Duplicity (25 page)

“Greenland.”

of Greenland?” she fairly shouted. “We can’t go to another country.”

Adam glanced her way. “Greenland, Mississippi. It’s about five more miles, Can you wait that long?”

Not wanting him to see her relief, she turned flippant. “Would it matter if I couldn’t?”

Regret flickered through his eyes. “Not really.”

Not at all surprised, she dropped him a curt nod. “Five miles will be fine, then.”

He smiled. Not with his mouth, but with his eyes.

She hated it. Hated the good feelings it aroused in her as much as she hated liking his approval. Yet Adam hadn’t had much to smile about in his life and that she had dredged one out of him brought her a secret pleasure she couldn’t deny, not without lying to herself. She didn’t happen to like that, either. Contrary, she frowned at him and looked out the side window.

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

Adam took the Greenland exit, then drove down to the Lucky Pines Motor Lodge.

When he turned in, Tracy had to stifle a groan. The paint was peeling off the wooden building, exposing weathered gray wood. The metal “Office” sign, suspended from a square of angle iron, hung crookedly, dangling by a length of chain attached to one eyebolt. The other side’s chain hung loose, dragging the ground. Cottages had been staggered haphazardly across the lot, and nearly every vehicle in sight was a mud-splattered pickup truck, parked in red dirt and knee-high weeds. “Are we staying here?” It looked like a joint with hourly rates.

“Unless your rich husband left you an estate in the immediate vicinity

.”

“Matthew didn’t leave me anything,” she said before thinking. Adam’s surprised look put her on the defensive. “We were too busy getting through law school to worry about wills.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Not because of how Adam might take them, but because they made her think. Until Adam had come along and left her his bequest, had risked exposing himself to protect her, and had bought her orange juice, she’d really believed that about Matthew and wills-that they’d been too busy for him to think about protecting her. But now, she wondered.

“This place isn’t fantastic, but it’s not as bad as it looks.” Adam passed the office and drove around to the back of the main building.

“Lord, I hope not.” Amazing, but the place had security lights and a rear parking lot. When he backed into a slot near a secondary exit and turned off the engine, Tracy knew he had been here before-and that he had known their destination before he had kidnapped her. “What rooms are we in?”

His expression turned sheepish. “Room twelve.”

The bottom dropped out of her stomach. “You expect me to share a room with you?”

He blew out a sigh that threatened to topple the pines.

“How many times have you heard of a victim’s quarters ?”

being separate from their abductor’s, Tracy He’d used her name. She liked the way it sounded, even now. Compared to his accusatory “fluff” and his sarcastic “counselor,” who wouldn’t like it? But she still, more than ever before, hated liking anything about him.

“Grab the cooler, will you?”

She’d like to grab it, and swing it into his gut. “Why not?”

He opened the car door, preparing to get out. YOU can make this easy or hard, it’s up to you. I’d prefer easy, but I’m up for either.”

“You’re forgetting that you’re a willing Participant in this venture, Adam. I’m not.”

“I’m not forgetting anything,” he insisted. “If whatever is going on here comes to pass, a lot of innocent people are going to die. I’m I especially not forgetting that.”

She might be crazy for being attracted to the man, but she still recognized the truth when she heard it, and about this, Adam was being honest. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s go inside. After you shower, we’ll talk about it. It’s time you understood the scope and potential impact of all of this.”

His words filled her with dread. The only redemption was that speaking them had him looking as grim as she felt. She grabbed the cooler and followed him inside.

The room was large, and not as bad as she had expected. Two double beds took up most of the space. A table and two chairs fitted into the far corner, and a dresser hugged the west wall. A television sat atop it, bolted down, of course. The wood was cherry. No burn marks ruined the shiny surfaces, and from the gloss, it appeared the place was clean. That was a comfort. She’d expected a roach motel with cracked ceilings and had instead gotten a rustic but quaintly comfortable room.

“You grab a shower.” Adam set down his gear. “Clothes are in the closet.”

She spun around and stared at him. “You brought me clothes?”

“I didn’t think You’d want to run around in your.PJS for the duration.”

