TYS AMUSEMENT was short-lived, though. Once he was back out in Gabbys bedroom, sweeping the flashlight to make sure he hadnt missed anything, he was all business. He wasnt thinking about the blazing fury thatd pounded in his chest as hed struggled with the intruder, or the way Gabbys curves had felt nestled against him.
Or if he was thinking those things, he shoved them deep inside, where the emotions couldnt distract him from the most important things, couldnt deflect him from the job.
Where are you, Liam? he said quietly as he worked his way out of the bedroom and back down the hall, retracing the path hed taken only minutes earlier, though it felt like hed aged a year in that brief space of time when hed thought Gabby was gone.
Focus, Tyler, his fathers voice said in Tys head. Keep your mind in the game.
And though Colonel Jones had been speaking about high school sports, and the words had come long before Ty had followed family tradition by enlisting, the advice held true now.
It was past time for Ty to focus on his prioritiesfinding Liam, liberating Grant Davis and neutralizing the bomb threat. It wasnt about the woman. It had, quite possibly, never been about her.
Ty searched the house, flashlight and gun both held at the ready, but there was no sign of the intruder, and the streets outside were dark and deserted.
Convinced the place was clear, he returned to the ransacked bedroom and knocked quietly on the bathroom door. Gabby? Its okay. You can come on out. I need to ask you a few questions. Like what was missing. Who she thought had been in her house.
And why the break-in had coincided with their rendezvous in a courtyard down the street.
The door opened and Gabby stood at the threshold for a moment, lit by the warm yellow beam of his flashlight. Her chin was up and defiant, her pale eyes clear. That, coupled with her lovely hair, which gleamed even in the feeble light, combined to make her seem ethereal. Magical. More, somehow, than the woman hed imagined during their late-night conversations, when the line between lies and reality had begun to blur.
Focus!
Ty scowled. Look, I think we need to get something straight here. I never
The digital ring of his handheld interrupted, surprising him. Hed thought the battery too low to grab a signal, not to mention the lack of cell coverage twenty-five hours into the blackout.
Figuring it was Chase, Shane or Ethan with new information, he flipped the phone open, welcoming the faint blue glow. The four of them comprised Eclipse, an under-the-radar black ops group that had grown out of their military service. Work with Eclipse had taken them to every hellhole on the globe and made them the best of friends. The kind you trust with your life.
It took Ty a moment to realize it wasnt a call, then another moment to read the text message in the fading glow of the dying battery.
Nice punch. You got lucky, but your luck is about to change. If you want to see Grant Davis alive, bring your girlfriend and at the O
That was all he got before the battery quit.
GABBY HEARD his hiss of indrawn breath, and immediately tensed. What is it?
It is, or rather was, a text message. He repeated it aloud, not bothering to hide his irritation, or the way his voice went dry on the word girlfriend.
Hey, she wanted to tell him, this isnt my fault. Which made her realize that the reverse was true. Anger flared in her chest and she snapped, That guy broke in because of you, didnt he? Because he saw us together.
Maybe, he said neutrally. Or maybe you and he were working together and something backfired.
Dont be stupid. Her breath hissed between her teeth. I didnt ask you to come here. In fact, Im pretty sure I tried to end it between us. I would have been perfectly happy never meeting you in person. Or if not happy, at least content. Safe and secure in her little world, which no longer seemed quite so safe. This manLiam was it? He came here because of you. He wrecked my things. He took my computer, for Gods sake. Do you know how much that thing cost me, and how long its going to take me to rebuild the Braille translation hardware? Id finally gotten the peripherals exactly where I wanted them. She broke off, aware of his silence and nearly palpable tension. And you dont care about that, do you?
He exhaled. Your stuff isnt stolen, but its busted up pretty good. And its not that I dont care, its that I have bigger things to worry about right now.
Vice President Davis, she said, remembering the text message and trying not to linger on the word girlfriend or think about how long itd been since that word had applied to her for real. Do you know where youre supposed to meet this guy?
She could feel him weighing his answer. Finally she heard him shift and give heard a low curse. No, I dont. And its nearly midnight, damn it.
That surprised her. Hadnt it just been ten oclock? Hadnt she just been hiding in the corner of the courtyard, unable to bypass the opportunity to meet Ty, even if only through Marias eyes?
Apparently not. Apparently nearly two hours had passed in a blink.
Lets work this through logically, she said, thinking fast. He was just here and he knows you and I are here. That suggests the meeting place is somewhere nearby.
He didnt speak for a minute, and shed just about decided he wasnt going to answer her at all when he suddenly said, How many places within, say, a five-minute walk have names that begin with the letter O?
She thought fast, partly to help, partly to make him go away, make it all go away so she could lock her doors and crawl back into her familiar, comfortable patterns. There are a couple of restaurants that begin with OOrsinis and Only Seafood. But theyre closed because of the blackout.
