Текст книги "Заговор мечей"
Автор книги: Джейн Doy Press
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Текущая страница: 22 (всего у книги 40 страниц)
Unable to stand the voices in her head, Alex sat up quickly. The motion jarred her arm, sending bolts of pain through her. She bit her lip until she tasted blood, trying not to scream.
Teren came through the door and handed her a glass of wine. “Drink this. All of it. It’s not a great pain killer, or even a great wine, but it’s the best we have of either one.”
Alex drank the wine, feeling it burn her lip. When she was finished, Teren set the glass aside and knelt by the sink to finish sewing Alex’s wound.
There were fourteen stitches in all. The bullet had sliced through Alex’s sleeve, leaving a wicked gash on the underside of her forearm. The other bullet had taken a layer of skin off her left shoulder, but only needed bandaging.
“Okay. Let me get a bandage on this, and you’ll be set. There’s a bottle of wine out there for you. I wouldn’t recommend drinking the whole thing, but another glass or two might take the edge off the pain.”
Alex said nothing. She held the pad where Teren told her to, and then let her hand drop back to her lap as her friend wound the gauze wrap around her arm. When they were done, Teren carried the chair back to the other room.
Their food was on the table by the window in Alex’s room, and the bottle of wine was beside Alex’s plate. She poured herself another glass, downing half of it.
“Do you want to get dressed before we eat?”
“You can eat. I’m not hungry.”
“Alex —”
“David and I ate earlier.”
“When was that? Five, six? It’s after midnight. Besides, it’s not a good idea to be drinking on an empty stomach.”
Alex downed the rest of the glass. “Why not? I’ll get drunk a little faster.”
Teren sighed. She knew what Alex was going through, and she wished she could take the pain away. But the truth was, that in order to get rid of it, Alex would have to face it. She wasn’t going to do that if she was drunk.
“Alex, please, just eat something. There’s some soup, or the dinner rolls if you want. But you need to put something into your stomach.”
Alex reached for the bottle, and Teren stopped her. They glared at one another for a moment, before Alex dropped her eyes and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll eat something. Let me get dressed first.”
Teren turned away, not willing to leave the room in case Alex reached again for the bottle. Two glasses on an empty stomach was enough.
Alex dug through her bags, trying not to jar her right arm. She found the extra long t-shirt she usually slept in, and slipped it over her head.
“Hope you don’t mind if I just stay like this. I’m not in the mood to worry about pants right now.”
Teren turned, seeing the long black t-shirt. It contrasted well with Alex’s blong hair, but made the bandage on her arm stand out even more.
“That’s fine. Now, sit down and eat.”
The younger woman did so, trying to find her normal appetite. It wasn’t there. She picked at the charbroiled chicken, and tore the roll apart instead of eating it.
“He missed you, you know.”
Teren stopped and looked at Alex. “Who?”
“David. He said so, in the car. I said it would have been nice to have you there and he said you make everyone nervous.” Alex set her fork down. “He said he missed you too. It was right before Brogan showed up.”
Teren stared down at her plate. She had no idea how to heal the woman in front of her.
“Why weren’t you there?”
Startled blue eyes looked up into haunted green.
“Why wasn’t I where?”
“At the park. With us.”
“You know why. My flight got in just after nine and —”
“No.” Alex shook her head. “No. Why didn’t you come with us? Why did you go to Washington instead?”
Teren took a deep breath. “Alex, I —”
“NO!” Alex was shouting now, the anger inside demanding a target. “Why weren’t you there? You were supposed to be there. You wanted to be part of this team, and I agreed, even though you said it would be dangerous. But when the danger showed up, you weren’t there. Why not, Teren? Why weren’t you there?”
“I had to go to Washington.”
“Why? Why? If you had been here, David wouldn’t be dying. Damn you, Teren, you should have been there!” Alex swept her good arm across half the table sending her plate and glass flying into the wall. “You should have been there!”
Alex stood and walked away from the table, anger seeping from her. Teren waited, knowing what would come next.
“I should have demanded you come with us. I should have made sure we had more back up. I should have insisted on waiting until morning, or at least insisted on a different location. I should —”
“Alex.” Teren stood and crossed the several steps to the smaller woman, placing a hand on her good shoulder. “Alex, you couldn’t have changed anything. This was a set-up, just like when Perry was killed.”
Alex turned on her. “I know that. But I should have been able to stop it. I should have known, and I shouldn’t have let it happen.”
“Alex, you couldn’t stop it.”