It was a thoughtful gesture. But the bitch in her reared its nasty head, refusing to allow her to show any gratitude. “Just how many times have you been in my home?”

“Several.”

“Several?” She planted her hands on her hips.

Ignoring that outraged gesture, he adjusted the air conditioner, located below the window. “Can I trust YOU to stay put?”

“You’re leaving?” Now why did the prospect upset her? She had lost her mind. Totally.

“Hungry was one of the items on your list, right?”

It had been. I’ll stay put.” Where did he think she’d go? They were out in the rriiddle of nowhere and he had the car keys. No doubt the Lucky Pines didn’t allow longdistance phone calls, and her calling card was at home in her purse.

He looked deeply into her eyes for a long moment, and then nodded. “For the record, when you elected not to call the authorities at City Drug, you ceased being a hostage-at least, in my eyes. I’m going to trust you, Tracy. Please don’t disappoint me again.”

She didn’t have to ask what he meant by that “again.”

She’d blundered already, and it had cost him dearly. He’d y been beaten, his team had been cremated-both because she hadn’t been doing her job. Yet he hadn’t kidnapped her for revenge, but to protect her and to prove the truth. What kind of man was he really?

The kind who had implicated Paul in all of this. She didn’t fully grasp the ties, not yet. But before they left this room, by God, she would. If she had to grill Adam until daylight, she would understand all of this.

When he’d gone, she looked in the closet. The clothes weren’t hers. He’d bought them. She checked a couple of labels. How had he known her size?

Deciding she’d prefer not to know, she looked through the clothes. Basic, but suitable. Why would he bother?

You cared enough to try to find out the truth. Sacrificed . -..

“Whatever.” Discomfited, she jerked open the top dresser drawer and found a white oversize T-shirt. It’d do. She pulled it out, and headed for the shower, trying not to think about him choosing clothes for her. “For God’s sake, Keener. It’s no big deal.” She glared at her reflection in the mirror. “Anyone in Intel knows how to grab essentials when on the run.”

She finished showering, then stepped out of the tub and dried off. You didn’t turn him in. Accept it. After this stunt, you’ll probably lose your freedom, your career, and maybe your life.

She met her own gaze in the mirror and refused to cower. She’d handle whatever came just as she’d handled grief.. One day at a time. And when that had been too hard, then one hour at a time. And when that burden had become too heavy, then one minute at a time. If she got down to second by second in this, then so be it. But she would not fold. She turned out the light, then stepped into the room.

The lamp on the table between the beds was turned on, casting a soft amber glow throughout the room. Adam was back, with food, and it smelled like heaven.

“I hope Chinese is okay.” He wadded up a white sack, then tossed it into the trash.

She looked at the table. He had even remembered hot mustard. Her heart softened toward him a little more. “It’s fine.”

He turned to smile at her, stilled, and let his gaze drift down from her head to her bare toes.

She felt like an idiot, standing there in a T-shirt and Pooh slippers. Sitting down at the table, she cocked. her head. “How did you know my size?”

His eyes twinkled mischief. “Intel encourages intense observation.”

“Uh-huh.” She pursed her lips, then grunted. “More likely, experience at gauging.”

He lifted her fork, then pressed it to her hand. “Let’s eat.

While they dug through white cartons of sesame chicken, lo mein, and egg rolls, Tracy watched him. He never totally relaxed. To most people, he would appear relaxed, but a tense alertness in him warned he was ready. At a moment’s notice, he could attack or defend. Considering someone was trying to kill them, that comforted her, but it worried her, too. For him. That constant, added stress couldn’t be healthy.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said about Paul.”

She twirled her fork in the carton of lo mein, certain it would be kinder to her fragile stomach than the sesame chicken. “I just can’t believe he would get involved in anything this crooked.”

Adam paused eating, dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. “Why not?”

““Gut feeling.” She munched down on a bite of egg roll, loving the spicy taste. “When my husband and daughter died, I was in the hospital. You know that, of course. And you know Paul handled all of the arrangements for their funerals, including identifying their bodies. Until I fully recovered, he took care of everything, including me.” She tilted her head, swiped her still-damp hair back from her face. “For my security, he even offered to marry me. I can’t see a man willing to sacrifice himself to protect his brother’s widow doing something so … so-”

“Illegal?”

