"Dead Aim" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johansen Iris)

6

Morgan didn't call Galen until the helicopter had landed at a small airport north of Denver. "I'm on my way. I picked up a rental car at Colorado

Springs. Where am I going?" "The airport at Fort Collins. I just let Dave out here and I'm flying the helicopter for the rest of the trip. We'll set down and pick you up."

"Not smart. Just tell me the final destination."

"I have a mutiny on my hands. Alex is feeling guilty about leaving you. I told her that the world would be better off with out you, but she won't listen." "Really? Amazing. Okay, I should be at Fort Collins in about two hours."

Galen turned to Alex as he hung up. "He's on his way."

Alex nodded. "You lied. I don't feel guilty. It's just that right is right."

"Refreshing."

"Where are we going after we pick him up?"

"A ranch near Sibley. It's a small town near Jackson Hole,

Wyoming."

"Why are we going there?"

"It's the closest place I have contacts where you and Judd can go to ground. The heat's going to be very hot and heavy on you. We have to get you out of sight quick." She shook her head dazedly. "I don't understand any of this. It's a nightmare." "Yep. And the only way you can get away from a nightmare is to wake up." He met her gaze. "What happened at the lodge was ugly. Until then I thought there might be the smallest chance you were right about this all being a big mistake." "Morgan didn't."

"Morgan isn't prone to think any government agency is clean since he's in hot water himself with them."

"And how could a so-called legend get himself in trouble?"

"Patriotism and trust. I believe at one time Judd must have been as idealistic as you are." "No way."

"It's always the most devout who become the greatest cyn ics when they're disillusioned."

She shook her head.

"I can't say I blame you for not thinking well of him, con sidering he kidnapped you." "How understanding," she said dryly. "You're not my man of the moment either. Nothing that's happened has changed that."

"Maybe we'll grow on you."

"I doubt it."

"It would be better for you if we did since we appear to be the only ones in your corner. Unless you count Sarah Logan, and I don't think you want to involve her in this mess." "Certainly not. Though John Logan is another matter en tirely." "Sometimes things become clearer if you take them apart and put them back together. Think about it. Who knows? You may decide Judd is the best thing that's happened to you since Nader's death." "Bull."

"Just a suggestion." He changed the subject. "How's your shoulder?"

"Okay."

"Which means it probably hurts. Why don't you try to nap until we get to Fort Collins?" Nap? She knew damn well if she closed her eyes all she'd see would be that lodge in flames. She still felt her stomach clench whenever she remembered that first moment of shock.

"That's a lousy idea."

Galen nodded as he studied her face. "Then try to relax. We moved fast enough so that we're probably ahead of the game." He smiled. "Though if you see any F-15s trailing us, forget everything I said."

"That's right, I'm a big-time threat, aren't I?" She shook her head and whispered, "Crazy. The entire thing's crazy."

Morgan was standing on the runway, waiting, as the helicopter set down.

He was looking up at them and was still carrying the rifle.

Alex again had that odd feeling that the weapon was part of him. The cold wind from the rotors was tearing at his hair and pressing his jacket to his body.

Warrior. The word immediately jumped into her mind. Why not? Galen had just been talking about Morgan's experiences in the Rangers.

No, it was more than that. She could sense

"Let's go." Morgan opened the door and jumped into the helicopter. "This is pretty dumb. You should have let me make my own way."

"Talk to Alex." Galen lifted off. "I couldn't convince her.

She said right is right." "And dead is dead," Morgan said. "You don't sacrifice a mission for one man."

"And you don't leave behind someone who's helped you,"

Alex said. "So shut up with all that military garbage." He blinked, and then a slow smile lit his face. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bore you. I lived with that 'garbage' for a number of years. It's second nature to me." "Galen told me." She looked away from him. "But this isn't

Afghanistan. Did you have any trouble?"

"I did some dodging."

That was all he was going to say. Well, she didn't want to know anyway. "Bob Jurgens was in that first car you wrecked."

"You recognized him?"

"He was the FBI agent who interviewed me."

"He wanted to put her in a safe house," Galen added. Morgan gave a low whistle. "Interesting."

"It's more than interesting to me," she said. "It's damn world-shaking. He seemed… I thought he was starting to believe me."

"I'm sure he did."

She shook her head. "I'm not sure of anything right now." Except that she might have died today if Morgan hadn't been there. That fact was as bewildering as everything else that had happened to her.

"It's natural for you to be confused," Morgan said quietly. "It's against your instincts to doubt the authorities. You want to believe them."

"I'm not sure that I don't."

