The Waterfall

by Carla Neggers

He smiled. “Gladly.”

  She gave him an impish grin. “Let’s talk about my cats.”

  Sidney didn’t stay the night. They both had unusual Saturday meetings, but Jack knew that really wasn’t the issue. “I’m just not ready to hang my panty hose in a senator’s bathroom,” she said breezily, kissing him good-night.

  He remembered her counsel the next morning when he arrived in his office at eight and Barbara Allen, as ever, was at her desk. Before he could say a word, she gave him a bright smile. “Good morning, Senator.”

  “Good morning, Barbara. I thought you were still on vacation.”

  She waved a hand. “It was a few days off, not a vacation. I always planned to be back for this meeting. I know it’s important.”

  He smiled. “Well, then, how were your few days off?”

  “Perfect,” she said. “Just what I needed.”

  She flipped around in her chair and tapped a few keys on her computer. She looked great, Jack thought—relaxed, polished, professional, with none of the wild desperation that had made them both so uncomfortable the week before.

  Relief washed over him. A little time away had done the trick. He would follow Sidney’s advice and pretend nothing had happened. It wasn’t just a question of doing Barbara a favor—he was doing himself a favor, too. He needed her efficiency, knowledge and competence, her long years of experience.

  He headed into his private office. Thank God, she was back to her old self.

  Three

  “Bastian Redwing saved Daddy’s life?”

  Madison sighed at her brother with exaggerated patience. “It’s not Bastian. It’s Sebastian. And he saved Dad and Grandpa. Some other guy saved the president.”

  J.T. frowned. “How come I don’t remember?”

  “Because you weren’t born.”

  “Madison doesn’t remember, either,” Lucy said. “It happened before your dad and I were married.”

  “I read the articles,” Madison reminded her mother.

  J.T. kicked the back of her seat. They’d rented a car when they’d arrived in Jackson yesterday, and this morning Lucy had dutifully met with the western guides, who were wonderful and all but told her outright she had no business trying to expand out west. No surprise there.

  Afterwards, she’d almost talked herself out of following her hotel desk clerk’s directions to see Sebastian. Almost. She still had time to turn around and go back to Jackson.

  “Was it an assassination attempt?” J.T. asked. “Tell me!”

  Madison was horrified. “Mom, how does he know something like ‘assassination attempt’? That shouldn’t be in a twelve-year-old’s vocabulary.”

  J.T. snorted from the back seat. “Oh, yeah? Then how am I supposed to know about Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King? And President Kennedy and Julius Caesar?”

  “Julius Caesar?” Madison swung around at him. “You don’t know anything about Julius Caesar.”

  “He was stabbed in the back.”

  “You’re sick.”

  “You’re sick.”

  Lucy gripped the steering wheel. She was on a stretch of clear, straight road, trying to enjoy the breathtaking Wyoming scenery. The mountains surrounding the long, narrow valley, she thought, were incredible. She’d pointed out the different vegetation to Madison and J.T., explained about the altitude, the dry air. But they wanted to discuss Sebastian Redwing and how he’d saved their father’s life.

  Lucy gave up and told the story. “The president was giving a speech in Newport, Rhode Island. Someone got in with a gun and started firing. Sebastian knocked Grandpa and Dad to the floor, while the man he worked for at the time, Darren Mowery, tackled the shooter.”

  “Was anyone hurt?” J.T. asked.

  “Sebastian spotted a second shooter, who’d actually helped the other guy get inside. Sebastian, your dad and another man, Plato Rabedeneira, a parachute rescue jumper who was being honored, went after him. The man shot Plato in the shoulder, but it wasn’t serious.”

  “What happened to the shooter?”

  Lucy hesitated. “Sebastian killed him.”

  “Sebastian had a gun? Why?” J.T. was into the story now. “What was he doing there?”

  How to explain Sebastian Redwing? All J.T. knew about him was that he’d sold them their house. Lucy slowed the car. “Sebastian was a security consultant. He was very young—he and Darren Mowery, his boss, were after the shooter for some other reason. They had no idea they’d get mixed up in an attempt to assassinate the president of the United States.”