“Yes, I could. I should have. I should have kept David safe. I promised Miri I’d keep him safe, and I didn’t. I didn’t.”
The tears finally came, and Teren pulled Alex into her arms. They sat on the bed, Teren rocking the younger woman. She let Alex cry, knowing that the release of emotion would allow the agent to think more rationally. After this, Alex might be able to see that there was no way they could have known it was a set-up. They couldn’t have known they would be ambushed. Most importantly to Teren, Alex might be able to see that there was no way she herself could have prevented David being shot.
Rational acceptance would eventually allow Alex to slowly release the guilt she was feeling, Teren knew, but that would take much longer.
After several minutes, Alex’s sobs became hiccups, then deep sighs, and then normal breaths. She still clung to Teren, and the darker woman continued to hold her, gently rubbing her back, and occasionally stroking her head.
When Teren was sure the tears had fully stopped, she took a deep breath, and kissed Alex on the top of the head.
“Alex, do you want to get the men behind the shooting of your partner?”
The blonde head tilted back until green eyes were inches from Teren’s blue ones. Alex studied Teren’s face for a moment, then whispered her answer.
“Yes.”
Teren could feel the word on Alex’s breath as it left her lips. Without thinking, she leaned down to kiss those lips, surprising herself and Alex. Then she pulled away and stared back into Alex’s eyes.
“Then we will.”
This time it was Alex who brought their lips together, pushing up and back as Teren fell against the mattress. Alex tangled her hands in the dark tresses and pulled Teren’s mouth tight against hers even as she pressed down with her body. Teren ran her hand up Alex’s back, stroking her neck, and weaving her fingers into the golden hair.
For Alex, there was nothing left but this. There was no more pain, no more anger, no more fear. Only Teren, and the feel of her body as Alex pulled her clothes from her. Only Teren’s lips, and her hands, as they teased Alex further into this vacuum of sensation. There was only the touch, the taste, the smell, as Alex felt herself wound tightly in this cocoon of warmth and safety.
Teren had been surprised at the intensity between them, almost afraid of letting it build too high. But this joining was less about desire, and more about healing. Teren felt Alex’s body begin to relax, the rage inside her beginning to calm. As it did, the flames between them rose, becoming a firestorm of sensation that Teren could feel sweeping across both of them. It was a warm and welcoming sensation, as warm as the body on top of hers, and Teren let herself slide deeply into it.
The explosion, when it came, was too much for Alex, and she cried out, arching her body, and holding tightly to the dark woman who tenderly stroked her neck and back, whispering soothing words into her ear. Exhausted, she let her blond head drop onto Teren’s chest, trusting that Teren would hold her, and keep her safe. She was asleep before either of them realized it.
Teren rested one hand against Alex’s back, and used the other to wipe the tears from her own eyes. There was a gentle peace that had settled over her, and while she knew it wouldn’t last for long, she craved the comfort it could give her. After a momentary struggle with the bedspread, she managed to pull it over their heated bodies, wrapping them tightly together. Then she closed her eyes and let herself drift into that peace.
Chapter Twenty-one
Teren awoke with the sun in her eyes. She tried to put a hand up to block out the ray of light, and realized she couldn’t. When she looked down, she found one arm trapped under Alex, and the other hand clenched against Alex’s chest.
Sometime during the night, they had rolled onto their sides, with Teren spooned behind the blond. Alex was still asleep, and Teren didn’t really want to wake her. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully, and that was good. Teren had worried that the younger woman would have nightmares.
The light that had awakened Teren was coming from a small crack between the drapes. It was just enough to tell her she needed to get moving. Today they would have to think about what they were going to do. They had hard decisions to make, and would need to form their plans of both attack and defense. Teren smiled. Once again, it would be a chess match.
But the first thing she needed was a shower. After that she’d see about a rental car. Getting around the city in taxis would be too much of a hassle.
Even as she recognized all this, she still lay in the bed, gazing at the woman who had so recently become her lover. She wondered how Alex would react when she woke up.
Teren wondered how she, herself, should react. She wasn’t really sure. The events of the very early morning had not been planned or even looked for. But they had happened, and they would have to be dealt with. But she hadn’t the foggiest notion how to do that.
With a soft sigh, Teren began the process of extricating herself from Alex. When she was finally free, she went back to her own room and retrieved the soft blanket from her bed. She spread that over Alex, making sure to cover the woman’s shoulders. She stood and watched Alex sleep, wanting to climb back into the bed.