“Actually, despicable is what I was thinking.” She dipped her egg roll into the hot mustard, then swiped it through a puddle of sweet and sour sauce. “It just doesn’t fit.”

Adam leaned a forearm against the table. “I think it fits better than you realize. What man offers to marry a woman unless he wants to spend his life with her?”

“One who wants to protect her. Who feels it’s his responsibility. I’m all the family Paul has left now.”

“Sorry, not good enough.” Adam clicked his tongue. “Paul could take care of you without marriage.” Adam took a bite of egg roll, chewed, and then swallowed it, clearly thinking. “Did you ever date Paul, Tracy?”

Her face went hot. “Once. Then I met Matthew, and we knew we belonged together.”

” And Paul, being a loving older brother and a superior human being, stepped aside without any ill feelings. He probably encouraged you and Matthew to get together. Love is rare, you can’t squander it, and all that rot, right?”

Exactly right. Exactly. She swallowed a bite of lo mein that suddenly seemed too big for her throat. “I realize it sounds hokey, but it’s true. And if I’d let him, Paul would have taken care of me financially without marriage. So that doesn’t mean he wasn’t sincere.”

Adam frowned. “This doesn’t absolve him, counselor. Actually, it makes his involvement more apparent.”

She stabbed her fork into the carton. “How in heaven do you get that from this?”

Adam reached over and touched his napkin to her chin.

“Hot mustard,” he explained. “Alone, I don’t. But answer this for me. When Matthew died, Paul inherited everything, right? I’m assuming he did since you said you inherited nothing.”

She nodded. “He did.”

“And then Paul asked you to marry him. You refused and joined the military. But it wasn’t until then that Paul began negotiating for government contracts, which cost you your job in your chosen field. Or did he begin bidding before you went into contract law?”

“It was after I specialized in contracts. But I don’t think Paul would jeopardize Keener Chemical’s reputation by going after government contracts just to punish me for refusing to marry him, Adam. That is where you’re going with this, isn’t it?”

“It’s exactly where I’m going.”.

“Why? His proposal was a noble gesture. He wanted to protect me. That’s all.”

“I don’t think so. I think Paul wanted you for himself. He’s wanted you all along. And when you preferred Matthew, and then Matthew died, Paul decided to try to step back into your life as your husband. That’s what he’s always wanted.”

“I don’t want to believe that.”

” I know,” Adam said, spearing a piece of sesame chicken. “But it makes sense.”

It did. She couldn’t meet Adam’s eyes.

“Maybe deep down, he resented you for preferring Matthew.”

:“I never saw any evidence of that.”

“Doesn’t mean he wasn’t feeling it. Haven’t you ever refused to say what you really felt?”

That too made sense. It also made her unsure who to fear. On the one hand, she owed Adam for protecting her against the two men in her house-something her fairweather friend Randall wouldn’t have done. But on the other hand, it had been Adam who had kidnapped her and put her in jeopardy. Worse, she was strongly attracted to the man, and growing more so. Crazy beyond belief, considering she still had more than a few suspicions that he was guilty of treason, of being a coward, and inadvertently, a killer.

Unable to eat, she dropped her fork into the carton, then shoved it away. “Adam?”

“Mmm?” He looked up from his chicken to her.

“What about this derivative of sarin makes it worth all of this?”

He swallowed a drink from his canned soda. “Sarin’s been around since the forties, Tracy. But just recently it’s become a hot product in chemical-warfaire circles. It’s a dual technology.”

A shiver skidded up her spine. “Civilian and military applications?”

Adam nodded. “Intel believes Iraq used sarin against Iran and, in the civilian sector, terrorists used it in a Japanese subway attack at rush hour. If they had applied it properly, they would have killed thousands. You can bet they won’t make that application mistake again.”

“So it’s the terrorist aspect that has the military worried.

Again, Adam nodded. “It’s only a matter of time before some fanatic blitzes the New York subway system or the Atlanta airport.”

“You said the terrorists applied it improperly. What are its long-term effects?”