Dangerous Secrets (42 page)

Losing Jean had left Morgan feeling empty and
guilty. She′d waited too long. She should have gone for help sooner. She
shouldn′t have taken Jean all the way back to their place. It was her
fault. Sharon understood her feelings, even though Morgan hadn′t said
them out loud. Sharon spent time with her. She took days off from her job to
make sure Morgan was all right. She hugged her a lot and told her stories.
Morgan resisted her love. She tried to hold herself aloof, but Jean was gone
and there was no one. With her defenses at a low point, she let it happen. She
let Sharon take her into a kind of life that would never really be hers. People
like her lived on the streets and it was only a matter of time before she would
be back there.

But she let Sharon hug her and hold her and she
let her guard down for a moment before she′d quickly pushed it back in
place. She knew it was unwise to begin to like someone who wasn′t part of
her street world. Eventually, they would throw you back to the sea of the
unwanted. But Morgan didn′t run away from Sharon′s house. She was
scared. Sharon voiced her feelings for her.

She knew Morgan thought it could so easily have
been her they buried instead of her friend. Then Sharon told her she would keep
her safe, always protect her. She could live with her for as long as she liked,
having food and a clean place to sleep. She could go to school and make
friends. It was a foreign world, but one that Morgan longed for as much as she
wanted to be one of the girls in the pretty jeans she′d seen in the torn
newspapers she slept on at
‶
her place.″

She stayed and Sharon kept her word.

***

Jack should pity Morgan. Her life was so
different from the way his had been. She′d had nothing, but somehow she
didn′t ask for pity. She accepted what had happened to her. She
didn′t wear it on her sleeve or force the world to pay for it. She
accepted what she had to and went on.

He′d spent most of his adult life in
jungles, serving the government, going where he was sent and doing his job with
quiet and unobserved efficiency. But he had a choice. At any time he could have
left the jungle and returned to his quiet suburban home. Morgan′s jungle
was without end.

Jack checked the fuel gauge. He needed to find
a place to set down. They′d used this as long as they could. It
wasn′t like he could have it refueled and continue on. He checked the
ground. The land below was green and hilly. He wondered where they were. Morgan
had thrown his concentration out the window by just being close to him. She
didn′t have to do anything. When she undressed in the small area and he
discovered there was nothing seriously wrong with her, his mind had gone
straight to her shapely legs and not to the airspace in front of them.

The story of her friend had taken something out
of her. Jack glanced to his side, checking to make sure she was all right. She
looked tired. They needed to find a place for her to rest, although if he
mentioned resting, she′d protest that she was fine and didn′t need
to rest. Jack wondered how long she′d been living so close to the edge as
she was now. From what he could tell, it had been since that night in Seoul.
That was longer than anyone should have to. He knew some agents who could exist
on half that amount of time.

He′d been flying low, but then radar
didn′t usually track helicopters anyway. But with all the navigational
and computerized equipment onboard, not to mention the gunwales, this bird was
strictly military. It wasn′t new, however. More like salvage, something
the government moth-balled or sold. So why would a military aircraft from a
foreign government be trying to kill an American gymnastics champion twelve
years out of the field?

Jack thought Morgan was beginning to trust him.
She′d told him more about her life than he figured she′d ever told
anyone else, except maybe her adoptive mother. He was glad she told him. It
made him understand her need to survive. Underlying everything about her, he
could tell she thought her entire life was a temporary situation. That no
matter the notoriety or how solid a place she stood, everything would be yanked
from her and she′d be back on the streets. It had to be her greatest
fear, that
‶
place′′
where Jean died, where life was ignored by people who had adequate food and
clothing and where no one wanted to acknowledge these were people.

Jack wanted to take her in his arms and let her
know she would never be one of them again. She′d gotten out of that and
there was nothing that could pull her back into it. But he knew you
couldn′t tell people these things. The fear was inside them, ingrained
from the hard knocks of experience.
They
had
to let it go like an unwanted emotion. It had to come from the inside. No one
else could make it go away. But he′d be there—

He stopped.

