Sonny sat on the couch and looked at me as I walked up to her. The oxygen was off and the color was returning to her face. I took the seat next to her on the couch and handed her the water.
“Here, drink.”
“Thank you,” she managed to mutter in a hoarse voice as she took the glass and drank most of it down..
“You look better, you aren’t pasty white anymore.”
She smiled halfheartedly and looked away from me almost embarrassed. “The oxygen helped,” she whispered. “Thank you. I guess it was pretty stupid of me to get so worked up.”
“You had every right to get worked up. I just wish it didn’t result in an asthma attack.” I watched as she reached up and ran her fingers through her hair rearranging the tangled mess it had become. I knew she wanted to say something to me but only stared straight ahead, in silence. I could feel the warmth of her body as I sat next to her and I wanted to tell her it was going to be ok. I wanted to let her know she was safe and she could go on with her life. That is what I know she wanted most in this world. But I didn’t. Maybe Seth was right and I was becoming too close to her. I had never felt this protective over anyone before or at least in the way I wanted to protect her.
I had been through many dangerous situations in my life. I protected people, rescued people and encountered people from all walks of life. I had no problem killing someone if it meant keeping one of my charges alive. When it was over and they were safe, I walked out of their lives, never to look back. This time I wasn’t sure I could walk away from her and not look back.
“Do I get to go home,” she finally asked breaking the silence and the train of thoughts in my head.
“Probably. We need that processor and well we need to make sure that once you are home you are safe.” She turned to look at me with an empty expression on her face. She nodded her head and was quiet again. I heard talking in the kitchen again and knew Conway had some information and I was hopeful it was information that would allow her to get on a flight to Albuquerque, with me of course. I wanted desperately to reach over and touch her hand, to see if the electricity from last night returned, but I didn’t want to frighten her with my closeness.
“Thank you,” she said again and stood up. Her body swayed and I reached and grabbed her elbow to steady her. The electricity returned and just the touch of her warm skin sent a jolt through me. I couldn’t bring myself to look into her face to see if she had the same reaction. Instead I turned toward the kitchen and the voices. Once she was standing firmly, I let go. I didn’t need to touch her any more than was necessary.
She hesitated before she started to walk toward the kitchen, rubbing her elbow.
Conway, Seth and Mrs. Walker stopped talking and turned to look at her as she walked slowly in. She was hesitant, yet determined. Conway acknowledged her first, “Better?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Conway nodded and turned to pull out a chair for her. She nodded her head and instead stood behind the chair gripping it tightly to hold herself up. I noticed her knuckles turn white and although I didn’t think she was in any further danger of fainting, I stayed close to her.
“I have booked you and Jack on a flight out of Reagan National, later this afternoon.” Alison nodded in acknowledgement as Conway continued. “Jack is going to remain for a few days to see if we can find a link between Tom and Hassan’s killers. Then I have arranged for FBI protection.” I didn’t let him see the satisfaction I got from his words. I wasn’t ready to walk out of her life just yet.
“Can I go back to the labs? How is this going to work,” the questions suddenly came out of her mouth as she tried to process Conway’s plans.
“Yes. He had to have some contact at work. I am working with someone out there now to gain access to his email.”
Alison shook her head puzzled, “I have access ot his inbox.”
A smile appeared on Conway’s face as he pushed the laptop computer that had been sitting on the table closer to her. “Do you mind?”
“Do I have a choice?” She was half serious, half joking as she said this.
“No.”
Alison moved and took a seat in front of the laptop. But before she began to type, she looked back at me and then to Conway. “When are we leaving?”
“Your plane leaves at two out of Reagan. It’s a straight shot there. Look,” Conway moved his body close to Alison. “I need you to act like you don’t know any different ok? Go back to work on Monday and mourn your boss. If anyone asks questions about the trip, it was uneventful.”
Alison nodded her head and typed in Tom’s password. “What’s Jack’s role in this? People are going to be asking questions if I show up with my own security guard?”
“I’ll let you two decide that. Jack has the papers to get on base, so that is not a problem. How you two want to tie it together I don’t care. Seth will be staying in DC trying to find more on this end and meeting with the Israeli’s.”
I knew Seth had gone to bat for me. Leaving Alison’s side right now with all the uncertainty was NOT an option. Seth knew my resolve and he knew nothing was going to change my mind.
I watched and listened as she answered all of Mike’s and Seth’s questions. She did so without hesitation and not once did she look back at me. Her attention to the detail of what happened in Tel Aviv was amazing. She had described everything I had already given to them, as well as the smells and the background events that played out. Her observations skills were unparalleled in our world. The whole time, she fidgeted, not sitting still for more than a few minutes. I had moved to the stand behind her watching her every move.
9 Burque
A few hours later I had her safely on a plane back home to Albuquerque. The sigh of relief that came out of her mouth when she sat down in her seat was quite funny. I couldn’t tell if it was a relief to her to be out of the safe house or a relief to her to be going home, or both. We didn’t talk much on the plane, her eyes were heavy once she sat down and she quickly fell asleep. I watched her as she slept soundly in the seat next to me.
