Iris Johansen - Stalemate

"I'm being perfectly reasonable. It's the oldest logic in history. Cause and effect. Action and reaction."

"Logic, hell." She slammed the door behind her. Then she leaned back against it and tried to get her breath. Dizzy.

And angry.

And scared.

"Are you well?" Miguel was beside her. "May I help you?"

"I'm okay." Not well. Definitely not well. "Yes, you can help me. Go get Galen and tell him to go and see Joe."

"After I help you back to your room."

"I'm not going back to my room. Where's Montalvo?"

"His bedroom. It's after three in the morning. He's retired for the night."

"Where's his bedroom?"

Miguel nodded to a room at the end of the corridor. "I could wake him and send him to you."

"No, you go find Galen. Joe will probably get out of bed and try to go after him if he doesn't show up in his room soon. The idiot doesn't know his limitations."

"Neither does the Colonel. That's why he often succeeds in doing impossible things. Perhaps Quinn is the same?"

"Impossible attempts can kill you." She started down the hall. "And you're as bad as all the rest of those blasted macho men in this place. All for glory and revenge. It doesn't matter that the odds are-"

"You're sure you don't want me to wake the Colonel for you?"

"No, I'll do it. Didn't you hear him? He's always at my disposal."

"I'm sure he will be. However, I should warn you he does sleep naked."

"So?"

"Nothing." He turned away and headed down the hall. "Just a random piece of information I thought might hold some interest. Galen will be with Quinn in fifteen minutes. I hope that will please you."

"No, it doesn't please me. Not one bit. But it's not your fault." She knocked on the door of Montalvo's room and then threw it open. "I need to talk to you, Montalvo."

"By all means. Come in."

It was dark, but she could dimly see the outline of his body in the huge bed across the room. "Turn on the light."

"As you wish." He turned on the bedside light. "As you can see, I wasn't expecting guests." He smiled. "Although I'm sure that nudity doesn't bother you."

"No, it doesn't." But he was a magnificent specimen, she thought. Big, muscular, and the epitome of the totally adult sensual male.

He sighed. "I didn't think so. One can but hope." He pulled the sheet over the lower half of his body and sat up. "Your 'history' is too hard to overcome at the moment."

"Good God, you'll try any ploy to get your way, won't you?" She sat down in the chair by the window. "Sex is not a weapon I use or accept. I'd think you'd be intelligent enough to realize that."

"Oh, I do. I'd never use it as a weapon. But I'm a lonely man and it's seldom I come across a woman who pleases me mentally as well as physically." He smiled. "And there's a certain closeness between us that would be interesting to explore." He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak. "But since you didn't come here on an exploratory mission we won't discuss it. It must be urgent if it wouldn't wait until morning."

"Urgent enough."

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No," she said impatiently. "I told you I need to talk to you."

"I'm listening."

"Joe is going to go after Diaz."

"I thought it likely. I'm sure that if you'd allowed yourself to consider the possibility that you would have come to the same conclusion. Are you certain?"

"Do you mean has he told me that's what he's going to do? No, but I know him and there's no doubt in my mind. He asked to see Galen. He wants information and maybe his help. He's going to work like hell to get back on his feet and then he's going after him." Her folded hands clenched together on her lap. "He's angry and he wants to protect me. There's no way I'm going to be able to talk him out of it."

"What do you want me to do? Drug him? Lock him in his room?"

"No, Joe would find a way to get free. He's very smart and savvy."

"That leaves you very few options, doesn't it?"

"You know damn well it does."

"Then tell me what you're going to do."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Because I'm smiling? I'm smiling because I believe I'm going to be made a very happy man. Am I right?"

"I'll do your reconstruction. Go after the skull. Bring it here."

"The conditions?"

"You keep your word about finding Bonnie. And you go after the skull immediately, no waiting for just the right moment. I want to be able to start working on her tomorrow night."

"Why?"

"I believe you know why. The sooner I get her done, the sooner you're able to go after Diaz. Joe can't possibly be in any kind of shape to tackle Diaz for another week or two. By that time, with any luck you'll already have blown Diaz and his scumbag cohorts to hell."

"What a charming plan." He chuckled. "But you've set me quite a tight timetable. How do you know I can meet it?"

"You came damn close when you set yourself that deadline with Marty. You like challenges. This is one you've been preparing to meet since your wife was killed. I imagine you've been going crazy twiddling your thumbs, waiting for your chance."

"At first. But I've learned patience. It was forced on me. Just as it was with you, Eve."

"I'm not going to be patient about this. Joe's not going to go after Diaz. He said I was caught in the middle between you and Diaz, but it was my choice to come down here. I won't have Joe caught in the cross fire." She leaned forward, her voice lowered to steely softness. "I'll give you what you want and you'll keep your promises, Montalvo. You'll move and move fast. Not one hair of Joe's head is going to be singed while you two tear each other apart. Do you understand?"

"You couldn't be more clear." He threw aside the sheet and got out of bed. He bowed slightly and started for the bathroom. "Speed you shall have. And I'll try to have Diaz taken out before Quinn can totter from his sickbed."

"Not 'try.' You'll do it." She shrugged. "Use one of your damn missiles if you have to."

"My, how violent you can be when your emotions are involved. Quinn isn't the only one who's protective."

"It goes with the territory."

He smiled over his shoulder. "Or the history? I told you past history was a strong foe to overcome." He disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. A moment later she heard the shower.

It was done. She was committed. She'd spurred Montalvo to kick his attack on Diaz into high gear. Not that he'd needed kicking. She'd seen how passionately eager he could be when he wanted something.

How would that eagerness translate in bed?

She felt a ripple of shock at the thought. It had come out of nowhere. She couldn't remember the last time she'd even had a sexual thought about a man other than Joe.

It meant nothing, she assured herself quickly. She was a woman who'd spent the last fifteen minutes in a room with a strong, virile, naked man. She was not a nun and it was natural that instinct would rear its head. It didn't mean that she loved Joe less or that she would ever act on that instinct. It was like watching Brad Pitt in a movie and thinking maybe it wouldn't be so bad to-

Dismiss it. She had gotten what she wanted from Montalvo and it wasn't a quickie in that monster of a bed. Joe would be safe. She might have a chance at finding her Bonnie.

If everything went well for Montalvo and his men tonight. It all rested on him being able to fade into that village and snatch the skull before Diaz knew he was there.

She stood up and started toward the bedroom door.

A big if, she thought worriedly. A terribly big and forbidding if.

When Eve reached the hall, she met Galen coming out of Joe's bedroom.

His gaze went beyond her to Montalvo's door. "A late-night rendezvous or an assassination attempt?"