Not a restaurant, Ty said. He thinks bigger than that. Something important. A monument, or an historical building, maybe?
Let me think. She frowned, reviewing her mental map of the area. She imagined herself walking up one street and down the next, counting the steps, tapping with her cane. At the edges of her brain, a faint sensory memory lingered. It was the smell of old wood and candle wax, overlain with the fragrance of summer flowers. It couldve come from a hundred places in the historical city, but this impression brought a sense of peace. Of reverence. Theres a big church nearby, but its called Christ Church.
Which doesnt start with an O, he said.
No, but thats not its only name. Excitement built as the connection clicked in her brain. They used to call it the Old North Church.
As in one if by land, two if by sea? he quoted. That Old North Church? I thought it was near the water.
We are, she countered. Realizing he didnt know the city well, she led him to the front door. It hung open, letting in the night air, which was heavy with summer humidity and the hint of an incoming squall. She gestured beyond the neighborhood, nearly due east. The New England Aquarium is that way, right on the harbor. She turned and pointed northwest. The church is that way, overlooking the mouth of the river. Two blocks over, one up. Youll make it if you run.
Well make it, he corrected. Come on.
Not on your life. Heart picking up a beat, Gabby backpedaled up a step and reached for her front door, for safety. Ive had more than enough excitement for tonight. Youre on your own.
But when she swung the panel shut, he blocked it halfway. The message said to bring my girlfriend.
I am not your girlfriend, she snapped.
He doesnt know that. If youre innocent, then youre righthe either followed me and backtracked you to your place somehow, or he already knew about you from my e-mails. Now hes wondering exactly how much you know, or how important you are to me. He paused. Either way, youll be safer with me than staying here. His words sounded logical, but there was an undercurrent in his tone that she didnt like.
Swallowing past the growing knot of panic in her throat, Gabby shoved on the door, trying to force it closed. When he resisted, they engaged in a brief tussle that brought tears of frustration to her eyes. Would you just go! she shouted. Go away and leave me alone! Im not the person youre looking for!
Her words echoed, gaining new meaning.
Tys voice went soft. Listen, Gabby
No, you listen, she said, her temper spiking. I joined Webmatch because I was looking for a friend. Someone who doesnt need much sleep, like me. Someone I could talk to. Her voice broke on the memory of the things theyd said to each other during their nighttime exchanges, things shed never told anyone else. Things that made her feel stripped bare now. I wasnt looking to become part of some shoot-em-up that belongs in an action movie, not real life!
But even as she said that, a small part of her wondered whether she might not have been looking for adventure, after all. Something new and different. A way out of her rut. A hint of danger amidst the peace. Why else had she discouraged all the other respondents and homed in on a divorced bodyguard who, by his own admission, rarely stayed in one place too long and dated online because his lifestyle didnt leave room for a more traditional relationship?
Typical, she thought with a burst of self-directed anger. Just typical. Whenever she had things running smoothly in her life, that same little destructive part of her had to step out and mix things up by goading her into doing things she knew she shouldnt.
I know this situation really, really stinks, Ty said. But I need your help. Hell, it may sound corny, but your country needs your help. This guy is serious, Gabby. If I dont follow his instructions to the letter, he could kill the vice president. Hes made that clear before, with my partners. Are you willing to risk Grant Daviss life?
She sucked in a breath. Thats not fair.
Nothing about this is fair. His flat tone warned her that there was more to the story than he was letting on. But that doesnt change the fact that I need you to come with me. His voice dropped, turning persuasive. Come on, take my hand. Ill make sure nothing bad happens to you.
She could hear the lie in his voice. He was afraid for her, maybe a tiny bit afraid of her, afraid that shed turn the tables on him. But he was also a Secret Service agent sworn to protect the vice president. Just how far would he go to follow that oath?
Close the door, said the logical, practical self shed worked so hard to cultivate, even as the rebellious, frustrated part of her said, Go with him, he needs your help.
A sinking pit opened up in the bottom of her stomach as she made the decision. Okay. Ill go.
Thank you. She could feel him shift toward her, as though he was going to touch her, then he hesitated and drew away. Were going to need to move fast and keep out of sight, he warned. Curfew started at dusk, and I dont want to attract any more attention than necessary. Stay close to me and be ready to move if I say to.
Again his words held an undercurrent that made her long to see his face, so she could tell what was real and what was a lie.
She thought about changing her mind. Instead she grabbed her cane, stepped outside and closed and locked the door to her ransacked apartment. Lets go. When he moved to take her hand, she shook him off. Im fine.
It wasnt until hed stumbled for the third time that she realized his flashlight batteries must be dying or already dead. Without a word she reached over, took his hand and led him into the darkness.