Iris Johansen - Dead Aim

"That was totally irresponsible. Someone could have been hurt."

"It was a judgment call. There was a bigger chance of you being hurt if I didn't get you out of there." He sat down across the table from her. "So I got you out. Eat your stew."

"How do I know you didn't put something in it?" He smiled. "You don't."

But it wasn't likely. As he'd said before, he could have killed her at any time while she was lying there helpless. She picked up her spoon and dipped it into the stew. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Not too long." He offered her a bowl of rolls. "I'm not going to tell you how long because you'd immediately start trying to figure out how close we are to Denver. The less you know, the better for me."

"I will get away from here." She smiled through bared teeth. "And then I'll make sure you and Logan are punished."

"Logan too? But won't that hurt your friend Sarah?"

"He had no right to-" But there was no way she could hurt Sarah. She drew a deep breath. She'd think about Logan later. "I'm not even sure Logan did hire you."

"I know. That's why I'm going to let you talk to him after dinner."

"What?"

"This situation is going to be difficult enough. It will make it easier for both of us if you believe I'm here to protect, not hurt, you." He took a bite of stew. "Anger is okay, but I don't want you to be afraid of me. Fear sucks."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Yes, you are." He gave her a steady glance. "Not all the time. It comes and goes, but it's there."

"And who are you to analyze-" She stopped as she met his gaze. "I'd be stupid not to be wary of someone who's just kidnapped me."

"Be wary. Wary is smart." He smiled slightly. "And you're very smart."

"How do you know?" She remembered the remark about her fireman father. "You've managed to get a dossier on me." He nodded. "And it was very interesting reading."

"I'm glad I could entertain you."

"Entertain isn't quite the word. Your career has led you into some pretty rough scrapes. It's a wonder you were able to wriggle out of some of them." He got up from the table to bring a pot of coffee from the counter. "For instance, when you shot that terrorist in Iran, I'd have bet against your chances of getting out of the country alive. You did all the wrong things to preserve your neck."

"Like what?"

"You trusted someone in the Embassy to arrange to smuggle you out. The Embassy is always too visible. You waited two days to head for the border. It should have given the terrorist group time to find you. They must have had extremely poor intelligence and leadership." He poured coffee into her cup. "And you didn't kill your target."

"I'm not a murderer. I was there to get a story. I shot AI

Habim in self-defense."

"And because you didn't kill him, he came after you again in Cairo. If the CIA hadn't had you under surveillance, you could have been history."

"Why do you think they had me under surveillance? Do you think I'm stupid? I knew Al Habim would come looking for me. I was hoping the CIA would catch him and be able to extract information."

"Excellent." He smiled. "But evidently the Company had reasons to want him dead. So you might as well have done it yourself and saved everyone the trouble."

"Is that what you would have done?"

"Every case is different, but I tend to lean toward keeping myself alive and in one piece. The CIA is always a wild card. There are too many politicians with too many agendas whirling around them."

"You talk as if you know."

"I have a certain familiarity with them." He lifted his cup to his lips. "I have a great admiration for many of their agents, but I've found that no one but me has quite the same desire to maintain my health and well-being."

"I can see why," she said through her teeth.

"My, what bitterness. Are you only tolerant when it concerns terrorists?"

"I'm not tolerant of anyone who interferes with my life or freedom." She pushed back her chair. "And now I want to talk to John Logan. Call him."

"Whatever you say. I'm surprised you waited this long."

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Logan? Judd Morgan. Alex Graham wants to talk to you." He handed her the phone, rose to his feet, and began stacking the dishes. "Give him hell. I shouldn't be the only one suffering."

She ignored him. "Logan?"

"Sorry, Alex. I didn't want to do this."

She recognized his voice. Until this moment she hadn't really believed what Morgan had said. "Bullshit. You tell this bastard to let me go."

"I can't do it. I told you where my priority lies. Sarah has to be safe, and if you won't be sensible, then you'll have to be-"

"Kidnapped?"

"Kept safe in spite of yourself."

"And you think I'll put up with it? I'm getting out of here, and when I do, I'm going to cause you so much trouble your head will spin."

"I'm sure you will. But hopefully the FBI will have removed any threat to Sarah by that time. I'm pulling every string I know to find out who those men at Arapahoe Junction were."

"And I'm supposed to sit here locked up with this asshole while you try to do something the FBI can't?"

"I have a chance. I have a friend who specializes in that kind of information."

"Another criminal like Morgan?"

"No, not like Morgan. I understand he has different talents."

"Kidnapping."

"It wasn't supposed to come down to that. Morgan tells me that the situation called for more drastic measures than he'd planned."

"But you agreed to it."

"After the fact." He paused. "He said it was the only way to keep you alive, and keeping you alive is the only way I can keep Sarah safe. That's the only thing that's important to me."

"My God. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"A man who loves Sarah." He paused. "As you do, Alex."

"I told you I wouldn't do anything to endanger her. What you've done is totally beyond the pale." She looked at Morgan across the kitchen. "And you turned this… thug loose on me." Morgan raised his brows. "Thug?" he murmured. "Isn't that a rather antiquated term?"

"Tell him to let me go, Logan."

"I can't do that. Don't worry, I've been assured you're per fectly safe with him. He's no threat."

She would have laughed if she hadn't been so angry. She didn't know exactly who or what Judd Morgan was, but he was about as unthreatening as a coiled rattlesnake. "He'll be no danger when I'm a thousand miles away from him or he's behind bars."

"Believe me, if I'd had any doubts about your safety, I'd have never made a deal with him. Do you think I don't know I'd have to answer to Sarah if anything happened to you?"

"Sarah will be as furious as I am with you."

"Maybe. But she'll be alive." He paused. "And you'll be alive. The end justifies the means."

"The hell it does."

"We disagree. Is there anything else you'd like to say to me?"

"Let me go."

"Anything else?"

"No, dammit, I want you to-" It was no use. She drew a deep breath. "How is Sarah?"

"Wonderful. Champing at the bit to get up. Nagging me to try to find out where the FBI has you hidden so she can come and see you."

"Damn you." She hung up the phone and glared at Morgan across the room. "And damn you, Morgan."

"It must be very frustrating for you." He crossed the room and took the phone from her. "And I'm sure Logan didn't succeed in reassuring you that I'm Sir Lancelot and not Jack the Ripper."

"No."

"But you believe that Logan's deal with me didn't include any harm to you?"

"Maybe."

"And that Logan, being the powerhouse he is, would be very upset if! broke my end of the bargain?"

"Possibly."

"Then look at it this way. If I killed you and buried you in the snow, Logan would come after me with guns blazing. Doesn't that give you a sense of security?"