Hard Target

by Barbara Phinney

  "You don't. And we're not going to talk about it."

  The tone was all he needed to convey his demand. Dawna gritted her teeth. "Is that an order?"

  Tay stared down at the sink for a minute, as if weighing the consequences of his answer. Finally, he pivoted. "Yes, it is."

  Her face hot, she stood. "Well, then, I should let you go. I'm sure you'll be busy all day tomorrow checking my security protocols." She brushed by him, heading for the sink.

  "Dawna..." He reached for her. She tried to duck out of the way, but he was faster. Gripping both her elbows, he pulled her in close. The cell phone in his jacket pocket jabbed into her.

  She stiffened with warning. "Don't do this, Tay."

  He frowned and pulled out the phone. After he placed it on the counter, he pressed himself closer to her. "Why not?" If he'd tried to be alluring, with that soft, compelling tone, he was using the wrong tactic.

  She remained rigid. "You're here in an official capacity. This isn't going to be a continuation of three years ago."

  "I know. I also know you believe you have to be the best. To show your unit one black mark on your record hasn't stopped you from being the best."

  "It hasn't." She wanted to move out of his embrace, to remind him he'd been the reason she had a black mark on her record in the first place. But all the warm, stirring emotions she'd tried so hard to suppress melted her angry retort.

  And, she told herself, if she was going to get the truth from Tay, she shouldn't be detected him and shoving him away.

  She hated herself for the sudden subterfuge she'd suggested to herself. In all honesty, she wanted him to hold her, to touch her. Even though he'd betrayed her three years ago, even though he was here to find fault in her work, she still ached for his embrace. Oh yes, self-hatred was rampant.

  No. Maybe it was just the human touch she wanted. Maybe she'd lived with distrust and closed herself off for so long, the rubber band had snapped back.

  Well, it could snap all it wanted. She was a trained soldier. She had self-discipline, and this conversation, her next action, would prove it. She could control her emotions, and she would not resort to wiles to get the truth. S

  "Dawna, the way you bounced back, the fact Ambassador Legace picked you, shows everyone how far you've come." He lowered his head, stopping when his mouth barely hovered over her own. "You've done nothing to be ashamed of, Dawna."

  She flared up and pulled back. "Of course I haven't! Except that I broke one of the CO's cardinal rules and acted like a teenager with too many hormones. And you did, too."

  "I'm not talking about that. But you want to know something? That memory's kept me from going insane all these years. Sometimes, it's made me insane."

  His direct reference to the shared passion hit her hard. Her breath lodged in her throat and she tried to swallow it down. All she could manage was a gasp.

  Tay shifted to her left slightly, letting his mouth brush against her temple. "Now tell me that memory has kept you alive for the last three years, too."

  Oh, how could he have known that? "It has," she murmured. "It's made me want to be better, stronger than I'd ever been."

  And at the same time, it made her weak. The memory of his hot touch, the way he'd held her, the raw honesty of his kiss, all numbed her to any emotional relationship. She couldn't date any other man fairly.

  He turned her head to find her mouth.

  All resolve straightened from her. Time had come to feel something in her life besides her work. She wanted to be so driven by desire and need that she could forget all the responsibilities of her job, her career. Of the embassy.

  Just for one short moment. Surely no one would begrudge her that?

  Tay met her mouth with his, using so little force to part her lips, that it was laughable. She wanted his tongue in her mouth, and she gratefully accepted it. For now, this minute, she revived a slumbering hunger.

  She had wanted to consummate her budding relationship with Tay. That night, in his car, three years ago, she'd been half-drunk and dizzy with need. She didn't care. Throughout the years since, she kept it under total control, afraid to acknowledge it and when she did, she told herself it was nothing but a physical need, with no substance.

  Not tonight. She wanted to connect with Tay in a way that was more than physical. She grabbed his head and answered his kiss, telling him without words what she wanted him to know.

  Tay hauled her closer. His lips trailed away from hers and down her throat. She could feel the heat of his mouth on her tender flesh. The growl of his guttural answer to the passion that vibrated through her.