But there were things she had to do. With a shake of her head she walked toward the bathroom in her own room to take a long shower.
*******************************************************
Teren took a taxi to the car rental place, and rented a two door sedan under the name Chris Fleming. It was the same name she’d used at the hotel the night before. From there she stopped into a salon for a haircut. She had been trying to let it grow, but she decided the easiest way to avoid the police would be to not look like herself. If she had to, she could use a blond wig, but she didn’t see the necessity at the moment.
After the haircut, she stopped into the hospital, using the back entrance. Instead of going to the emergency room, or even to the information desk, she got on the elevator and went to the third floor. She pretended to look in several rooms, and when a nurse asked if she could help her, Teren put a relieved look on her face.
“I hope so. I asked about a friend of mine down at the desk, and they said he was in 314, but there are only two ladies in there.”
“Well, they might have made a mistake. It’s a huge hospital, and sometimes we have to change a person’s room, and the note never gets down to the information desk.” The nurse gestured that Teren should follow her. “What’s your friend’s name, hon?”
“Thomas. Ken Thomas. I really wanted to see him.”
“Well, there’s good news, and bad.”
Teren’s heart dropped. “What’s the bad news?”
“He’s been released. The good news is, it was just a few minutes ago, so if you hurry, you might be able to catch him. It’s the sixth floor, room 617.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll go right up. I can take the same elevator, right?”
“Yes, and turn left when you get off.”
“Thank you.”
She took the elevator up, but was very cautious about getting off. If Ken was leaving, that probably meant someone was here to pick him up. Teren wasn’t sure she wanted to run into anyone else from the FBI squad.
She stopped outside 617, pausing to listen. There were two voices, one low and rumbling, and one a litte higher pitch. Teren thought the first might be Ken, but didn’t have a clue who the other one was. She hoped it was his wife, and she wouldn’t mind giving Teren a moment with her husband.
Glancing around, Teren slipped into the room, closing the door behind her. The first bed was occupied by an old man, who was asleep. The voices were coming from the other side of the curtain. Teren took a few furtive steps further in, and then froze in recognition.
The other voice belonged to Miri, David’s wife.
For a moment, she thought about bolting. She wasn’t sure she would know what to say to the woman. But she needed to talk to Ken. Plus, she really wanted to know how David was.
Steeling herself, she cleared her throat, and stepped past the curtain.
Ken was sitting on the bed, in a pair of sweats from Georgetown University. His arm was around the small woman that had her head on Ken’s shoulder. At the sound of someone clearing their throat, Ken looked up, and stared at Teren.
“Where in the hell did you come from?”
“Chicago, originally. How are you feeling?”
“Better. They kept me overnight because of some bleeding, but I’m getting out of here in a few.”
Miri pulled her head away from Ken, and turned to look at the woman. She recognized Teren, and wondered why she was there.
“Miri, I want you to know how sorry I am. David’s a good man, and I hope he pulls through.”
The small woman nodded. “The doctor’s think he has a good chance. The bullet damaged his lung, and broke one of his ribs. A piece of bone lodged near his heart, but they were able to remove it without trouble. Now the only thing they’re worried about is how much blood he lost. His blood pressure is still really low.”
Teren grimaced. “I know what kind of problems that can cause.” She looked at the floor, then back up at Ken. “Um, I really don’t want to intrude here, and I know I am, but Ken, I need to talk to you.”
Ken looked at Miri who nodded, and gave him a hug.
“I’ll come down and see you and the big guy as soon as they spring me.”
“I’ll be waiting for you.” Miri smiled at Ken, and stepped towards Teren, who moved aside to let the smaller woman by.
Instead of leaving, Miri stopped. “Teren, is Alex okay?”
Teren nodded. “She’s hurting. Both inside and out. Blaming herself.”
“Damnit, it wasn’t her fault, Teren,” Ken growled, “and you can tell her I said so.”
“Ken,” Miri held up a hand to her friend, then looked Teren in the eye. “I think I’m partly to blame for the way she feels. When she called to tell me David had been hurt, I said some things I didn’t mean. I told her she was to blame, and said she should have protected him.” She dropped her head. “I think I might have even asked why it was David and not her, but I’m not sure. I said a lot of things that weren’t true.” Miri raised her head, fresh tears on her cheeks. “Tell her I’m sorry, Teren. I didn’t mean those things, and I’m so sorry.”
Teren nodded, and gave Miri an awkward hug. “She knows, Miri, she knows.”
“No. I don’t think she does. And she needs to. Will you tell her, Teren?”
