by Ana Stone
Sydney sat down and gave him a scornful look as he called out his badge number to the operator. “Yes, I need the number of the phone I’m calling from. Thank you.”
After a couple of seconds, he looked sharply at Sydney. “Thank you very much,” he said into the receiver then hung up.
“Well?” She looked up at him.
“Well, it looks like there is something wrong with the phone,” he admitted. “Seems like my number and the number of a pay phone on the corner got switched somehow.”
“You see!” she crowed triumphantly. “I told you! Now, would you like to apologize for those nasty little remarks you made earlier?”
Blake felt his hackles rise at the tone of her voice. His phone might not be working right but that had nothing to do with Zayne answering her phone in the middle of the night.
“I don’t see what that has to do with you sleeping with Zayne.”
“I did not sleep with him!” she shouted and jumped up. “Did it ever occur to you that if you’re phone’s been messed with then just maybe it’s possible that mine has been too?”
Blake hated to admit it but until that moment he had not thought of that possibility. “Did you leave your voice mail on?”
“Yes, just like always.”
He picked up the phone and dialed her number. After three rings a man answered. “Yes?”
“Is Sydney there?”
“Who is this?”
“Who’s asking?
“Sydney does not want to be disturbed. Please do not call back.”
Blake hung up the phone and turned to her. “I think I owe you an apology.”
“Who was that?”
“I’m not sure. It could be Zayne.”
“But…“ she put her fingers to her temples. “But how could he manage that?”
“Enough money and you can do just about anything.” Blake reached out and took her hands in his. “I’m sorry, Syd.”
“You should be.” She pulled her hands away. “Why is it that you’re always so quick to jump to the wrong conclusion about me, Blake? If you love me then why don’t you trust me?”
Blake sat down on the bed and looked down at the floor. He didn’t know how to answer her. He did love her and he wanted to trust her. Part of him did. The other part; the part that had been lied to far too many times and been cheated on more than once had a hard time trusting anyone.
“I’m sorry,” he said at last and looked up. “I want to trust you but...it’s hard, Syd. I’m not used to trusting anyone but myself and to be honest, it’s been my experience that people are basically−“
“Before you go any further,” she interrupted as she sat down beside him. “Can I just say that I’m not just ‘people?’ I love you, Blake. More than anyone or anything in my life and I’d never deliberately betray you. I just want you to try and have a little faith. Otherwise, I don’t see that we have any future together.”
“I know.” He nodded and put his arm around her to pull her close. “You’re right and I’ll try. Am I forgiven?”
Sydney put her hand on the side of his face as she looked up into his eyes. Her touch seemed to melt some rock-hard icy place in his heart where fear and mistrust dwelled, along with igniting a fire in other parts of his anatomy. He had never met a woman that could affect him so much by such a simple gesture.
“I love you,” she whispered.
Blake pulled her to him. When their lips met his desire flared like gasoline being thrown on a fire. With a groan he pushed her back on the bed, feeling her lithe body mold against his. Her hands tugged at the towel around his waist and he pulled away from the kiss to look down at her. “You’re all dressed and ready for work.”
“So?”
“So, you might get all messed up.”
“I certainly hope so,” she said with a smile and pushed him away so that she could stand up and take off her jacket. Blake watched with mounting excitement as she slowly undressed. When she was naked she pushed him back on the bed and stretched out on top of him. “Now where were we?”
He forgot about being suspicious and angry as her lips met his. The doubts had not disappeared. There were still a lot of things he was unsure about. But wanting her was not one of them.
As Sydney and GW were meeting Senator Forrest at the luxurious Maison Blanche for lunch, Blake was excitedly going over a report one of his agents had just handed him. “Are you sure about this?” He looked up at the younger, dark-haired man.
“Yes, sir,” Special agent Matt Donaldson answered crisply. “Mr. We’zel checked it himself before he left and verified the information. In less than four days five thousand pounds of ammonium nitrate will be in transit to a farm to just outside Huntsville. There’s also a shipment, another thirty-five hundred pounds being shipped from Muscle Shoals as well.”
“That’s a lot of fertilizer,” Blake commented. “And there’s no doubt that Zayne himself authorized the shipments?”
“None whatsoever, sir. In fact, he paid for everything on his personal Black American Express.”
Blake whistled softly. “He must have one hell of a credit limit. Can we get a copy of the transactions?”
“We’re working on that now, sir.”
Blake sat back in his chair and looked at the younger man. “Okay, he’s moving ammonium nitrate from one place to another. Alabama is farming country, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir, it is. But Mr. Zayne doesn’t own any property in Alabama that we know of, and his business interests are not in farming, so why would he be buying ammonium nitrate?”
Blake nodded without comment. This was a good start but it wasn’t enough. They needed more. “Good work, Matt. But I want you to dig a little deeper. Find out if there’ve been any large sales of fuel oil to Zayne or any of his businesses and if so, the amounts and destinations. I need transaction records from the sales of the nitrate from the people who sold it and copies of the credit card company’s records.”
