Acceptable Risks (25 page)

“I’m climbing a tree.” She skirted a piece of concrete cylinder and kept going. “We need to see where the hell we’re going. Should have done it right away,” she muttered. “Haze, my ass.”

She got to the edge of the woods and stepped in a hole. Her right ankle snapped sideways and she fell with a cry, rolling with the motion and praying she hadn’t done too much damage.

“Gabby!”

“I’m okay.” She gasped in air and rolled to her back, waiting for the initial wave of nausea to pass before she could assess the damage. “It wasn’t bad, just sudden.”

“Lie still.” Matthew crouched next to her and lifted her right ankle onto his bent knee. “Did you hurt anything when you fell?”

Gabby brushed dirt off her palms and checked the heels of her hands. “Just a couple of scrapes. I’m okay,” she said again, drawing a deep breath and trying to sit. She got as far as her elbows, but Matthew wouldn’t let her go any higher. “Let me up. We need to climb a tree and see where we are.”

“I’ll do it.” He gently probed, then rotated, her ankle. She could tell it was already swelling a little, but the pain was minimal, mostly bruiselike when he pressed down. She could walk on it. “Height wouldn’t have done any good back near the cabin,” he told her. “We were in a valley. But we’ve been mostly climbing all day.” Setting her foot down, he stood and looked for a suitable tree.

Gabby watched him select one and haul himself into the lower branches, then looked back toward the stupid road while she waited. How could the road just end? That truck had come from here, and the motorcycle that passed them went
somewhere
. Unless they missed a turnoff somehow, and that was hard to believe, even in their depleted conditions, considering how slowly they’d been moving. Still, that was the only explanation, wasn’t it?

She tilted her head back to see where Matthew was. She forgot which tree he’d climbed into, and searched until a flash of his blue shirt near the top of the tallest evergreen caught her eye. The treetop swayed, then bent, and she held her breath until it eased back upright. The sliver of blue moved higher, then halted for several minutes before it started moving back downward. By the time Matthew hit the ground, Gabby had dragged herself to her feet and tested her ankle.

“Well?” she called before he was halfway back to her.

He shook his head.

“What’s that mean? No luck? Too far? What?”

He stayed silent as he made his way through the debris field. When he got to her side, put his hand on her elbow, looked at her ankle, and opened his mouth, she said, “Don’t you dare ask how my ankle is before you tell me what you saw.”

He looked grim. “We have a choice.”

“I take it it’s not a good choice,” she sighed.

“The haze was smog. Probably DC, though it’s too far away to tell. There’s a good two miles of thick forest before we get to the next town in that direction.”

“And the other way?”

“If we go back the way we came, probably about five miles, to a turnoff we missed, that will take us to a group of buildings that may be the crossroads you were hoping for.”

Gabby scowled. “Why the hell isn’t there some kind of bar every three miles around here? Don’t hunters drink a lot?” She sighed and tried to buck up. “My ankle is fine if I keep it straight. The uneven ground in the woods will be impossible. But I can handle a few miles of flat road. Let’s get moving.” She glanced at Matthew, noticing the tears in his dress pants and sweat stains on what was probably an expensive shirt. His “weekend” shoes were sturdy enough to climb trees, apparently, but probably wearing as well as her flats were. As they headed back toward the road, she imagined a giant maze someone had placed them in. One with no exit.

* * *

The region of Virginia to which Ella’s information had sent them made navigating difficult. Several times they found themselves on roads the GPS didn’t recognize, and they kept having to backtrack and find another way. Jason could almost hear Lark’s heart pounding harder with every mile closer to the coordinates. Six dirt roads, two gravel lanes, and a wagon track later, they pulled into a clearing holding a rough-looking cabin and no vehicles. There hadn’t been any visual warning that they were close to their destination, and the GPS said they had half a mile to go. But this was the end of the road, and they’d seen no other structures for hours.

“They’ll have heard us coming.” Lark grabbed the dash as they bounced over a pothole. “We should go in fast.”

“No.” Jason turned off the engine and removed his seat belt, shifting into mission mode. “You stay here, in the driver’s seat. I’ll scout the place and go in when I know what I’m getting into. No arguments.”

Lark didn’t give him any.

The feeling of being close to his target jacked up his senses. When he got out of the truck, he smelled the woods, both fresh and rotting vegetation, and a faint hint of smoke, as if there had been a fire burning, extinguished some time ago. The air was still, thick, and he’d already started to sweat. A drop trickling between his shoulder blades burned, and he rubbed at it before drawing his pistol and easing toward the cabin.

Everything was silent. Birds and animals awaited his next move, and the cabin seemed deserted. He crept up to the nearest side of the building and looked through the window, staying to the left so he could see most of the room without exposing too much of himself. It was a small, sparse bedroom, empty. The room behind it was the same, only it contained a rumpled bed and a chair. On the back of the cabin was a built-on room, completely empty. Jason circled around the back, and found a fresh hole dug from underneath the building. Hope leaped, but he ignored it and continued carefully around the corner.

On the other side he peered into the kitchen and living area, which also looked empty, but he couldn’t see everything. Still, it was enough to take a cautious risk and go into the building. The front door opened noiselessly, unexpected in a wooden cabin in this condition.

Jason had no sooner cleared the threshold than a figure bucked where it lay on the plaid couch. Jason whipped his weapon toward him, but the big man faced the back of the couch, his hands fastened with cuffs behind him, feet tied with some kind of fabric—old curtains?—and mouth taped closed with duct tape. Jason swept the room one more time, but there was no one else there. He holstered the pistol and stepped carefully closer.

