Check Mate (6 page)

Mariah nodded. "Thanks."

She hurried upstairs, all the while thinking about the act she was about to perform. She knew enough about hypnosis to realize that it worked on about twenty-five percent of the general population, those individuals known as a "suggestible person." The other seventy-five percent could be made susceptible to mental manipulation by the use of drugs. She didn't intend to waste her time with the standard hypnosis tricks. With a stubborn, self-confident man like Jake, she would have to use drugs if she hoped to achieve the desired effect. But first, she had to set the stage for
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Jake, and to make it look totally real for Burgess and Lester.

After placing the medical bag on her neatly made twin bed, she opened the satchel and prepared two syringes. The first medication would calm Jake, relax him into a state of drowsiness. The second was a top-secret drug—secret to Burgess and Lester.

After securing the blinds over the windows, Mariah turned on the two fluorescent lights that she'd arranged on either side of the desk. The lights weren't too dim nor were they too harsh and would be conducive to helping Jake relax. After that, she set up the portable CD player and popped in a tape she had prepared that repeated a lulling instrumental tune, the beat mimicking the rhythm of the human heart at approximately fifty-five beats per minute.

With the room set for her patient, she walked to the head of the stairs and called, "Burgess, please turn the thermostat down by ten degrees. I want the upstairs to be slightly cooler than normal. If you two get chilly, just put on your coats."

"Yes, ma'am," Burgess replied. "Are you ready for Ingrain now?"

"Give me a couple of minutes, then bring him up."

Everything was as ready as it could be—everything but her. She'd never done something like this and wasn't sure just how good an actress she was. This is a part of your job, she reminded herself. You'll do what you have to do.

Mariah rushed into the bathroom and closed the door. After using the facility, she washed her hands and took a good, hard look in the mirror. Did she look as scared as she felt? No, she didn't. Thank goodness. It wasn't as if she hadn't been involved in numerous difficult and dangerous assignments—she had. But this one was different and more difficult than she'd anticipated. Because of Jake Ingram. She certainly hadn't expected to be instantly attracted to the guy. More attracted to him than she'd ever been to any man, especially on such short acquaintance.

Just remember that what you're doing will, in the long run, save Jake's life.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she met Burgess and Jake in the hall. For some reason Jake didn't look like a condemned man, and he should. Damn but he was arrogant self-assured.

"Bring him into the bedroom and sit him in the chair at the desk," Mariah said.

Burgess nodded, then prodded Jake, who obediently went into the bedroom and sat down in the chair. He sat with his back straight, his chin tilted, appearing totally unafraid and just a bit too confident to suit Mariah. He was up to something, had some devious plan in the back of his brilliant mind. She hoped he didn't do something stupid, something that would necessitate Burgess and Lester playing rough. A major part of her job was to keep Jake alive, and unharmed if at all possible.

"Jake, I'm going to give you an injection," Mariah said. "Please, roll up your sleeve."

He glared at her, then looked pointedly at the hypodermic syringe she picked up out of the medical bag. "Mind telling me exactly what's in that thing?"

"It's simply a mild solution that will help you relax," she explained.

"And that's it? Just a little something to put me in the mood?"

"Yes, something like that." Mariah picked up on the double entendre, but knew Burgess hadn't. Neither Coalition bodyguard had any idea that something highly sexual and extremely personal was going on between Jake and her.

And she intended to keep it that way. Business first, then if they both came out of this alive, there might be time for Jake and her to explore their mutual desires.

Jake rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm. So compliant. So agreeable. Didn't the man understand that he was as susceptible to the effects of medication as any ordinary mortal? He might be the product of genetic engineering and possess superior intelligence, but he was still a human being. Was he so sure he had bewitched her, that she would do him no harm? Was his ego really that huge? Or did he suspect the truth? Had he figured out who she really was?

With a steady hand, far calmer than her rioting nerves, she gave him the first injection, then separated the needle from the syringe and placed it in a safety container.

"How long before it takes effect?" Burgess asked.

"Almost immediately," Mariah replied.

Within minutes Jake's eyelids drooped and his breathing slowed. When she placed her hand on his shoulder, he glanced up at her and grinned. And every feminine instinct within her wanted to reassure him that she wasn't going to harm him, that he was safe with her.

"I'm feeling a bit woozy, Doc," Jake told her.

"Good. That's how you're supposed to feel." Mariah reached inside the medical bag and removed the second hypodermic.

Jake's eyes widened for a moment and he pressed against the back of the chair, as if he were trying to move away from her. "I thought you said only one injection."

"The first one was to relax you." She walked over, gently rubbed his arm and pointed the needle. "This one will make you more cooperative."

"It won't work," he said. "I'm not going to let you get inside my head."

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"We'll see." She injected him with the secret drug, then glanced at Burgess, who seemed totally enthralled by the whole procedure. "Thank you, but I should be able to take it from here. You may go back downstairs. If I need you, I'll let you know."

"Yes, ma'am."

As soon as she heard Burgess's heavy footsteps trudging down the stairs, Marian closed the bedroom door. She was way out of her league on this type of procedure, so all she could do was pretend she knew what she was doing. In other words, fake it.

"You've got everything set up just right, don't you?" Jake's words weren't slurred, but he spoke slowly, as if talking took great effort. "The right lighting... the monotonous, heartbeat rhythm... the cool temperature. What next, Doc—a voice roll?"

"How very astute of you, Jake," Mariah said, deliberately pacing her words so that they rolled off her tongue at approximately sixty beats per minute. "You seem to know a little something about hypnosis techniques."

"Want to tell me what was in the second hypodermic? So far, I haven't felt any effects."

"You won't." she told him. "Not yet."

"I don't know of any drug that—"

She clamped her hand on his shoulder. "It's an old remedy. Tried and true. It works on most patients."

