by Ana Leigh
Ann stared transfixed into the darkness until a figure approached. A pair of boots came into view, and she followed them upward to the figure looming above her.
With a cry of joy she jumped to her feet and threw herself into Mike’s arms. His arms tightened around her and he held her trembling body against the steely strength of his own.
“It’s okay, baby,” he whispered.
“Are you hurt?” she asked when she was finally able to speak.
“No.” He gave a short, quick whistle, and seconds later Dave Cassidy stepped out of the shadows. The men exchanged a glance and Cassidy nodded.
She didn’t have to ask about the other gunman. Their body language said it all. She felt the nausea begin to churn in her stomach.
“Hi, Ann,” Dave said simply.
“Mike, this man is the one who attacked me in Washington.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Remember the guy I pointed out to you in the restaurant in London?”
“The man reading the newspaper.”
Mike nodded. “He won’t be reading any more headlines.”
“You mean they were together.”
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”
His statement jolted her back to the here and now. “Not until I lock up my house. I don’t want to leave it open. I do have valuables in there.”
“Then let’s get it over with. Those shots must have wakened some of the neighbors.”
There was enough moonlight coming through the windows and open door for Mike and Dave to see the mess inside the house. Dave let out a long whistle as he looked around at it. “They really trashed the place.”
“It’s difficult to say at this point, but I didn’t notice anything in particular missing. I doubt whoever did it was a thief.”
Mike gave her one of his condescending looks. “No, Ann, it wasn’t a thief.”
“Well I wish I knew what they’re looking for.”
“Looks pretty amateurish to me,” Dave said. “A professional wouldn’t have made a mess like this. And vandals would have smashed some of your knickknacks or even sprayed the walls. Unless, of course—”less what?” she asked.
“Unless whoever did it wanted to make it appear like they were amateurs,” Mike said. “Lock up and let’s get out of here.”
“What in hell is that?” he asked when she picked up the suitcase she’d previously packed.
“Just a couple of things I packed to take back with me.”
He grabbed it from her. “Are you able to run?” he asked when the sound of approaching sirens sounded in the distance.
“Just try and keep up with me,” she challenged with more spirit than she felt.
“Then let’s get going or we’ll get stuck answering a lot of questions.”
As soon as she locked up the front and rear doors, Dave grabbed her suitcase, Mike her hand, and they raced back into the trees to a parked car a block away.
“How did you know where to find me?” she asked as the car sped away.
Mike gave her a disgruntled look. Now that the danger was past, he was holding his temper in check, but she knew she was in for a real tongue lashing when they were safely out of there.
“I figure you’d head for here or England, so I checked the flight lists.”
“Yes, but how did you get here so fast?”
“I know an ex-SEAL who operates a flight school. He owed me a big favor and I called in the tab.”
“You mean the CIA didn’t pull strings. That’s a switch.”
“I didn’t want to involve them. But don’t knock the Agency, Hamilton. You’d have been toast a long time ago if it weren’t for them.” The anger he was trying to suppress was beginning to slip past his control.
A disturbing thought suddenly crossed her mind. “Mike, what if those were policemen back there?”
“Policemen would have rung your bell and not cut the damn phone and electric lines,” Mike shouted in a burst of anger.
He was too angry to listen to her, so she wisely let him have the last word and remained silent for the remainder of the trip.
Once again she found herself being hustled onto a waiting plane at an abandoned airstrip. Mike introduced her to his friend Jack, and as soon as they took off Mike and Dave proceeded to sleep the rest of the flight back to the United States.
Ann also dozed off and woke up when they landed in Florida. Mike shook hands with Jack, said goodbye and thanked him for his help. Then they climbed into a gray BMW and drove off.
When it appeared Mike had no intention of telling her where they were headed, curiosity got the better of Ann and she finally came right out and asked.
“Where you’ll be safe,” he murmured in his succinct fashion. He had this infuriating ability of never answering a question totally.
“I felt safe in New York,” she said.
“Before or after the ship blew up in the harbor”
“You mean you think that was deliberate, too?”
“Damn straight. Hamilton, you attract disasters. I felt safer on missions in the Middle East than baby-sitting you.”
“I never asked you to.” The armistice was over.
She folded her arms and stared out the window. What was the sense in arguing with the bullhead?
They stopped three hours later to refill the gas tank, eat and switch drivers. Dave climbed into the back seat and immediately fell asleep.
“It’s amazing how you guys can sleep on cue,” she said.
“Part of the job. We have to grab the opportunity when we can,” he said. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us. If you want to climb into the back seat and lie down, Dave can shift up front.”
Ann couldn’t believe her eyes when he suddenly grinned. It was an engaging break from the frown he’d been wearing. She couldn’t help smiling. “What’s so funny?”
“Reminded me of my youth,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I suggested a girl climb into the back seat.”
It was clear what he meant. “I might have guessed you were that juvenile, Bishop,” she said in disgust.
“You’re the most uptight female I’ve ever met. You mean that even just once little Miss Prim-and-Proper Hamilton didn’t…ah…assume the missionary position in the back seat of a car?”