"Yes, you are," Morgan said. "Listen to your gut feelings." She couldn't do that. Her gut feelings were telling her to run and hide, and that wasn't an option she could live with.

The ranch outside Sibley was located twenty miles from the town and set some three miles back from the road. From the air the house looked to be a nice, clean little wooden cottage with a wraparound porch.

Galen set the helicopter down in a meadow to the south of the house. "You two get inside. I have to find a way of camouflaging this chopper. There should be a key underneath the phony rock beside the porch."

"Some security," Morgan said.

"It's that kind of town. Most people don't lock their doors here at night." "I always wanted to live in a town like that," Alex said as she walked toward the house. "Fourth of July parades where everyone knows everybody. Picnics. Bands playing in a gazebo in the park."

"Sounds nice," Judd said. "But I notice you chose to spend your life globe-trotting instead." "It just happened. At first, I was curious about everything and anything. After my father died… I needed to work. I went where I was sent. Where I was needed." "But you still like the idea of your small town with un locked doors."

"I guess I feel a little vulnerable. Going back to the way things were fifty years ago is like feather beds and mashed potatoes. Comfort."

"But we're not in a comfort zone right now." He moved ahead of her and retrieved the key from beneath the rock. "So stay outside until I check out the house."

"Galen said this place was safe."

"More soldiers are killed when they think they're safe than at any other time." He unlocked the door. "Oops, sorry. More military garbage." He disappeared inside the house but returned in a few minutes. "All clear."

"Galen would have been upset if it hadn't been," Alex said as she entered the house, whose furnishings reflected the same hominess as the exterior. It was all chintz slipcovers and pine cabinets. There was even a rocking chair in the corner. "He seems to take pride in his ability to move us around like chess pieces."

"He's proud that he's good at his job." Morgan was at the fireplace, kneeling to light the kindling. "But he has no desire to move the pawns around the board. Neither do I. Too many people in my life have pulled my strings. All I want is to be left alone."

"But evidently you made an executive decision when you snatched me."

He shrugged. "I'd committed myself to keeping you alive. I had no choice." He rose to his feet. "I'll go raid the kitchen and see if I can find coffee and some food. Those three doors leading off the living room are bedrooms. Why don't you choose one and wash up?"

"I will." As she moved toward the first door, she noticed a television set against the far wall. "And why don't you see if you can get some news on that television? I want to see if I'm wanted for the murder of any of those FBI men you shot as well as for blowing up the dam."

"I was as careful as I could be. I hit them when they were almost down to the valley and wouldn't go off the mountain. I targeted the tires. You said you didn't want anyone hurt."

"Jurgens was holding his arm. I think it might have been broken."

"So I'm not perfect. I try to make sure I don't have to calculate car speed on a target. It's very tricky. And no one has ever wanted me to take out cars instead of men." He opened a cabinet over the sink. "Ah, coffee. If you want to take a nap, I promise not to drink the entire pot."

"I'm not going to take a nap. Why do you keep trying to get me to go to sleep? We need to talk." He glanced at her as he took down the coffee canister.

"That sounds ominous."

"What happened last night was ominous. It scared me to death." She opened the door. "I don't like to be scared. I don't like to feel helpless. And I sure as hell don't like being made a target. I have to know what's happening." She didn't wait for him to reply but closed the door and leaned against it. Lord, she was exhausted. She needed sleep. Her shoulder throbbed and she felt as if she'd been through a war.

Morgan knew about wars. They were his stock-in-trade. Well, they weren't her trade. She hated violence. Which made the fact that she had been forced into defending herself against this hideous charge all the more sickening.

Flames consuming the lodge, clawing at the sky.

No, she hadn't even been given the chance to defend herself. So forget about rest. She had to figure out why this had happened and what she was going to do.

Morgan was still alone in the living room when Alex came out of the bedroom an hour later.

"Did you change your mind about that nap?" he asked. "I was just going to check and see if you were all right."

"No, I just wanted a little time to myself. Where's Galen?" "We're low on groceries. He went to town to pick some up." "How? I thought Sibley was twenty miles away."

"There was an old Ford pickup in the barn. Nothing fancy, but it works."

"Why did I even question? Galen seems to fill all needs." "Thank God." He went to the cabinet. "I'll get you a cup of coffee. This is the second pot. Galen and I killed the first one."

"I could use the caffeine." She sat down on the couch in front of the television set. "Was there anything about the attack on the lodge?"

He nodded. "You and your accomplices resisted arrest and they had to fire. They haven't been able to go into the lodge yet to get DNA evidence, but they're almost sure you escaped. Particularly since the fine forces of law and order were ambushed while they were in pursuit of a suspicious vehicle."

