“All right, I won’t argue anymore. But I want to go down on record as saying that I’m not in the least happy about it.”
She grinned. “I’ll make a note of it.”
Restless now, she was anxious to get the whole thing over with. It seemed like years since she had been living a normal life, going to work every day in her plush new office, coming home to relax in front of the TV.
She wondered if she would ever be able to go back to that complacent life-style. She had a feeling that things would never be the same again, and it wasn’t entirely due to her feelings for Nat.
Looking back on the last few days, she realized that she’d actually enjoyed the adventure, even though she’d been scared to death at times. She felt more alive now than she ever remembered, and it was going to be very hard to come down to earth when this was over.
As if echoing her thoughts, Alex said abruptly, “You’ve changed.”
She had to smile. “I’m not surprised. My face is probably black and blue, I’ve been in the sun for hours without my sunscreen, and my nails will never be the same again.”
Alex shook his head. “I don’t mean that. I mean you’ve changed. You seem more aggressive, more determined.”
“More stubborn?”
“You’ve always been stubborn.”
“Thanks.”
“No...” He waved his hand in the air as if trying to think of the words. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that you seem to have acquired a self-reliance in the last few days that I’ve never seen before. You’ve lost that vulnerable look you used to have, as if you were afraid everyone was out to get you.”
“Everyone is, now.”
“That’s what I mean. The old you would have crumbled in the face of everything you’ve gone through. Yet here you are, talking about marching into the lion’s den with nothing but a cookie in your hand.”
“I don’t think Nat would care to be referred to as a cookie.”
Alex shook his head in impatience. “You know what I mean.”
She relented. “Yes, I do. I feel different. I feel as if nothing can stop me now. Whatever comes along, I can handle it. I guess I have Nat to thank for that. He gave me confidence in myself.”
“He must be one hell of a guy.”
Valeri colored. “He is. Just don’t tell him that. He’s got a big enough opinion of himself as it is.”
“I think he’d like to hear it from you.”
Her stab of pain was swift and excruciating. “Ever the romantic. Forget it, Alex. It’s just not in the cards.”
“Too bad,” Alex murmured. “You two would have been an interesting combination.”
“I doubt if interesting would begin to describe it.” She tensed as the roar of an engine outside warned her that Nat was back. “Alex,” she said urgently, “forget about Nat and me. Please. There just isn’t any chance, and I’m okay with that.” The door opened just then, cutting off Alex’s reply. But Valeri knew by the way he looked at her that he wasn’t convinced. Sooner or later he would be, when Nat took off on his next adventure. Now all she had to do was convince herself that she could live without him. That would probably be the hardest thing she’d ever done in her life.
Chapter 12
“I’ll have to wire you,” Nat said, as he unpacked the small box he’d carried in. “It’s awkward to try it yourself.”
Valeri’s heart quickened. “All right. Where do you want me?”
Nat glanced at Alex. “In the bathroom, I guess. You’ll have to take off your shirt.”
“Oh, right.” She headed for the bathroom, trying not to notice the sudden tension in the room.
“We won’t be a minute,” Nat muttered to Alex.
“That’s okay, take your time.” Alex’s voice sounded casual, but Valeri could tell he was aware of her discomfort.
She waited for Nat to come into the bathroom with her, then half closed the door. Her pulse jumped when Nat shut it all the way. He must have caught her wary expression, because he said quietly, “I didn’t want your father to hear what I have to say.”
She pulled a face. “If you’re going to stress how dangerous this is, I already know it. I’m not going to change my mind, Nat. No matter what you have to say. So you might just as well save your breath.”
The concern on his face when he looked at her warmed her heart. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t know how well I’ll be able to guard you if something goes wrong, or if I have to leave without you. I only agreed to go along with this crazy idea because I was afraid you’d try it on your own. But now I’ve had time to think about it—”
She went up on her toes and gave him a swift kiss on the lips. “I’m going, Nat. Now get this stuff on me.”
He shook his head. “You are one stubborn woman.”
She smiled. “Yep.”
“And a gutsy one.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I do. Take off your shirt.”
He made a big deal of sorting through the components on the counter while she unbuttoned her shirt. She slipped out of it and laid it on the counter, feeling self-conscious as she met his gaze in the mirror.
“I’ll tape the transmitter under your arm,” he said, showing her the small, flat box. “I think the microphone will have to go inside your bra so it won’t be seen in the neck of your shirt.”
Her heart thumped so hard she was certain he heard it as she lifted her arm for him to tape the box to her side. His fingers brushed her skin and she jumped.
“You okay?”
“Sure. Just antsy, I guess.”
“That’s understandable. Just don’t freeze on me when the time comes. If you think you can’t do it, for God’s sake tell me before we go in.”
“I’ll do it.” She could barely speak. His mouth was inches from her shoulder. She could feel his warm breath on her bare flesh, his fingers against her skin. The urge to tell him she loved him was almost irresistible.
Knowing what a mistake that would be, she bit back the words. Nat wasn’t looking for love. And she couldn’t give him what he was looking for.
