The Territory of Lies

by Ana Stone

  "Five thirty? God, who gets up that early?"

  "Me." She snuggled over closer to him. "I normally run, but I think I'll skip it this morning. After an hour's sleep I don't think I have the energy."

  Blake yawned and ran his arm beneath her. "I don't have the energy for anything."

  "Nothing?" She raised her head and looked at him with a suggestive smile as she ran her hand down his body.

  "Well, maybe that," he agreed and rolled over with her beneath him.

  "Ummm," she purred as his hands moved over her body. "That feels delicious."

  "You are delicious," he murmured as he moved his lips down her neck.

  Sydney sighed in pleasure, forgetting about the lack of sleep and all the plans and plots and schemes.

  The ring of the phone pulled Sydney from a sound sleep. She untangled herself from Blake's arms as reached for the phone. The lighted display of the clock on the nightstand announced that it was after ten.

  "Hello? . . . Yes, I’ll be in. No, I'm fine. I just overslept. Tell Mrs. Harding that she can either wait or reschedule her and apologize for me. . . . yes, in about an hour."

  She hung up the phone and sat. "I've got to get to work."

  Blake groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position. "What time is it?"

  "After ten."

  "God, I'm late," he grumbled. "Where’s my phone?"

  "Use the landland if you want," she replied as she stood and padded naked to the bathroom. "I've got to shower but there's plenty of room if you want to join me."

  "As soon as I make a call."

  "Okay."

  Blake waited until she closed the bathroom door then picked up the phone and dialed. "Steve? Blake. Listen, man, I'm sorry about last night…no, I'm fine, but something came up yesterday and I think we should get together and talk about it…no, I'll be there…yeah, give me about an hour."

  He hung up the phone and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He hadn’t discussed his decision to talk to Steve with Sydney or Weasel, but felt he had to. Steve was one person he knew he could trust and he needed to talk to someone who wasn’t so close to the situation, to get an objection opinion.

  Blake wasn’t arrogant enough to think that his personal feelings didn’t come into play in all this. He had an emotional investment in Sydney and he knew that colored his thinking. What was more, the plan he, Weasel and Sydney had come up with stood a good chance of falling apart around them if any part of it went sour and he was very hesitant to take chances with Sydney's life - or Weasel's either, for that matter.

  He thought about how he was going to tell Steve what was going on as he got up and walked into the bathroom. Sydney was in the shower. He watched her for a moment through the glass doors, admiring her as she stood with her face turned up to the spray of water.

  He thought how ironic it was that she should realized that she loved him in the midst of all that was going on. Would she would have ever come to that realization if things were different? He hoped so. He didn’t want to think that her love for him was precipitated by fear and a need for security.

  Pushing the doubts aside, he opened the shower door and stepped in behind her. She turned with a smile on her face and pulled him under the water with her. "Have I told you today how much I love you?" she asked as she pressed close to him.

  "No, I don't think so."

  "I love you, Blake." Her voice changed from a tone of teasing to one of total seriousness.

  "I love you, too," he replied, wishing that he could find the words to express just how much he did care.

  But she didn’t seem to require elaboration. With a smile and a quick kiss she released him. Half an hour later they were parting at the front door, ready to set the first phase of their plan into action.

  

  Sydney returned to her desk after seeing her patient to the reception area. The intercom buzzer sounded and she reached for the phone when the door to her office opened.

  NShe looked up in surprise. Two men entered the office. "Dr. Forrest, we're here to escort you to Mr. Zayne's estate," one of the men announced as the other walked over to her.

  Sydney looked up at the man beside her as he pulled her chair back and reached to take her arm. "Just one minute!" She jerked her arm away. "You can't just come barging in here and expect me to drop everything to−"

  The man beside her grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. "If you will please come with us, Doctor."

  "No, I won't!" She tried to jerk her arm free again but this time the man didn’t release her. "Let go of me! I don't know who you think you are but you can't walk in here and harass me this way. If your boss wants to see me then he can call and make arrangements, but there's no way I'm going anywhere with you!"

  The man standing in front of the door stepped forward to take her other arm as she was pulled forward by the first man. "Mr. Zayne doesn’t like to be kept waiting."

  Sydney couldn’t believe what was happening. People didn’t send goons to grab someone from their work and drag them off. At least not normal people, she considered as the men escorted her from her office into the reception area.

  "Doctor?" Her secretary looked up in surprise.

  Sydney didn’t want to cause any undue alarm. If her office was still bugged then Blake knew what was going on and he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Besides that, she was the one who had been so adamant about being able to handle her role in their little plan. She couldn’t chicken out before they even got started.

  She composed herself and spoke as calmly as possible. "I have to leave for a little while Julie. Please reschedule the rest of my afternoon appointments. Thank you."

  She didn’t have time to say anymore. The men escorted her outside to a limousine parked at the curb and helped her into the back seat.

  Sydney didn’t say a word during the ride. She was busy trying to figure out how she was going to deal with Adrian.

