Page 73 of Heart of Danger
“Now I understand he’s been held essentially a prisoner at the Millon facility. What I thought was a form of advanced dementia was pharmacologically induced. We must go get him.”
Mac thought—what’s this ‘we’ business?
She looked regal, like a queen mustering the troops for battle. Not Joan of Arc. Boadicea. She should have a plumed pennant streaming in the wind, riding her chariot.
Where before she was vibrating with panic, now she thrummed with determination and purpose.God,just look at her, he thought. Straight and elegant, gray eyes flashing silver like a sword caught in the light. Shiny dark hair sliding over her shoulders as she paced back and forth. His enormous black tee looked like some elegant warrior’s cloak.
He knew every inch of the body beneath the clothes, every sleek muscle, every tender dip and hollow, knew the softness of her breasts, how hard her nipples could become…but now this was a new Catherine. Not the frightened, frozen woman who’d arrived—what was it? Only a couple of days ago? Not the gentle doctor who’d helped a terrified woman bring a healthy baby into the world, not the passionate woman who’d cried out in his arms. This was another Catherine—strong and determined and just as irresistible as the others.
“He needs your help desperately. They are going to kill him tomorrow. We must go now.”
Jon was leaning back in his chair, looking relaxed. Mac knew better. His blue eyes were glittering. He was coiled like a snake and could attack in a second. “Darling, you know we like you. That was established the day before yesterday. Everybody likes you and Mac more than likes you, so you’re okay in my book. But with all due respect to Mac, you don’t know anything about this. Any kind of hostage rescue takes planning and time and we are not there yet.”
When Jon was like that—when his eyes glowed and his body was coiled for a strike—people did a double-take because the danger that lived just beneath his tanned skin flashed bright, like a rapier suddenly catching the light.
But Catherine was unfazed. “I don’t care how ready you are, we must go, right now. I gave you that striking hawk. It meant something to Mac though he tried to hide it. I don’t know what but you—” she turned slowly, “All three of you know where it came from. It came from Lucius Ward. He was once one of you and he is in deadly dangerright nowand we are going to go get him.”
“Prove it,” Nick said suddenly. His dark eyes narrowed. “I like you too, Catherine, but you’re asking us to risk a lot for a man who left us to die. How do you know he didn’t betray us? What real proof do you have? What are you going on? And how do you know that he’s going to be killed soon? We’re not cowboys. We can’t just ride to the rescue right now on your say so.”
Mac saw her hesitate. She shot Mac a glance but he opened his hands briefly. Empty hands. He couldn’t help her. Nobody could help her. She had to convince Nick and Jon all on her own. And whatever she wanted, he couldn’t do it without Nick and Jon.
She drew in a deep breath, blew it out. Stress reliever. “I imagine all three of you were listening to me when Mac was interrogating me.” Nick and Jon shifted in their chairs, not saying yes, not saying no. She nodded sharply. “Quite right. I would have done the same. You’ve got a community to protect and I was an intruder.”
“Not now you’re not,” Mac growled, the words seemingly torn from his chest. Not for one second should she doubt she belonged here.
She smiled at him, the smile sad and brief. “Thanks,” she said softly. Their eyes connected and held. Damn right, she was one of them. “Patient Nine couldn’t talk. I know—” she held her hand up. “I know how that sounds. He couldn’t talk so how can I know what he wanted to say? He conveyed information to me nonetheless. Important information and he was so determined I think he opened up an avenue of communication between us.”
Jon and Nick shot glances at each other. Nick’s jaw muscles jumped.
Catherine moved until she was close to Nick, her knees touching his. “The situation is desperate and we don’t have much time. So I’m going to have to use a short cut to convince you I communicated with your Lucius Ward.”
Without warning, she reached for Nick’s hand.
Mac tensed, ready to head off trouble. There was no way Catherine could know that Nick didn’t like being touched, by anybody. He’d seen Nick slap a man’s hand away from his shoulder so hard he broke the wrist. Mac watched Nick’s hands. Teammate or not, fellow outcast or not, if Nick made a move against Catherine, he was a fucking dead man.
But Nick didn’t move, didn’t react at all. He simply sat still as Catherine took his hand. Nick’s face never showed anything, but his jaw muscles tightened.
“Oh,” Catherine said, surprised. “Oh, my.” Her eyes never left Nick’s face. Her expression softened. “She thinks of you all the time, Nick. I think…she loves you. Desperately. Still. After all these years.”
Mac glanced at Jon, who looked as surprised as he felt. SomeonelovedNick? Cold, self-contained Nick? Christ, who knew? If she’d said that about Jon, who was a love-‘em and-leave’em guy, okay. Jon had fucked his way across the country and several continents. But no one had ever seen Nick with a woman. He was all cold hard mission. The job and nothing else. A lot like Mac.
Nick stirred. “I haven’t seen her?—”
“Since that time.” Catherine nodded. “I know. But she still loves you, nonetheless.”
Nick swallowed heavily. Mac could see his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “Do you—” he licked his lips. “Do you know where she is?”
Catherine shook her head, a sad expression on her face. “No, Nick. I’m sorry, but I don’t. I have no idea. I’m only reading her through you, through the things you know but won’t acknowledge. You don’t know where she is so I don’t either.”
Nick looked sad and vulnerable, an amazing sight. Nick had no known weaknesses. Except, apparently, for this woman who was lost to him.
“Is she…all right?” His voice was hoarse.
Catherine shook her head and shrugged. “I can’t know that either, Nick. But I can read from you that you are worried about her. She’s not…” Catherine closed her eyes, frowned. “She’s not home. At her home. You’ve checked and you keep checking. You don’t know where she is. You worry that she might be sick or in trouble. That she might need you. It’s eating you alive.”
To Mac’s astonishment, Nick simply bowed his head. Whatever it was, itwaseating him alive. And for a second there—though he wouldn’t swear to it—it seemed there was moisture in Nick’s eyes. Nick crying?Mac would have sworn the world would come to an end before Nick could cry.
Nick lifted his head. “So youcan?—”