“Okay, turn around.”
She turned to face him, and his gaze moved down to her breasts. “I guess we can tuck this in here,” he muttered, “but I’ll tape it to make sure.”
She held her breath while he tore off the tape with his teeth, then placed the microphone against the curve of her breast. The back of his knuckles pressed into the tender flesh as he attempted to tape the tiny microphone in place.
She couldn’t breathe at all now. Her throat hurt with the effort of preventing any sound from escaping. Nat seemed to be having as much trouble as she was. The microphone slipped and he swore.
“Here,” he said, handing it to her, “see if you can do it. I’m used to wiring men, not women. I’m too worried about hurting you.”
She let out her breath in a rush and took the tiny instrument from him. After a moment or two she had the microphone secured, hidden just below the line of her bra. “That should do it,” she said with relief.
“Good. Now put your shirt back on and let me take a look. That fabric might be too soft to hide the lines. You might have to wear the other one.”
“I hope not,” Valeri said, wrinkling her nose. “It’s not clean.”
“This isn’t the time to get picky on me.” He studied her figure with a detachment that might at any other time have been insulting.
His professionalism reassured her. If she had to do something really dangerous like this, she couldn’t think of a better person to have by her side.
“Move around a bit, swing your arms, touch your hair, whatever,” Nat murmured, watching her as she did as he asked. “It looks okay. I think you’ll pass. Now let’s get Alex and get on the road.” He opened the door for her and she walked past him into the room.
“All set?” Alex asked, glancing at Nat.
“She’ll do just fine.” Nat looked at his watch. “Ar
e we ready?”
“I guess so.” Alex looked at Valeri. “You’re sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure,” she said, giving him a smile.
Although he didn’t look convinced, he didn’t say any more, and she led the way out the door, praying that she wouldn’t freak out and let Nat down.
It was getting dark by the time Nat parked the truck in the forecourt of the gas station. After thoroughly checking around to make sure that there were no surprises waiting for them, Valeri got Alex settled in a corner of the ramshackle building with the cushions and bedclothes she’d borrowed from the motel.
As always, the heat of the summer afternoon had cooled considerably, and she shivered when the damp chill in the air penetrated her shirt.
“Are you okay?” Nat asked as she straightened from her task. “You don’t have to go through with this, you know. We can always go back to plan A.”
Surprised that he’d noticed her shudder, she gave him a quick smile. “Just cold, that’s all. I’ll be fine when we’re back in the truck.” She refused to admit, even to herself, that her insides felt like jelly. The slightest indication that she was losing her nerve and Nat would call it off. She had no doubts about that.
Nat gave her a searching look, then, apparently satisfied, turned back to Alex. “Okay, we have our watches synchronized. Wait twenty minutes, then call the police. If they leave Carson City right away, they’ll be here in about ten to fifteen minutes. That gives us thirty minutes or so to get to the mansion. It should be enough.”
Alex nodded, his face looking pinched in the half light. “You will take care of my little girl, won’t you? She’s all I’ve got, you know.”
“I’ll guard her with my life,” Nat said, reaching down to shake Alex’s hand. “I’ve seen Valeri think on her feet. She’s more resourceful than you think.”
“Don’t worry, Alex.” Valeri dropped on her knees beside him. “Sabhad is not going to shoot us on sight. He wants the disks, and he’ll need us alive until he knows where they are. By that time the police will be there.”
“I hope you’re right. I hope they listen to me. I—”
She shut him up with a finger on his lips. “I love you, Pop. Just look after yourself until we get back, okay?”
“I love you, too, honey.”
She kissed him on his cheek, then got hurriedly to her feet. “Okay,” she said brightly, “let’s go do this.”
She followed Nat out the door, and climbed back into the truck. Without Alex wedged between them, there seemed to be a lot of space between her and Nat. She would have liked to draw closer, but was afraid he’d interpret that as nervousness.
He looked at her once as he fired the engine, then concentrated on the road while he pulled onto the highway and headed once more for the mountains.
They passed little traffic on the way up, and in record time turned into the narrow road that led up to Sabhad’s mansion. Nat said little, and Valeri was content to watch the stars popping out in the night sky. She refused to let herself think about anything.
Now that they were actually on the way, her nerves seemed to have vanished. High on adrenaline, she could feel her heartbeat racing, but apart from that she felt a strange feeling of calm inside, as if she were removed from her body and watching herself from a distance.
It didn’t seem all that strange that she was taking part in a dangerous mission. She had lived with danger practically from the moment she had woken up in the hospital with her memory impaired; from the moment she had set eyes on the tough, rugged-looking stranger who had come to mean so much to her.
She glanced at his profile out of the corner of her eye. He sat staring straight ahead, his strong, capable hands on the wheel, his face expressionless. Pretty much as she’d first seen him the day he’d kidnapped her.
It all seemed so long ago now. A million years ago. She had been a different person then, and no matter how much she may hurt after he’d gone, she would always be grateful to him for revealing to her the real person trapped inside her. Her life would be different because of him—because of who she’d become in the last few days.