  

  Blake walked into the front room of the house and waited until Steve took off the headset before speaking. "Steve, I'm going to cut straight to the chase. Exactly why is the bureau having Tyler watched? I get the feeling that this is more than just a case of a crooked politician taking illegal contributions."

  Steve took a drink of coffee from a styrofoam cup then lit a cigarette. "What makes you think that?"

  "Don't play that game. This is me you're talking to. We go back too far for that crap."

  "Yeah, we do. And I'm not playing. I told you from the start it's a straight surveillance job. Tyler has proven connections to people we know are associated with organized crime and we want to know how deep that association is. There isn't any more I can tell you because there simply isn't any more to tell. So, back to my question. What makes you think there's more?"

  "Let's just call it instinct." Blake wondered if talking to Steve might not be such a good idea after all. If he did confide what he knew then he ran the risk of Steve taking the information to the bureau. And if his suspicions were wrong he was sure he would be the one that wound up with egg on his face.

  Creating an outlandish tale about some shadow group run by a billionaire who was out to chance public opinion about the military by blowing up federal buildings was not the sort of thing that was going to earn him a promotion. Add to that the fact that he had nothing to back up the allegations, and it might only serve to earn him a padded cell right beside Tyler. But then again, the bureau had launched investigations based on far less in the past.

  But the real truth was that he just was not comfortable playing behind the bureau's back. He had given it a lot of thought and he knew that he was not going to function as well as he could unless he was honest and forthright about what his suspicions were and what he wanted to do. The problem was how to go about getting approval.

  "Well, old buddy." Steve yawned then stubbed out his cigarette. "Maybe you're instinct's wrong this time."

  "Maybe so." Blake fanned the smoke that drifted up from the
smoldering cigarette. "But I don't think so. And I don't think you will either when you hear what I've got to tell you."

  "So, let's hear it." Steve's face assumed a more serious look.

  Blake started talking and didn’t stop until he’d told Steve everything that had happened and his theory about it. Steve was completely silent until Blake finished, chain-smoking and watching him intently. When Blake finished, Steve tossed his last cigarette into the cup of cold coffee.

  "And you have what kind of proof on this Zayne character?"

  "Nothing – exactly. Except Doctor Forrest's notes and session tapes with Senator Tyler."

  Steve stood and walked a few paces then stopped and spoke without looking at Blake. "Why didn't you tell me about your little run-in outside the doctor's office?"

  "I should have." Blake walked over so that he stood in front of Steve. "And I really have no excuse except that−"

  "You're more than friends with this Doctor Forrest, aren't you?"

  "Yes, I am. And I was trying my best to keep her out of this. She's dead set against turning over those records, Steve - even to me. I just wanted to help her but I realize that the best way to do that is with the bureau's help and approval. So, will you go with me to the brass?"

  "No." Steve reached in his pocket for a cigarette and came out empty-handed. "But I will set up a meeting for you. I'll call you later and let you know when and where."

  "A meeting with who?"

  "Do you really need to ask that question? Or have you been out of the loop so long that you've forgotten how things work?"

  "Got it." Blake realized what Steve was trying to tell him. There were people in the bureau you went to if you wanted something done and you wanted it done fast. Like any other organization, there were always ways to by-pass middle management. "So, next item on the agenda. How about switching shifts with me?"

  Steve raised his eyebrows. "You want to give me a reason I should?"

  Blake smiled and took a seat in a folding chair beside the window. "It's personal."

  "Personal? As in a woman, personal?"

  "Something like that."

  "Well, well." Steve grinned knowingly. "The little shrink's finally done what women have been trying to do for years. She's tamed Blake the Rake. Will wonders never cease? So, do I get to meet this babe or is she exclusive property?"

  Blake didn’t really like Steve's tone of voice. In the past he might have been guilty of having extremely casual relationships and he might even have been guilty of thinking about women as 'babes' now and then, but he could not ever think of Sydney in that way. "She's special Steve, and I don't want to blow it."

  "Okay," Steve agreed after a moment. "I guess I owe you one. I'll take the six to one, but you better not let me down again, partner. I'll expect you at one o'clock sharp."

  "I'll be there," Blake agreed, "and again, I'm sorry about today. It won't happen again."

  Steve stood and picked up his jacket from the back of the chair. "I'm headed home to grab a couple hour's shut eye. I'll be in touch about the meeting. Let me know if anything turns up in the meantime."

  "Will do." Blake settled into the chair Steve had vacated and checked the equipment. It was going to be a long shift.

  Chapter Seven

  Friday, April 20

  Washington, D.C.

  Sydney marched up the front steps ahead of her escort. The door of the mansion opened before she reached the top of the steps to reveal a man she’d never seen before.

  "Doctor Forrest? If you will come with me. Mr. Zayne is waiting."

  She did not reply but followed in silence, trying to decide how she should act. Even if she didn’t have any suspicions about Adrian she would be angry at being taken from her office by force and brought to him. In order to be convincing in her role she had to follow that line.

  The man led her through the house to a massive set of double wooden doors. He knocked on the door and waited for a reply from within before opening the door. "Sir, Doctor Forrest is here."

  "Show her in." Adrian's voice came from inside the room.