“I will.”
Miri sighed, and shook her head. “That woman is such a perfectionist, and she just demands that everyone around her be the same way.” She gave a half-shrug. “When something goes wrong, she’s the first one to blame herself, so everybody else does, too.”
“I’ll let her know you don’t blame her. And I’ll tell her David’s going to make it.”
“Good. Tell her he’ll be depressed that he can’t be with her when she cracks this thing.”
That lightened the mood a touch, and even brought a chuckle from Ken. Miri smiled up at Teren, and left.
Teren watched her go, and then looked at the agent seated on the bed.
“When are you leaving?”
“Soon as Cliff gets here. You better talk fast if you don’t want him to catch you.”
“Is he looking for me too? I thought it was just the PD.”
“I don’t think he’s looking for you, exactly, but I’m not sure what he’d feel it was necessary to do. So, talk. What do you need from me?”
Teren took a deep breath. “First, I need to know how involved you’re going to stay with this case.”
“Very. It may not be from here in Philly, but I’ll be in it. Any information you need, you let me know.”
Teren nodded. “Good. Second, if Alex and I leave the city, can we count on you being our unofficial conduit to the Bureau?”
“You got it. Think you’re going to leave?”
“Not sure. I have a feeling though, that the answers we’re both looking for aren’t in Philly.”
“Where are they, do you think?”
“Not saying. Don’t want to give you too much to lie about.”
“Got it.”
“Now, the question becomes, how are we going to get information back and forth?”
Ken scratched his jaw. “Well, one time when a friend of mine went undercover, we set it up that anything we needed to get back and forth we’d put in a locker in the bus station. We’d leave the key in an envelope at the desk. It was a different box each time.”
Teren tilted her head. “That would be good for hard copies of anything while we’re still in town. But what about once we leave?”
“E-mail.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Look, I know you’ve probably got several aliases you go by, and you probably have identification for all of them, right?”
She said nothing.
“Take one of those aliases and go to hotmail. Sign up for e-mail under the alias. It won’t be secure as the CIA stuff, or even what the Bureau uses, but everybody will be looking for you to try to use those. If you go with something as everyday as hotmail, they’ll never suspect it.”
Teren’s eyebrows lifted. “You’re right. It’s not something they’ll look for. Good thinking, Ken.”
He grinned. “Hey, I’m no dummy. I graduated from college. ” He poked a thumb at his sweats. “Got me the shirt to prove it.”
Teren chuckled at him. “Okay. What address will you be using?”
“Simple to remember. Kendall-hyphen-T at hotmail. Unless it’s something really sensitive, don’t encrypt – that’s the easiest way to make someone suspicious.”
“Right.”
“So what kind of information do you need from me?”
“Who the men that attacked you were, and can they be tied to John Treville or Derek White. Things like that.”
“Got it. I’ll get on it as soon as I can, but you might be disappointed. Bishop, who’s Cliff’s boss, turned the scene back over to the Philly cops. From what Jeff Harnisch told me, they’ve botched it already.”
“Shit. Why am I not surprised?” She shook her head. “By the way, one other thing. Would you keep an eye on this Captain Davies for me? I haven’t even met the guy and I don’t like him.”
Ken nodded, then he gazed at the floor. “Hey, Teren.” He didn’t look up at her, and Teren’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to insult you, or anything, but I wanted to ask, just to be sure.” He looked at her then. “Did you shoot those cops?”
Teren shook her head. “No, Ken. I found them dead. And I’ll tell you what I told Alex and Agent Harnisch. Whoever killed them, they knew the person.”
“Why do you say that?”
“How many cops do you know that invite total strangers to sit in the back of their car while they’re on a stakeout? Especially if that person has a fully loaded weapon.”
That made Ken’s eyebrows go up. “None. You think they were shot from inside the car?”
“No doubt in my mind. The back door was open, by the way. I glanced through it, and saw the wounds. The passenger was probably first, since the shots were to the exact back of his head. The driver was slightly turned as if he was looking at his passenger. Looked like a .22. Probably had a suppresser on the gun.”
“You got all that from just a glance?”
She sighed. “It’s part of my job, Ken, just like yours. I’ve used enough firearms to know what kind of wounds they can cause.”
Ken didn’t say anything to that. Instead he just nodded. “I didn’t think you killed them, Teren, but I thought I’d better ask.”
“Pretty brave of you. David would have hemmed and hawed, and then made sure Alex was between him and me when he asked.”
Ken laughed. “Yeah. That’s him exactly.”
