Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(118)

“Would I?”

“Yes. And I need you to lend it to Charles for a while, then set up everyone surrounding him as if you were the one in hiding.”

“If there was such a scenario, you’d be asking for a lot.”

“I know.” She moistened her lips. “He’s worth it, Lynch.”

“Is he? I really only have your opinion on that. I always like to make judgments for myself.”

“But you know what he’s—”

He held up his hand to stop her. “I’m thinking about it. But I have to know everything connected to the problem. Am I going to have to arrange protection for you there, too?”

She frowned. “No, of course not. Why would you have to do that?”

“It was a possibility. How long will he need to be in hiding?”

“He’s not sure. Possibly a year, maybe longer.”

“Is Griffin going to be involved in a search for him?”

“Charles thinks it likely that—”

“I think that I should speak for myself,” Waldridge interrupted. “This is all judgment calls on my part, too, Lynch. I believe a certain amount of pressure will be applied on the pretext that I could be in danger. Griffin might feel he has to find me. I don’t know about the extent of that search.”

“Griffin doesn’t drag his heels. Your cover would have to be perfect.” His gaze was fixed absently on the airport tech filling the Cessna. “There would be a hell of a lot of loose ends to tie up…”

“Will you fix it?” Kendra asked. “Is there a place?”

His gaze shifted back to her. “It’s a big favor. You’d owe me.”

“Of course I would.” She asked slowly, spacing between each word. “Is there a place?”

He turned on his heel and started toward the Cessna. “There’s a place.” He was striding quickly across the tarmac. “Get on the plane, Waldridge. From now on, you do everything I tell you to do without question. Understand? You may be a god in your particular universe, but from now on your universe is limited to your lab. But if you manage to make it through this mess and win the Nobel Prize, I might even bow down and worship at the altar like the rest of your fans.”

“Not bloody likely,” Waldridge murmured as he fell into step with him as Kendra followed behind. “But I’m not a god, and I’m certainly not a fool. If Kendra says I need fixing, and you can do it, who am I not to cooperate?”

“Kendra needs to do some fixing herself.” Lynch was looking over his shoulder at Kendra. “I take it you went AWOL from the hospital?” When she nodded, he said, “When you leave here, you go back to your condo. Leave Waldridge’s rental car at a metered spot downtown. It’ll be towed and the rental car company will get a call once it hits the impound lot.”

Kendra nodded. “Okay…”

“Then you call your mother and ask her to meet you at your condo. You tell her that she’s to tell anyone who questions her that she received a call from you in the middle of the night and you told her to pick you up outside the hospital. You told her you couldn’t sleep, and you saw no reason why you should have to stay there.” He smiled. “Considering your reputation with the FBI field office, they won’t find it unusual you wanted to run your own show. But Dianne will say she didn’t want to leave you alone. So like a good mother, she bunked down on the couch and was available in case you needed her.”

“As an alibi?”

“Yes, you won’t need one. No crime has been committed. But it might throw off anyone who thinks you have anything to do with Waldridge’s disappearance. I’ll lay a few more false trails for them to follow, but they’ll come to you first.” His lips twisted. “And Dianne will be completely convincing if it means she’s doing something that will protect her hero and still keeping you safely here in San Diego.”

“Yes, she will,” Kendra said. “Though I don’t want to involve her.”

“She was mad as hell that you didn’t involve her the last time. She may forgive you if you let her do this.” He turned back to Waldridge. “And can you give me an idea where those incubators with the organs would be taken in London? Biers said he didn’t know.”

“He knew. Probably the test lab on the south side. Why?”

“Another loose end. After I leave you, I’ll have to go and grab all those incubators and ship them to your new lab. You don’t want anyone else to have access to them if they have a finished product.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” He smiled. “I was worried about them. I’m glad you thought of it. That could have been a disaster.”

Lynch waved his hand impatiently. “I’ll need all the details about transporting. I don’t know anything about keeping live organs healthy.”

“My area,” Waldridge said. “I’ll make it easy for you to fix that problem.” They’d reached the steps, and he turned to Kendra. “It seems that this may be—”

“Who’s that?” Lynch stiffened, his gaze on two headlights spearing the darkness as a car drove onto the airport grounds. “I don’t like this.”

“I do,” Kendra said as she whirled and started hurrying toward the car that had just stopped. “I was afraid that she wouldn’t make it, and I’d have to send her after you.”