  She shakily drew in the fading scent of his aftershave, hidden in the heat of his skin. Was this just physical or did it mean more to him? She couldn't tell. Should she–

  The piercing ring of her cell phone cut through her. She stiffened. "Don't answer that," Tay said against her lips.

  But old habits were hard to break. She couldn't ignore her work. Reluctantly, she pried herself free of Tay's firm embrace.

  "Hello?" she said, stepping away from Tay to pull together her focus.

  "Sergeant Atkinson?" It was Marconi, rushing out almost indecipherable words. "I must tell you. The ambassador has become ill. The ambulance takes him now to the hospital." Marconi's accent always got heavier the more excited he became.

  "Slow down. Tell me what happened." She pierced Tay with the sharp glare. He took several long-legged strides to stand beside her.

  "The ambassador returned after supper to see if you had finished your report," Marconi blurted out. "He sat in your office, and then, suddenly, he was on the floor. I was ready to leave. My shift was over and I stopped in and there he was...how do you say...sleeping? Unconscious?"

  "Yes. Unconscious." Her words forced a frown to crease Tay's forehead. She gripped her phone so tight it hurt. "We're on our way to the hospital." With that, she hung up.

  Having left her little car at the embassy that morning, they took a taxi to the hospital. On the way, she filled Tay in with what few details Marconi had given her.

  Her heart pounding in her throat, she located Julie, the ambassador's wife, and their teenage son, John. Beside them was one of the ambassador's bodyguards, an escolta named Camile. The other bodyguard who protected Julie was standing nearby. Thankfully, Camile's English was excellent, and immediately, he filled in all the nerve-wrecking details.

  "I followed the ambassador into your office, but I returned to the security office to speak with Marconi. We talked for a few minutes and then Marconi went to say goodbye to the ambassador. We found him on the floor."

  Julie Legace stood, her fingers tightly entwined with her son's, forcing him to rise also. She looked older than her years as she added, "They thought he was having a heart attack. But Dawna, you know he works out. He's in the best shape of any of us. He can't be having a heart attack!"

  Camile spoke again, glancing at Tay and then back to Dawna. "The doctor says he appears to have some kind of heart arrhythmia-"

  Tay grabbed the man, stopping his words. "Heart arrhythmia? Are you sure?"

  Julie spoke up, her voice spiked with panic. "Yes! His blood pressure suddenly dropped and his heart began to race. They don't know why." She tossed a panicked look around. "Do you know something?"

  Tay looked at Camile. "Did the ambassador eat or drink anything when he was in Dawna's office?"

  "I don't know."

  Dawna turned to Julie's escolta, Fernandez. "Go back to the embassy and look in my office and in the ambassador's for anything he may have ingested. In my desk drawers, the kitchenette downstairs, the garbage cans, everywhere. Bring back my coffee mug and his, too, okay?" After he left, she faced Julie. "Did anyone check his pockets? Maybe he has a wrapper that might tell us what he ate."

  "Are you saying he was poisoned?"

  "I don't know." She grabbed Julie's hand. "But everyone knows I always have some piece of junk food in my desk. And the ambassador often comes into my office to look fo
r a memo or something. He may have decided to eat one of my chocolate bars. We'll find out."

  "I don't see why. Dennis had just finished supper. The only thing he has in the evening is a cup of herbal tea. He never, ever eats after supper! He says it goes straight to his middle."

  Tay pulled Dawna's arm away from Julie. "We should tell the doctor to check the ambassador's potassium levels."

  "Potassium!" Julie interrupted. "My God, they use that in IVs! They were about to give him one!"

  Dawna spun around to face Camile. "Go! Find the doctor and tell him to check for potassium overdose. Now!" Dawna would have done it herself, but she wanted the instructions to be clearly understood. Camile shot away from the frenzied group and disappeared through the swinging doors that led to the emergency room.

  Dawna led Julie her back to her seat in the busy waiting room. Her son remained close by her side. Many of the others sitting there watched in open curiosity, but Dawna knew most wouldn't have understood them.

