Guardian of the Night

by Debra Webb

  General Regan Bonner had apparently disappeared. No further intel had come in regarding any untoward activities on his part. There was nothing else here for Blue to do. Noah had to make it clear to Director Casey that he required no protection. Blue strongly disagreed, but she couldn’t force him to accept her help.

  Victoria had called and given an update on Lucas, he was in stable condition. Casey had informed Logan that Ramon’s condition had been upgraded to stable. Ramon had regained consciousness and there appeared to be no brain damage.

  A locksmith would come to the island later in the day to install new locks on all the doors and windows in Noah’s house. Casey had suggested a security company who could install an advanced system, which would be monitored and offered cutting-edge technology. But the man who wouldn’t admit that he needed a bodyguard wasn’t likely to own up to needing that kind of additional security.

  Not even now, after all he’d been through.

  Chester had agreed to take up the slack for Noah until he could hire a new assistant.

  Noah apparently didn’t need her in any capacity.

  Hurt speared Blue’s heart at the thought, but it was true. Why would he need her around? He could take care of himself. She’d seen that firsthand. Had the threat not come from within his own home, no one could have touched him.

  Despite his debilitating condition, Noah was a strong man and quite capable of protecting himself as long as he wasn’t exposed to bright light.

  Even that might be about to change. Blue moved through the doorway into the parlor to see if the two had reached any sort of agreement.

  “You’re still only offering fifty-fifty odds, Edgar,” Noah countered. “That’s no better than what you offered before.”

  “There’s a difference this time,” Edgar argued. He paced behind the sofa facing Noah’s position in the matching armchair. “True, I can only offer you a fifty-fifty chance the serum will work. However, this time the possibility of side effects is reduced to less than ten percent. You can try it without any real risk to speak of.”

  Sounded reasonable to Blue, but then she wasn’t the one facing the ten-percent possibility that her brain’s ability to function would be damaged by the new serum. Despite the hurt tearing her apart inside, her heart went out to Noah. She studied his handsome features, that chiseled face and those broad, strong shoulders. She would never forget how it felt to be held in those capable arms…or how skilled a lover he was. Instantly, her body reacted to the thought. She quickly focused her attention elsewhere. She would be leaving shortly. It was pointless to torture herself by considering what could have been or wishing things could be different. Noah Drake had been her assignment, falling for him wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own.

  Noah looked straight at Blue then. “We have to talk—privately.”

  Edgar paused in his incessant pacing. “I’m certain I smell coffee brewing, perhaps I’ll take a short break in the kitchen.”

  Noah nodded, clearly thankful for the reprieve. Edgar Rothman had no intention of taking no for an answer.

  When he’d gone, Noah stood and moved toward her. Even the way he walked disrupted the rhythm of her heart. How would she ever get over this man?

  “So, what do you think?” he asked, that dark gaze at once tender and penetrating.

  She folded her arms over her chest to prevent herself from reaching out and touching him. She wanted so desperately to do just that. But leaving was going to be hard enough without the reminder of how her body responded to his. She had to remember that he wanted her to go. Their lives were so different, even she had to admit that.

  “With the reduced risk, it’s doable, I think.” She hesitated, deeply appreciating his asking for her opinion, but at the same time afraid to be the one responsible for his trying what might prove detrimental to his well-being. “But, Noah,” she searched those dark depths, aching to hold him and pretend nothing else mattered at the moment “this is a decision that you have to make on your own. It’s your life.”

  She didn’t add that she wanted desperately to share it with him…to be there every morning when he opened his eyes. How had she let that happen?

  He nodded, the movement a barely discernible up-and-down motion. “I suppose you’re impatient to be on your way. There’s probably another mission waiting for you already.”

  She tried to read the flash of emotion in his eyes, but couldn’t. Was it regret? Most likely not. She had no place in his world…just as her world left no margin for this kind of commitment.

  She almost told him that she could take a few days off with Casey’s blessing. The suggestion had been her director’s, in fact. But that would sound like a plea to stay. She wouldn’t do that. If Noah wanted her to stay, he would ask. Even then it would only be temporary…and make leaving all the more difficult.

  “Yeah. I should be going. Chester’s waiting.” She hitched a thumb toward the door. “I’ll just go gather my things.”

  She turned away, praying he wouldn’t notice the tears in her eyes. She didn’t want him to see her cry. Dammit. It was bad enough she had to know it.

  “Wait.” He wrapped those long, strong fingers around her arm, staying her departure. “I want you to know how much—”

  “You don’t have to say anything, Noah.” She cut off what would most likely be an attempt at thanks. A thank-you was not what she needed to hear. “It was my job.”

  She walked away, leaving him to think what he would. It would be better for both of them if they remembered that her being here had been a job… nothing more.

  Maybe she could fool Noah, but nothing she said or did would fool her own heart.

  NOAH WATCHED her go, knowing that the words she said were as far from the truth as could be. He’d heard the hurt in her voice…had seen the brightness of her eyes. She didn’t want to go any more than he wanted her to, but it was the only way.

  For now.