“I’m damn glad he’s gonna make it.”
“Me, too.”
They were each quiet for a moment, then Teren reached out to him.
“I better get moving. Want to get back and make sure Alex hasn’t left without me.”
Ken shook her hand. “You take care. And tell Alex to stop blaming herself. Shit, if anyone’s to blame it’s me and Rick. We knew Brogan was a pressure cooker, and we waited to bring him in.”
“It was nobody’s fault, Ken. Just the guys who ordered the hit.” She lowered her voice. “And Alex and I are going to get them. I promise you that.”
Ken could feel a shiver go up his spine at the ice in Teren’s voice, and he watched as she disappeared from his room. Then he said in a quiet voice, “I believe you will, Teren. I believe you will.”
*******************************************************
Alex was back in the park. The lights were dim, and she could barely see the outline of the buildings. At first she could hear gunfire, and screams. Then it was silent and she turned around to stare into the bloody face of her partner. David questioned her, blood dripping from his lips. Rick appeared behind him,the holes in his head leaking both blood and gray matter. The two bleeding agents circled her, lashing out. They yelled at her, telling her it was her fault they were dead, and it should have been her instead of them. They began steadily pushing her backwards toward an open hole. Her heels had finally caught on the edge and she was falling backwards into a grave —
to find herself sitting straight up on the bed in her hotel room, a scream on her lips.
Everything hurt. Her arm throbbed, and her head was pounding. She was sweating from the intensity of the dream, and yet she felt cold. Alex put her hands over her face for a moment, and tried to get her breathing under control.
Alex realized she didn’t even know if David was alive or dead, and she had the urge to call the hospital. She knew they wouldn’t tell her over the phone, though, and she could hardly go there without clothes on.
It was at that point she remembered that something, or more precisely someone, was missing.
Seeing the door to the adjoining room was still open, she pulled the blanket up around her and called out.
“Teren?”
There was no answer. Alex took the blanket, wrapping it carefully around her, and wandered into the other room. Her nose told her there was food on the table, and she was surprised to find that she was indeed hungry. Last night her stomach had felt like it was filled with lead – this morning it felt as empty as a flat balloon.
On the table in Teren’s room was a covered platter, with a note on top.
Alex,
I’ve gone to get a few things together. Don’t know what time I’ll be back, but it shouldn’t be past eleven or noon.
I’ll check in with the hospital to find our how David is, so please don’t call. And please don’t leave. When I get back we may have to leave town quickly.
I guess we have a lot to talk about.
Eat some breakfast, and get dressed. I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Teren.
Alex glanced at the bedside clock. It was just past ten. She wondered how long Teren had been gone.
Alex lifted the lid off the plate on the table, and sniffed appreciatively. The waffles there had cooled, but not as much as she had feared. They still smelled wonderful, and she sat down for breakfast, her stomach demanding to be fed.
The monster, David had called it. Alex sighed. She missed her partner’s cheerful presence. His light banter had always kept her mood from getting too serious. Besides, he had always remembered caffeine for her in the mornings, which, it appeared, Teren had forgotten. She glanced around the room, and spotted something in the ice bucket. Upon further investigation she found a can of coke sitting on a bed of ice.
Okay, so Teren hadn’t forgotten, though hot chocolate was even better in the morning.
She was halfway dressed when she heard Teren come in. She pulled her shirt over head quickly while walking towards the adjoining door. Her injured arm slapped against it, and she cursed as she grabbed the wounded limb.
“Son-of-a-bitch that hurt!”
Teren came to the doorway to find Alex leaning against the wall with her teeth clenched.
“What did you do?”
“I hit my arm. Nothing major, just painful.”
“Oh. I brought back a bottle of ibuprofen. The good ones, 800 milligrams.”
“Ken been dipping into the hospital supplies again?”
“No. I visited some underground friends of mine. I’ve got ibuprofen, antibiotics, and plenty of bandages. How’s it feeling? Before you smacked it, I mean.”
“Not bad. Stiff, and sore to the touch, but I guess that’s normal the next day, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I was told.”
Alex finally felt the pain ease back to the dull throb she’d had all morning. “Thanks for breakfast by the way.”
“No problem. I tried to find something that wouldn’t get cold too fast, and that wouldn’t be terrible if it did get cold.” She grinned. “Did I succeed?”
“Pretty much. And you remembered strawberry jelly.”
“Yep.”
“But you forgot the hot chocolate.”
Teren actually looked crestfallen. “Oh. Sorry.”