He wasn′t going to be there. When they
got to Washington, when this was over, Morgan would get a new life. True, she
would never have to worry about the basic necessities of life, but he
wouldn′t be part of her existence.

The thought sobered him, but couldn′t
keep the sharp pull that settled around his heart from tightening.

***

Morgan′s leg smarted more than she thought
it should for just a flesh wound. Jack had nearly lifted her out of the cockpit
and she′d hobbled to the cave, refusing to let him carry her. He′d
gathered some wood and dropped it in a pile before disappearing to hide the
helicopter. She didn′t ask how you hide a thirty-foot black bug with a
wing span of at least fifty feet, just as she hadn′t asked him if he
could fly it. There were certain things she just accepted that Jack could do.
She didn′t know why, but her experience had shown her that there were
times and people she had to take on faith. There weren′t many of them,
but Jack was one. Faith, she thought. He made her believe they could survive.

Morgan reached over and grabbed some of the
wood. She may as well get a fire started. The cave was damp and dark and a fire
would add both light and warmth. Plus it would give her something to do other
than worry that Jack would get caught and leave her alone.

She steepled the wood over a base of twigs
surrounded by small rocks she gathered inside the cave. Then she lit the twigs
and the branches caught on. Morgan hugged herself, feeling as if the coldness
was seeping inside her.

‶
How′s your leg?″
Jack returned, dropping another armful of wood onto the cave floor.

‶
It′s fine,″ she
lied. It still hurt. She should have taken a pain pill while he was gone. She
hadn′t thought of it. She′d been too busy worrying about him. If
she reached for them now, he′d know she′d lied.
‶
Where
are we?″ she asked instead of concentrating on her leg.

‶
I′m not sure. I think
we′re somewhere in southern Ohio. These hills are the outskirts of the
Allegheny Mountains.″

‶
Do you think we′re safe
here?″

‶
For the time being,″ he
nodded.

Morgan lifted her leg and bent her knee several
times. Her leg had begun to stiffen and she wanted to keep it flexible.

Jack looked around. He grabbed her backpack and
set it in front of her.
‶
Take one of those migraine pills. It will help with
the pain.″

Morgan opened her bag and took out a bottle of
aspirin.
‶
This
is better,″ she said. She swallowed two pills dry.

‶
Let me see it,″ he
commanded.

‶
I can′t. My pants are too
tight.″

‶
Take them off.″

His eyes came up as slowly as his voice had
been. They met hers directly.
‶
It′s not like I haven′t seen you without
them.″

‶
But then your hands were
busy.″

He said nothing, only waited for her to comply.
After a long moment, she stood, opened the fly and slipped the pants below her
knees.

Jack checked her leg. His touch was impersonal,
like those of a doctor, but for Morgan they were hot and sexual, caressing her
skin as he examined the wound. Keeping his eyes on her injured leg, Jack opened
the first-aid kit and found a sterile cloth to clean away any debris. Satisfied
with his work, he nodded to her, applied an antibiotic and tightly bandaged it.

‶
All done, you can pull your
pants up.″

Morgan did as she was told. Yet she knew he saw
the red-colored flush that covered her entire body.

She sat down, stretching her sore leg in front
of her.

Jack faced her. He spread his hands toward the
fire.
‶
I′m
going to have to go and find us some food and water soon and another form of
transportation.″

‶
I should wait here?″ She
attempted humor, but her voice came out strained.

Jack nodded.

Morgan knew she couldn′t walk a long
distance. Her leg hurt, but she wasn′t an invalid. She would be fine in
twenty-four hours, back to normal for sure in forty-eight, but right now
she′d be an anchor around his neck. They wouldn′t starve or
dehydrate in that amount of time.

She knew Jack wanted to get in touch with
Washington. He needed that more than he needed the food and water.

