Max asked when Peter joined him in Englert’s room.
“Yep. In half an hour, I’ll find out if Barbara is really alive.” He bit his lower lip.
“You worried?”
Lynn Ames
“A little.”
“Ask a question they couldn’t have anticipated. That way, you’ll be sure she really is alive.”
“Good thinking, Max.”
“Hey, that’s why you pay me the big bucks.”
“I’m paying you?” Peter appreciated the banter, which he knew was designed to put him more at ease.
“If you count Chinese takeout as payment.”
“You complaining?”
“Never.”
“Good thing.”
They walked back down the hall.
“Okay, Dr. Englert, here’s the drill. I’m going to put you on the phone with Mr. Grayson,” Peter said.
Englert began to shake and whimper, “No, please. You can’t.”
“Relax, nothing’s going to happen to you. He just wants to confirm that you’re alive. You are to tell him the exact time—nothing more. Do you understand?”
Englert nodded.
“Any word beyond that, and I won’t wait for Grayson—I’ll kill you myself.”
“I-I understand.”
“Good boy.” Max patted Englert on the cheek as the doctor shrank away from him.
Barbara heard footsteps coming again. This time, they were heavier, and there were more of them. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to gird herself for whatever was coming.
When the key turned in the lock and the door opened, she was surprised to see a good-looking, middle-aged man in an expensive suit, followed closely by the man who had questioned her earlier.
“Dr. Jones. It looks like you’ve got a fan club,” the new man said.
She watched him, puzzled. He looked familiar—like she’d seen him somewhere—maybe on television or in the newspapers, but she couldn’t quite place him.
“In a few seconds, this phone is going to ring.” He pointed to his cell phone. “It’s going to be for you—a friend of yours, Peter Enright.”
Barbara gasped in surprise, relief coursing through her.
“He wants to know if you’re alive. I assured him we were treating you quite well, but…”
She shot the man a hateful glare.
The Value of Valor
“In any event. If you try anything funny, he’ll kill you right here and now.” Grayson indicated the Viper with his head. “Do we understand each other?”
Barbara didn’t answer.
Grayson looked at the Viper. “She can speak, can’t she?”
Before the Viper could answer, the phone in Grayson’s hand rang.
Exactly thirty minutes after he’d hung up from Grayson the first time, Peter called him back.
“Put Dr. Jones on the phone.”
“Hello to you, too, Mr. Enright. All right, you have ten seconds.”
“P-Peter?”
“Barbara, what’s the name of Kate’s dog?”
“Wh—Fred, why?”
He closed his eyes as his throat tightened. She sounded so frightened and vulnerable. “Just making sure you’re really okay. I’m coming to get you. Be ready.”
“That’s all you get, Mr. Enright,” Grayson came back on the line.
“Give me Englert.”
“All right.” Peter held the phone to Englert’s ear.
“H-hello?”
“Jonathan, Jonathan. Got yourself in a mess this time, didn’t you?”
Grayson said smoothly.
Englert swallowed hard as Max came to stand in front of him. “I-it’s 11:42 p.m.”
Peter took the phone away. “Satisfied, Grayson?”
“For the moment.”
“Remember, I talk to Dr. Jones again five minutes before the meet tomorrow night. Should I reach you at this number?”
“Yes.”
Peter hung up the phone and left the room. He walked down the hall to his room, closed the door, and leaned his forehead against the wall.
Barbara’s voice was small and weak—indications to Peter that she’d probably been beaten and maybe tortured. He closed his eyes. It was his fault—he had made her vulnerable by sending her to Denver. If he hadn’t done that, the Commission likely would have done nothing more than watch Barbara from a distance. Damn. He slammed his hand against the wall. He got her into this mess; if it cost him his life, he would get her out—alive.
Grayson left the room without saying another word to his
captive, the Viper following closely behind. When they were alone, Grayson said calmly, “I want them all dead.”
Lynn Ames
“Englert, too?” the Viper asked.
“Yes. Enright, Jones, and Englert.”
“Done.”
“You’ll supervise personally?”
The Viper smiled malevolently. “It will be my pleasure. Sir?”
“What is it?”
“Do you want to move the patient? Assuming Englert’s told Enright his location, it might be risky to keep him there.”