  Tay sat across from them. His voice calm, he spoke. "Mrs. Legace, we believe the man who was wanted in connection with the shooting the other day has died from some kind of potassium poisoning. That's not to say the ambassador is the target, but we can't rule it out. Did anyone know he was going back to the embassy after supper?"

  "No. He decided it while we were eating." She turned to Dawna. "He was worried about you."

  Dawna tried to swallow the knot in her throat, but it stayed lodged in there. She clung to Julie's hand. Somewhere in the tight group, a cell phone rang. Julie struggled to dig it out of her purse.

  "For you, Dawna," she said after she answered it. "It's Fernandez."

  Dawna took the phone. After listening for a moment, she hung up. "He found my mug, with some tea still in the bottom of it. And a used teabag in the garbage. He's bringing them in."

  "Have you had any of this tea?" Tay asked.

  Dawna shrugged. "I won't know until I see the teabag or its wrapper. I have an occasional cup of coca tea in the afternoon, but there are plenty of different kinds floating around the embassy. Most of them are in the coffee room."

  Tay nodded. A few, quiet moments later, Camile returned. Behind him was another man, whom Camile introduced as the doctor on call.

  The doctor sat down beside Tay and stared across at Julie Legace. His expression was grim.

  Julie burst into tears.

  Chapter Twelve

  The doctor took Julie's hand and patted it. "Your husband is still in intensive care, Señora," he told her. "I'm sorry, but we haven't yet been able to stabilize his heartbeat." He looked up at both Tay and Dawna. "I believe he does have too much potassium in his blood. He has all the symptoms. Don't worry, the IV we're giving him has none. All we can hope for now is that his system eliminates it naturally."

  "If he ingested it, can't you pump his stomach?" Dawna asked.

  The doctor shook his head. "No, he's still unconscious and we don't induce vomiting with potassium overdose, anyway. Right now, we must wait to see if he's strong enough to fight this. I'm sorry I can't give you any better news."

  Julie leaned forward. "Can I see him?"

  "In a little while, I think."

  After the doctor left, Tay watched Dawna sag in the chair beside Julie Legace, as pale as the ambassador's wife.

  Someone poisoned Cabanelos, and someone had is now poisoned the ambassador. What was the connection between the two men?

  Tay refused to speculate until they had more information. But still, another realization hit him hard. It could have been Dawna who was poisoned. If it hadn't been for that accident outside the police station, they might have returned to the embassy. And being the afternoon, Dawna might have chosen to drink a cup of tea. And that tea might have been tampered with.

  She sat mutely, her forehead scrunched into a frown and her mouth a tight line. To the world, she looked angry, but Tay knew differently. Dawna was worried, frustrated, and, he knew, growing more determined by the second.

  The ambassador meant a lot to her. This was more than a good working relationship. The respect ran both ways. Dennis Legace was a decent, intelligent diplomat whose trust didn't come easily. Dawna had his trust. Tay knew that. It was also returned.

  Yeah. Dawna respected and trusted the ambassador. Hadn't he given her a chance to redeem herself when no one else would?

  And now that man was near death.

  The blow must be staggering for her.

  Tay sighed, glancing around the busy waiting room, barely hearing the PA as it garbled out something. In the distance, a baby cried.

  The embassy had been Dawna's chance to show her unit she could do a good job even when they didn't think so. This embassy was a difficult assignment, far more than a quiet, northern posting.

  He looked over at her again. Her expression had changed. Defeat now marched as over her. He sagged inwardly. If her unit pulled her from this embassy, would she retire from her lifelong goal? Ambassador Legace had treated her without prejudice, when no one else had.

  Not even you, Hastings. He'd been attracted to Dawna's fantastic body, her beautiful, smooth features, her driven, passionate nature. And yet, he hadn't treated her fairly at all.

  He stood abruptly. "I need some air. I'll be right back." Outside the well-lit main entrance, he inhaled the smells of the city around him. Though it had snowed in the mountains, down here Cochabamba enjoyed a near perfect climate. The winter's night felt practically balmy. In a small green space, a few short palms danced in the evening breeze.