‶
How far do you think the
nearest town is?″

‶
Ten miles, I′d
say.″ He glanced in the direction she assumed he intended to go.
‶
I
saw one as we flew over. If I′m lucky I′ll be able to hitch a
ride.″

She looked at Jack over the fire. It turned his
face slightly red.
‶
Thank you, Jack.″

‶
For what?″

‶
For saving my life. For
rescuing me. For helping me remember. I planned this escape alone, but
I′m awfully glad you′re here.″

***

The urge to move next to Morgan and take her in
his arms was so strong Jack had to summon superhuman strength to keep his
place.

‶
It′s a life worth
saving.″ He thought to pass it off as a joke, but his words came out dead
serious. His gaze stayed locked with hers for a long moment. She broke it
first, dropping hers to the fire.
‶
How′d you start the
fire?″ he asked.

‶
Old Indian trick. I used two
rocks to create a spark.″

He shouldn′t be surprised at her
resourcefulness. He′d seen it over and over. She, who′d left her
house without even a lipstick, could survive in the wilderness with assassins
on her trail.

Morgan reached into her backpack and held up a
cigarette lighter and a book of matches.
‶
Survivor′s bag.″

He smiled and she did too. God, Jack thought,
he was in love with her. He stood up. Her eyes followed him. They were hungry
eyes. His had to look the same. He didn′t even try to hide what he felt.
He took a step toward her. She started to get up.

‶
Stay there,″ he said.
‶
It′s
time I started for town.″ He walked toward the door of the cave. Morgan
got up anyway.

Jack wanted to help her to her feet, but knew
if he touched her, he wouldn′t, couldn′t stop there.

‶
Would you leave me the
phone?″

He looked tenderly at her.
‶
It
might be compromised, but other than that, it won′t work without me. It
needs both a thumbprint and a code.″

She nodded and he saw the slightest amount of
fear enter her eyes before she blinked and it was gone.

‶
I thought if anything
unexpected happened, you would have a way of reaching me.″

He pulled the phone from his pocket and handed
it to her.
‶
If
I call you, it will be an extreme emergency.″

She nodded.

‶
Are you sure you′ll be
fine?″ Jack asked.

‶
Absolutely,″ she said her
voice forceful. It told him she was capable of surviving on her own. Jack tried
to read her voice to see if there were any telltale signs that she was putting
on a front. She could be lying. She was good at it, but just as he wanted her
to trust him, he had to trust her too. He knew with her leg she could run, but
she couldn′t get far.

He hesitated, giving her a long look. He wanted
to kiss her and the look in her eyes told him she wanted it too. He stopped
himself. There was no relationship for them. She was a job. He had to keep her
safe until he could turn her over to another authority. Then she′d disappear
behind a door and he would never see her again.

‶
You′re sure?″ Jack
asked instead of moving toward her.

She nodded.

‶
Stay near the fire. Once the
sun goes down it will be cold in here.″ He reached inside his pocket and
pulled out a small gun.
‶
If anyone comes near you, use it.″

She looked at it as if it was a snake with its
fangs open and ready to strike.

‶
Do I need to show you how to
use it?″

She took the gun flat in her hands.
‶
No,″
she said.
‶
I
know how to use it.″

Jack could hear, in the words she didn′t
say, that there was a story in between her sentence. He didn′t have time
to pursue it The place they were in was safe, but Jack needed to get in touch
with Washington and he needed to find another form of transportation. He also
knew Morgan. He couldn′t get her to tell him a story she wasn′t
ready to tell. He had to wait until she felt it was time to reveal another part
of herself, a time when she was ready to open a scab and let the sore bleed
out.

***

Jack had walked only two miles before finding a
pay phone. He made one call and moments later the Dodge Caravan slowed along
the road and stopped near him. The interior light came on as he got inside the
minivan. The sun and its red and gold rays fell behind the emerald green hills
in the valley where he′d left Morgan. The cave would be pitch black now
except for the small fire she′d made. Jack didn′t like thinking of
her alone there, but he had to do this.