Iris Johansen - Final Target

"How do we communicate, then?"

He grimaced. "Very carefully. We'll use the laptop when we don't want him to hear. Does Joseph have one?"

"Get real. This is the twenty-first century."

"Then tell your guys to monitor their E-mail for instructions."

"And what if you're wrong about Deschamps?"

Travis didn't want to speculate about that. "I don't think I'm wrong. He's smart and he's waited this long. You just see that Cassie and Melissa are protected."

Galen's gaze went to Melissa. "And she's not to know?"

"No."

"You're risking her neck."

"I'm risking all our necks. I can't help it." His lips thinned. "I'm going to find a way to trap him, Galen. I'm going to get him."

"How?"

"I'll work on it." He suddenly realized that was Melissa's phrase, the one that denned the bedrock of her character. "You take the first watch, okay?"

Galen nodded. "You'd better make sure she doesn't decide to start wandering around. Just in case. And you might try being nice to her. She's feeling pretty bad."

"I don't want to be nice to her. I want her to stop-" He drew a deep breath. "Call your guys and get them busy trying to spot Deschamps."

"Come on inside, Melissa."

Travis was standing behind her.

"Pretty soon." She wrapped her arms around herself. Lord, she wished she could stop shaking. Get control. Don't let him see…

"Now."

She shook her head.

"I know I was sharp with you, but you can't stay out here."

"You think I'm pouting?"

"That's not a word I'd use in connection with you. I know you're upset." He paused. "Okay, I didn't make it any easier."

"You made it easier."

"How?"

"You stayed alive." She closed her eyes. "I made a terrible mistake. I could have killed you."

"And would you have shed a few tears for me?"

"Oh, yes."

He took a step forward. "Melissa…"

"Don't you touch me." Her eyes flicked open and she backed away from him. "I can't let anyone-"

"Christ, you're shaking so hard, your teeth are rattling."

"It will go away."

"Shit." He stepped closer and took her in his arms. "Am I responsible for this?"

"Don't flatter yourself." But her arms closed around him. Warm. Safe. Here. Now. Alive.

"Deschamps?"

"Not Deschamps."

"Then why the hell won't you quit shaking?"

She buried her face in his shoulder. "The smell." Her voice was muffled. "That woman in the church…That smell…"

He went still. "Christ, I didn't make the connection. Your parents…"

"It's the first time since I came out that I felt any pull to go back into my nice little forest. I was so scared…I wanted to go there. I felt so safe there."

"The hell you did." His arms tightened around her. "You were half dead. Now stop it. You're not going anywhere."

"Of course I'm not. It's just…I had to work my way through it. I'm glad Jessica didn't see me. It would have scared her silly."

"It scared me."

"Did it?"The shaking was easing. "You can let me go now."

"Can I?" He didn't move.

"No, maybe not. This feels…good."

"Yes, it does."

" You feel good." Good and right. Completely right. All the tension was leaving her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome…I think."

A few minutes passed and then Travis pushed her away. "You'd better go in."

Yes, she'd better leave him. This was too good. "You can't close me out again. We have to talk about Deschamps."

She could feel the tension in his body. "Not now, Melissa."

No, not now, she thought wearily. Too much to think about. Too many emotions to sort out. She backed away. "In the morning."

He glanced at the sky. "That won't be too long."

She looked at the streaks of pearl gray lighting the night sky. "Jessica loved this time of day. She said when she was an intern she'd walk through the park when she finished her duty. Everything was so clear and bright and new, it made her able to face the next night."

"Jessica would want you to be safe."

She shook her head. "Don't try to manipulate me by using Jessica. Good night, Travis. I'm sorry I put you at risk."

"You could have saved my neck. You're not all that gullible, so that woman must have been good. I might have fallen for her story too."

She thought about it and then smiled. "You're absolutely right. You should be damn grateful to me."

She went to her bedroom, where Galen was sitting beside Cassie. She put her finger to her lips and motioned for him to go. He nodded and silently left. She lay down next to Cassie and closed her eyes.

"You left me" Cassie said.

"Not for long."

"I was lonely."

"Then come out and you'll never be lonely again."

Silence. "You were scared. You wanted to run back to your forest."

How had Cassie picked up on that? "But I didn't do it. I'll never go back there again."

"You could come into my tunnel."

"But you won't be there for long."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true. Isn't it?"

Silence. "You truly don't want to go back?"

"Why should I? Look at me. What do you see?"

Silence. "I'm going to go to sleep now."

"Stubborn."

" But you were scared. I saw it ."

" And what else did you see?" "Michael. I saw Michael …" Melissa lay awake a long time after Cassie drifted off to sleep.

Would you have shed a few tears for me? I saw Michael…

Travis's door opened a few hours later.

He tensed.

"It's only me," Melissa said.

" Only ?" He rose up on one elbow. "What are you doing here?"

" I wanted to be with you."

"Do you want to talk about your parents?"

"Not now."

"Deschamps?"

"I don't need a therapist, Travis." She came toward him. "That's not what this is all about."

He went still. "Then what the hell is it about?"

"What do you think?"

" I think you'd better be very clear."

"You want clear?" She paused to steady her voice. "I'll give you clear." She stopped beside the bed. "I'm going to get undressed. I see you're already naked, and that's very convenient." She pulled her nightshirt over her head and dropped it to the floor. "Now I'm going to get into bed with you. Then I want you to indulge in every carnal act you've ever learned or heard of." She drew back the cover. "Is that clear enough?"

He was silent a moment, and when he spoke his voice was uneven." I believe that's crystal-clear. But you went through a hell of a lot tonight. Are you sure that you're able to judge-"

"Oh, for God's sake. Of course I'm sure. Stop quibbling. Do you think this is easy for me? Not that I'm some shrinking violet, but it's-"

"Shh." He reached out and probed gently between her legs. "Now I believe you. Christ, you're quick."

"Don't you be." Her voice was trembling as she pressed against him. "I want this to last a long, long time____________________"

"You're very good." Melissa shifted and then cuddled closer. "For someone who likes to stay on the outside, your inside technique is remarkable."

"If you'd warned me you were going to seduce me, I'd have put some thought into innovation."

"Instinct is better. Besides, I didn't know. I wasn't sure. Not until you actually stopped arguing and touched me." She brushed her lips across his chest. "Then I knew it was the right thing to do."

"It was definitely the right thing." His hand tangled in her hair. "And I'm glad you didn't decide it wasn 't the right time and the right man at that late stage."

"I'm no tease. I wouldn't have cheated you." She chuckled. "And I certainly wouldn't have cheated myself. What a wicked man you're turning out to be, Michael Travis."