My mind wandered back to the conversation I had with Seth before we left the safe house. I had thanked him for staying in DC.
“No, don’t thank me. Just don’t get all wrapped up in this.” His eyes were dark and there was worry in the tone of his voice.
“I won’t,” I had replied not looking at him.
“Jack, the way you look at her, the way you want to protect her.” His words were more of a statement rather than a question. Protecting her was my job, how I looked at her, well that was another story. “I’ve known you for a long time, and I have never seen you like this with anyone,” and he emphasized anyone. “Not even Paige.”
His words had stung a bit as I remembered the woman who had once had most all of my attention, but was never the center of my attention. Seth had put his hand on my shoulder, “Jack, distance yourself, when this is all over, you will need to walk away from her.” Seth’s words rang true. When this was all over and hopefully for her that would be soon, we would go our separate ways and I would probably not see her again. However I had a feeling I would continue to watch out for her from a distance. I didn’t think I could ever get her out of my head.
I replayed the Tel Aviv handoff over and over in my head. There had to be something I missed, someone I missed. Even Alison’s account of the event, as detailed as it was, had missed someone or something. Albuquerque was going to be my opportunity to see who had set this up. I figured Seth would have to either return to Tel Aviv or work with the Israelis to find out who took Professor Hasan’s place.
Alison still slept soundly next to me. Her breathing was no longer labored and I didn’t worry so much about her having another asthma attack. We had not discussed what would happen once we reached Albuquerque. It was going to be awkward for both of us no matter how you framed it. Alison had to walk back into work after losing her boss, as well as act like nothing was going on. All with some man hanging around her attempting to protect he
r at all cost.
I had been to Albuquerque only a few times in my life. But as we flew over the Sandia Mountains and the Eastern edge of the city, I was struck by its expanse. It was a beautiful clear afternoon and it was one of those clear days you only hear about in the Eastern half of the US. The valley was almost orange in color as the sun hit the red earth. The Rio Grande sliced through the middle of the Valley dividing the city in half.
Alison awoke a little earlier and was watching over my shoulder as the plane banked for its landing approach. “It’s pretty isn’t it? I love it when the mountains turn pink with the sun. It’s amazing.” A tender smile came across her face. “You can look out either side of the plane and see for miles and miles, all the way to Santa Fe or south toward Socorro.” I had to admit that it was quite beautiful. To the West there was nothing but wide open space and a mountain that peaked out of nowhere.
Our plane completely circled Albuquerque so we could make our approach to the run way from the West. The sun was sinking even more and I could see what she meant by the pink on the mountains. I could also see the vast stretches of land the encompassed the Airport. This was just not your normal airport. On its grounds, that butted up against mountains, sat one of the nation’s premier science and engineering facilities. Everything from weapons development and assessment to the dismantling and storing of nuclear weapons was done at this location. Security was of the utmost importance and since the bad publicity Sandia’s sister lab Los Alamos had received, they had been diligently trying to improve their security and importance with the American Public and Government. Their missions were critical and their importance to the Nations security unparalleled.
I looked back at Alison, and the happy expression that she had worn on her face a few moments ago was now gone. Seriousness washed over her.
“You ok?”
“You ask me that a lot you know, do I look that helpless?” she paused for just a second. “Because, really I’m not helpless. I usually handle stress better than this.” I only looked at her in dismay. She thought she was helpless? I hardly looked at her as helpless, just in a new and interesting situation.
“Worried that’s all.” I was worried about her. I think I began to worry about her the first time I laid eyes on her. It wasn’t like she stumbled into trouble, or trouble sought her out. I just felt this urge to worry about her, and to protect her from all that was around her. She was a lot stronger than I gave her credit for.
“I’ll be ok. I think I am coming to the realization of things. I want this to be over with. No offense, having you in my life is not what I envisioned.”
“Ouch!” I flinched in pretend pain. I tried not to flinch too much at her words as the reality of them stung. I wasn’t sure why they bothered me so much. “Sorry and as soon as things are done I will walk out of your life and you can return to your normal happy little existence.” I said it with as much sarcasm as I could muster.
She turned away from me and looked out the window. Her life was so altered at the moment I didn’t blame her for wanting me out of it.
The plane pushed us both back in our seats as we landed. Within minutes we would be at the gate. The plan was to go from the airport to Alison’s townhome. I was going to stay there and be as discreet as possible in the process. I didn’t want to leave her nor was I going to. Conway had arranged for a vehicle for us. It wasn’t a rental, it was an agency vehicle and one I would be free to use without complication or notice. Originally a friend of Alison’s was supposed to pick her up at the airport, but with her not coming home when she was supposed to, Alison had made that phone call to cancel the ride home. I had felt sorry for her when she made the phone call because she had to lie. And she would probably be doing a lot of that in the coming days; starting with the explanation of my presence.
In talking with her friend, she did find out that Tom’s funeral was set for tomorrow afternoon, which gave us little time to get our stories straight. I wanted her to go on with her life like nothing had happened, and I knew she would have to do some heavy duty acting personally and professionally to make it all work. But I had faith she could do it.