"Is that right?"

"Just relax, let your mind drift and think about something pleasant."

"I can do that. Let me see." When Jake tried to lift his arm, he found the task rather difficult, but managed to lay his hand over his heart. "I'll think about escaping. That's a pleasant thought." He reached up and laid his hand on hers where she gripped his shoulder. "Or I could think about making love to you. An equally delectable thought."

"Whichever you'd like. Anything pleasant will do." How she kept her voice steady, she didn't know. Just hearing him say the words "making love to you" put erode images in her mind. "Are you relaxed?"

"Mmm."

"Are you thinking of something pleasant?"

His hand inched backward until he was able to caress her hip. "Very pleasant."

After removing her hand from his shoulder, she moved backward, just enough so she was out of his reach. "Now, Jake, I want you to count backward for me, beginning with one hundred."

He chuckled softly. But he didn't start counting.

"Jake, did you hear me?"

"Tell me what was in the second syringe and I might count for you."

"You don't want me to bring Burgess back upstairs, do you?"

"You wouldn't do that."

"And just what makes you think I wouldn't?"

"Because you don't want him or anyone else to hurt me. Do you, Mariah."

"Please, count backward for me."

"What was in the second syringe?"

Mariah breathed deeply, then took a calculated risk and decided to tell Jake the truth.

She went over to him, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "I injected you with a secret superdrug, one that has cured many ills for numerous patients over the years. The second injection was a placebo."

Four

Jake woke with a start. He didn't even remember having dozed off. The last thing he recalled was Mariah doing her level best to hypnotize him. Burgess had checked on them once by himself, then a second time with Lester. Each time they'd had an audience, Mariah had voiced her aggravation with Jake and her commitment to keep at him until she'd broken him down. When they were alone, she'd been less aggressive, although persistent. And he always sensed that she was putting on a performance, even when they were alone.

"He's resisting," she'd told Burgess and Lester, her voice stern. "I've never dealt with a more stubborn, determined patient. It's going to take time to wear down his resistance, but sooner or later, I'll get what I want from him."

As Jake glanced around the room, he realized he was lying in bed, atop the bedspread. How had he gotten here?

He'd been sitting upright in a chair during the hypnosis sessions. Had Mariah managed to put him to bed by herself, or had the big, muscle-bound Burgess assisted her? Undoubtedly the good doctor had been lying to him when she'd told him the second syringe had contained a placebo. Either that or the first injection had been a time-released type of drug that had taken a couple of hours to render him unconscious. Either way, he knew one thing for certain—even under the influence of a drug, he hadn't yielded to pressure, hadn't succumbed to any type of mind control. However, there was one thing he wasn't certain about—curious about, definitely, but completely uncertain. And that was Dr. Mariah
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Brooks herself. His sixth sense—call it intuition, gut instincts or whatever—told him she was not the enemy, but his common sense told him she was. Friend or foe? She had treated him well, but that could be simply because she was attracted to him. Or was playing him for a fool? He suspected that although she wasn't familiar with the game of chess, she had the type of personality conducive to mind games. On the other hand, if she wasn't serious about reprogramming him for the Coalition, she certainly put on a convincing act whenever Burgess and Lester were around.

Jake surveyed the room and found it not only quiet and semidark, but empty. He heard a radio playing downstairs, which meant he wasn't alone in the house. Where was Mariah? Making a report to the Coalition on her failure to manipulate Jake Ingram? When he rose into a sitting position, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he wasn't groggy in the least. And he wasn't bound, neither his hands nor his feet. When his stomach growled, he remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch today, and glancing out the window, he realized the sun would soon be setting. Had he slept through the noon meal and most of the afternoon? Apparently he had.

Too bad there wasn't an easy escape route from the second floor. Now would be the perfect time to make a run for it. Jake got out of bed. When his feet hit the floor, he realized he still wore his boots. What were the odds that he could sneak down the stairs, make it into the garage and steal a vehicle before getting caught? Jake chuckled to himself. The odds weren't in his favor.

Moving quietly, he made his way across the room, eased open the door and visually explored the hall. Empty. He entered the hallway, then crept over to the stairs. Stopping at the top, he listened. Voices. Burgess and Les. He took several tentative steps downward, then paused. Mariah was speaking.

"Please, don't worry about me. I'll be fine here alone with Mr. Ingram," Mariah said. "The third injection I gave him put him out like a light. He'll sleep all night."

"Come on, Burgess, let's go," Les said. "If the weather gets nasty tomorrow or the next day, tonight could turn out to be our only chance to go into town and kick up our heels."

"Maybe I should call headquarters to make sure it's all right." Burgess's uncertainty reflected plainly in his voice.

"There's no need to do that," Mariah told him. "I'm in charge and you're to follow my instructions without question.

Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Les and Burgess replied simultaneously.

"Then stop worrying and just go. I have your cell phone numbers if I need you. And if you get any flak from our superiors, I'll take full blame."

What was going on? Jake wondered. Why was Mariah so eager to get rid of Burgess and Lester? A self-satisfied grin curved his lips. Did the lady have a little hanky-panky in mind? There was nothing he'd like better. And for more than one reason. Did he want to have sex with Mariah? You bet he did. But more importantly, their being totally alone for several hours would give him the opportunity to use some gentle persuasion on her. And if gentleness didn't work, he'd simply overpower her and make his escape alone. Either way, he intended to be a free man before midnight.

Backtracking, Jake made his way up the stairs and into the bedroom he shared with Mariah. No need to do anything hasty and foolish. All he had to do was wait. Wait for Mariah to come to him.

***

Mariah stood at the kitchen door and waved goodbye to Burgess and Lester, a phony smile plastered on her face.

The minute they pulled out of the garage, she closed the door and rushed through the house and into the living room.