Gateway To Xanadu (51 page)

“You can’t possibly mean you haven’t noticed that the Council has adopted you as its very own baby boy?” I said, annoyed. “Why do you think they came down on me so hard? Because I didn’t stick to procedures? Hell, they go into shock when I do stick to procedures. The thing that’s really getting them is the way you almost came to an abrupt end, which would have put them on the spot at the first conference with your people. They can’t very well blame you, not while, you’re an ‘official representative,’ so they decided to get even for some past difficulties we’ve had by unloading it all on me. Officially I’m the goat, the one who was supposed to have been running the operation; unofficially you’re scheduled for a procedures course, to make sure you don’t screw up again. Since you and they think you’re so perfect, I wish you all the best together; as soon as I’m out of this place, I’m going back to doing things the way I used to: alone.”

I straightened my legs out again and lay down flat on the bed, moving slowly but surreptitiously. That one, stupid conversation had taken more strength out of me than an hour’s worth of heavy exercise had done just a few weeks earlier, and I hated that. It would take time before I was back to being as I had been, but I had no patience for waiting.

“So you think they hit you that hard only because they needed someone to blame,” Val said, suddenly standing beside, the bed again to smooth back the damp hair from my forehead. “Ringer tells me they were as furious as he was to learn how close you’d come to being killed, and all because you hadn’t told me what you were doing. I was wrong to let you take off on your own without keeping closer tabs on you, but you were just as wrong not to make sure you were backed up when you went to execute the warrant. The Council may have decided to adopt me, Diana, but you already belong to them. You gave them a scare, and now they’re spanking you for taking unnecessary risks. ”

“You’re crazy!” I snapped, shaking my head in annoyance against his hand. “What risks I take are my own decision, not theirs, just as it’s always been! And you don’t have any more to say about it than they do! Just get out of here and leave me alone.”

“I can see you’re hurting again so I will leave, but only for now,” he said, looking down at me with those black, black eyes. “As far as our not being partners anymore is concerned, though, you can forget about it. If your Council is all ” eager to make me feel welcome, they’ll let me have any partner I want, which means you. They know as well as I do that you need someone to look after you and teach you how to behave yourself, and I’m the one who’s going to do it, starting at the training facilities.”

He bent suddenly and brushed my lips with his, giving me the oddest feeling, then ran gentle fingers down my cheek.

“When they let you out of here, I’ll be waiting,” he said softly, and I knew without doubt that he wasn’t talking about looking after me or any nonsense about behaving. I was in no shape to think about what he was talking about, so I just watched him leave without saying a word, then rolled over onto my left side to grapple with my problems.

Val was after something, I knew that as a dead-certain fact, but what the something could be was more than I was able to imagine. Why was he so determined to be partners with me? Why did he refuse to understand that I didn’t need his protection? Why did he keep harping on this garbage about teaching me to behave myself? It was almost as if he had ideas about the two of us beyond a working partnership, but that was ridiculous. Special Agents didn’t get involved in anything beyond working partnerships, and if Val didn’t know that already, he’d find it out as soon as he saw I wasn’t kidding about ending ours. Being near him was too much of a distraction not to mention the fact that he refused to follow orders. I had a job to think about, an important job, and with my life-style, one-night-stands had it all over permanent distractions.

I sighed deeply and stretched out flat again, but couldn’t find a comfortable position. If Ringer ever managed to stop and think about it, he’d know I wasn’t about to accept the Council’s tantrum without trying to do something about it, so I had to plan my moves and act on them before Ringer was ready. I didn’t know how long I’d be stuck in that hospital bed, but I’d have to see to it that the time was as short as possible. If I made my break good I’d be able to go back to Dameron’s base and take care of the nuisance of being a minor, but if I didn’t make it, the Council would see that my time was well filled. I shook my head in annoyance, then gave it up and tried to make myself relax. There was an ancient curse attributed to a group once called Chinese that went, “May you live in interesting times.” One way or another, the next few months were going to prove to be very-interesting!