  The man stepped back and nodded to Sydney. She walked in the room but gave a glance back as the door closed behind her.

  "Darling." Adrian started across the room to her.

  "Don't you darling me!" She held up one hand, palm out. "How dare you send those− those men to my office like that? In case you're not aware of it, Adrian, kidnapping is a crime."

  He smirked and continued toward her. "But no one has been kidnapped, my pet. I simply sent my men to fetch you for our date. In case you haven't noticed, you are late. I do recall telling you to be here no later than ten and it is now . . ." He turned to look at the massive Grandfather's clock on one wall. " . . . almost half passed three."

  "I don't care if it's midnight! You have absolutely no right whatsoever to have me abducted and brought here like I'm some kind of servant. I won’t tolerate this from you or anyone. Do you hear me?"

  "And I do not tolerate being stood up." He closed in on her and took hold of her arms. "Do you understand?"

  Sydney had to force herself not to retreat. Something about Adrian's tone of voice frightened her but she couldn’t let him know.

  "Then perhaps you should refrain from issuing orders and try asking for a change," she said stiffly.

  "Why are you being so difficult, darling?" He pulled her with him to a leather sofa and pushed her down.

  "I'm being difficult? I find it incredible that you could even utter those words. In case you're having some trouble with your short-term memory, you're the one who started all this by commanding me to be here in the middle of a work day just to suit you.

  “You had no regard whatsoever for me - not to mention a complete lack of respect. I’m a physician and I have patients to see. My work may not be important to you, but it is to me and I will not have you disrupting it."

  "I grow weary of this conversation." He stood and walked across the room to a wooden bar to fill two glasses with a deep red wine. When he returned to the couch he offered her a glass.

  "I don't want any wine." She refused the glass. "And I don't want to be here, so please notify your driver that I'm ready to leave."

  Adrian put both glasses of wine on the table in front of the couch then sat and tried to take her in his arms. She was stiff and unyielding. "Come now, my precious - surely you know that I did not mean to upset you. I only wanted to be with you. Lately I've begun to feel rather neglected. With your time being so taken up with patients and old friends there seems to be no time for us."

  Sydney pushed at his chest to keep him from kissing her. "Adrian, I want to see you, but I do have other things that are important as well. I can't just drop my entire life and hide out here with you."

  "Why not?"

  "Come on. You’re not stupid. I have a practice to run and I have family and friends."

  "And those things are more important than me?"

  She looked down as she spoke. "Adrian, I told you that I like you - maybe I feel more than that for you, I don't know. But I do know that this isn't the way to find out. I'm not the kind of woman who wants to be pampered and sheltered; who just does nothing. I'd go crazy in a day. I have to be who I am and if you can't deal with that then it's obvious that I'm just not right for you."

  "But you are right for me." He argued and pulled her closer; his fingers digging into the flesh of her arms. "And I am the only man for you, Sydney. You know that."

  "Maybe," she agreed with a grimace of pain. "Adrian, you're hurting me."

  "As you are me." His grip tightened instead of loosening. "You know how I feel about you and you use it like a knife in my heart."

  "That's not true,” she said then gasped as his grip increased even more. "Please, stop!"

  "And will you return the favor in kind? Or will you persist in hurting me?"

  "I never meant to hurt you, Adrian, I just don't want to rush into something. Surely you can understand that. I havet one fail
ed marriage behind me and I just don't want to rush into another relationship and it end up badly."

  "I was not aware we were rushing." He leaned over to brush his lips against hers.

  "I guess I just need a slower pace than you. Will you please try and understand?"

  "If you take off your clothes," he said with a smile.

  "What?"

  "I want you." He reached for the top button of her blouse. "And you want me even if you don't want to admit it."

  "This isn't the time." She grabbed his hand to stop him. "I really do have to get back to work, Adrian."

  "Then go!" He pushed her and send her tumbling off the couch. "If your precious job is so important then go. Get out of my sight!"

  Sydney felt a sinking feeling in her stomach that mixed with her fear. If she alienated him she would never be able to get any evidence on him that Blake and Weasel could take to the FBI.

  She straightened her skirt as she knelt in front of him. "Adrian, I'm sorry." She looked down as she spoke, hoping she looked convincingly meek and apologetic. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I do want to be with you. It's just that I have to see my patients."

  "Your patients, your patients!" he barked irritably. "I am so tired of those words. Go to your damnable patients, Doctor Forrest. Go and listen to their woes and be sympathetic and solve all their petty little problems. And when you are lying alone in bed, then ask yourself why your bed is empty and perhaps you will discover that you already have given your life up to someone else - your patients."

  "Adrian, please." She took his hand in both of hers. "Okay, look, I'll call my office and have my appointments rescheduled. Will that make you happy?"

  "No." He pulled away and stood to look down at her. "Now, you will have to ask to stay."

  "What?" She started to stand but he put his hands on her shoulders and forced her back down.

  "Ask."

  She looked up at him, feeling anger bubbling just below the surface. She was tempted to tell him to go to hell but she couldn’t. That wouldn’t further her purpose. "Okay, can I stay?"