Sweet Caroline's Keeper (22 page)

She lifted her hand to his cheek. "You look terrible." She ran her fingers over the day's growth of beard stubble covering his face. "How long have I been asleep?"

"They knocked you out before surgery around five this morning," he said. "It's six in the evening now. After surgery, you woke for a few minutes and then went right back to sleep. I was beginning to worry about you, but the nurses assured me that some patients don't come out of it as quickly as others. Your body needed the rest, so you just didn't wake up again until now."

"I'm hungry." She giggled, then moaned. "Even laughing is painful. Isn't it silly that after what I've been through, I'd wake up hungry."

"What do you want to eat?" he asked. "Name it and it's yours."

She caressed his face. "I'm going to be all right, aren't
I?"

The fear and pain of losing her lodged in his throat, an emotion that prevented him from speaking. If anything had happened to her. . . Finally, he nodded.

"Then don't you think you should stop feeling so guilty," she said. "You saved my life."

"I risked your life," he managed to say, his jaw tense. "I knew that damn cabin was a trap and I deliberately took you there thinking I could protect you and look what happened."

"You did protect me," she told him as she framed his face with both hands. "And y'all caught one of the snipers. He must be a member of the Loyalists Coalition, the people who ordered Preston's execution. That means if he doesn't know who killed Preston, he can give you the name of someone who does know."

David clasped her hands, pulled them away from his face, turned her palms over and kissed each one. "Whoever gave the snipers their order to kill you is the person I want."

"Do you think you can persuade him to talk?"

"You can count on it."

The look of deadly intent she saw in Wolfe's eyes frightened her. What would he do to the sniper, who wasn't much more than a boy, in order to make him talk? She couldn't bear even thinking about the methods she'd heard that certain people used to obtain information from an unwilling captive. Wolfe couldn't. . .wouldn't. . . Caroline shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Wolfe asked, gently grasping her shoulders. "Do you need a nurse?"

She shook her head. "Can't the police question him? You don't have to do it yourself, do you?"

"Yes, I have to question him myself," Wolfe said. "But you shouldn't be worrying about that kid. All you need to do is concentrate on recovering and going home."

"Wolfe. . .?"

"By the way, there are some people outside waiting to see you," he said, obviously determined to change the subject. "Lyle and Roz have already been in, about two hours ago, but of course you were still sleeping. And Fletcher and Brooke got here about forty-five minutes ago."

"How did they know—"

"I had Jack phone Lyle and he took it from there." Wolfe nodded to the door. "I'll go out and let them come in to see you. But I won't be more than a few feet outside the door."

"All right."

The moment he exited her room, Caroline's friends swarmed around him, bombarding him with questions. He held up his hands in a cease-fire gesture.

"She's awake and wants to see y'all," Wolfe said. "But no questions about what happened up at the lodge. And in ten minutes, I'm running y'all out of there until later."

The foursome piled into the room. When Fletcher reached out to close the door, Wolfe grabbed the handle and held the door open. He and Fletcher exchanged a question-and-answer glance, then Fletcher released his hold, nodded his understanding and left the door open.

Jack Parker laid his hand on Wolfe's shoulder and said, "I've got something for you."

Wolfe followed Jack farther out into the hall, but still close enough so that he could see into Caroline's room. "What is it?"

Jack held out a pair of tinted glasses, identical to the pair Wolfe had left behind at the lodge, which had been just like the ones destroyed at the lakeside cottage in Windhaven. "Thought you might need these, so I ordered you several extra pairs after the bomb explosion."

Wolfe grinned, took the glasses from Jack and put them on. "Thanks."

"
While I talk, just keep smiling,'' Jack said.
"
Sawyer tells me that you and Miss Caroline will have to give statements to the local sheriff. Just the basic facts. He says there won't be a problem."

"I can handle that."

"And it seems there's already quite a bit of interest in Seth Horton. A request for custody."

"The County Sheriff has a deputy guarding Horton and will take him into custody when he leaves the hospital." Wolfe grimaced. "So what agency thinks it can usurp the Sheriffs authority?"

"Peacekeepers International, Gavin Robbins in particular. And it seems that Robbins was the one who recommended Horton for the job at Peacekeepers." Jack tightened his hold on Wolfe's shoulder. "Sawyer says that Horton belongs to the FBI, that the feds want to get their hands on him and the Peacekeepers don't have the authority to save the guy's sorry ass. But he also said that past history shows that the Peacekeepers take care of their own."

Yes, they do, Wolfe thought. The Peacekeepers took care of its own, but not only in the way Jack meant. They did protect one another, but they also executed their rogue agents. Which motivated Robbins—the need to protect Horton or the decision to execute the man?

Chapter 18

Wolfe
lifted Caroline out of the car and into his arms, then carried her up the walkway to her house. Roz and Lyle stood in the open door. Matt O'Brien, Domingo Shea and Jack Parker followed. Matt and Dom brought in the flower arrangements Caroline had received during her hospital stay, while Jack remained on guard duty.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking," Caroline said.

"Humor me." Wolfe stepped up on the porch. "It gives me pleasure taking care of you."