“Yes sir.” Donaldson nodded and left the room.
Blake looked down at the report on his desk and smiled for the first time. If this panned out and Zayne was buying material for another bomb then they could nail him inside a week. Then GW wouldn’t have to continue with his undercover role and Sydney could get away from Zayne once and for all.
His phone buzzed and he picked it up. “Special Agent Edwards.”
“Pete Roberts, sir. I think I may have something. There was a visitor to the Zayne estate this morning - a man in military clothing. We have video and I’m running an identity check as we speak. Turner’s on duty.”
Blake’s mind went back to the meeting he’d had with the so-called general at the river. “I’ll be right there,” he said into the phone. He wanted to see for himself what this military man looked like. If it turned out to be the same man it would just be one more nail in Zayne’s coffin.
Later That Evening
Sydney opened the door to find Adrian smiling down at her. “This is a surprise,” she said as she stepped back to let him enter.
“I missed you,” he replied and backed her up against the door as she closed it. “Have you missed me?”
“You can’t imagine.” She smiled, thinking to herself that if he knew how she really felt he would not be so eager to be close to her.
Adrian smiled and tilted her chin up to kiss her slowly. Sydney tried not to shrink from his touch but was not completely successful. The day before when he had come to her office it had taken all her will-power not to throw him out when he started making advances. He had not succeeded in having his way with her but she had let him kiss and fondle her briefly just to insure that he did not get too suspicious. Unfortunately, her capitulation had gotten her trapped into spending the evening with him.
She had to admit that the evening had not been completely intolerable. They’d gone to a show at the Kennedy Center and then to a late dinner at the Watergate. After dinner he had a small gathering in his penthouse sui
te. She had been quite surprised at the notable figures in attendance, but not nearly as surprised as she was when the President dropped in.
Adrian had been very attentive and the perfect gentleman the entire evening. Sydney had found herself thinking that he could be very pleasant to be with; interesting, witty and very charming. It was a shame that he was such a duplicitous person. If she did not know what she did about him she might actually be able to like him.
Sadly, she couldn’t say the same for the President. He might have come into office hailing as one of the wealthiest men in America, and might have a very high opinion of himself and his own charm but she found him boorish, arrogant, petty and possessed of one of the worst cases of bad breath she’d ever had the displeasure to witness.
Nonetheless, she pretended to be very impressed and grateful to Adrian for allowing her the honor of meeting the President in person.
Adrian pulled back from the kiss. “I’m sorry to drop in on you unannounced, but there’s something very important I needed to talk to you about.”
“What?” She asked as she skirted around him to go into the living room.
“Actually, it’s your father.”
“My father?” Sshe turned in surprise to face him.
Adrian walked to her and took her hand. “Sydney, I hope this won’t sound as if I’m meddling in your life. You see, an associate of mine mentioned that he saw you earlier today at Maison Blanche with your father and another gentleman, Ralton Armand.”
“So?”
“I fear that you do not know who Mr. Armand is. Sydney, he is a very - how shall I put this - unscrupulous man. One who will stop at nothing to make sure he gets what he wants.”
“How do you know that?”
Adrian looked away for a moment. “I had him checked out. And what I found was most disturbing.”
Sydney felt a thrill of excitement run through her. If Adrian had been checking on GW and thought he really was Armand, then that meant the cover was secure. She wondered how GW had managed but right now that didn’t matter. All that counted was that Adrian was fooled.
“What?” She tried to sound concerned.
“Please, let’s sit.” He pulled her over to the couch, still holding her hand as they sat. “Mr. Armand is desperate to have legislation on this AES cryptographic processing circuit go in his favor. You see, his company stands to either make or lose a great deal, depending on the outcome of the pending legislation. I fear that he is going to try and put pressure on your father to make sure things go his way.”
Sydney laughed and pretended to relax. “Well, if that’s what bothers you, you can stop worrying. Adrian, there isn’t anyone who can make my father vote for anything or against anything he doesn’t believe. Trust me when I tell you that my father will vote as his conscience directs and no one can change that.”
“I’ve heard he is a very honorable man but even a saint can be tempted, my darling. And Armand has great resources at his disposal.”
“He could have all the money in the world and it wouldn’t matter,” Sydney saw her chance and took it. “Just like this stupid wall and the military budget thing that has everyone in a knot. You wouldn’t believe the campaigning that’s going on behind the scene to try and sway his vote on that.”
“Just what is the Senator’s stand on that issue?”
“He’s for the budget cuts. First of all, he sees that wall as a ridiculous waste of taxpayer’s dollars. And Dad sees no reason to keep pouring money into the military when there’s no need. Just think about it, Adrian and you can see he’s right. Why keep spending needlessly on the military when the money could be put to so much better use elsewhere?”
“Yes, I see your point.” He leaned back and regarded her. “But there are those who disagree. And from what I understand, their ranks are sizable.”
“But not enough to defeat this in the Senate. And just between you and me, my father’s so much in favor of these cuts that I’d be willing to bet it’ll go his way.. You may not realize this, but he has a lot of influence - more than most people know. In fact, I don’t think he’s ever been on the losing side of a vote, if that’s any indication of the influence he wields.”