Grayson tapped a forefinger against his chin as he considered the options. “True, but it would be even riskier to try to move him. Enright could have people watching, waiting for us to panic and run.” He reached a decision. “As long as the patient’s still inside, we can control the environment. We’ll beef up security.”
“Very well.”
“Besides, I don’t think Enright would try anything before ensuring Dr. Jones’s safety. He’s too honorable for that.”
“Kevin? This is Skydiver.”
“To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure, mate?”
“Are the packages safe?”
Kevin frowned. Peter sounded very tense, which was unlike him.
“Yeah, mate. I’ve been keeping a bit of an eye out for them. They’re both quite something. No wonder you’d go to the wall for them.”
“Good. That’s why I called. I, um…”
“What’s going on? You sound a bit uptight.”
“There’ve been some developments, and I’m not sure how it’s going to come down.” There was a pause before Peter added, “I need to know that you’ll protect the girls.”
“Of course. You know you can count on me.” Kevin had never, even in the heat of a firefight, heard Peter sound this rattled.
“I know I can—that’s why I sent the packages to you.”
“Tell me the full story so I can be better prepared, okay?”
When Peter was done, Kevin whistled. “That’s quite a tale. Okay, mate. No worries on this end, I’ve got the girls covered. You take care and be careful over there. Sounds like these buggers play for keeps.”
“Will do. Kevin?” Peter asked after a moment.
“Yeah?”
“Do me a favor, will you?”
“Always.”
“Tell the girls…tell them I love them.”
Kevin swallowed hard. “You bet. But you’re going to tell them yourself when this is all over. Take care, Skydiver.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
The Value of Valor
Kate was getting a cold drink out of the refrigerator when she heard the car drive up. Without hesitation, she ran across the room and grabbed the gun off the night table. “Jay? Where are you?”
“I’m out here enjoying the view. You should join me.”
Kate ran through the French doors to where Jay was sitting. Pulling her up, she moved them both behind the cover of the cottage’s near corner.
“What’s going on?”
“Shh. Company,” Kate whispered. She held the gun in front of her, listening. She saw a shadow cross the lawn and waited until she had a clear view. “Stop right there,” she ordered.
“Whoa. Easy. I’m a friend.”
“I said stop.”
The man stopped and held up his hands.
“On the ground, facedown. Now. Hands away from your sides.”
The man did as he was told.
“Are you alone?”
“Yes, you can check the car.”
Kate moved slowly toward him, motioning Jay to stay back. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I’m a friend of Skydiver’s.”
“Tell me Skydiver’s real name,” Kate said.
“Peter. Can I get up now?”
Jay walked toward him when she saw Kate wavering. “It’s okay, Kate. It’s Kevin,” she said, when she was close enough to see.
“Okay?” Kevin asked, still sprawled spread eagle on the ground.
“Okay,” Kate replied grudgingly.
When Kevin stood up and brushed himself off, Kate narrowed her eyes. “I’ve seen you before. You were at Albert Park.”
Kevin nodded. “I’m the one who left you the knapsack under the bench at 7:00.”
“He picked me up at the airport and brought me to you,” Jay said to Kate.
Kate finally relaxed her stance and lowered the gun to her side.
“Welcome. Sorry about the greeting.”
“That’s all right, mate. I’m glad you’re being careful. If you weren’t, Peter’d have my hide. Speaking of which…that’s why I’m here.”
Kate stiffened. “Has something happened?”
Kevin shifted from foot to foot. “Not yet.”
“What does that mean?” Jay asked.
“Man, I can see you two are trouble together.”
“You’re stalling,” Kate said. “Spill it.”
Lynn Ames
Kevin pointed to the picnic table. “Can I sit down?”
“Of course,” Jay said, as she pulled Kate over to the table with her.
“I had a call from Peter just a bit ago,” Kevin began hesitantly.
“You’re wondering if you should filter the information—don’t,” Kate said, her voice determined.
Kevin shrugged. “That’s the way I had it figured, but somehow I’m thinking our friend Peter would be less than happy with me.”
“He’s not the one sitting in front of you holding a gun.” Kate smiled as Kevin’s eyes widened.