  He still wasn't treating Dawna fairly, Tay decided, by refusing to tell her why Martin might be following him. It probably had nothing to do with the embassy, but he should have trusted her enough to tell her the truth.

  Despite that, he still couldn't tell her anything. Too many lives were at risk. He'd taken an oath to ensure the ultra-secret mission stayed ultra-secret. With drugs, despots and politics, the op was one of the CIA's most important assignments.

  But, damn it, he would find out for sure what Martin wanted. The bumbling idiot would be easy to find. The guy was obviously not one of the finer operatives. Like any government agency, the CIA had its share of asses. He'd learned that fact at an early age, watching his father, a man who didn't know when to take off the uniform and be a human being again. Tay would find Martin and get the truth from him. He'd worked for the CIA. He knew all their tricks. Finding Martin should be a breeze.

  An ambulance roared up to the front door, and Tay scooted out of its way. He scanned the narrow street, wondering if the traffic would ease as the evening wore on.

  Something poked him in the lower back. "Stay still, Hastings," a scratchy voice growled at his neck. "Or you'll have a bullet in your spine."

  Tay froze. "What do you want?"

  "To take a walk. Let's go."

  They started walking, the man so close behind him that Tay could smell his unwashed body. Once, as he threaded through the thinning pedestrians, he tried to catch a glimpse of the man.

  "Keep looking forward."

  "Where are we going?"

  "Never mind."

  The guy had an American accent. Tay glanced out the corner of his eye. Across the street was a long, dark section of mirrored glass. A neon sign lit the sidewalk above the pair announcing the name of the hospital and Tay caught a glimpse of the man.

  Young, slim, brown hair. Joseph Martin.

  Well, the guy was easy to find, at least.

  "Dawna!"

  Dawna looked up. Lucy trotted toward them, ducking around a gurney that cut in front of her in her haste to reach them.

  Glancing around, Dawna searched for Tay, but decided he still must be outside. She frowned. The man didn't like hospitals, that was for sure, but hadn't he seen Lucy arrive? Wouldn't he follow her inside?

  Lucy skidded to a stop, panting with agitation. "I just got word about the ambassador! What happened?"

  Dawna glanced at Julie, who looked in no condition to explain his. "His heart,"
Dawna answered vaguely. "He had some kind of attack."

  As soon as the words left her mouth, Dawna hit on a terrible thought. If Dennis Legace had been poisoned by her tea, then someone who had access to the embassy must have planted it there. One of sixteen on staff. That one could be Lucy.

  "He had a heart attack?" Lucy looked appalled. "He's in such good shape. He's younger than I am!"

  "We don't know what happened," Dawna pointed out. "He's in intensive care right now. We're waiting for Julie to be allowed in to see him."

  Lucy looked at Julie. "I'm so sorry." She wrung her hands until they were a mottled red. Tears glistened in her eyes as she jerked her anxious stare around the waiting room. Was it the memory of losing her own husband, all those years ago, that made this visit so difficult for her?

  Maybe not. After all, someone may have tampered with the tea. Someone inside the embassy, like Lucy, who might have wanted the ambassador or her dead. Dawna kept her face neutral. Was that what worried Lucy? That she might be next? Or caught in a murderous act?

  "Take my seat, Lucy," Dawna suggested, standing up. "Would anyone like a drink? Maybe a Coke?"

  John Legace nodded. Both Lucy and Julie shook their heads. Dawna scanned the room. A set of vending machines stood at the far end. When she returned, John and Julie were gone.

  "Where are they?" she asked Lucy.

  "The doctor said they could visit the ambassador for a few minutes."

  Setting the Coke on a nearby table, she sat down beside Lucy. "It must be hard for you to be here."

  Lucy snapped her head over. "Why do you say that?"

  "You lost your husband, didn't you? Was it in a hospital? I think it would be scary to come in here and be reminded of it."

  Lucy's expression softened. Tears filled her pale eyes again, and she fumbled with her tissue. "William died in a hospital, yes. But that wasn't why I was upset. The ambassador's a good man. He doesn't deserve this."