Iris Johansen - Dead Aim

She found herself smiling back at him. "You can bet on it." He looked warm and approachable, and she suddenly wanted to reach out and touch him. She glanced away hurriedly. "How long do we have to stay here?"

"It probably won't be for more than a few days. Safe houses don't stay safe for long when there's a massive search. I'd like to stay here until we get a report from Galen on Fairfax. He's going to send a man down there to see what he can find out. When we move, I'd like to have someplace to go and a reason to go there."

"And you think that will take only a few days?"

"It better not take much longer. We're running out of time."

Panic rippled through her. She had never felt this hunted before. Even that time in Iran, when she had been on the run, there had never been this sense of overwhelming odds weighing in against her.

"It's going to be okay." Morgan's gaze was fixed on her face. "It's a big country. It's much easier to get lost in a country this size. And people aren't as suspicious. They're like you. They want to believe that everyone is good."

"And you think that's naive."

"Yes, but I also find it heartwarming." He smiled. "And we've already established how cold I am." His stare was suddenly intent. "I need all the warming I can get."

She couldn't look away. He wasn't cold. She could feel heat move through her as- She tore her gaze away. What had they been talking about? "It's not naive to want to see the best in people." She moistened her lips. "What are we going to do until Galen contacts us?" Shit, she wished she could take the question back. Stupid. Stupid.

But he didn't respond with a double entendre as she'd thought he might. "Suppose you let me try to see the best in you." "What?"

"I said I wouldn't draw you unless you gave me permission."

"You're not going to get it. I hate sitting still."

"Then don't. But you're still weak enough to let me have time to occasionally catch you at rest. You give me my time and I'll take you with me when I go scouting every day. That should allay the boredom for both of us."

"Aren't you afraid I won't keep up?"

"Maybe. But then I'll just have to slow down. Because I won't leave you here alone."

"Give me back my gun."

"It's in my duffel. Get it whenever you like. But what good would your gun have been against that rocket Jurgens lobbed into the lodge? Our best bet is guerrilla warfare if they find we're here."

"Not run and hide?"

"Run, stop, strike, run. Doesn't that suit you better?"

She was about to tell him no and then decided he was right. "If it's the only way to survive. I don't want to be caught like a rat in a trap. It's not fair."

"What is?"

"But this arrangement's a little lopsided. If you draw me, I want a favor from you."

He shook his head. "No photographs."

"I wouldn't even try. You're not that pretty."

"J esus, I hope not."

But a face that held that many secrets would be fascinating to try to capture. "I'd probably end up with a photo that resembled a stone wall. No, you once told me that if I got away from you that you'd track me, that you were good at it. Well, I want you to teach me how to do that."

"Why?"

"I've been in a couple situations where it would have come in handy. I'm not a complete novice. My dad took me hunting from the time I was a little girl. I'm pretty woods savvy."

"But why tracking?"

"I remember a few years ago in Turkey there was a child who wandered away from the village when I was photographing her parents. It took us four days to find her. She was dead. She'd fallen down a slope into a river. If we'd been able to find her sooner, it might not have happened."

"I should have known. Another way to save the world." "No, just a three-year-old little girl. Deal?"

"You can't grasp much in a few days. I had an Apache teacher who devoted months to teaching me, and it still took-" "I'll learn what I can learn. It might help. Deal?"

He smiled. "Deal."

"Then I'm going to bed." She turned to leave. "I'll see you in the morning." "Good idea. You've had a big day."

"A terrible day."

"I wish I could tell you that the worst is behind you. I won't do that." No, he'd offered her comfort, but not at the expense ofhon esty. "I didn't ask you to. Good night." She didn't turn on the light in the bedroom as she took off her pants. The shirt was too much trouble with her bad shoulder and she was too tired to bother. She just pulled the cover over her and plumped up the pillow.

It had been a terrible, frightening day, as she'd told Morgan. A day of terror and revelation and a wild mixture of emotion. A day that had drawn her closer to Morgan than she was comfortable with.

She shouldn't be that surprised. In life-threatening situations, sexuality often raised its head. She had experienced it once before with a young doctor on the flooded plains of Bangladesh. It had vanished as quickly as the danger.

But it hadn't been this strong.

It didn't matter. She could handle it. And Morgan was clearly not going to pursue that intimacy. Jesus, she was actually disappointed, she realized in disgust. All she needed was to jump into bed with a man like Morgan.

Except there was no other man like Morgan. She had never met anyone this complex, and the more she learned about him, the fewer weapons she had against him. His ways were not her ways, but it was difficult to condemn a man who-

Stop thinking about him. If she had to stay awake, think of something that would help her get out of this predicament.

Z-l. No, the picture was bigger now. Bigger and more bewildering. If Z-l was Arapahoe Dam and that target had been destroyed…

Wouldn't Z-2 be next?

"What's the progress on Z-2?" Betworth asked. "You haven't got much time, Powers."

"No problem. We'll meet the deadline."

"But with what kind of success?"

"I think you should know that I'll follow through. The only reason there's been any delay is that you told me to go after Graham."

"But that's not an excuse now. I gave that assignment to

Jurgens."

"And he hasn't been too successful, has he?"

"He'll get her. You concentrate on Z-2." He hung up and leaned back in his chair. Keep calm. Everything would go as planned. He was handling all the details with his usual skill. Jurgens would find Graham and Morgan and take them out. Everything would be

His phone rang.

"I can't find him, Betworth." Runne.

"For God's sake, why haven't you returned my calls?"

"I need to find him. I've run out of leads. You get me one." He drew a deep breath. No excuses. The arrogant, fanatical bastard was giving him orders. "Perhaps if you'd returned my calls, I could have given you some assistance."

"Can you?"

He wanted to hang up on him. That would be a mistake.

Runne was a wild card, but Betworth had plans for him. Besides, he might be the one who could bring in Morgan. "He was in Colorado a few days ago. He might still be there, but I doubt it. Wherever he is, he's with a woman, Alex

Graham."

"You're sure?" "Oh, yes."

"Can you send me a photo of her?"

"I don't have to. Pick up a newspaper. Don't you ever read a newspaper or watch television?"

"No."

"Well, she's very hot. So it won't do any good to give you addresses or phone numbers."

"Then what good is she to me?"

"It's pretty obvious Morgan isn't going to abandon her, so that makes her an albatross. She'll slow him down. He doesn't have to slow down much for you to catch him, does he?" "No, but fax me the information anyway. I'll call you back and give you the fax number in the town I'm in. I might be able to go through her people to locate her."

"I told you, everyone's searching for her."

"That doesn't make any difference. They'll stop, they'll hesitate, they'll wonder if they'll get caught if they go too far. I have the advantage. I don't care." He hung up.