Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(119)
“Her?” Lynch called.
“Jessie,” Kendra said over her shoulder. “I couldn’t let Charles go without making certain he had proper security. And I couldn’t expect you to stay and protect him. Jessie probably won’t stay either, but she’ll be able to set up a security system she can trust.”
“And that you can trust,” Lynch said dryly.
She didn’t answer. She had reached the car, and Jessie was opening the driver’s door and getting out.
*
“I HEARD HER TALKING TO Ms. Mercado in the car, and she didn’t have an easy time persuading her,” Waldridge said as he watched Kendra and Jessie standing there talking. “But Kendra was very determined, and Jessie finally gave in.” He glanced at Lynch. “But since you’ve made it clear that you’re going to be in charge, I’m wondering if you’ll let Kendra have her way in this.”
“I’m wondering, too,” Lynch said. “Jessie might be useful if she agrees to the same rules I give to you. She’s ex-military, and she might do it. She’s smart, she’s good, she doesn’t make mistakes. It would free me up to go after those incubators right away while Dyle’s pals are still running around in a panic after they hear he’s dead. I could drop her off with you, snatch the incubators, then come back and finish the rest of the setup.”
“You’d feel comfortable doing that?”
Lynch smiled as he gazed at Jessie. “Yes, I’d feel comfortable. You can, too, Waldridge.”
“Then it appears your decision is made, doesn’t it?” He was still looking at Kendra and Jessie as he added, “Much easier than the one you made when you told Kendra you’d take me on. That was a close call for me. It all rested on a couple of sentences, didn’t it?”
Lynch’s eyes narrowed on his face. “Did it? What were they?”
“The first was when Kendra was so exasperated because she’d had to ignore the therapy for the kids she teaches. The second line was when she said that of course she wasn’t going with me. I believe that clinched the matter in my favor?”
Lynch didn’t answer.
“But I’m curious, if she hadn’t said those words, would you have just let me go out on my own, or would you have found a way to have Griffin find me in the fastest way possible?”
Lynch looked him in the eye. “What do you think?”
“You’re too smart to do anything that would irreparably cause an upset in your relationship with Kendra. I’ll go for the former, which, according to Kendra, might have the same result.”
“Or there could have been four or five options.”
“Absolutely, you’re a man of limitless possibilities. But those two were the most obvious.”
“And how would you have responded?”
“I would have done my best to disappear and keep Kendra from trying to rescue me again,” he said quietly. “That’s my real threat to you, Lynch. Our relationship is very complicated, and you don’t have to worry about my ever becoming her lover. There’s too much else going on that has to do with gratitude and pride and admiration. Maybe deep friendship and a hint of a father-figure image thrown into the mix? God knows what else. But the one certain thing she knows now is that we’ll always be friends, and Kendra doesn’t have any idea how to go halfway with anything.”
“Is this going somewhere?”
“Oh, yes, most definitely. When you whisk me off to my safe little paradise, you must not ever tell Kendra where it is. Because if she ever got a hint that something was wrong with me, she’d be there in the next breath. She couldn’t help herself. She has an almost maternal protective instinct about the people she cares about. That’s who she is, and it will never change. I think you know that.”
Lynch nodded slowly. “And I had no intention of telling Kendra where you were.” He shrugged. “Though I knew I’d catch hell.”
“You can tell her it was my decision.” Waldridge smiled. “I always get special dispensation because of the gratitude thing.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“But think how grateful she’s going to be to you for protecting me while I strive to do my all for humanity. I’m sure you’ll be splendid and innovative, and we’ll become fast friends while you’re doing it. Isn’t that better than destroying me?”
“I don’t want gratitude any more than you do, Waldridge. It just confuses things and gets in the way.”
“Exactly.
Lynch was silent. “And I never said I wanted to destroy you. That wasn’t one of my chosen options.”
“Yet.”
He shook his head. “I like what you’re working on. I appreciate what you gave to Kendra. I was thinking more about option four.”
“And what was that?”
Lynch smiled.
“I’m not to know? A mysterious threat to hover eternally over my poor head?” Waldridge chuckled. “You’re a terrible and complex man, Lynch. Maybe I should be the one to rescue Kendra.”
“Really? Then perhaps option five would be better.” His gaze returned to Kendra and Jessie. “Make a friend of Jessie Mercado, Waldridge. You may definitely need her if you decide to make my life difficult. But I don’t think you will. You’re a driven man, and you’ll be too busy to worry about me.”