“Of course I didn’t! Is your mind ever on anything but sex, Bishop?”
“Are you talking past sex or future?”
“Present?” she said.
“It’s presently on sex,” he said, “thinking about future sex when it’ll be payback time, sweetheart, and I’ll extract my pound of flesh.” He grinned again. “Little humor there.”
“Little is right. I hope you aren’t referring to me. I thought I made myself very clear on that subject, so let’s move on to a different one, please.”
“You brought it up.”
She leaned forward and turned on the radio. To her dismay an orchestra was playing “Someone To Watch Over Me.” It was one of her favorite songs, and under any other circumstances she would have leaned back and enjoyed the music. Flustered, she started to turn the dial.
“Leave it on,” he said.
“I didn’t think a romantic ballad was your kind of music,” she said quickly to cover up her agitation.
“Romantic ballad? I thought this was your theme song, Hamilton.”
“Very funny, Mike. Since we’ve got a long ride together, why don’t you drop the sarcasm and try to be pleasant.”
“Okay, I agree. Since you’ve caught me at a weak moment, I won’t think of it as your song. From now on, it’ll be our song.”
Oh, he was so exasperating, but she had to grin. It was hard to stay angry with a man who repeatedly had saved her life. She was so indebted to him, yet they antagonized each other at every turn. And underneath it all was the physical attraction they felt. He was candid about it, but it was getting harder and harder for her to keep denying it knowing he didn’t believe her for a second. Was he serious about pursuing her when this w
as over?
She leaned back and listened to the mellow strains of the music. There was an undeniable excitement in listening to a romantic ballad while riding through the night sitting next to Mike Bishop in the intimacy of the front seat of a car. The sensual essence of him was very provocative.
Lord help me if he ever does try to talk me into that back seat.
“Where are we going, Mike?” she asked, hoping he’d tell her this time.
“Wisconsin.”
“We’re driving all the way to Wisconsin…in a borrowed car. How do you expect to get this car back to Jack?”
“It’s my car. He keeps it in his garage for when I come down to visit him.”
“I thought you said you own a place in Wisconsin.”
“I do. But I wouldn’t keep my Beamer there. I use a pickup.”
“So I gather you come to Florida often.”
“Yeah, I like the ocean.”
“I do, too,” she murmured. She closed her eyes and relaxed.
Ann dozed on and off during the night. She would wake up when they made a pit stop to fuel up or change drivers, then fall back to sleep once they were underway again.
As they ate breakfast in Nashville, she offered to drive.
“I thought about it, but you don’t have a driver’s license with you. If we’re stopped for any reason, it would call attention to us.”
She hadn’t thought of that. Her driver’s license was in her purse that was left back at Clayton’s villa when they rescued her and Brandon. Would she ever get her life restored to the proper order?
The miles and hours sped past rapidly. They ate lunch in Indianapolis and supper in Milwaukee. The sun had set by the time Mike drove up to a small cottage bordering on the edge of the Nicolet Forest in Northern Wisconsin.
“Get comfortable, Ann,” he said, putting down her suitcase in the only bedroom. “It’s no swanky New York apartment, but you blew that.”
He opened several windows to get some fresh air flowing through the closed up cabin, turned on the gas and lit the hot water tank. Then he and Dave returned to the car, conversed for several minutes and Dave drove away. Mike came back inside and without any further conversation flopped down on the bed and fell asleep immediately.
Chapter 20
For a long moment Ann stood at the foot of the bed and studied the sleeping figure. Mike was a difficult man to understand. What did he do for enjoyment? Surely he didn’t enjoy the brutality of the job he’d chosen. From what he had told her about his father being in the CIA, it hadn’t sounded as if Mike had joined by choice but because it was expected of him.
She had thought hard about him on the plane trip to Kourou. The volatility of their last argument weighed heavily on her mind. At times his attitudes were so offensive, they were intolerable. But no matter how hostile he appeared to be at times, she’d been around him long enough to see that it was just a facade. He was a man driven by extreme loyalties. Doing what was expected of him. He would never betray those he loved or those who trusted him or depended on him.
That’s why he took his role as squad leader so seriously. He held himself responsible for the life of every man on that team.
She’d witnessed the guilt he tried to conceal the night he’d told her of Tony Sardino’s death. She hadn’t understood it then. Had even misread his apathetic attitude that led her to believe he thought the man had been careless to let it happen. But now that she understood Mike Bishop she knew, for whatever reason, that he believed he was responsible for Tony Sardino’s death.
You’re a complicated man, Mike Bishop. Arrogant, dogmatic, bullheaded, and the most exasperating man I’ve ever known. But the Stockholm Syndrome has claimed another captive because I’m afraid I’ve falling in love with you. And, try as I might, I can’t stop myself.
She pulled off his shoes, and as she set them aside she noticed his cell phone on the bed table. Ann picked it up and went into the other room and dialed Barney. She had some explaining to do to him.
To her relief, her boss was more concerned than angry. With Amy Heather injured, Barney wouldn’t consider bringing in a new model, and told her he had permanently canceled the shoot.
