Iris Johansen - Dead Aim

"She said it wasn't an explosion," Morgan told Galen as he watched him prepare supper. "She's positive."

"Then what brought the hill down? Earthquake?"

"That was one of the possible explanations brought up by the FBI." He shook his head. "But who the hell could trigger an earthquake? No, I'm not sure what it was."

Galen looked up from the chicken he was basting. "But you have an idea."

"I didn't say that."

"You don't say a tenth of what you're thinking, you secre tive bastard." He picked up the pan and headed for the oven.

"It's a wonder I don't give up on you."

"Yes, it is. You should. Why don't you?"

"I'm a masochist." He closed the oven door. "But not enough to stay away from Elena for much longer. Now that I've finished playing superhero, I'm going to cut you loose and go home." He grinned. "I'm enjoying the hell out of being a henpecked husband."

"Elena is no hen. Is there such a thing as tiger-pecked?" "I'll find out, if she has to go through much more of this pregnancy without me. That's not going to happen. I'm not going to miss it." He went to the stovetop and started to stir the vegetables. "But you're going to miss me. Even though I bought plenty of frozen dinners for you."

"We'll survive. You're opting out entirely?"

"Anything I can do on the phone or through contacts, I'm your man. I'll start out by getting an ID on those two sketches. But the only thing that would get me to leave Elena again is if you or Alex were about to be drawn and quartered. And then only with Elena's permission."

Morgan made a face. "Not likely."

"I don't know. Maybe she's mellowing with pregnancy." He chuckled and shook his head. "Nah."

"I didn't think so."

"I'll get you transport. I'll get you experienced men for onsite help. I'll use my brilliant mind and persuasive talents to clear your path. As long as it doesn't take me more than thirty feet from Elena."

"Okay, okay. I hear you loud and clear. When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll probably be gone before you wake." "No, you won't."

Galen smiled. "That's right. You'll be on guard duty, won't you?"

"I'm going to stay alive. And she's going to stay alive." "Why did you let her think you'd given in to blackmail? You couldn't be in worse shape with the government than you are now."

"It didn't matter. It made her feel more in control. Those bastards have shredded her confidence in practically everything she believes in. She needed to feel she was doing something positive."

"And blackmail is positive? Never mind. It always depends on the situation." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "The chicken will be out in fifteen minutes. Do you want to wake her?"

"In a little while. Since you're between courses, why don't you get on the phone to Logan?" "And what am I to tell him?"

"That you're opting out and I'm going to expect him to fill in the gap." He paused. "And ifhe doesn't, I'm going after his ass."

Galen gave a low whistle. "You don't talk to Logan that way."

"You can say it however you want to say it. Just make the point."

"No threats. He wants Alex kept alive. He'll cooperate."

"With you. He has to cooperate with me, and he's not sure which way I'll jump." He paused. "What about a bribe?" "For God's sake, he's a billionaire."

"There are all kinds of bribes. Tell him I may be able to turn up something very beneficial to him." "What? Okay, don't tell me. But I'm not going to offer

Logan a bribe." He added, "Any more than I would you." Morgan chuckled. "Galen, you offered me a bribe to draw me into this."

"Well, that was different."

"Yeah, you won't give up trying to save my ass." "Someday I will." Galen pulled out his phone. "I'll handle Logan. Anything else you want me to tell him?"

"No. But I have something else I want you to do. Send a man down to Fairfax, Texas. It's a horse-and-buggy town near Brownsville. Make sure he's good and very carefuL"

"And?"

"There's a textile plant on the edge of town. Have him skirt around and see what he can come up with."

"What do you expect him to come up with?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe something… unusual"

"You've got it." He dialed Logan's number and when he picked up said, "We're safe, we've roosted, and I have a chicken in the oven." He flinched. "Hey, I wanted to see what kind of follow-up we need. Quiet down." He walked out onto the porch, talking fast.

Evidently Logan wasn't pleased at the way things were going. Well, neither were any of them, Morgan thought wearily. It was going to be a hell of a job just keeping them all alive.

He could walk away. He hadn't counted on the noose tightening around him like this.

Bull. He'd had a suspicion there might be a connection between Arapahoe Junction and Fairfax. It wasn't the carrot that Logan had held out to him that had brought him here. Nor was it Alex Graham's dossier and that fascinating face that had influenced him.

He had used Alex for an excuse to stop hiding and confront what had happened at Fairfax.

"No sign of her?" Betworth asked. "My God, she couldn't just disappear. She had half the law-enforcement officers in Colorado after her."

"We'll get her," Jurgens said. "We're processing the number on the helicopter now. The car they abandoned was rented at the airport by a Dave Simmons from Baltimore. Of course, we believe his ID was phony. But his description doesn't match the one the doctor gave us of the man who brought him to the lodge when Graham was injured. So it wasn't Morgan."

"What a surprise."

"I'm doing everything I can. Look, I put my ass on the line when I blew that lodge. There were two local detectives there who were mad as hell."

"Then we'll take care of them."

"Powers?"

"No violence. I'll call Tim Rolfe in Homeland Security and ask him if he doesn't think a gag order regarding Graham would be wise."

"He'll go along?"

"He has so far. He's an ambitious man who knows who's going to hold the power. He wants to stay on my good side." Betworth paused. "As you do, Jurgens. You've done a good job, but I'm going to ask more of you. You have to move faster. We're getting too close to Z-3. I can't have any loose ends."

"Perhaps you could postpone it?"

"After four years of planning? No, Jurgens. I have to strike while the iron is hot. I may never get another opportunity. Which means you may not get another opportunity." Betworth added gently, "You're very clever and I know you'll do whatever is necessary. Just find them and remove them so that we can concentrate on what's important to us."

"I'm glad you enjoyed my chicken, Alex. Not that I expected anything else." Galen stood up and started to clear the table. "I thought you deserved a good meal, considering Morgan is entirely lacking in that skill."

"It was delicious." She stood up and started to stack the dishes. "I'll help you wash up." "I usually leave that for Morgan. The drudgery factor is humbling, and God knows he needs it." Morgan's gaze was narrowed on Alex's face. "I'll pass tonight." He stood up. "I believe she wants to do something besides wash dishes. I'll go scout around the grounds." He was too damn perceptive, she thought in frustration as she carried the plates into the kitchen. Galen followed her and started putting dishes into the dishwasher. "Is he right?"

"Yes. Morgan says you're leaving in the morning."

"Yep, but I'm not totally deserting you."

"Morgan told me that too. But I'm going to have to rely principally on him. That makes me very uneasy."

"It shouldn't. In many ways he's savvier than I am. Though I hate to admit it." He paused. "Nah, scratch that. It's just that we've had experiences in different areas."

She smiled reluctantly. It was difficult not to smile at Galen. Morgan was right, he was an original. "I don't care about his experiences. I care about his character. I can't read him."