"The women on the news, Jan and Allie."
Jack nodded. "I remember them."
"Jan owns a gymnastics school and camp in Clay. The ring is hidden there."
"Tell me what's so important about this ring?"
"I think it belongs to the president of Korea."
***
Janine Acres kicked the door closed. She had a large glass of her own personal recipe for pineapple surprise in each hand. The drink consisted of blended pineapple juice, ginger ale, a banana and coconut. Allie lounged in one of Jan's leotards on the floor in the gym. Both of them had completed the exercise program Jan often required of her students.
Jan sat cross-legged on the blue carpet and handed a glass to Allie, who sat up and sipped it through the long red straw Jan had added to the pastel yellow liquid.
"What is this?" she asked.
"Something that's good to the taste and good for you."
Allie took a long swig. "This is positively sinful. I'm not even going to think about how many calories are in this."
"You haven't gained a pound in decades."
"Due to hours of hard work." She frowned. "Did you think to give our two friends one of these?"
"I did not." Jan sipped from her glass. "After they held us for days."
"They let you come home or I should say James Burton let you come home."
"He followed right along with us,'' Jan reminded her. "And if you haven't noticed he's keeping us under house arrest."
"We must not be in much danger," Allie surmised. "He'd never have let us come here if it would put the school in danger."
"Well, more than one parent has noticed the presence of two strangers. This is a small town."
Allie's smile was wide. "You think the parents have noticed that you're attracted to Agent Burton?"
Jan stopped still, holding her glass out for a moment as if she were about to drink from it. Then she dropped her hand and the glass to the floor and leaned toward her friend.
"Me? Attracted to that big—"
"Tall, strong, good-looking, unmarried man who fits the right age, height, weight and personality profile," Allie interrupted her. "You better believe I do. He's attracted to you too."
"Allie, you've been reading too many of your own scripts. This is not a television program or the movies."
"It's also not a script. If it were, there would be much more action. And you'd have already slept with him."
"Allie!"
"Oh, don't go acting as if you've never thought of the idea or that your morals are as Victorian as the last century's. I've seen you looking at him when you didn't think I noticed. The lust in your eyes is true. I'm surprised you didn't spontaneously combust there on the spot."
"You are out of your tree."
"And when you tripped over that rock while we were out jogging," she went on as if Jan had said nothing. "I thought our dear agent was going to pick you up and carry you off right then and there."
"Allie, you're dreaming. The man no more notices me than he realizes he wears the same three ties over and over. And can we change the subject?"
Allie didn't say anything. She looked about the gym, leaving Jan to her own thoughts. Jan admitted to herself that she did think of Jim Burton. She didn't know her face showed how much she was attracted to him, but he rubbed her in all the wrong places and sometimes she wanted to scream at him. There were equal times she wanted him to take her in his arms.
"How many kids do you have working out here?" Allie asked.
Grateful for the distraction and glad to be on safer ground, Jan told her about the school. "I have a manager who runs the regular school. There are about two hundred kids going through each week. The team school has eighteen dedicated young women and seven young men. In the summer about two thousand campers go through here."
"Wow, Jan, I'm impressed. I had no idea you were doing all this."
"That's because you've only come to visit once in ten years."
"You could visit me too," Allie said.
"I could if I could get through that wall of secretaries, assistants, script people, best boys, producers, actors, grips—"
"Stop," she laughed. "I get the picture."
"Truly, Allie. We should keep in touch."
"We will," she agreed. "All this equipment looks fairly new."
"Most of it is."
"You said Morgan sent you equipment when you first started."
Jan pointed to the trampoline at the end of the room. "She sent the tramp, the vault, those two beams and various mats. When she visited the one and only time she was here she brought the beams herself. With what she sent me I had enough to open the doors."
Allie set her glass on the floor a distance away from both of them. She uncoiled her legs, leaned back and rolled over in the graceful manner Jan tried to instill in her female students. Lying flat on her stomach, close enough to whisper to Jan, she said, "Look over there." She indicated the double glass doors that led into the cavernous room. The only natural light that filtered into the gym came from those doors. Blocking what little there was with his huge frame stood Jim Burton.
Allie waved him in.
Jan's heart thudded. "Don't do that," she said anxiously, but Allie continued to wave.
He opened the door, holding it that way with his foot. Both women stared. He was looking somewhere else, not at them, not even inside the gym, but at something that was outside. Jan's anxiety was replaced with fear. Had someone come? Did they really need protection? But Jim didn't appear afraid. He hadn't said anything and he wasn't going for the gun she knew he carried. She'd seen it on occasion, and once when they'd both come around the same corner from opposite directions she'd walked into him. Using her hands to keep from falling, she'd grabbed for him and found the hard outline of the gun.
"Jim?" Allie sat up. "What's wrong?"
He didn't have time to answer before two people came through the door—Morgan Kirkwood and Jack Temple.
***
Astonishment showed vividly on the faces of her two friends. Morgan greeted them with a huge smile. She didn't know how much she missed them until this moment. Neither Jan nor Allie moved from their places on the floor. Morgan looked about the room, taking in the placement of equipment, looking over the expanse of floor as if it were a blue sea.