  “Dad, Plato and Sebastian all became friends,” Madison added. “Sebastian was the best man at Mom and Dad’s wedding.”

  J.T. was hopelessly confused. “I don’t get it.”

  His sister moaned. “What is there to ‘get’?”

  “Sebastian has his own company now, J.T.,” Lucy said. “Redwing Associates. It’s based here in Wyoming. He and Plato and Dad weren’t able to see as much of each other as they’d have liked.”

  That seemed to satisfy her son.

  “At least Sebastian had the sense to get out of Vermont,” Madison said.

  They came to a cluster of log buildings set in a grassy, rolling meadow. No marker announced this was the base and main training facility for Redwing Associates, an international investigative and security firm with clients ranging from business executives and government officials to high-profile entertainers and sports figures. Many came here, to Wyoming, to learn for themselves how to assess, prevent and manage the risks they faced, whether it was kidnapping, assassination, corporate espionage, disgruntled ex-employees, obsessed fans or computer fraud.

  Security was subtle but not unnoticeable. When Lucy came to the end of the long, winding driveway, a man in casual western attire introduced himself. “I’m Jim Charger, Mrs. Swift. I’ll take care of your car. Mr. Rabedeneira is expecting you.”

  She tried to smile. “Plato Rabedeneira?”

  Jim Charger didn’t return her smile. “That’s right, ma’am.”

  What was Plato doing here? And why was he expecting her? Lucy fought off a rush of uneasiness. “Well, I guess you guys really are that good, aren’t you?”

  Still no smile. “Your children can stay out here with me or go in with you. Your choice.”

  “They’ll go with me.”

  He motioned for her to go into the sprawling main house, its rustic log construction deceiving. This was no ordinary ranch house. No expense had been spared in its furnishings of wood, leather and earth-colored fabrics. The views were astounding. Not one square inch of it reminded her of Sebastian’s roots in southern Vermont.

  Plato joined her in the living room, in front of a massive stone fireplace. He took both her hands and kissed her on the cheek. “Hello, Lucy. I heard you were in the area.”

  “You must have spies on every corner.”

  “Not every corner.”

  He laughed, dropping her hands. He was a dark-haired, dark-eyed, intensely handsome man who’d worked his way out of a very tough Providence neighborhood into a very tough profession, where he’d excelled. He’d helped his mother, who’d raised him alone, earn her college degree; she was now a professor at a community college, and one of Jack Swift’s constituents.

  Colin, Lucy thought, had never been tempted to jump out of a helicopter into the teeth of a storm to rescue fishermen and yachters. He had been content with his work at the State Department and testing himself on the tennis court—which had killed him.

  “When did you start working for Redwing Associates?” Lucy asked.

  “I was injured in a rescue jump eighteen months ago. When I woke up from surgery, my summons from Sebastian was waiting for me.” He turned to Madison and J.T., both obviously enthralled. “Well, you two have grown up. It’s great to see you.”

  He was so charming, Lucy thought. She would feel safe if she had to dangle from a rescue helicopter over churning seas with him. Colin had been well-mannered and kind, a man people tended to like a
utomatically. Sebastian Redwing, she thought, was none of the above. He wasn’t charming, well-mannered, kind or likeable. He wouldn’t care about making her or anyone else feel safe. That, he would say, was up to them. He was just very, very good at what he did.

  “You kids want a grand tour of the place?” Plato asked. “Go back out front. Tell Mr. Charger I’d like him to show you around.”

  The prospect of a tour clearly excited J.T. more than it did Madison, who seemed transfixed by her father’s ultra-fit, very good-looking friend. But she went along with her brother, and Lucy suddenly felt self-conscious, even a little foolish. Redwing Associates dealt with real threats and real dangers. Kidnapping, extortion, terrorist attacks. Not late-night hang-ups and bullets dropped through an open car window.

  “You’re looking well, Lucy,” Plato said, eyeing her.

  “Thanks.”

  “How’s Vermont?”

  “Great—I have my own adventure travel company. It’s doing surprisingly well for a relatively new company.”