“S’okay. I found the Coke, so I had my caffeine.”
They stood there awkwardly for a moment.
“So, what have you been up to this morning? Other than the butch cut.”
Teren put a hand to her head self-consciously. “Pretty short, huh?”
Alex nodded. “It looks good on you. Makes you look even taller, though.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“Just don’t stand right next to me. You’ll make me look short.”
Teren chuckled. “Right. I’ll remember that.”
The two of them moved into Teren’s room.
“So, what else were you doing out and about?”
“I stopped by the hospital.” Teren sat down on the bed, and pointed Alex to the chair at the table.
“David?” Alex asked as she took the seat.
“Is going to be fine. The bullet missed the arteries around his heart. What they were so worried about yesterday was that a piece of bone was stuck very close to the heart wall. But they got it out without a problem.”
“And his lung?”
“There’s damage. But what they’re most concerned about right now is the blood loss. His blood pressure is still really low.”
“Why? Is it just from the bleeding?”
“Yeah, mostly. It took almost a full week after my last operation for my pressure to return to normal. With injuries this severe it can take a while.”
“So he’ll be okay?”
“They’re giving him an excellent chance for a full recovery.”
Alex took in a deep breath, and then let it out. Her head dropped back, and she closed her eyes.
“Thank you. I was worried.”
“I figured.” Teren waited a moment, then rested her hand on Alex’s knee. She waited until the blond woman looked at her. “I spoke to Miri, Alex.”
Alex winced. “I’m sorry. She probably yelled at you.”
“No. As a matter of fact, she hugged me.”
The green eyes in front of Teren went wide. “She actually hugged you?”
“Yeah. And she said to tell you that she didn’t mean the things she said last night. She knows it wasn’t your fault. She doesn’t blame you, and she’s sorry she said those things.”
Alex’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked away. She said in a whisper, “It was my fault.”
Teren sighed. She had known it wouldn’t be that easy. Guilt was a hard thing to let go of. “No, it wasn’t. And if you’re really looking to blame yourself, then you’re going to have to battle Ken for that right.”
“What?”
“Ken’s blaming himself, too.”
“What for? He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Didn’t he? The way he tells it, he and his partner, Rick was it? They knew they had Brogan scared, and they should have picked him up. If they had, none of this would have happened.”
“But that’s ridiculous. First off, they didn’t have an arrest warrant. Second, they didn’t know there would be a bombing, or that Brogan would take off.”
“That’s what I thought. But he said he should have at least guessed that there would be an ambush.”
“How could he know that? That’s something none of us knew, not Harnisch, not Rick, not Ken, not even —” Alex saw the trap Teren had set.
“Not even who, Alex?”
“Me.” She slumped back in the chair. “Not even me.”
Teren nodded. “That’s right. Not even you. So, if you didn’t know, how could you have stopped it?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Right.”
The two of them sat still for a few more minutes as Alex took in the logic that her friend had laid out for her. She could finally see, in her mind, that there was no one to blame but the attackers. But inside, she was still fighting the guilt.
She spoke to Teren in a very soft voice. “I might need you to remind me of that a few more times.”
“No problem.”
“Is Ken really blaming himself?”
“Well, I don’t think he’s as bad as you, but yeah, he’s feeling guilty as well.”
Alex shook her head. She covered her eyes with her hands for a moment, then dropped them.
“Okay. So, it wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t my fault, the only people to blame are the guys who attacked us, and you and I are going to get them, right?”
Teren grinned at her. “Absolutely.”
“Where do we start?”
The grin got a touch wider. “Not a clue.”
They stared at each other and started laughing. For Alex, it was a way to put another small piece of her psyche back together.
After several minutes, they calmed down, and Teren told Alex the deal she’d made with Ken.
“Your laptop can connect to the net through a cellular, correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. We’ll use my phone, though.”
“Why?”
“Because if they’re trying to trace us, they might use the GPS on your cellular. Mine, they can’t trace.”
“Why not?”
“CIA secret. Even though I’m not officially an operative at the moment, I have a few friends there. They’ve made sure I have some protection.” She sighed. “Of course that doesn’t help with idiot police captains.”
“I can’t believe he’s trying to blame you.”
“Why not? He’s got to blame someone, and I’m as good a scapegoat as any. Besides, if he can make someone believe I’m the killer, then he’s discredited the Bureau and the CIA with one swing, as well as being a hero in the public’s eye for finding a cop killer. Plus, he saves himself the work of finding out who did kill the cops.”