The thought came to Morgan at the same time her feet began to move. The uneven bars were directly in front of her. She grabbed the lower bar, swung her legs into a kip and piked to roll under the bar and come up on the wood at thigh level. For a moment she remained poised there, her chalkless hands aligned with her shoulders, gripping the bar, elbows locked in place, her weight supported on her legs and hands. She leaned forward, overbalancing until her body's center of gravity propelled her forward. Going over the bar she executed a perfect circle, keeping her entire body as straight as a ruler. She did it two more times, then, with feet and hands on the same bar and her body bent in half, she executed the circle again, coming out of it and flying through the short distance to grip the higher bar. Here she swung, piking her body and pulling her long legs up so they missed the lower bar. She did a half-giant, standing for several seconds completely straight, but upside-down as she reversed direction and swung the other way. Two giants later, another reversal and then preparation for the dismount. She swung forward, but didn't let go of the bar. Usually she'd tuck her body and do a half-twist, then a tumble before straightening and sticking to the padded floor. But she was unsure of her leg. So she swung up to the higher bar and balanced on the short piece of wood.
Without volition her hands reached for the ceiling. Her training was ingrained. Ending with a salute was what she'd learned to do. For a moment, no one said anything. Morgan couldn't see Jack or the other agent who stood in the doorway. Jan's mouth dropped open and Allie's eyes widened into an incredulous stare.
Then both of them were on their feet. Morgan dropped softly to the floor. The three women ran toward each other. They collided in a bea
r hug that sent them tumbling onto the floor.
"I can't believe you can still do that," Allie said. "This near-thirty-year-old would be out of commission for days if I tried that maneuver."
Morgan laughed. "Mine might be too." She hadn't forgotten about the bullet wound to her leg. The leg was better. She barely limped much, but sticking to the floor would have forced her to lift that leg in an unintentional Kerri Strug maneuver. "How are you two?"
"Fine," Jan said. "We were so worried about you. No calls in months and then out of the blue that story on the news."
"I never thought you would take off for St. Charles looking for me. Who did you think you were?" She swung her gaze from one to the other. "Sherlock Holmes?"
"We're your friends, Morgan." Allie's voice was a sharp reprimand. She stood, affronted. "We made a pact. What did you think we'd do?"
Morgan didn't think they'd remember the pact. Her heart filled when Allie made the statement. After twelve years, there were people who cared about her.
"I'm glad you're all right," Allie said, lowering her voice. Morgan remembered Allie's methods. She only used the gruff, I-don't-care voice when she was really scared. It was Morgan's guess that Allie had been hiding her feelings from everyone, even Jan.
"Ladies, I hate to interrupt. . ." Jack began.
***
Morgan was instantly on her feet. She went to Jack, unable to avoid the limp, and pulled him forward. "Guys, I want you to meet—"
"Jack Temple," Allie completed the introduction without surprise. She and Jan stood. Allie offered her hand and Jack shook it. "We were in Korea together."
"I remember," Jack said. He looked at Jan. "Both of you."
"Nice to see you again," Jan offered.
"This is wonderful," Allie said.
"We'll order some junk food and revisit old times. Like we used to do. We'll even invite Agents Burton and Tilden to join us." Allie threw Jan a glance, but the other woman ignored her.
"I'm afraid we'll have to postpone that," Jack said. Morgan suddenly remembered their purpose for being there.
"Is something wrong?" Jan asked. She took a step forward. "You're limping," Jan noticed.
"There's no danger," Jack said at the same time.
"Jan, don't worry. The school is fine," Morgan told her. "I need to get something and then we have to go."
"Get what?" Allie asked.
"It's better if you don't know," Jack answered before Morgan could tell them the truth.
"Don't know what?'' Jan asked, a hand coming to her throat. Morgan recognized the nervous gesture.
"Jan, I have to get something I left here," Morgan appealed to her.
"What did you leave?" Allie asked. "And when?"
"You don't have to say it like I left a ticking bomb." Allie could always get her anger up. "I left nothing dangerous, but I need to get it and then we have to go."
"Why are you limping?" Allie demanded.
"Allie, don't," Morgan warned. "I wouldn't have come here if I'd had any other choice."
"Have you seen a doctor? You know how a simple—" she started the memorized speech.
"She's all right," Jack said. His voice was calm and had a calming effect on the room, which seemed to be spinning out of control. "Morgan hurt her leg when she was trying to get through a door. She's had medical attention." He didn't tell them he was the medic. "All she needs now is to let it heal. Jumping off those bars wasn't the best thing she could do for her leg, but could anyone ever talk her into anything that was good for her?"
Her friends looked at each other and then at her. She knew they were silently agreeing with Jack. He'd manipulated them and they didn't know it. He'd taken the heat out of their discussion and told them only a portion of the truth.
"There's a doctor who comes to the camp every day. He'll be here tomorrow. You can have him look at it." Jan wanted assurance. Morgan nearly smiled. It had been years, but they were all the same.
"Where are you going from here?" Allie asked.
