A Question of Honor (20 page)

Kit’s fingers trembled as she buttoned up her blouse. “How far along am I?” she asked hollowly.

“I’d say three and a half to four months. Further, you’re anemic. I’m writing you a prescription for some iron tablets to get your red blood count back up.”

Letting out a shaky breath, Kit rubbed her brow. “I can’t believe it.”

“You need rest, Kit,” Dr. Whitten said, coming up and standing in front to her. “You’re working too hard.”

Kit avoided the doctor’s probing gaze. “What happens if I keep working, Doctor?”

“Your uterus is slightly tipped, Kit. If you want to keep that baby, you’re going to have to rest. Some women can push hard for nine months and deliver a strapping young tyke, but you can’t. With your underweight condition, anemia and a body that isn’t fully cooperating in carrying this child, you need rest. And plenty of it.”

Kit drew in a painful breath. She wanted this baby more than life itself. Her gray eyes mirrored the turmoil she was experiencing. “But if I had to work, Doctor, wouldn’t it be better
now
rather than later? I mean, wouldn’t my chances of a miscarriage rise if I were farther along in my pregnancy?”

Ann Whitten nodded, placing the clipboard on her desk. “The farther along you are, Kit, the greater the chance that you may have to opt for total bed rest until your baby’s born.”

Silence engulfed them while Kit mulled over her limited options. “Doctor, there are certain things I have to do in the next couple of months. I don’t have a choice.”

Dr. Whitten handed her the prescription. “There are always choices, Kit. If you want to carry your baby to full term, you’ll have to do something to alter the work you feel has to be done.”

Kit touched her brow, anguish filling her heart. If they didn’t capture Garcia and Dante, her life would be worthless. Dante had fled the U.S., jumping bail and escaping to Colombia but leaving a contract out on Kit, according to the undercover agent trailing him. She stole a look over at the kind doctor’s face. “You’re right,” she whispered. “I’ll do the best I can.” Kit slid off the table and stood. Picking up her purse, she decided to visit Chuck Cordeman. Only he could help her now.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Cordeman demanded as Kit walked into his office.

“We have to talk, Chuck,” she announced without preamble. “Let’s go into one of the interrogation rooms.”

Cordeman reluctantly pushed his football-shaped body out of the dilapidated chair. “You look like hell,” he observed.

Kit gave him a bitter smile. “Thanks for the compliment.”

Cordeman walked like no one else Kit had ever seen. He seemed to list from side to side. As they moved down a long, poorly lit hallway, she wondered if he would ever get seasick. Probably not, because of the way he mimicked a ship bobbing on the ocean. Chuck was used to that kind of motion.

“Okay, what’s so important that you’ve broken your cover by coming here?” Chuck demanded, pointing to one of two chairs in the small, barren room as he shut the door.

Kit sat down, facing her old boss. “I need some information, Chuck.”

“About what?”

“When is Garcia going to move his mother ship?”

He shrugged. “We’ve got an undercover agent in place and we’re hoping to find out soon.”

Her heart pounded heavily in her breast. “I’ve got to know.”

Cordeman regarded her darkly. “What’s going down, Kit? You look like death warmed over. In fact, you look worse than when you left us. What’s Trayhern doing? Working you too hard?”

She bit her lower lip. “No, Chuck. It isn’t Noah. I—” She swallowed hard. “Make me a promise?”

His face softened slightly. “What’s wrong, Kit? You’re shaking.”

“I need a promise from you first, Chuck,” she said, desperation in her voice.

“Okay, okay, I promise. What is it?”

Kit fought back her tears. “Chuck, I’m four months pregnant with Noah’s child, and there’s a contract out on my head. I know the odds are in Dante’s favor of finding me sooner rather than later.” She reached out, gripping his meaty hand. “Promise me you’ll tell no one about my condition,” she rushed on. “I’ve got to help find Dante and Garcia before they get to me first.”

Chuck’s face betrayed his emotion. His eyes grew round and he stared at her in disbelief. “Oh, God,” he muttered. And then he got heavily to his feet, giving her a sorrowful look. “Ah, Kit, why now? Pregnant? Of all the bad timing—”

She blinked back the tears. “Okay, so it was lousy timing, dammit! I didn’t plan this, Chuck. It was an accident. But I can’t help that now.”

His eyes grew squinty. “Does Trayhern know?”

“No, and he’s not going to find out, either. If he knew, he’d never let me continue to participate in Operation Storm.”