A peculiar sensation fluttered inside Caroline. Whenever David Wolfe mentioned looking after her, protecting her, caring for her—as he had done so often in the past few days— unbidden thoughts of another David came to mind. Memories of the David who had watched over her for so many years couldn't
be
erased from her mind and heart, not even by the passion she felt for David Wolfe. And not for the first time, a ridiculous thought occurred to her—how perfect it would be if her two
Davids
were one, if she could somehow combine them and never lose either of them.

"Lyle and I cleaned the house and cooked dinner together," Roz said, as Wolfe brought Caroline into the living room and deposited her on the sofa. "Lyle's quite a cook. He's going to make some girl a really good husband."

"Hey, don't let Roz sell herself short." Lyle grinned at Roz. "She actually baked the apple pie."

"It was a frozen pie, straight out of the box." Roz grinned. "All I did was put it in the oven."

Matt and Dom lingered in the foyer. "Hey, what do you want us to do with these flowers?" Matt asked.

"Oh, let me have one of the arrangements and I'll put it on the table for a centerpiece." Roz rushed over and took the smaller of the two vases that Matt held.

"Please put the others in my bedroom," Caroline said.

Matt nodded, then he and Dom headed upstairs.

After sighing dramatically, Roz whistled softly under her breath. "Those two guys are dreamboats, aren't they?"

Lyle cleared his throat and glowered at Roz disapprovingly. Jack Parker chuckled.

Laughing, Roz shrugged. "Okay, so the habit is hard to break. I've spent years collecting men. You can't expect a girl to stop looking and appreciating, just because she's given up the habit"

"I didn't know you'd sworn off men," Caroline said. "When did this happen?"

"Recently." Roz stared meaningfully at Lyle. "I'm testing my willpower to see if it'll earn me any brownie points with a guy I'm trying to impress."

"Lucky guy, if you ask me," Jack Parker said. "Miss Roz, a man would have to be a first-class fool not to be downright flattered that you'd want to impress him."

"Well, Texas Jack, I appreciate your saying that. Let's just hope the guy I want feels that way." Roz continued staring at Lyle until his face turned red.

"Oh, by the way, Caroline, a delivery came for you this afternoon," Lyle said. "Roz and I had them put the things in the storage area off the laundry room.
I
hope that was all right."

"What sort of delivery?" Wolfe asked, tension wrinkling his brow.

"Several suitcases and a couple of boxes," Roz said. "Your mother's husband sent them from Europe." Roz crammed her hand into the pocket of her cutoff jeans and pulled out an envelope. "This came with the stuff."

Wolfe took the letter, inspected it and handed it to Caroline, then glanced at Jack. "You and Matt and Dom take
a
look at that special delivery." He glanced at Roz. "Would you show them where y'all put the items?"

"Sure."
Roz's
mouth fell open. "You don't think there's a bomb or—"

"Probably not, but it's best to make sure," Jack said.

Caroline ripped open the envelope and withdrew a one-page letter. While she read the message, Matt and Dom came back downstairs and Jack motioned for him to follow as Roz led the way out into the kitchen.

"It's from Armand
Mahieu
, my mother's sixth husband." Caroline's gaze remained glued to the letter. "He says that although it wasn't my mother's request that I be sent her personal things, he thought it only right that he send certain items to me since I was Lenore's daughter."

"If it's going to be too painful for you to go through those things, I can do it for you,"
Lyie
said.

"No, thank you, Lyle." Caroline folded the letter neatly and returned it to the envelope, then reached over and laid it on the end table. "I'll go through them myself. Just not this evening. Maybe tomorrow."

"Well, Roz and I have plans, so we won't be staying much longer," Lyle announced. "As soon as we serve your dinner, we're going to a church softball game. Roz has joined the team, and after only
a
couple of games she's already our star pitcher."

"You're kidding me?" Caroline laughed, then glanced up at Wolfe, who stood behind the sofa. She raised her arm and gently grasped his hand.

Wolfe looked down at her and smiled, but she could tell that his mind was elsewhere. Was he concerned about the special delivery that the Dundee agents were at this very moment checking over to make sure it wasn't booby-trapped? Of course he was. He was a professional, trained to protect. His first thought would always be regarding her safety. He was a man whom life had taught from the cradle that you could trust no one, that you could count on no one but yourself and that you were smart to suspect everybody. In his eyes, no one was innocent until proved so. Nothing was harmless unless thoroughly inspected.

Roz reentered the living room first, carrying a tray of tall iced tea glasses. "Refreshments, anyone?"

By the time Roz had distributed the tea, Jack, Matt and Dom reappeared. Jack grinned. "The delivery is harmless," he said. "Looks like a bunch of old clothes, books, pictures and a jewelry box. Nothing lethal. The jewelry box came with a key, so we unlocked it and checked it out. Hope that was all right with you, Miss Caroline. Seems your mother had some pretty nice jewels. Expensive stuff."

