Iris Johansen - Dark Summer

"Four." He was waving at Walt, who had just set down and was starting to taxi toward them. "Well, did I give you enough to think about?"

She nodded. "But some of it is pretty indigestible."

"Then let it settle. You wanted it all laid out for you, and I did that. I can't make you believe it." He walked toward the plane. "That's up to you."

BRIDGET CALLED MARROK TENminutes after they took off. "Addie seems fine. I've set up an observation point outside the walls, and I've been watching her. She's playing with the other dogs and having a good old time. Actually, she's adjusted very well. I didn't think it was a good idea bringing her here, but I was wrong."

"You, wrong? Good God, an admission of that magnitude stuns the imagination."

"Shut up, Marrok. You know I like the idea of hired and assigned guardians for all the dogs. This was an experiment that could have gone wrong."

"I didn't have any doubts. Addie is safer behind those walls than she would be anywhere else. And she does have a guardian."

"Who you can't order around like you do the rest of us. That could be a problem."

"I haven't noticed you jumping when I crack the whip." He paused. "You said Addie seems okay. No sign of Danner?"

"I've scoured every inch of this place and the surrounding area, and it's clean."

"And?"

"Okay, I haven't sensed anything either. But you know it doesn't happen all the time. It didn't with Fraser. Not in time."

"Bridget…"

"I know. I know." She changed the subject. "So what am I supposed to expect? Did you manage to do damage control, or does Danner have the decode?"

"He has it."

" Damn ."

"And it's only a matter of time until he gets a translation. I made sure that it was complicated enough so that he'd have to do it piece by piece. But Addie's location came first, and he won't wait until he gets the rest of the translation. Things are going to go to hell fast. Even Lincoln is on his way to the ranch."

"Lincoln? That's not good."

"I'll handle it. Get back to me if there's a problem." He hung up and turned to Walt. "No Danner yet. We may get lucky." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook and handed it to him. "Information I got from Sherwood. It's not much. Get to work and see what you can come up with." He glanced at Devon. "Bridget is with Addie. She thinks that everything is okay for now."

Devon tried to remember the description of the dogs Marrok had given her. "Addie is the golden retriever."

"Yes." He added curtly, "As soon as I can arrange it, I'll try to get you and your people away from us and out on your own."

She stared at him in bewilderment. "I thought you were set on keeping us with you at the ranch."

"That was before I found out Danner had the computer, and the decoding will most certainly happen. We can't stay snug and safe waiting to get our chance at Danner any longer. I'll have to shift the dogs right away. We'll be on the move as soon as we hear he's started out. The ranch won't be safe. Nowhere will be safe once we come out in the open. I won't be able to protect you."

She looked away from him. "I've never asked you to protect me. I've just wanted you to leave me alone to live my life."

"And what about your friend, Gilroy, and Janet McDonald?"

"We're not helpless. As long as we know there's a threat, we can all take care of ourselves."

No, she wasn't helpless, he thought. She was tough and smart and able to handle most emergencies. She had seen death and horror on a dozen disaster sites. But she had never had to deal with a man like Danner. She had never had death come close enough to touch her as it was now. He had seen the shock she had felt in the clinic at just the sight of that macabre outline on the floor.

And, dammit, he didn't want to have to send her away. Why else had he told her about the shi'i'go when he'd known he might have to let her go? He wanted to have a reason to keep her close, to draw her nearer, to be the one to keep her safe. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this protective about anyone.

But he had felt protective of Paco. Not that it had done the old man any good, he thought bitterly. Marrok had never shown him how much he cared, and he'd gone away and let that bastard kill him. The only thing left was to revenge his death and keep his promise. It should be all that was important to him. Nothing had changed. Nothing was different. This feeling he was experiencing for Devon Brady would fade.

He glanced away from her. "I'm sure that you're entirely capable of running your own life. I'll get out of it as soon as I can find a way."

DAMMIT, WHAT WAS LINCOLNthinking, Bridget thought as she hung up the phone. He shouldn't be here. He'd promised to stay in London unless either Marrok or she sent up an SOS.

Why was she even wondering? She knew what he was thinking. Lincoln was smart and savvy and he wanted to be the one to call the shots. That couldn't be allowed. Marrok would have to handle him.

But, dammit, if Lincoln dug in his heels, the situation was so delicate that he might shatter it by his interference. She'd better handle it herself.

She quickly dialed her cell.

Lincoln picked up on the third ring. "Ah, Bridget. How good it is to hear from you. And it will be better still to see you. Are you at the ranch?"

"No." She added curtly, "And you shouldn't be going there either. Go back to jolly old En gland and stay there until you're invited."

"How rude. Actually, Marrok did tell me to stand by. I decided to regard that as an invitation."

"Stand by meant just that. You send a crew in to take care of cleanup if we need it. You find ways to keep the media away from us. You prepare a place for the dogs if we need to send them out of the country."

"Which I've always insisted should be done sooner rather than later. I could do my job much more efficiently on my home turf."

"And have the opportunity and power to take over the project. I couldn't trust you that far, Lincoln."

" You couldn't? What about Marrok?"

"I meant we couldn't trust you."

"Did you, indeed? I wonder. Perhaps I should discuss your role in this with Marrok. There are things he should know about you. I've been doing some investigating of your very interesting past lately."

She was silent, considering the implications. "You're bluffing. There's nothing that you could find out about me that would be a weapon for you. And would Marrok believe you if you had? You're the one who recommended me to Marrok three years ago. If you start coming up with anything that might be suspicious, the suspicion would fall on you, too."

"How clever you are. But you'd be more clever if you'd come over to my side. Marrok is too volatile. He's been a wild card all his life, and he could turn on all of us if the mood took him."

"He won't turn on me."

"What touching faith."

"You don't know him. He's changed."

"I hope you're not wrong… for your sake." He paused. "But you'll keep my offer in mind?"

She was silent a moment. "Yes."

"Excellent. Then we'll forget this conversation took place until you're ready."

"No, we won't. You'll play the game straight with Marrok, and you'll walk the line while you're here."

"And if I don't? Will you turn our savage, Marrok, loose on me?"

"No, I'll handle you myself," she said coldly. "And you don't want that to happen, do you?"

"Bridget, I'm hardly intimidated by-"

"Do you, Lincoln?"

He chuckled. "It might be interesting to have you try. Are you as good as I hear?"

"Yes. And I've no tendency toward the volatility or wildness you're attributing to Marrok. I'd just set my focus and keep on going until it's over. I'd never stop, Lincoln."