Cordeman snorted vehemently. “He’d pack your rear out of Dade County so fast it’d make your head spin. He’s protective as hell.”

“And getting me out of Dade isn’t going to improve my chances of surviving, Chuck. You and I both know that. And you need me to identify Garcia.” Kit rubbed her face tiredly. “That’s why I ask you, when is Garcia going to make his move? The sooner the better.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Damn, Kit, this is bad.”

“No one’s more aware of that than I am.”

“You’re not the narc detective I used to know,” he muttered, shaking his head sadly. “You’re not the tough broad who could be counted on to carry anything through with success. Kit, you’ve changed.” And then he added, “For the better. You’re more feminine. More—” Words failed him, and he shifted to his official tone. “Okay,” he muttered gruffly, “what do you want me to do? Where are we going with all these confessions?”

Kit gave him a wobbly smile. “The original plan was for me to board the mother ship in search of Garcia and Dante.”

“After the scum has been rounded up,” he put in.

“But there could be firefights on the mother ship, Chuck. I don’t want my baby exposed to gunfire.”

“We’re bringing several decoy craft piloted by DEA agents into the bay during the trading. They’ll be taking the names and registry of drug-buying ships so we can hunt them down later. Knowing Garcia the way I do, I’m betting he won’t be on board the
Marie-Elise
during the buying. He’ll play it smart and be on a smaller boat hanging somewhere around the bay. How about if you stay on one of our DEA decoys? I’ll be boarding the
Marie-Elise
as soon as the bust goes down. I can get in touch with you by radio once we’ve got everything secured and then you can come on board.”

“That sounds better,” Kit answered, relief in her voice. Then she frowned and rubbed her temples, hating herself momentarily. “The last thing I want to do is hold off telling Noah about the baby—” she glanced over at Chuck “—but until Dante and Garcia are identified and behind bars, I’m still on their hit list.”

“I understand. You been to a doctor yet?”

She got up, pushing her fingers through her hair in an aggravated motion. “Yes. She said something about me having a tipped uterus and that I stand a good chance of losing my baby if I don’t get off my feet soon.”

Cordeman grimaced. “Damn, Kit—”

Her eyes were dazed with fatigue. “I don’t have a choice, Chuck. I just hope Garcia makes his move soon.”

He grunted, getting to his feet. “Makes two of us. Well, come on, let’s get you home. You really look wiped out.”

Kit walked over and put her arm around Chuck’s sloped shoulders. “Thanks,” she whispered, meaning it.

He gave her a thin smile. “For what? If Trayhern finds out I knew you were pregnant and didn’t pull you out of this operation,
he’ll
put a contract out on
me
.”

Kit’s heart wrenched at the sound of Tripoli’s joyous bark. Noah was home. She glanced at the wall clock: 9:00 p.m. Scrubbing the potato with renewed nervous energy, she thought,
God, give me the strength to lie to him. Please, please don’t let him see I’m not telling him the whole truth. I have to carry this off! For all of us….

Noah ambled into the kitchen, a smile on his handsome face. “Are you feeling better?” he asked, coming over to the sink and placing his arms around her.

Kit trembled, shutting her eyes, biting back the words that wanted to flow from her heart. “Better,” she said in a strained voice. It was unlike Noah to embrace her like this, but she understood, needing his strength right now.

“Mmm, you smell like jasmine,” Noah whispered seductively rocking her gently in his arms. “And you look a hundred percent improved from this morning.”

“I just took a bath.” That wasn’t a lie. She raised her head. Was any man as strong or compassionate as Noah? Her lips parted in unspoken joy as she saw the corners of his mobile, sensual mouth turn up as he gazed down at her. And his eyes…oh, God, she could be forever lost in their changing sea color. Kit saw tenderness in the golden flecks mingled with the green and felt her heart melting with unparalleled joy. The words
I love you
wanted to tear from her. Kit closed her eyes, fighting them back, fighting everything back.

“What did the doctor say?” he asked, splaying his long fingers down her back, gently following the curve of her spine.

Kit took a deep, ragged breath, feeling her heart rip in two, screaming to be released from the bondage of a secret that must be kept buried deeply within her. “She said I was anemic.”

Noah eased his embrace, studying her. “How anemic?”

She shrugged, making light of it. “Enough to put me on some iron pills for a while.”

“What about the nausea? Anemia doesn’t cause that, does it?”