"Yes, my mother had very expensive taste. Monsieur
Mahieu
, her sixth husband, is a multimillionaire. My guess is that he kept the jewelry he'd given her and gave me the things she'd brought with her when they married." Caroline gazed up at David and squeezed his hand again. "See, now you can stop worrying. At least until after dinner. The delivery really is nothing more than some of my mother's belongings."

"Speaking of dinner," Roz said. "We fixed plenty, so if you three guys—" she looked, at Jack and Matt and Dom "—are staying, I'll set a couple of extra plates."

"Nothing for us now, Miss Roz," Jack said. "We've got a couple of errands to run and then Matt and I will be taking turns keeping watch outside tonight, while Dom heads back to the hospital to make sure the sheriffs deputy is keeping Seth Horton off limits to any unauthorized visitors." When he glanced at Wolfe, Jack inclined his head to one side in a come-with-me gesture.

Wolfe released Caroline's hand. "I'll walk the guys outside and be back in just a minute."

She hated the secrecy, the cloak-and-dagger tension surrounding Wolfe and the Dundee agents as well as die ever-present danger that was so much a part of her life now. She had no doubt that Wolfe was, at this very minute, discussing with the Dundee agents not only a plan to get their hands
on
Seth Horton when he left the hospital and was turned over to the FBI, but also the escalation of protection for her. Wolfe insisted on keeping the extra agents on hand, and when she'd asked just how expensive that would be, he had told her that the extra cost had been taken care of. By whom? she had asked. Fletcher? No, not Fletcher. And when she had looked squarely into David Wolfe's eyes, she had seen the answer. Her benefactor had somehow learned about what was happening to her and had once again come to her aid.

Seth Horton wasn't sure exactly what his fate would be, but he felt certain he would fare better being turned over
to
the FBI than winding up in David Wolfe's hands. The two G-men who had escorted him from the hospital this afternoon told him very little, except that they were taking him
to
meet with their superior. He realized his only hope of avoiding prison was if the Loyalists Coalition rescued him and got him safely out of the country. He had always been told that the organization took care of its own. He believed wholeheartedly in the cause
to
which his father had dedicated
his
life and he would die before he would betray his brethren. The feds might be harsh in their treatment of him, but their methods would remain civilized. If he had been subjected to questioning by Mr. Wolfe, Seth doubted that he would have survived.

The big black car in which he was a passenger pulled into a building that resembled an abandoned warehouse somewhere in the D.C. area, but Seth wasn't sure exactly where. During the trip, he had been confined to the back seat and his view obscured by the dark windows and the screen that closed him and the agents off from the driver. The car doors swung open on either side and he was dragged to the right and escorted inside the warehouse, straight into an empty, unused office.

"What the hell is this place?" Seth asked. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Because I asked them to bring you here," a familiar voice said.

Seth whipped around to face the man who had authorized the sniper mission to Garrett County to kill Caroline and her bodyguard.

"You?" Seth glanced from one FBI agent to another, and the realization of just who these men were hit him. He chuckled. "They aren't FBI, are they? They're a couple of our guys. How the hell did you manage that?"

"You must know by now, Seth, that we can accomplish practically anything we set out to do," he said. "FBI agents were on their way to take you, but our guys, as you called them, intercepted the federal officers."

"So what's the plan now?" Seth asked. "How soon can you get me out of the country?"

"There won't be any need for that," he said.

"Do you think the organization can successfully hide me out here in the U.S.?"

"Actually, no, I don't."

"Then—"

The two phony FBI agents grabbed Seth, one on either side. Adrenaline pumped through his body at an alarming rate. He looked point-blank at the Peacekeepers agent and saw his own fate reflected in the double agent's eyes. These phony FBI agents were members of the Loyalists Coalition. Seth had failed in his mission. Failure was not acceptable to the Loyalists Coalition. They weren't going to give him
a
second chance.

"But it wasn't my fault," Seth said. "I had no way of knowing that the trap we set for Caroline and Mr. Wolfe would actually be
a
trap for us."

"These things happen," he said. "No one's fault. But you have become a liability to us, Seth. Your identity is known and there is no way we can guarantee that you won't reveal privileged information."

"You know that I would die before I'd betray the organization."

He nodded. "I'm glad you understand."

Yes, Seth understood. He understood only too well.

As she headed into her kitchen, Roz lifted the edge of her T-shirt and wiped the sweat from her face. "We whipped their butts good, didn't we?" She jerked open the refrigerator door and searched inside for the beer she hoped would be ice cold.

"You really need to work on cleaning up your language now that you're playing on the church softball team," Lyle said.

"Oops, sorry." She retrieved two frosty bottles of beer, closed the refrigerator and tossed one of the bottles to Lyle.
"I
s it a sin for you to have a beer to cool off after the game?' *

"One beer isn't
a
sin," Lyle said. "Getting drunk is the sin."

"Then we won't get drunk." She popped the lid on her bottle and lifted it to her lips. She caught a glimpse of Lyle in her peripheral vision and noticed that he was staring at her breasts. She took a hefty swig of beer, then glanced down at her chest. Perspiration and dirt stained her T-shirt and her puckered nipples pushed against the tight cotton cloth.