“But where are you, Annie?”
“I can’t tell you, Barney, but I’m in good hands so don’t worry.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I honestly don’t know.” Mike and the squad would be returning to duty soon, so she said, “I don’t think it will be more than a couple of weeks. The good news, Barney, is that I’ve got the codicil, which should clear up the obstacle concerning Brandon’s guardianship. Then I can get my life back on track.” If someone doesn’t kill me first. Somehow that thought wasn’t as amusing as she’d tried to make it. After promising to call him again in a couple of days, she said goodbye and hung up.
As long as Mike was sleeping, she decided it would be a good time to take a shower. Returning to the bedroom, she moved quietly to her suitcase. Laying aside her camera, she began to pull out clean clothes. An intriguing idea entered her mind and she glanced at the sleeping figure on the bed. Why not?
Ann picked up the camera and quickly loaded it, then she returned to the bed and snapped several pictures of Mike from different angles. Pleased with herself returned the camera to her suitcase, gathered up the clean clothing and went into the bathroom and locked the door.
The shower and shampoo made her feel like a new woman. To her surprise Mike wasn’t on the bed when she came out of the bathroom. Dave Cassidy had returned, and the two men were seated at the kitchen table eating.
“Waterman called me and I told him where you are,” Cassidy said. He glanced up and saw her in the doorway. “Hi, Ann.”
She crossed the room and sat down with them. “Good thing you got out of that shower,” Mike said. “I was about to pound on the door. Your sandwich is getting cold.”
She removed the wrapping from around the hamburger heaped with onions, pickles and mushrooms, and catsup spilling over the edges of the bun. It was a towering mound of calories and cholesterol.
“Hope you like mushrooms, Ann,” Dave said.
“Yes, it’s fine, Dave. Thank you.”
“I can tell she’s not happy, Dave,” Mike said.
“You’re so wrong, Bishop,” Ann denied. To prove her point she stretched her jaw as wide open as she could and sank her teeth into the sandwich.
“Careful or you’ll choke on it,” Mike said. “Our job is to keep you alive.”
Her mouth was too full to offer a retort.
“Waterman wants you to call him as soon as possible,” Dave said, resuming his conversation with Mike. “He asked if the squad was with you, and I told him we weren’t. It was the truth at the moment. Then he asked if I knew where Ann is, and I said I didn’t know. He’s pissed, Mike. You better call him and fill him in. When he finds out I lied to him, he’ll probably kick both our asses out of the Agency.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll call him when I go into town.”
Ann swallowed hard to get the food down her throat. “Your cell phone works fine. I used it to call Barney. Hope you don’t mind.”
“You called New York!”
There certainly had to be a worse crime in the world, but from his outburst and the look he and Dave exchanged she was hard-pressed to guess what it might be.
“I’ll pay for the call, Mike, if that’s what’s bothering you.”
“Are you always totally clueless, lady?”
She felt like cowering under his glowering look of anger, and glanced helplessly at Dave. He shifted his gaze downward.
“Why do you think we drove all the way here from Florida instead of taking a flight?” Mike asked.
“I assumed because Jack couldn’t fly us here.”
“Tell her, Dave.” He turned away in disgust.
“Ann, Jack would have had to file a flight schedule,” Dave said. “And a commercial liner has a passenger manifest—”
“”
Mike interrupted, “whoever is after you is damn clever. Since you never used your return flight ticket, he’ll naturally start checking private carriers. Jack had gone in and out of Kourou under the radar, so there’s no record of his flight. He’d never get away with it in daylight here in the States. So it would force our clever friend to check out commercial and private flights to other countries and, when you don’t turn up on any, we were hoping he’d figure that you’re hiding in Kourou or somewhere in French Guiana since we deliberately avoided any electronic trail such as credit cards or bank withdrawals.”
“Why is that changed now?” she asked.
“Because you used my cell phone to call your boss. Whoever’s behind this probably knows my number, and cell phone numbers are easy to check out. Up until now no one had any way of knowing if I was with you. When the mystery man finds out the call went to Hailey from right here in the States, he’ll figure we’re together and start checking me out. It won’t take him too long to find out what he’s looking for. In a couple days somebody will be sniffing around up here.” He glanced at Cassidy. “You thinking what I am?”
Cassidy nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get moving right away.” Mike followed Dave out to the car.
Ann felt nauseated and dizzy. Her stomach was spinning as fast as her head. She had ruined everything. All the effort and planning that had gone into the operation was now for naught. Thanks to her it would only buy them a few days. She sat down at the table in despair, propped up her elbows and cradled her head in her hands.
When Mike came back in, she lifted her head. “I’m sorry, Mike.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it.”
“I know, Mike, but if you’d told me your plans, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“So now it’s my fault. Maybe if you’d listen to me, it’s for damn sure it wouldn’t have happened. Dammit, Ann, you promised you’d obey my orders and the first chance you got, you broke your word and ran off to Kourou. I’ve had it with you. I’ll be glad when you’re out of my hair and somebody else has the headache.”