Kit’s heart pounded violently to underscore her loathing to betray Noah. “No,” she murmured, closing her eyes so that he couldn’t see the lie. “She said it was an inner ear imbalance and that nothing could be done about it.”

Noah stroked her silky hair, disgruntled. He studied her troubled features. “Could you use some good news then?”

Hurting inwardly at deceiving him, Kit whispered, “Something…anything…”

Noah traced the clean line of her jaw. It was so easy to become lost within the facets of Kit’s face. She had a wonderful bone structure, wide-set eyes that were now shadowed with pain and seriousness. Her mouth was one of her most beautiful features, Noah thought. And he hungered to kiss her. He roused himself from his torrid reverie and realized that Kit was waiting for him to answer her.

“We had just pulled into the dock when we got word from the undercover agent in Colombia that the
Marie-Elise
had heaved anchor. She’s in the Gulf of Darien. From the looks of it, she’s heading in the direction of the Windward Passage choke point. It’s a little early to confirm that yet, but right now it appears to be her bearing.”

Kit’s knees jellied. “The
Marie-Elise
is—”

Noah watched her cheeks stain with color. “Yeah, Operation Storm is in full gear.”

Her prayer had been answered! Kit gasped. “When do we go to the
Osprey
?”

“I’ve got my crew outfitting her right now. It means a number of days at sea.” Noah’s features grew worried. “Are you sure you’ll be able to take this? It’s going to be rough.”

Sinking against him, Kit buried her face in his chest. “I’ll do whatever it takes, Noah,” she whispered. “I just want this part of my life wrapped up.”

Noah felt the urgency in her voice, understanding. “I know,” he soothed. Holding her away from him, his voice grew husky. “And just as soon as this damned operation is ended, Kit, you and I have some serious talking to do.”

She drowned in the darkness of his eyes. There was unspoken warmth in them. “Yes,” she said faintly, “we’re going to have a long talk….” Now, if only Noah would agree to go along with Chuck’s change in plans, she and her baby would be safe. Safe for a future she would die to protect.

“There’s been a change in plans, Lieutenant.” Cordeman’s face was shadowed as he stood at dockside, close to the
Osprey
.

Kit stole a glance at Noah’s scowling features. The lighting carved his face into harsh planes.

“What change, Cordeman?” he growled, standing close to Kit.

For a second Cordeman’s gaze locked with Kit’s. There was a silent exchange and then he broke contact, directing his attention to the officer. “I want Kit safe on the
Guayama
. It’s one of our DEA decoy boats that will be tooling around in the bay, getting names and the registry of the dealer doing business. You’ll transfer Kit over before pulling into Cap Haitien, which is where Garcia is headed. I’m sending Barnes, one of our narc agents, with her. There’s no way in hell I want her life jeopardized on this mission.”

Noah’s mouth relaxed slightly. “For once we agree on something, Cordeman. You feel Garcia’s going to be in a boat hovering near the
Marie-Elise
?”

“That’s right. So Kit can use the binoculars to check out the smaller craft, and stay safe.”

Nodding, Noah looked toward the
Osprey
. It was nearly one in the morning and time to go. “I like the idea.”

Kit started to sway, but caught herself. Relief surged through her as the three of them walked toward the ship. Dawn would bring the confrontation with Garcia. Soon the showdown would come. Shoring up her broken emotions, Kit walked up the plank and stepped onto the
Osprey
.
Hurry,
she prayed.
Hurry and get this over with….

A bloodred dawn greeted Kit’s eyes as she moved up the steel steps toward the bridge of the
Osprey
. Kit found Noah, Cordeman, Edwards and Barnes hunkered over a map spread across the console.

Noah glanced up, his heart wrenching with anxiety. Kit looked ethereal in the dawn’s light. “Things are firmed up,” he told her. “Come and join us.”

Chuck nodded in her direction, a question in his eyes. Kit forced a slight smile for his benefit, wedging herself between Noah and him.

“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice still husky with sleep.

Noah pointed to the map, circling the area. “The
Marie-Elise
has dropped anchor in a cove near Cap Haitien.” His voice betrayed his aggravation. “Garcia wasn’t stupid. The bay is shallow, with little room to maneuver a larger ship. It means that the
Sea Eagle
and the
Osprey
are going to have to choke off the only escape route in or out of the bay. They’ll barricade the entrance by positioning the cutters horizontally across it. We aren’t going to be able to sail into the bay at all.”