“You okay?”
His deep voice, coming out of the darkness at her, made her jump. “I’m fine,” she murmured. “I’m looking forward to the acting job of my life. I have to pretend I hate you if we’re going to convince Sabhad you’re bringing me back against my will.”
“I know. I intended to go over that with you before we went in. You should have no problem in pulling it off. After all, you’ve had enough practice.”
She glanced at him. “I never did hate you, exactly. I was afraid of you, at first.”
“And mad as a hornet, if I remember.”
She smiled. “You were pretty high-handed, dragging me off in your car, insisting that I go back to my husband.”
“To your daughters,” he corrected. “I didn’t give a damn about your so-called husband.”
“I wonder whose daughters they are. Do you think they’re Sabhad’s? He must have a wife—from what the guard said when we got there.”
“I can’t imagine a man like him being the father of those two beautiful little girls.”
There was a wistful note in his voice that tugged at Valeri’s heart. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Nathan Thorne wasn’t as indifferent as he liked to appear. She wondered again what it was that had soured him on marriage and family life. She would probably never know.
Nat glanced at his watch as they approached the final curve in the road. “We’re a little ahead of time,” he muttered. “I don’t want to go in too soon, in case the police get held up for some reason. Once we get closer they’ll hear us coming from a mile off. This damn engine sets up enough echoes to wake the devil.”
He pulled off onto a wide shoulder that passed behind a large outcrop of rock. They were practically invisible from the road, unless someone was right on top of them. He cut the engine and the roar shuddered into silence.
As keyed up as she was, Valeri was keenly aware of everything about him. The faint smell of the soap he’d used in the shower...the sound of his breathing...the slight creak of the seat when he shifted position.
The cooling engine cracked, making her jump.
“Getting nervous?” Nat asked softly.
She could see him clearly in the moonlight. He sat watching her, his expression guarded.
“A little.”
“Good. I’d worry if you didn’t feel at least apprehensive.”
“I just don’t think Sabhad would kill us in cold blood.”
“He didn’t seem to have any qualms about getting rid of your father’s assistant.”
She felt a spasm of fear. “I wonder why he killed Simpson?”
“Probably because he found out Simpson was going to spill the beans to your father.”
“Then why did Simpson let him into the lab?”
“I doubt that it was Sabhad who actually did the killing. He doesn’t strike me as a person willing to do his own dirty work. Simpson probably didn’t know the man sent to get rid of him.”
Valeri shuddered. “It must have been a dreadful shock for Alex, to find him like that.”
Nat studied her in silence for a moment. “Valeri, you don’t have to go through with this. There’s still time to change your mind. I can just leave you here and come back for you later.”
“I do have to go through with it, Nat. My father’s entire future is at stake. I won’t see him go to prison for something he didn’t do.”
“You do understand how dangerous it is? We’ll be in Sabhad’s house, surrounded by his men. There are no guarantees we’ll come out of this alive.”
She met his gaze. “I know. But I believe you can handle things until the police get there.”
“There are a lot of things that could go wrong. The broadcast might not get through. The police might not want to wait and listen. They might think it’s a put-up job to get Alex off the hook.”
“And
I could get killed the next time I drive around the block,” Valeri said stubbornly. “You don’t understand, Nat. I love my father. I’d do anything for him. I couldn’t bear the thought of him wasting away in a prison cell for something he didn’t do. I have to try, don’t you see?”
He looked away from her, his fingers drumming on the wheel. When he spoke again, his voice was hushed. “I hope he knows how much you love him.”
“I think he does. I like to think it’s returned.” How she longed to tell Nat that she loved him, too. In a different way, of course, but just as much. No, more. So much more.
The pain had started again, like a cold, hard knot in her stomach. Fate had given her one more adventure with Nat. If they came out of it alive—and somehow she couldn’t believe that they wouldn’t—then she would have to go on without him anyway. Nat would be gone from her life. This was the very last time she would be alone with him.
She squeezed back a tear, and took in her fill of him, committing every tiny detail to memory. The way his fingers curled over the wheel. The slant of his wide shoulders in the denim shirt. The way his hair curled slightly on his neck. The rugged lines of his profile, as jagged and harsh as the rocks all around them. The sensuous curve of his mouth, that could be so demanding, yet so very gentle.
He turned his head suddenly, surprising her. It was too late to look away. Too late to alter her expression. His eyes widened, and he stopped breathing.
For a long moment they stared at each other—neither moving, neither breathing. Then, with an abrupt movement, he grabbed her arms and pulled her close, his mouth finding hers in a deep, demanding kiss that drowned out everything except the fiery touch of his tongue flicking hers and the pounding of her heart.
Without lifting his head, he tugged open the buttons of her shirt and slipped his hand inside. She tensed, and tried to draw away from his mouth, but he held her there with his other hand, refusing to let her go.
She felt a thrill of excitement, and made herself relax. This would be the last time. She would not spoil it by resisting him now. She loved this man. She wanted him. She needed him the way she needed air to breathe.
The Mercenary And The Marriage Vow Page 19