Morgan felt Jack's hand on her shoulder before she said anything. She looked up at him, knowing she couldn't tell them the truth. It was better if they didn't know. "Washington, D.C.," she said finally. It was the original destination, but she knew as soon as they had the ring, they wouldn't even leave the state of West Virginia. The FBI office was only ninety miles away in Clarksburg. That's where they were headed.
Morgan had spent her life lying. She'd lied to everyone from the crooks on the streets to the federal government. She'd lied to Jack when they'd started their run. Lying to the two women in the world who'd been her true friends, who'd staked their lives on helping her, even if they didn't know it, made her feel as if her heart was bleeding.
She was never going to see them again. Once she did get to Washington, she'd be relocated, put safely somewhere without friends and without anyone who knew her from the past. She hadn't been a good friend. She'd let the years separate them. Now that she knew this was possibly the last time they would be together, she wanted to stay. She wanted to spend the night, the week, a month. She wanted to talk to them, tell them everything. She wanted to learn everything about them, about the years that stood between their last meeting and this one. But Jack had spoken. She knew he was right. They had to leave. There was danger.
"I already found the ring," Jan interrupted her thoughts. Jan's words stopped everything. Even the pain sliding up her calf seemed to halt. Morgan stared at her, trying to think of something to say. "What?'' she asked without emphasis.
"A few years ago we expanded the gym. All the equipment was moved for renovation and to put down the new carpet. I suppose years of pounding on the beam dislodged the package inside."
Morgan's throat dried and speech was cut off.
"I heard the rattle and thought something might be wrong with the apparatus. I thought the metal was bent and it could be a future hazard."
Jan always put safety first. She would check the equipment several times to make sure it was properly set up before allowing anyone to use it.
"One night after everyone was gone I decided to find out what caused the noise. I found the hidden package."
"Where is it now?'' Jack asked.
She moved her gaze to Jack. "In a safe place." She looked back at Morgan. Her eyes were piercing, but Morgan saw hurt in them too. "I knew you didn't just give me the equipment because I wanted to start a school."
"I did." Morgan contradicted her with the absolute truth.
"It was convenient too." She said it as a challenge, almost defying Morgan to disagree with her.
"It was convenient." Morgan dropped her gaze to the floor. "I needed to make sure it was safe and I couldn't keep it with me."
"Jan, you knew Morgan would come here," Allie spoke up. "This is why you insisted the FBI agents bring us here. It had nothing to do with you needing to run the camp."
Jan didn't answer. No one in the room expected her to.
"Where is the package now?" Jack asked. Morgan could feel the insistence in him.
"We can't get it tonight. It's in a safety deposit box at the bank. I have a full camp turnover starting at six a.m. I'll be up to my ears in work. I can't possibly get there tomorrow."
Morgan could feel Jack's defeat. He didn't want to stay here. She shouldn't either. She told her friends there was no danger, but there was danger. She was uncertain how much of it existed.
Jack, she knew, had assessed the situation. Unfortunately, there was little he could do about it.
"I guess that means you're stuck here until Monday morning," Allie stated the obvious.
"Now we can call for the junk food," Jan said.
***
"Does he ever sleep?" Allie asked, nodding toward the man in the garden below the bedroom Jan had assigned Morgan. The two women stood on the balcony overlooking the vast grounds.
"I don't think so," Morgan said.
Jack prowled the property, checking to make sure everything was secure. Morgan felt safe arou
nd him.
This place is gorgeous.'' Morgan hoped to change the subject. "Jan has turned it into something to be proud of." Jan had a school in town, and a camp only a few miles away. The school was first-class and the camp was internationally known. Set picturesquely in the hills near Clay, there was a park nearby and plenty of wooded areas, giving the camp a country club look that parents would enjoy, but which also made the kids feel comfortable. The gyms, pools and cabins were well-lighted and airy, with equipment that sparkled due to a constantly on-call maintenance staff. Morgan wouldn't mind practicing here herself. Every summer the top athletes in gymnastics spent part of their time here, meeting with campers and helping out with training. "Remember when we used to go to places like this?"
"Yeah," Allie nodded. "After the Korean games I signed more and smiled for more photos with kids and their parents than I did helping out with skills." She sat down in one of the balcony chairs.
"I think I would have liked teaching." Morgan stopped, unwilling to bring up things that could never happen. "There was this one kid at a camp in Pennsylvania. His mouth dropped open when he saw me and—"
"He's the one, isn't he, Morgan?" Allie interrupted, her tone serious.
Morgan didn't need to ask who the "he'' was she referred to. Allie had been dividing her glances between them since they arrived. "There hasn't been anyone serious since Korea, has there?"
Allie had a facade to her, a hidden personality inside an invisible casing. She didn't often let you see the real Alicia Tremaine. Morgan supposed that was why she liked her. She reminded her so much of herself. It also made her a good actress. She could hide inside that wall and only show the public what they wanted to see. But just as she would hide herself, her ability to see through another person was uncanny.
"I didn't quite think it showed so clearly." She hadn't seen Allie in years except on the movie screen. Yet in a matter of a couple of hours, Morgan's life was an open book.
More Than Gold (Capitol Chronicles Book 3) Page 19