  “I don’t get adventure travel, I’ll admit.”

  She smiled. “That’s because you’ve had to clean up after too many adventures gone wrong. Safety is our first priority, you’ll be glad to know.”

  He moved to the leather chair, and she noticed his slight limp. It would never do in the demanding world he’d left, and at Redwing Associates, it would keep him behind a desk.

  He dropped onto the couch, his expression turning serious. “You want to tell me why you’re here?”

  “I had business in Jackson. I just thought I’d stop in and say hello.”

  “You didn’t know I’d be here,” he pointed out.

  “I know, but Sebastian—”

  “Lucy. Come on. Since when would you or anyone else make a special trip to say hello to Sebastian?”

  She sat on the edge of a wood-armed chair, thinking it would be nice if she could just sit here and visit with an old friend, reminisce about the past, forget the bullet hole in her dining room wall.

  Of course, Plato would see through her halfhearted story. Cold feet were probably common in both his past and current work.

  At least Plato had sent flowers and written a card when Colin died. He couldn’t get away for the funeral, he said, but if she ever needed anything, she had only to let him know. He’d be there. Colin had trusted him, too. But, possibly because of the different nature of their work—or their personalities—it was Sebastian he’d made her promise to go to if she ever needed help.

  “Has he changed?” she asked.

  “That depends on your point of view. Look,” Plato said, “why don’t you tell me what’s going on. Then we can figure out what to do about it.”

  Meaning, whether she needed to bring it to Sebastian’s attention.

  Lucy twisted her hands together. At home, in her business, she was at ease, confident, capable. This was foreign ground for her. Sebastian Redwing and Plato Rabedeneira had been her husband’s friends. She and Colin had fallen in love so fast, marrying within two months of their first date. Madison had come along the next year. Then J.T. And then Colin was gone.

  She really didn’t know Plato or Sebastian.

  “Lucy?”

  “It’s silly. I’m being silly, and I know it. So please feel free to pat me on the head and send me back to Vermont.” She leveled her eyes on him. “Trust me, you’d be doing me a favor.”

  “Well, before I do any head-patting, why don’t you tell me what’s going on first. Okay?”

  She nodded, gulped in a breath and told him everything. She kept her tone unemotional and objective, and left out nothing except her own reactions, the palpable sense of fear, the nausea.

  When she finished, she managed another smile. “You see? Pure silliness.”

  Plato rose stiffly, his limp more noticeable as he walked to the massive stone fireplace. He looked back at her, his dark eyes serious. “You won’t go to the local police?”

  “If you’re convinced it’s the best thing to do, I’ll consider it. But they’ll call Jack.”

  He nodded. “That might not be such a bad idea.”

  “These incidents—whatever they are—have nothing to do with him.”

  “Maybe not. The point is, you don’t know why they’re happening.”

  Lucy ran a hand through her hair. She felt light-headed, a little sick to her stomach. Jet lag, the dry air and the altitude were all taking their toll. So was reliving the events of the past week.

  “Either there’s no connection at all between these incidents,” she said, “or someone’s just trying to get under my skin. If I go to the police, it proves they succeeded.”

  “And if they don’t get the desired reaction from you, the incidents could escalate.”

  “Damn.” She sank back against the couch and kicked out her legs. “I don’t have a clue what the ‘desired reaction’ is. Coming out here? Fine, the bastard can declare victory and get out of my life. Running screaming into the night? Forget it.” She jumped to her feet. “I won’t fall apart for anyone.”

  “What does your gut tell you?” His voice was quiet, soothing. Plato was very good at caring.

  “I don’t know.” Lucy paced on the thick, dark carpet. “Plato, I’m not a normal person. I’m the widowed daughter-in-law of a United States senator. You know damn well Jack will send in the Capitol Police.”

  “Lucy—”

  “I have a business to tend. I have kids to raise. Damn it, I’m all Madison and J.T. have. I’m not going to put myself in undue danger, but I won’t—Plato, if I can possibly avoid it, I’d rather not have Jack and a bunch of feds mucking around in my life.”