  If there was any chance Edgar’s new serum would work, Noah had to try. If he could get his life back there might just be hope for the two of them. Despite the risk involved, he would do this.

  He would do it for her.

  Noah went in search of Edgar. He might as well give him the news right away. The man teetered on the edge of outright hysteria. He seemed to want so desperately to right the wrong he felt solely responsible for.

  After several minutes of discussion, Edgar announced that they should retire to the parlor for him to begin the treatment. He’d already set up a makeshift work area there shortly after arriving, according to Blue.

  Noah only shook his head as he followed Edgar into the entry hall.

  “I’m ready to go.”

  Noah turned at the sound of Blue’s voice. She slowly descended the stairs, two duffel bags in tow. He met her at the foot of the staircase to relieve her of the bags, but Chester butted in.

  “I’ll take care of those, Mr. Drake,” he insisted.

  Noah relented since he’d rather spend his final moments with Blue without anything in the way.

  She turned to Edgar and extended her hand. “Good bye, Mr. Rothman. I hope the serum works.”

  He shook her hand. “I’m certain it will.”

  She turned to Noah then, and his heart lurched. She offered her hand. “Take care, Noah. I wish you all the best.”

  He looked at her hand a moment, then reached past it and pulled her close. He kissed her hard on the mouth, forcing her to acknowledge what she wanted to deny…she wanted him still. They needed each other…wanted each other.

  Her fingers fisted in his shirt and she kissed him back, confessing to all his heart already knew.

  Then she pulled away and stared up at him, her lips trembling. “Good bye, Noah.”

  She followed Chester out the door without a backward glance.

  Noah watched until the taillights of the old truck had disappeared from sight, then he closed and locked the door out of habit.

  “Will she be back?” Edgar asked, stan
ding only a few feet behind him.

  Noah faced him, anger and pain exploding inside him. “Unless your serum works, I don’t want her to come back. I would live the rest of my life alone before I would sentence her to this.”

  “Let’s begin,” Edgar suggested meekly.

  Noah settled into a chair next to Edgar’s prepared table. An IV pole stood behind the chair. Within a couple of minutes Edgar had inserted the IV needle into Noah’s right arm and started the intravenous drip. The serum would be injected in two doses within five minutes of each other. Edgar had explained that it wasn’t safe to inject it directly.

  Noah closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This is for you, Maggie Callahan. He allowed snippets of the time they’d shared to flash quickly through the private theater of his mind and then he relaxed fully. “Let’s do it,” he said to Edgar, opening his eyes and settling his gaze on the other man’s.

  Edgar injected the first syringe full of serum via the intravenous line. Noah felt the burn as it entered his bloodstream. He tensed only for a moment, then forced himself to relax once more.

  “How are you doing?” Edgar asked.

  “Fine.” Noah didn’t look at him now. Instead, he allowed the minutes he and Blue had spent making love to replay over and over in his head. The burn disappeared, all else faded into nothing, as he relived those tender moments. No matter what happened, he would always have that.

  The introduction of the second injection had little effect as far as Noah could tell. No burn…no dizziness…nothing. What he would label a distant headache had started in his skull. It wasn’t disturbing just yet, but it was there, somewhere way in the back of his head.

  “How do you feel now?” Edgar asked as he sat down directly in front of Noah.

  Noah conducted a quick survey. “Nothing but a mild headache.”

  Edgar nodded. “That’s to be expected considering what the serum is attempting to do.”

  As Noah understood it, the serum would actually pinpoint the implant and attempt to neutralize the cells there, effectively destroying their ability to function, thus leaving Noah in his former—as God intended—state. If that happened he and Blue could have a life together. If it didn’t…

  “How will we know if it worked?” Noah hadn’t thought of that until now.

  “We’ll start by increasing the wattage of light in the room. We’ll do it in slow increments so as not to cause any pain or damage if the serum has failed.”

  Noah nodded. Sounded reasonable. But time consuming.

  “How long do we have to wait?”

  “I’d like to give the serum a full twenty-four hours to do its work.”

  Rothman checked Noah’s blood pressure again. “You’re staying amazingly calm,” he noted aloud.

  “I want this to work.” His gaze connected fully with Edgar’s. “There are things I want to do.”

  Rothman sighed. “I imagine there are.”

  The telephone rang. The sound set Noah’s nerves on edge. He forced himself to calm. It was probably some of Blue’s team wanting to know if she’d left yet.

  He nodded to the phone and said to Edgar, “Do you mind?”

  “Certainly not.” Edgar picked up the cordless handset just as it rang a third time and brought it to Noah.

  Noah depressed the Talk button. “Drake here.”

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d even answered a phone.

  “Hello, Drake, hope you’re doing well this morning.”

  Ice slid through Noah’s veins.

  General Regan Bonner.

  “What do you want?” Noah demanded, his teeth clenched in rage. He could very well be on the verge of getting his life back. He didn’t want this sick SOB interfering…not now that Noah actually had a reason to want it back.

  “I want to make you pay for what you took from me,” Bonner said as if Noah should have known the answer without asking. “Five years of my life. Not to mention my wife and daughter, neither of whom will even speak to me now.”