He scratched his stubble. “Well, you do have a point there, love.” He tucked his feet underneath him. “All right, here’s the skinny…” Kevin told them about Peter grabbing Englert and the truth about the president’s condition.
“So are they going after the president?”
Kevin rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Peter had made him swear he wouldn’t tell Kate about Barbara or the swap.
“Spill it,” Kate ordered. “I can see there’s more.”
“They are going after President Hyland, right?” Jay asked.
“I’m sure they are, love, but not just yet.”
“Why not?” Jay was indignant.
“There’s something else they’ve got to do first.”
“Like?” Kate asked.
“You’re a tough one, mate, I’ll give you that.”
Kate merely tapped her fingers on the table.
Kevin sighed. “Seems like when Peter sent your friend Barbara to Denver, some operatives followed her.”
“Why in the world did he send her to Denver?” Kate asked, perplexed.
Kevin shifted uncomfortably again and sighed. “When Peter saw Jay at the funeral, there were five operatives in the room. He was afraid they would spot her, so he needed a distraction. He sent Barbara to Denver because that was the last place he had rigged an ATM transaction by you.” He looked at Kate. “He never figured she’d be in danger.”
“Danger? They just followed her, right?” Kate asked, her pulse quickening.
“Not exactly. They nabbed her when she got home—wherever that is.”
“It’s all because of me,” Jay whispered.
“No. No, Jay. It’s not. They picked her up because they figured she could lead them to me.” Kate took Jay’s hand.
Kevin nodded.
“Yes, but she wouldn’t have had to distract them if it hadn’t been for me.”
The Value of Valor
“They’d probably already been watching her.” To Kevin, Kate asked,
“Did she know anything?”
“No.”
“Where is she now?” Kate’s voice was deathly quiet.
“That’s why Peter isn’t going after your president just yet. He’s going to trade Dr. Englert for Barbara.”
Jay groaned.
Kate shook her head. “It’s a suicide mission. They’ll never let her go alive; she knows too much. And they’ll kill Peter and En
glert, too. I’ve seen what they’re capable of.” Her body was vibrating with tension. “It’s a trap.” She stood up and began to pace. “Peter’s too smart not to know that.” She looked at Kevin. “Why are you here?”
Kevin couldn’t look her in the eye. “Peter wanted me to be sure you girls stayed safe.”
“He doesn’t think he’s going to make it.” Jay’s voice was a whisper.
There was silence for a moment before Kate let out an exasperated growl. “What does he hope to accomplish?”
“He wants to get Barbara out alive.”
“By sacrificing himself? This is madness!”
“He hopes it won’t come to that.”
“Is he going in there by himself?”
“He’s got a guy named Max working with him.”
Kate nodded. “Max is a good man. But still—it’s not enough.” She paced back and forth one more time. “I’ve got to go back.”
“Kate.” Jay jumped up.
“None of this would be happening if it weren’t for me. It’s my responsibility. I can’t sit here and hide away knowing that my friends are putting their lives on the line for me.” She looked deeply into Jay’s frightened eyes. “I can’t, honey,” she said quietly.
“Where you go, I go.” Jay set her jaw.
“Jay…”
“No, Kate. We’re in this together.” She squeezed Kate’s hands.
Kevin cleared his throat, feeling like a voyeur. “If you’ll excuse me for saying so, I’ve been charged with the job of keeping you both safe.”
“You’re not going to stop us,” Kate said forcefully.
Kevin laughed. “I can see that. What I was actually going to say was, if you’re going, I’m going.”
“Kevin…”
“Nope. I agreed to do a job, and by golly, I’m going to do it.”
“We’d better get a flight.”
Kevin put a hand on Jay’s arm as she moved to go inside. “No need, love. I’ve already rented a charter to get us to Sidney. After that, a buddy of mine who flies planes for Flying Tigers is going to let us hitch a ride Lynn Ames
with him. We’ll make a fuel stop in L.A.—then directly on to D.C. He shrugged, blushing. “I sort of figured it would go this way.”
“When do we leave?” Jay asked.
“The charter’s just waiting for us.”
“We’d better get going then,” Kate said. “What time was the exchange scheduled for?”
“Midnight tomorrow night, East Coast time.”