"Resisted arrest? There was no one in that lodge."

He shrugged. "Poltergeists?" He handed her the cup. "And they've identified me as one of your accomplices. I was wondering when they'd decide to put me in the hot seat too."

"You're probably used to it."

"Yes, and you'll be glad to know that the injuries I inflicted were minor. Jurgens has a broken arm, and one of his men has a minor concussion."

"I'm not sure I am glad."

He gazed at her with raised brows.

"Or maybe I am." She took a sip of coffee. "I just don't know. I still find it difficult to believe the FBI is out to get me."

"Then maybe you should consider that organizations like the FBI and CIA are so spread out and secretive that sometimes one department doesn't know what another is doing. Much less what each other is up to. That was one of the prime outcries after September eleventh." He poured himself a cup of coffee. "It's entirely possible that we have a bad apple in a fine, healthy bushel."

"Jurgens?"

He nodded. "But you've got to be aware that he might not be alone."

"So much for your theory."

"This attack on you has pretty wicked firepower. The media mentioned Homeland Security." "Oh, for God's sake. Now you're saying they're involved?

Why not the President?" "Jesus, I hope not. I like Andreas. By the way, his trip to the dam has been postponed at the request of Homeland Security until the Secret Service can verify there's no threat from Matanza."

"Or me?"

"Or you. And all I'm saying is that Homeland Security must have been brought into the picture by either hard evidence supplied by the FBI and CIA or the influence of someone pretty high up."

"There was no hard evidence against me. I didn't do any thing." "Except be in the wrong place at the wrong time." He smiled faintly. "And then refuse to go away and forget about it. You're a very obstinate woman." "Obstinate? I was at Arapahoe Junction. I dug and dug, and all the time I knew…" She had to steady her voice. "You're damn right I'm obstinate." "I'm not complaining. I like it. Which is unusual considering what problems it's causing me." "I don't care whether you complain or not. For the last few weeks my life has been a nightmare. I've been caught in a landslide, forced to jump into floodwaters, shot at, run off the road, and now this. For God's sake, it's like something from The Perils of Pauline."

"You haven't been tied to the railway tracks yet."

"That's probably next. All I want is a way out of this mess." She stared him in the eye. "And you've got to help me."

"I told you that I'd find the men who tried to kill you." "The circle seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. And it's going to keep growing until I find out what happened at Arapahoe Junction." She drew a deep breath. "So you're going to be with me all the way."

"Am I?"

"Yes." "Why?"

"Because if you don't and they catch me, I'll tell them whatever I'm guilty of I did on your orders." He stared at her for a moment and then threw back his head and laughed. "My God. You're wonderful. In a Lucrezia Borgia kind of way."

"I'm fighting for my life."

"And you're quite right not to trust me with it. You shouldn't trust anyone with anything that precious. It's too easy to take away." He dropped down into a chair. "So what exactly are you blackmailing me to do?"

"First, get Galen and Logan to find out what's going on with this witch hunt. I can't fight them if I don't know who is behind it. Second, I want to know what happened that night at the dam. There wasn't any explosion. I don't know what they did, but it was like…" She tried to remember. "A sort of… rumbling, shaking."

"Anything else?"

"Oh, yes." She paused. "I want you to tell me how and what you know about the last man we sketched yesterday." "I beg your pardon?"

"The helicopter pilot. I didn't tell you he had a scar. I didn't even remember it until I saw the sketch. But you sketched it in. Later, I thought about it and realized that I wasn't that tired. I would have remembered telling you." She added, "My first thought was that you were in collusion with them. But then I remembered your reaction while you were drawing the sketch. You were shocked. You recovered quickly, but you didn't know that was the face you were going to draw."

"This is all supposition."

"Yes. Tell me one thing. Why did you think I'd be gullible enough to swallow that 'too exhausted to remember' excuse?" "I didn't. I took a chance. It was the only out I had if I was going to send the sketch to Galen with every detail. I had to do that. I needed to know who that bastard was."

"And you don't?"

"I only saw him once, and the circumstances weren't conducive to exchanging either names or pleasantries."

"Why not?"

He didn't answer.

"Dammit, why won't you talk to me?"

"I've always subscribed to the policy of 'need to know.'" He held up his hand. "I know. More military garbage."

"I need to know."

"Don't be greedy. I've caved in to your blackmail on the other things. I'm going to need some time to decide if I want to confide an episode that may have nothing to do with any of this. I'm a very cautious man."