It didn’t take us long to get from the Airport to her Townhouse. Alison grew increasingly antsy as we got closer and closer to her place. As I drove into the driveway, she let out a huge sigh of relief and immediately opened the door to jump out. I had to quickly grab her arm and stop her before she ran into the home.
“Sonny, wait.” She tried desperately to break free of my grip but I didn’t let her. “We don’t know who has been in there.” Her eyes grew wide as my words took hold.
“Great,” she muttered. I turned off the vehicle and reached for the firearm that I had.
“Come on.” I quickly said opening my door. “I will come and get the bags once I know the place is safe.” I got out of the car and she followed suit. She walked a few paces behind me as I approached the front door. She handed me her key and the door unlocked without hesitation. I heard the door click as I opened it and the alarm begin to beep. I slowly pushed in the door and looked around. I had not taken my gun from its place in my holster but did so now. I began to look at the disheveled mess that lay everywhere on her floor.
I took a step in and looked cautiously around. I could hear Alison gasp behind me as she followed me into her home.
“What the Fu…?” She did not finish her sentence as she looked around. “My house, my stuff?” I turned to look at her. Her eyes were filled with tears and anger as she walked past me into her living room. Her couch cushions were all over the place. Books and magazines were everywhere on the floor along with broken glass.
“The processor, they came looking for it,” I responded softly touching her arm. Her eyes grew wide and she took off running up the stairs to her bedroom. I quickly followed suit, taking two steps at a time. I followed her down the hall, looking as I did at everything scattered throughout her home. They took no chances and looked everywhere. Her room was as bad as the living room except there were clothes and books everywhere. There was another room next to her master and again it was torn to shreds, but there wasn’t as much in this room as the others.
Alison went straight to her closet and got on her knees. Clothes came flying out of the closet as she searched the last place she had left the processor. Finally she walked out with a package in hand. She handed me a box about the size of a jewelry necklace box.
Alison smiled, “I put it in a jewelry box so it wouldn’t scratched or broken. Guess they didn’t bother to really look.”
I had to laugh. Only our luck would have it that these idiots would totally miss this box. “Wow,” was all I could say as I held the processor in my hands. Alison continued to walk around the bedroom. Her clothes were scattered out of her drawers and towels were scattered all over the bathroom. Everything, if it had been in a cabinet was out on the floor or on a counter top.
Alison turned back to look at me. “Did they have to tear the entire place apart?” Her smile faded as she looked at the mess.
“I’ll help you.” I walked over to where she stood and put my hand on her shoulder. “A few hours from now and it will be fine.”
“Yeah,” she responded, “all will be fine. Have heard that a lot lately. Starting not to believe it!” Her hands were on her hips
A
There was complete sarcasm in my voice as I answered back to his comment. It would be fine but it would take hours for us to put things where they belonged. I hadn’t even looked in my kitchen or in my office. The thought of those rooms, especially the office, frightened me. I looked toward my dresser that was up against the wall. Everything had been tossed out of them. On the floor lay all my intimates, not that it was much or sexy but my underwear, bras, you name it, it was on the floor.
I had to admit, Jack was being awfully polite as he glanced around the room. It had not been the most organized room when I left, but at least clothes and other items were in their place. Now they were scattered everywhere
as if someone had thrown up at a Victoria’s secret store. I wanted to laugh and I wanted to cry all at the same time. I was afraid that if I opened my mouth a loud blood curdling scream would come out of my mouth.
Jack took a few steps forward and began to pick up things on the floor. First he picked up a bra, then a few thongs. As he realized what he picked up, he walked over to me and handed them to me. I knew this was not his idea of protecting me. “Um, I think I am going to go down and get your things out of the car. I will be back in a minute to help you clean up.” He handed me what was in his hands and walked out of the room and back down the stairs, his face bright red.
For two people who barely knew each other, we had seen each other half naked and he handled my intimates, all without sex. I looked around my bedroom once again and this time an almost hysterical laugh came out of my mouth. It was loud and it was high pitched. I didn’t care if Jack heard it and I didn’t care if the neighbors heard it. I didn’t know how else to react. In a matter of one week, my life had gone from a quiet one where I had contemplated few things outside my job to one of pure hell.
I was happy to discover the only thing a miss in the spare bedroom was the bed. The mattress had been turned upside down and the blankets were everywhere. I started there and turned the double bed back right. Within minutes, the room was returned to its normal state. Before Jack returned upstairs with my suitcase, I had the guest room put together. Luckily, living alone as I did, I didn’t have much stuff to worry about.
Jack watched as I put a few books back on the bookshelf . “You hanging in there ok?”
I only nodded my response. I didn’t want him to think I was some hysterical nut who could do nothing but laugh or scream. Crying would have been easy but I had cried enough in the last few days.
“I’m sorry Sonny.”
I didn’t want to look him in the eyes, but I knew his words were sincere. “I know.” I turned away from him and walked back to the master bedroom. I stood in the doorway and stared at the mess that lay on the floor. Like the spare room, my mattress was off the frame. Clothes, sheets and well whatever else I happened to leave out was strewn all over the floor. I stared at it in disgust and frustration.
The Protector Page 8