David Morrell - The Covenant Of The Flame

But he'd let her keep it.

Why?

A sign.

A gesture.

Of cooperation.

Of reassurance.

All right, she thought and zipped up her jeans, returning the gun beneath her belt. I'm getting the message.

Feel safe.

But don't be aggressive.

She flushed the toilet, unlocked the washroom door, and walked with feigned confidence down the hallway toward the vestibule.

In the dim light through the murky windows, Tess glanced at Craig, who sat on one of the cracked-leather chairs. He sipped from a glass of water.

So did the other men. Several bottles and glasses had been placed on the desk.

When the stranger handed her a glass, Tess suddenly realized how dry and thick her tongue felt. She hurriedly drank, barely tasting the cool pure liquid. She couldn't remember when she'd been this thirsty.

She grabbed a bottle, refilled the glass, and drained it. Drops of water clung to her lips.

When she reached to refill the glass yet again, the stranger gently put a hand on her arm. 'No. Too much at once might make you sick.'

Tess studied him, then nodded.

'Sit,' the stranger added. Try to relax.'

'Come on. Relax? You've got to be kidding.' All the same, Tess moved a chair next to Craig. Its brittle leather creaked when she slumped upon it.

'So.' The stranger raised his eyebrows. 'Is there anything else you need? Are we ready now for our talk?'

'I'm definitely ready for answers.' Craig straightened, rigid. 'Who the hell are you? What's this all about? What's going on?'

The stranger considered him. His brooding silence lengthened. At last he sighed. 'I can't answer your questions until you answer mine.'

'Then we're not ready for a talk,' Craig said. 'I ran out of patience quite a while ago. I…'

'Please,' the stranger said. 'Indulge me.' He directed his eyes toward Tess. 'How much have you discovered about the vermin? Do you understand why they want to kill you?'

Tess frowned. 'The way you say that… Your tone. It doesn't sound as if you're puzzled. It's as if you already know the answers but wonder if I know.'

The stranger cocked his head. 'Impressive. To repeat my earlier compliment, you're very observant. But what I know isn't the issue. Tell me. How much have you discovered ?'

Tess pivoted toward Craig, who debated, then shrugged.

'It's a standoff,' Craig said. 'Go ahead. Tell him. Maybe he'll answer our questions.'

'Or maybe if I do, they'll kill us.'

'No, Tess,' the stranger said. 'Whatever happens, we are not your enemy. On the contrary.' He reached inside a pocket of his jacket and placed a ring on his finger.

The other men followed his example.

Their rings were dramatic. Each had a glinting golden band, a shimmering ruby embossed with a golden intersecting cross and sword.

'Few outsiders have seen these rings,' the stranger said. 'We show them as a sign of respect, of trust, of obligation.'

'A cross and a sword?'

The stranger lowered his gaze toward the ring. 'An appropriate symbol. Religion and retribution. Tell me, Tess, and I'll tell you. Why do the vermin want to kill you ?

'Because of…' Confused, frightened, Tess opened her mouth.

Hesitated.

Then confessed. Unburdened. Revealed.

Throughout, she glanced at Craig, who pretended to listen, his shoulders braced, while he checked the exits, never interrupting.

Mithras. Montsegur. The treasure. Joseph's bedroom. The bas-relief statue. A war between a good god and an evil one.

Exhausted, Tess slumped back, the cracked-leather chair sagging beneath her. They want to stop me from telling others what I know, from showing the photographs.'

'Yes.' The stranger caressed the cross and sword on his ring. 'The photographs. Let me see them.'

Tess fumbled in her purse and handed them over.

The stranger's face became rigid with hate when he examined them. 'It's what we suspected. A damnable altar.'

Craig scowled. 'So Tess was right. All of this was pointless. You haven't heard anything you didn't already know.'

'On the contrary, I've learned a great deal.' The stranger passed the photographs to his companions, who studied them with equal loathing. 'I've learned that you know so much I can't, as I'd hoped, deceive you with half-truths. I won't be able to use you without providing a fuller explanation than I'd planned.' He brooded. 'It presents a problem.'

'How?'

'I need you, but I can't trust you. I can't depend on your silence. Just as the vermin are determined to protect their secrets, so we guard ours. How can I be sure that you'll stay quiet about what I tell you?'

'Yes, it's a problem,' Craig said. 'Apparently you'll just have to trust us anyhow.'

'Lieutenant, I'm not a fool. The moment you're free, you'll report everything you've heard to your superiors. It might be better if I released both of you right now. True, you've seen the rings. However, they tell you nothing.'

'Let us go? Then you meant what you said?' Craig shook his head, puzzled. 'You don't intend to harm us?'

'After saving your lives?' the stranger asked rhetorically. 'I've already shown my commitment to your safety. There's the door. It isn't locked. You're free to leave. By all means, do so.'

'But,' Tess said, 'if you let us go, we'll be back where we started.'

'Exactly,' the stranger said. The vermin will continue to hunt you, and without our help, I fear that the next time they'll succeed in killing you. A pity.'

Craig's voice became husky. 'What kind of mind game are you playing?'

'I need reassurance. Do you love this woman?'

Craig answered without hesitation. 'Yes.'

It made Tess proud.

'And are you willing to admit,' the stranger continued, 'despite your best efforts, there's a good chance she'll die without our help? At the very least, that you and she will be forced to keep hiding, constantly afraid that the vermin are about to attack again?'

Craig didn't respond.

'Answer me!' the stranger said. 'Are you willing to condemn the woman you love to an uncertain future, cringing at the slightest sound, always terrified?'

'Damn it, obviously I want to protect her!'

'Then give me your word! On the soul of the woman you love, swear to me that you'll never repeat a word I say to you!'

'So it's that way.' Craig glared.

'Yes, Lieutenant, that way. The only way. Do I need to add that if you break your vow and tell the authorities, this woman will never trust you again?'

Craig kept glaring.

'And do I need to add something else?' the stranger asked. 'If you break your vow, the vermin won't be the only group that hunts her. We will. I myself would kill her to punish you if you betrayed us.'

'You son of a bitch.'

'Yes, yes, vulgarity vents emotion. But it settles nothing. You're avoiding my demand. Are you willing to swear? For the woman you love, are you prepared to make a solemn pledge of silence?'

Craig's cheek muscles rippled.

Tess couldn't restrain herself. 'Craig, tell him what he wants!' She swung toward the stranger. 'You have my word. I won't repeat anything you say.'

'But what about you , Lieutenant?'

Craig clenched his fists. His shoulders seemed to broaden. Slowly he swallowed. 'All right.' He exhaled forcefully. 'You've got it. Nothing means more to me than keeping Tess alive. I don't want another group trying to kill her. I give you my word. I won't betray you. But I have to tell you, I hate like hell to be threatened.'

'Well, that's the point. A vow means nothing unless a threat is attached to its violation. Actually two points.'

'Oh? What's the second one?'