She had a fleeting memory of Morgan, rifle in hand, standing on that tarmac as the helicopter descended. "I haven't noticed. And you said 'may have nothing to do with.' If you're not sure, then I should be told what-" He was shaking his head. "Dammit, you're not being fair. You're making me trust you in a situation where it could mean my neck."

"You do trust me. Not to any great depth, but you've worked your way through all the facts and our history to date and come out with the conclusion that I'm not on the bad guys' side."

"Right now."

"I stand corrected."

"And I'd be a lot more certain if you'd tell me where you saw that man in the sketch."

"Too bad. We all have to live with uncertainties."

He wasn't going to budge. She temporarily abandoned the battle and went back to fortifying the gains she'd made. "Have you really caved on those other issues?"

"Sure. I'm wallowing in the dirt and being pulled behind your chariot wheels." "Bull. Stop it. Just give me your promise that you won't jump to the other side if the going gets rough." His smile faded. "You must have been talking to Galen."

"I don't know what you mean."

He studied her expression. "Maybe you don't." He finished his coffee. "I don't like to make promises. It's too confining." "That's why I want one from you."

"Would you trust me if I did give you my word?"

She thought about it. "I… think I would."

He chuckled. "What enthusiasm."

"I can't read you. Most of the time I don't know what you're thinking. I just have to rely on instinct."

"That can be scary. And a truckload of scary things have happened to you lately." He rose to his feet and took her cup. "If it makes you feel better, you have my promise I won't jump ship on you."

It did make her feel better. It was totally unreasonable that his words brought this sudden surge of warmth and reassurance.

The same warmth she had felt when he touched her wrist that day in the stairwell. But that was different, that was deception and deliberate manipulation. And since she knew he was fully capable of both, why did she put stock in his word? "You're fretting about why you're trusting me," he said over his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen. "It's pretty amazing to me too." Evidently he had no trouble reading her, she thought in frustration. It wasn't fair. "But it feels kind of good." He didn't look at her as he put the cups in the dishwasher. "Sort of like feather beds and mashed potatoes."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"I wouldn't think of it." He raised his gaze to meet hers. "Unless I thought I could get away with it."

"Well, you can't, and I wish-"

My God.

She quickly glanced away from him. Where had that come from? One minute she had been irritated and the next… aware. It was like that moment when he'd touched her when he changed her bandage. "How long do you think Logan will take to find out anything about this mess?"

He didn't answer for a second. "It depends. I'm sure he's on it now. Your friend Sarah must be very persuasive. Have you known each other long?"

"Yes." Sarah was a safe topic. Skid away from that weird, intimate moment. "Years. I ran into her during the first earthquake I covered near Istanbul. I was very green, and she saved me from being shot by one of the soldiers protecting the site. And then she saved me from breaking down any number of times when they started recovering the bodies." She shook her head. "It broke my heart. It still does."

"Then why do you go back?"

"Because I can help. It's not right to pass responsibility on to someone else because it hurts."

Confidences. Intimacy again. She had to break the spiral. She stood up and moved toward the bedroom. "Maybe I will rest for a while. Call me when Galen gets here."

Morgan nodded. "I'll be in to check your bandage in a little while."

"No, it's fine," she said quickly.

He met her gaze and then slowly nodded. "Whatever you

" say.

She moistened her lips. "Arapahoe Junction. That wasn't an explosion. I know it wasn't." "I believe you." He turned away. "Rest well."

"She said it wasn't an explosion," Morgan told Galen as he watched him prepare supper. "She's positive."

"Then what brought the hill down? Earthquake?"

"That was one of the possible explanations brought up by the FBI." He shook his head. "But who the hell could trigger an earthquake? No, I'm not sure what it was."

Galen looked up from the chicken he was basting. "But you have an idea."

"I didn't say that."

"You don't say a tenth of what you're thinking, you secre tive bastard." He picked up the pan and headed for the oven.

"It's a wonder I don't give up on you."

"Yes, it is. You should. Why don't you?"

"I'm a masochist." He closed the oven door. "But not enough to stay away from Elena for much longer. Now that I've finished playing superhero, I'm going to cut you loose and go home." He grinned. "I'm enjoying the hell out of being a henpecked husband."

"Elena is no hen. Is there such a thing as tiger-pecked?" "I'll find out, if she has to go through much more of this pregnancy without me. That's not going to happen. I'm not going to miss it." He went to the stovetop and started to stir the vegetables. "But you're going to miss me. Even though I bought plenty of frozen dinners for you."

"We'll survive. You're opting out entirely?"