Adrian smiled and stroked her hand. “You’re very proud of your father, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. He’s honest and kind and his heart’s in the right place. Aside from being brilliant, of course.”
“And is that that what you’re looking for, Sydney? A man like your father?”
She didn’t hesitate to speak the truth. “I don’t have any complexes about my father, if that’s what you mean. I’m not looking to replace him or find a Jack Forrest clone for myself, so I guess the answer is no.”
“Then what are you looking for? Someone like your friend, Blake Edwards?”
She started at that question but tried to cover her surprise. “Blake is a very dear friend and−”
“I think he’s much more than that.” Adrian pulled her closed to him. “In fact, I’d be willing to wager that in reality, he’s your lover. Isn’t that so, my dear?”
“Yes.” She decided that there was no point in lying. He probably had been having her followed all along so he knew that Blake had been spending the night at her apartment. “We’ve been seeing each other for a while.”
Adrian dropped her hand and stood to cross the room and stare out of the window. Sydney remained where she was, unsure what to do or say. After a long silence he turned and looked at her. “I’d like to put aside all the pretense and just be honest if I may.”
She nodded and he walked closer to the couch. “Despite my best intentions to the contrary, I find that I have become quite obsessed with you, Sydney. At first it was intoxicating and exciting - feeling so enamored of someone. Then it was disconcerting.
“I’ve never had my attentions cast aside the way you do - always running from me and behaving as if you are not interested. Quite frankly, it both enraged and frightened me. I did not know how to deal with it. I have never felt this way before. Oh, I have had a passing interest in women in the past, but the interest always disappeared quickly. You are different. In fact, I can say with complete honesty that I want you more today than I did the first time I saw you.
“And that, my darling, is very unnerving for me. I want you with me constantly and you - you seem to want to put as much distance as possible between us. What must I do to win you, Sydney? What does it take to attain your love?”
Sydney didn’t know what to say. In fact, she was speechless. She had watched Adrian closely while he spoke and she could not tell that he was lying to her. He sounded as if he really was telling the truth and that was astounding to her. Since Senator Tyler had told her about Adrian she had been convinced that he was just using her; that his only interest in her was to make sure she did not tell anyone what Tyler had told her. Now, she wondered if she could be wrong about him. Was it possible that he was capable of genuine feeling?”
“Adrian, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t expect this and . . . and . . . “
“And you do not know how to tell me that you do not return my feelings.” He dropped down on one knee in front of her.
“I don’t fall in love easily. You’re extremely handsome and sexy, charming and intelligent and any woman would be thrilled to hear you say such things to her. I’m flattered - no, I’m amazed - but I can’t tell you that I love you because I just don’t know you well enough for that. It takes me a longer−a lot longer. I need to make sure I’m not making another mistake. I’ve already made one and I don’t relish the idea of repeating the experience.”
“Is there a chance that you could come to love me?”
“Anything’s possible.” She said with a smile, hoping that she did not sound as phony as she felt.
“Then I shall not give up hope. I will find a way to win your heart, Sydney Forrest. One day you will come to me and want to be mine.”
Sydney smiled. After a moment Adrian leaned forwar
d and kissed her gently. “Would you consider going for a short cruise with me on my yacht this weekend?”
“A cruise? Where?”
“Just down the coast.”
“I don’t know,” she hedged. “I have a lot of work to catch up on and−“
“And you would rather be with Mr. Edwards,” his voice took on a rough edge.
“No,” she insisted, perhaps a bit too soon. “It’s not that. It’s just that, I’m not sure I’m ready to spend the night with you.”
Adrian smiled at her. “There is more than one bedroom on the yacht. You can have your pick of staterooms.”
Sydney didn’t see how she could refuse. She also didn’t have any idea how she was going to make Blake understand. “All right,” she agreed. “It does sound like fun. When will we leave?”
“Can you take Friday off?”
“I suppose I could reschedule my appointments for Friday.”
“Then I will pick you up early Friday morning.”
Sydney smiled as he stood up. “Okay, I’m looking forward to it.”
Adrian took her hand in his. “As am I. Now, I will leave you to your evening. I will count the hours until Friday, my darling and I promise you, this will be a weekend to remember.”
She nodded and walked him to the door. “I’m glad you came by, Adrian. Thank you for being so understanding.”
“I want only to make you happy,” he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her. “Until Friday, my love.”
Sydney closed the door behind him and leaned back against it. She honestly didn’t know if she could make it through an entire weekend with Adrian. With a sigh she pushed herself upright and went into the study where she’d left her phone. She might as well give Blake the news now and give him time to digest it before he came over.
Thursday, April 27
Washington
“I still think he’s being unreasonable.” Sydney insisted as she refilled GW’s coffee cup then took a seat across from him in the dining room of her apartment. For the past forty-five minutes they’d been discussing Blake’s and Sydney’s argument the night before about her going on the cruise with Adrian.