Iris Johansen - Deadlock

"It took him a long time to get Babin's location. We may not have a long time."

"He appears to rise to the occasion. Let's see if we can give him a little encouragement." "Money?"

"I'm not sure. Pauley has been surprising me lately." He smiled. "Maybe I'll use an incentive. I'll tell him that James Bond could do it in a heartbeat." He paused. "I'm going to make sure I have a room only a few doors down the hall. I'll probably be spending a lot of time with Pauley until he comes through for us. I'm no wunderkind like he is at manipulating the Internet, but I'm pretty good. I may be able to offer a suggestion here and there. I'll at least be there to apply pres¬sure. Do you want me to go to my own room tonight? It's your call."

She didn't have to think about it. She was still hearing Staunton's words over and over in her mind. She didn't want Garrett only a few doors down the hall. She wanted him close enough to touch, close enough to protect. "Stay."

He nodded. "Good. I got what I wanted, and I didn't have to by¬pass the freedom-of-choice issue. Second question. Do you need me to be with you this evening?"

"I don't need you." But she wanted him here. She wanted to be able to reach out and assure herself that Staunton hadn't taken him away from her. "Don't be ridiculous. Go on to Pauley. I want to have dinner with Irana. She may be more upset than she's letting us know." She turned toward the bathroom. "I'll take a shower and give her an hour or two, then I'll call her." She looked at him over her shoulder. "Staunton will phone me again. He enjoyed himself too much not to want to get that rush again. I could almost feel the pleasure he had taunting me. It just may not be convenient for us."

"Then we have to rely on Pauley doing his magic." He added, "In the meantime, Joslyn may be able to help with information. We'll have to see."

"If we see him again. He may decide to go with his family to safety."

"I don't think he will."

Neither did Emily. She wanted to believe that he was as bad as Staunton, but she couldn't forget his expression as he stared down at his friend, the bishop. Agony, pity, horror, regret, and other emotions that she couldn't decipher. Was guilt one of them? "I hope you're right. We need all the help we can get." She closed the bathroom door behind her.

IRANA KNOCKED ON EMILY'S door two hours later. "I'm right across the hall now. Dardon is next door, and Pauley is three doors down. I wasn't sure that Pauley would be able to negotiate that exten¬sive a switch."

"I was." Emily remembered that last glimpse she'd had of Pauley leaning on the counter of the reception desk. "I didn't have one doubt." She closed the door and nodded at the covered tray on the small table across the room. "I was going to order room service for us, but Dardon went down and got us takeout from the kitchen. Garrett said it would be safer." She smiled faintly. "Garrett's protective instincts are flying high right now."

"And you're not objecting." Irana's gaze was fixed on her face. "Why is that?"

Because she was feeling just as protective of Garrett. More. For the first time, she was experiencing an urgency that was frantically in¬tense. "It won't hurt to let him have his way in the little things. Per¬haps my confidence was shaken today."

"Or perhaps you just slid away from my question. But I should warn you, Garrett's not ever going to back off from protecting you now. And it won't only be in the little things. I believe he tried, but it's not going to happen. I saw that in the garden today." Irana lifted the metal lid off the plates. "It smells good. What is it?"

"Some kind of stew or borscht, I think. And potato pancakes." She sat down. "Sturdy fare. Dardon's choice. I wasn't sure you'd be this hungry."

"I usually have a good appetite." Irana sat down opposite her and lifted her fork. "And though I appreciate your respecting my sensitivity, I'm pretty tough. I'm a doctor, and I'm used to God taking unexpect¬edly."

"Not like that."

"No, not like that," she said quietly. Irana didn't look at Emily as she took a bite of the potato pancake. "Violence is ugly." "I thought it was going to be you."

"I know. You were worried from the moment I told you that I felt that I was meant to come here." She took a sip of water. "It's hard for you to look on anything but the darkest side right now."

"Then why did you tell me that?"

"I wanted to prepare you. Just in case." She raised her eyes. "I knew God had a purpose. I just didn't know what it was. You like me. I didn't want it to come as a shock."

"Irana…" She swallowed hard. "Well, it didn't happen. So maybe he didn't have a purpose this time."

"I believe he did. But it was for the bishop, not me. He wanted me there to help ease his way. Dimitri had spent all his life serving God. He took one wrong path, but God wouldn't have wanted him to die alone, with no one to understand his pain." She smiled. "So he sent a messenger. Not a very wise messenger, but I did understand, and I think Bishop Dimitri did die more peacefully than if I hadn't been there."

"I believe he did, too."

"But you still can't forgive him."

"Maybe I will someday. I can only think about Joel. I'm not like you. It will take a long time."

Irana nodded. "When you're away from all this. It's difficult to see beyond the hurt and the anger." She paused. "After I prayed for the bishop, I sat down and read some of Mikhail Zelov's Book of Living. I remembered what you said about Staunton and Zelov being so much alike. You're right, perhaps history does repeat itself. Zelov was trying to take over his world, and now Staunton is doing the same thing. And both were using the hammer to do it. It's curious…"

"It's horrible."

"That, too." Irana nodded at Emily's plate. "Stop talking and eat something. Garrett will not be pleased if I don't see that you stay healthy."

"Now who's being protective?" She picked up her fork. "I told him that I wanted to make sure you were okay, and you immediately set about taking care of me."

"It's my job. It's what I am." She smiled. "And my pleasure. Eat your dinner."

GARRETT WAS STANDING NAKED beside her bed. "Awake?"

"Yes." She shifted a few inches and curled up against him when he slid under the covers. "It's almost three. Did you get anything done?"

"Enough. It was interesting. I think that Pauley could probably hack into the CIA if he set his mind to it."

"Don't let him do it. I don't want Ferguson becoming irritated. You seem to have to call on him too often." She was silent a moment. "The bishop?"

He knew what she was asking. "Ferguson wouldn't touch a cleanup here. Bishop Dimitri is a revered institution in this city, this country. We have three days before he'll be found. We'll have to think of some¬thing else."

"We can find his murderer."

"That's why I'm pushing Pauley to work at top speed. We'll get there."

"Yes." She paused. "I should never have brought you into this. It's been a domino effect. If I'd died in that hut with Joel, none of you would have been on Staunton's list."

"Shut up," he said roughly, his arms tightening around her. "That's crazy talk."

"Yes, it is. It just tumbled out. I've never had a death wish, and I'd never give Staunton that satisfaction. But I should have found my own way out of that camp. And I should find a way now to-" His lips on hers stopped the words.

"Be quiet," he said fiercely as he lifted his head. "You're not going to do anything. You're out of it. I'll figure a way to get Staunton. I won't have you-" He broke off, holding her close. "Not you. Noth¬ing is going to happen to you, Emily."

"You're hurting me."

His grasp loosened. "That's the last thing I want, dammit. I just want you to be safe."