  “That was your own doing,” Noah lashed out.

  The bastard laughed. “I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that one. Now, let’s get down to business. I’m at the cart-rental warehouse near the dock. You leave now and come straight here and we’ll set this matter to rights.”

  Near the dock! Blue would be there about now, catching a ride from Mr. Venable. Chester had made the arrangements.

  “No,” Noah demanded. “You come here.”

  Another evil laugh. “I don’t think so, Drake. This is my war, we’ll fight it on my terms. Now, you have ten minutes to get here or I’ll slit your girlfriend’s throat. Or maybe I’ll just poke out those pretty blue eyes and then slit her throat later.”

  Fear knotted in Noah’s gut.

  Too late.

  He had Blue already.

  “I’m on my way.” Noah dropped the telephone and stood. He ripped off the tape holding the needle in his arm and removed it, wincing at the sting.

  “What are you doing?” Edgar looked flustered. “Who was that on the phone?”

  “Give me your keys.”

  “What?”

  “You rented that old truck you arrived in from someone. It’s still there. I saw it when I came back a couple hours ago. You must still have the keys.”

  Edgar reached into his pocket and removed the keys. “Tell me what’s happened. Where is it you’re going?”

  Noah leveled a gaze on him that let him know there would be no more questions. “The general is here. He’s got Blue.”

  He snatched the keys and headed for the front door.

  “Wait!” Edgar shouted, running past him to get to the door first. “It’s no more than twenty minutes or so until sunrise.”

  Noah reached for the lock and the doorknob simultaneously. “I don’t have a choice.”

  Edgar stayed his hand when he would have opened the door. “What if—?”

  “Step out of my way, Rothman.”

  Edgar blinked, the lethal tone Noah had used getting through. He nodded, then stepped aside. “I’ve done all I can.”

  Noah looked at him one last time before leaving. The man was behaving even more bizarrely than normal. “Call Director Casey. See if he can get some of his people back here. Hell, call the sheriff. Chester’s probably hurt out there, if not dead. They’re holding her at the rental warehouse. Blue will need the backup in case Bonner…”

  He didn’t have to say the rest.

  NOAH DROVE to Weber’s general store and parked the truck. He’d passed Chester’s vehicle en route. The man was wounded but alive. Noah suffered a moment of vertigo now as he climbed out. The damned serum was starting to play havoc with his senses. He could see and hear normally, but he suffered a number of visual disturbances. Depth perception and the like.

  The sun hovered just beneath the horizon. Already pink and gold hues were streaking across the sky. He had to hurry. As quickly as he dared, he moved toward the warehouse. Once he’d found a suitable route of entrance, he concentrated hard to invoke the chameleon process.

  Within five seconds his exposed flesh was as dark as the night. He knew a moment of regret. Well, at least he didn’t have to wonder or harbor false hope. Edgar’s serum had failed to even slow down the process. At the moment, rescuing Blue was all that mattered. Noah had never really held out hope that his condition could be changed. Forcing all other thought from his mind, he entered the building.

  “BEFORE DRAKE DIES, I want him to watch you die a slow, painful death,” the general said to Blue.

  He leaned down, putting his face close to hers. “Perhaps then we’ll be almost even. But I won’t rest until the sun rises and destroys him once and for all.”

  She spat in the man’s face and told him what he could do as far as she was concerned.

  He slapped her so hard she barely remained conscious. Stars appeared behind her closed lids. At least she’d had her say. Five of his cohorts were standing by, anticipating Noah’s ar
rival. There could be more, but she’d only counted five. She had to stay alert so that she could attempt to help Noah when he arrived. She’d worked until the ropes binding her hands were somewhat looser. The skin was rubbed raw at her wrists, it stung like hell but the blood would facilitate her ability to slip free. Except she had to be careful that no one noticed what she was up to.

  The light in the warehouse was not bright by any means, but it was stronger than the watts Noah could take, she was sure. She didn’t want to think what kind of pain Noah would endure just coming inside. And then, if they survived, he would not be able to leave since the sun would be up. What was she saying? Rothman’s serum could be killing him already. He’d said only a ten-percent risk of harmful side effects, but he could be wrong. If only she could break free and escape before Noah arrived…or in time to help him if he needed her. A part of her hoped he didn’t come.

  She might still escape without any assistance.

  Surely Rothman would know what to do if things took a turn for the worse with the serum.

  One of the general’s men grunted and suddenly crumpled to the floor.

  All eyes turned in that direction.

  Nothing. No one was there.

  Noah was here.

  Blue struggled harder to free her hands. Though she was unarmed, she could fight.

  Another guard dropped.

  All hell broke loose then.

  The remaining men scrambled to fight what they couldn’t see. The general shouted orders.

  Then the unexpected happened. Noah was suddenly standing right in front of the general for all to see.

  He held the .38 Blue had left behind aimed right at the general’s forehead. “Tell them to let her go,” Noah commanded, his tone soft but unmistakably dangerous.

  Tears welled in Blue’s eyes at the sight of him. Her heart hurtled into double-time. He’d come for her. But it would surely cost him his life.