Night Watch (Kendra Michaels #4)(97)

“Then we have to make certain the hijack doesn’t come off. Which means that we have to get you out of this place. That’s why I had to be here.”

“What?” He was gazing at her with horror. “Shit. Don’t tell me that you deliberately let yourself be taken. I don’t want to hear it.”

“You will hear it. You’d been gone too long, and it was getting increasingly dangerous for you. Biers said that you could be killed and were probably being tortured. We had to get you out.”

“Biers? You talked to Biers? When?”

“Yesterday. Jessie Mercado finally located him. He’d been in hiding since he reached California and found Shaw was dead.”

“He’s safe? I thought he might be dead, too. Dyle kept telling me how he’d gotten rid of all the scientists on the project except me. It was another way to isolate me.”

“He’s safe. Jessie stashed him in her apartment. After he told us what was going on with Night Watch … and you. He said he could only make guesses, but he assumed that you might still be alive since you were the linchpin of the project.” She gazed searchingly at him. “He also thought you were probably being … hurt.” She lifted her hand and touched his cut lip. “He was right?”

“That was just a little initiation to show me possibilities.” He made a face. “Dyle got much more innovative after the first session. He got someone who knew about the chemical injections used on prisoners in Iran. Extremely painful, like pure fire in the veins and able to be repeated frequently without danger of heart attack or brain damage. Dyle particularly didn’t want to risk brain damage.”

“My God. How could you stand it?”

“Oh, I was a complete coward.” He smiled wryly. “No stalwart Navy-SEAL attitude for me. I’m a scientist, for God’s sake. They had me crying like a baby.”

“But you didn’t give in to him.”

“Maybe I got used to it.”

“Yeah, sure.” She repeated softly, “Coward? And you wouldn’t have told him what he wanted to know no matter what he did to you.”

“Well, it helped that I thought that after he got what he wanted, he’d kill me anyway. You’re making me out to be some kind of hero.” He smiled faintly. “You always made that mistake. I’m only a man who has a skill and sometimes a dream. I’m flawed in so many ways. I’m driven, and sometimes I can be ruthless. I’ve never been able to maintain relationships unless they were connected to my work. I’m a workaholic, and I expect everyone around me to be as—”

“I always knew you were no hero,” she interrupted. “I wasn’t that blind. But I learned who and what you were, and that was always enough for me. And I’m learning more all the time, so stop treating me as if I’m a gullible child. Yes, I came because I owe you. But I also came because you’re one of the good guys. There aren’t that many left in the world. We have to make sure that they don’t become extinct. So stop lecturing me on why I shouldn’t have come to help you, and let’s think of a way to do it. You said you don’t know how much time we have.”

He was silent; and then he nodded. “Point taken.” Another pause. “And if you decided to bust me out of this place, I trust you have a plan or assistance?”

“I thought I had.” Now that the haziness was dissipating, she realized that she was experiencing a dull throbbing ache in her left side. Not good. There had been no pain after the first few hours when Jessie had inserted the device. She shifted and pulled her shirt out of her pants.

A bandage was taped over the incision formerly containing the device. “Shit!” She ripped it off and looked down at the neatly stitched wound. “A GPS device was inserted under the skin that should be sending out a message to Jessie and the FBI. It looks as if it was found and removed.”

“Let me take a look.” He moved closer and examined the wound. “At least, it looks clean and professionally stitched. As I said, those goons Dyle has working for him aren’t usually this careful.”

“Jessie made it almost impossible to detect. I was hoping that…” She shook her head. “We’ll just have to find another way.”

“So you’re caught, too. Dyle is always careful. He must have run a test and found that signal. You’re lucky he didn’t have his men just rip it out. As I said, some of them are gorillas.”

Yes, she was caught. The only ace in the hole she’d possessed was no longer available. So find another way to go.

And that other way was sitting in front of her.

Charles Waldridge.

“I’m sure you’ve not just been sitting here waiting for someone to rescue you, Charles. You were here, observing, paying attention to routine. What were you going to try as soon as you got the opportunity?”

His lips tilted up at the corners. “No, I wasn’t just sitting around waiting. Dyle managed to keep me fairly occupied in the last few days.”

Torture. She didn’t want to think about that right now. It made her too upset. “That wouldn’t have stopped you from thinking of ways and means. What can we use?”

“I do love the way you discard inessentials and go for the jugular.” He shrugged. “I’ve played over a dozen escape scenarios in my mind, but unfortunately most of them result in my violent death.”