  Plato placed an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay. I understand. Look, I have to be in Frankfurt this next week—”

  “I wasn’t hinting you should drop everything and come to my rescue. I just wanted an expert opinion.” She smiled a little. “It felt good to tell someone.”

  He smiled back, but shook his head, giving her upper arm a gentle squeeze. “You didn’t come for my expert opinion.”

  “I would have if I’d known you were here. I’d much rather tell my troubles to you than Sebastian.”

  He laughed. “Who wouldn’t?”

  “Good. Then it’s settled. I’ll trust my gut instincts. I’ll go home and hope nothing else happens—”

  “No, Lucy, you’re going to see Sebastian and tell him everything.”

  “Isn’t he going to Frankfurt?”

  “No way. He’s…” Plato frowned, walking her toward the door. He seemed to be searching for the right words. “He’s on sabbatical.”

  “Sabbatical? Come on, Plato. It’s not like he’s some kind of professor. How can he—”

  “You’ll have to drive out to his cabin,” Plato said. “It’s not that far. I’ll give you directions.”

  Lucy slipped from his embrace and stood rock-still in the middle of the hall. He kept walking, his back to her. She was blinking rapidly, as if that might somehow clear her head.

  “I don’t want to see Sebastian,” she said.

  Plato turned back to her. “He can help you, Lucy. I can’t.”

  “I told you, I didn’t come here for help.”

  “I know why you came here.” His dark, dark eyes seemed to burn into her. “You promised Colin you would.”

  Her throat caught. “Plato…”

  “Colin was right to send you to Sebastian. Lucy, I did rescues, and now I keep this company out of hot water. Sebastian’s a son of a bitch in a lot of ways, but he’s the best.”

  Lucy stood her ground. “What if I drive on out of here without seeing him?”

  “Then I’ll have to tell him what you told me.”

  She eyed him. “I have a feeling that would be worse.”

  He gave her a devilish smile. “Much worse.”

  Plato’s directions were simple. He put Lucy on a dirt road and said to keep going until she couldn’t go anymore. She’d know when she reached Sebasti
an.

  Lucy wasn’t encouraged. However, not finishing what she’d stupidly started seemed to carry more risks than finishing. If he told Sebastian her story, Plato might exaggerate. Then Sebastian might end up in Vermont, and she’d really be in a mess. Sebastian might be worse than the feds. He might be worse than the occasional stray bullet through her dining room window.

  So why had she dragged herself and her two children out to Wyoming?

  The road was winding, dry, hot and dusty. The scenery was spectacular. Wide-open country, mountains rising up from the valley floor, a snaking river, horses and cattle and wildflowers. Despite its other uses, this was still a working ranch.

  J.T. loved it. Madison endured. “I’m pretending I’m Meryl Streep in Out of Africa,” she said. “That might keep me awake.”

  “The high altitude is probably making you sleepy,” Lucy said.

  “I’m not sleepy, I’m bored.”

  “Madison.”

  She checked herself. “Sorry.”

  The road narrowed even more, their car kicking up so much dust Lucy made a mental note to run it through a car wash before taking it back to the rental agency. Finally, they came to a tiny, ramshackle log cabin and small outbuilding tucked into the shade of a cluster of aspens and firs. The road ended.

  Lucy pulled in behind a dusty red truck. “Well,” she said. “I guess this is it.”

  “Oh, yuck.” Madison surveyed the pathetic buildings. “This is like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven.”

  From Out of Africa to Unforgiven. Lucy smiled. Madison kept the local video store in an uproar trying to track down movies for her. It was an interest one of her teachers, in the school she so loathed, encouraged.

  Three scroungy, big mutts bounded out from the shade and surrounded their car, barking and growling as if they’d never seen a stranger. J.T., his seat belt off, nervously stuck his head up front. “Do you think they bite?”

  “I bet they have fleas,” Madison said.

  Lucy judiciously decided to roll down her window and see how the dogs reacted. They didn’t jump. Possibly a good sign. “Hello,” she called out the window. “Anyone around?”

  She checked for any venomous, antisocial bumper stickers on the truck, like Vermonters Go Home. Nothing. Just rust.