"Anything I can do on the phone or through contacts, I'm your man. I'll start out by getting an ID on those two sketches. But the only thing that would get me to leave Elena again is if you or Alex were about to be drawn and quartered. And then only with Elena's permission."

Morgan made a face. "Not likely."

"I don't know. Maybe she's mellowing with pregnancy." He chuckled and shook his head. "Nah."

"I didn't think so."

"I'll get you transport. I'll get you experienced men for onsite help. I'll use my brilliant mind and persuasive talents to clear your path. As long as it doesn't take me more than thirty feet from Elena."

"Okay, okay. I hear you loud and clear. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll probably be gone before you wake." "No, you won't."

Galen smiled. "That's right. You'll be on guard duty, won't you?"

"I'm going to stay alive. And she's going to stay alive." "Why did you let her think you'd given in to blackmail? You couldn't be in worse shape with the government than you are now."

"It didn't matter. It made her feel more in control. Those bastards have shredded her confidence in practically everything she believes in. She needed to feel she was doing something positive."

"And blackmail is positive? Never mind. It always depends on the situation." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "The chicken will be out in fifteen minutes. Do you want to wake her?"

"In a little while. Since you're between courses, why don't you get on the phone to Logan?" "And what am I to tell him?"

"That you're opting out and I'm going to expect him to fill in the gap." He paused. "And ifhe doesn't, I'm going after his ass."

Galen gave a low whistle. "You don't talk to Logan that way."

"You can say it however you want to say it. Just make the point."

"No threats. He wants Alex kept alive. He'll cooperate."

"With you. He has to cooperate with me, and he's not sure which way I'll jump." He paused. "What about a bribe?" "For God's sake, he's a billionaire."

"There are all kinds of bribes. Tell him I may be able to turn up something very beneficial to him." "What? Okay, don't tell me. But I'm not going to offer

Logan a bribe." He added, "Any more than I would you." Morgan chuckled. "Galen, you offered me a bribe to draw me into this."

"Well, that was different."

"Yeah, you won't give up trying to save my ass." "Someday I will." Galen pulled out his phone. "I'll handle Logan. Anything else you want me to tell him?"

"No. But I have something else I want you to do. Send a man down to Fairfax, Texas. It's a horse-and-buggy town near Brownsville. Make sure he's good and very carefuL"

"And?"

"There's a textile plant on the edge of town. Have him skirt around and see what he can come up with."

"What do you expect him to come up with?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe something… unusual"

"You've got it." He dialed Logan's number and when he picked up said, "We're safe, we've roosted, and I have a chicken in the oven." He flinched. "Hey, I wanted to see what kind of follow-up we need. Quiet down." He walked out onto the porch, talking fast.

Evidently Logan wasn't pleased at the way things were going. Well, neither were any of them, Morgan thought wearily. It was going to be a hell of a job just keeping them all alive.

He could walk away. He hadn't counted on the noose tightening around him like this.

Bull. He'd had a suspicion there might be a connection between Arapahoe Junction and Fairfax. It wasn't the carrot that Logan had held out to him that had brought him here. Nor was it Alex Graham's dossier and that fascinating face that had influenced him.

He had used Alex for an excuse to stop hiding and confront what had happened at Fairfax.

"No sign of her?" Betworth asked. "My God, she couldn't just disappear. She had half the law-enforcement officers in Colorado after her."

"We'll get her," Jurgens said. "We're processing the number on the helicopter now. The car they abandoned was rented at the airport by a Dave Simmons from Baltimore. Of course, we believe his ID was phony. But his description doesn't match the one the doctor gave us of the man who brought him to the lodge when Graham was injured. So it wasn't Morgan."

"What a surprise."

"I'm doing everything I can. Look, I put my ass on the line when I blew that lodge. There were two local detectives there who were mad as hell."

"Then we'll take care of them."

"Powers?"

"No violence. I'll call Tim Rolfe in Homeland Security and ask him if he doesn't think a gag order regarding Graham would be wise."

"He'll go along?"

"He has so far. He's an ambitious man who knows who's going to hold the power. He wants to stay on my good side." Betworth paused. "As you do, Jurgens. You've done a good job, but I'm going to ask more of you. You have to move faster. We're getting too close to Z-3. I can't have any loose ends."

"Perhaps you could postpone it?"

"After four years of planning? No, Jurgens. I have to strike while the iron is hot. I may never get another opportunity. Which means you may not get another opportunity." Betworth added gently, "You're very clever and I know you'll do whatever is necessary. Just find them and remove them so that we can concentrate on what's important to us."