The guy twisted to look over his shoulder, displaying a blackening eye and dried blood around a swollen nose. Still, Jason recognized him.

“John?” He slowly peeled the tape away from the guy’s mouth. “What are you doing here?”

John grunted.

“You work for Isaac?” Jason guessed.

“Did.”

“He do this?”

John had to clear his throat before talking, and it came out dry and rough. “Madrassa. Got the jump on me. Before he bolted with the doctor.”

“Where is Isaac?”

“What time is it?” When Jason told him, he made a face. “Probably on his way back here.”

“How long ago did Matthew leave?”

“Last night, near dark.”

Jason stood, thinking. They probably hadn’t gotten far when they first took off, and had found someplace to hole up overnight. Still, it had been hours since dawn. They could be anywhere on those roads. They had to get moving, but he hesitated over John, undecided what to do with him.

John knew, though. “Tape me back up,” he croaked. “Kemmerling needs to see me like this. He’ll fire me. Then I’ll be out.”

Jason nodded, understanding that Matthew probably hadn’t gotten the jump on John without his cooperation.

“What was their condition?” he asked.

“Doc was sick, but mobile.”

Jason gave him a drink of water and helped him shift to a slightly more comfortable position before he retaped his mouth and left the cabin. Lark slid over when he got back to the truck. She looked anxious, but held her tongue and gave him a chance to tell her what had happened. Gratitude flitted through her expression as she reached for the handle, and Jason caught her wrist.

“What are you doing?”

She shook her head. “I guess I wanted to thank him. Stupid, huh?”

“No.” It was genuine, and something he hadn’t done. John had let them go, sure. But he’d held them captive in the first place. For a moment, Jason imagined coming home to Lark and her refreshing perspective. Imagined a balanced life, a reason not to be suspicious or always checking the angles. A sharp craving pierced him, then faded away. His imagination didn’t stretch that far.

He turned the truck around and headed back to the main road, stopping at the end to check out both directions.

“To the right,” Lark said.

“Why?”

“There’s haze that way. Dad would have figured smog, which meant city, which meant suburbs, etc.”

He turned right. “You’re probably right, but there’s a more practical reason to go this way.”

“What?”

“We came from the other direction, and didn’t see him.”

Lark made a face. “That’s too easy. Besides, they could have gone down a side road or gotten a ride.”

“Could have, probably wouldn’t. Plus, if they’d gotten picked up, they’d have called us.”

Lark pulled out her cell phone and checked quickly for calls, then shook her head and looked out the window, examining the side of the road.

“I don’t see any signs,” she said after a few minutes.

“There won’t be any.”

“But—” She glanced at him and shut up. Jason rested his hand on her knee. He understood. She was excited because they could be close to finding her father, but she also knew enough to fear what condition he would be in when they found him. And the likelihood that they’d find both Matt and Gabby in good condition was slim.

Even so, Jason’s heart stopped in his chest when they saw the bodies lying on the side of the road.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Pull over!” Lark had her door open before Jason stopped the car, and hit the ground running. Well, more stumbling, actually, and unable to regain her balance until she collapsed at her father’s side.

“Daddy!” She touched his face, ran her hands down his shoulders, felt his chest for his heartbeat, even though he was sitting up and his eyes were open. She wasn’t exactly rational at the moment.

He caught her hands. “Lark, I’m okay.”

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

Before he could say more she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and weeping in relief at the strength of his hug. He was a mess, dirty and scratched, and his voice was raspy. She had no doubt he was dehydrated, minimum, but he was whole and sane and she’d never been so happy about anything in her entire life.

She pulled back, embarrassed, and wiped her nose on the shoulder of her T-shirt. But the tears kept coming. “I’m so glad we found you.”

“I am, too.” He held her hand while he turned to Jason, who was checking Gabby over for injuries. “We need to get off the street. Do you have any—”

“Water and food in the truck. Not much, but enough to tide you over. We’re not far from the city, just in a convoluted area.”

“We figured that out,” Gabby croaked.

Lark gasped. “Oh, Gabby, are you okay?”

Matthew gently pushed Lark back and up. She stood and pulled him to his feet, backing toward the truck while Jason lifted Gabby and carried her to the back seat.

“She’s sick,” Matthew said, following closely but keeping Lark’s hand in his. “Twisted her ankle. Bad sunburn, probably can’t tell in the light, but she needs treatment. Probably IV fluids.”

“Who’s the doctor here?” Gabby patted Jason’s cheek with a lethargic hand and let herself be strapped into the seat.

Lark circled the truck and climbed into the back while her father got in next to Jason. She hated letting go of him, but Gabby needed her attention, and her father would want to talk to Jason, exchange intel. She checked Gabby over as best she could, but her father had pretty much cataloged it all. Her right ankle was swollen and slightly purple, her skin very hot and dry to the touch, her mouth parched, her eyes glazed.

“We need a hospital,” she murmured over the seat to Jason, who nodded and pulled out, hitting keys on the nav system at the same time. Lark reached over the seat behind her and pulled a six-pack of water bottles onto her lap. “These are warm, but that’s probably better, anyway. You’re less likely to cramp.” She handed two bottles up to her father, experiencing another wave of relief watching him take them from her. He was alive, he was free, and he was going to be okay. She blinked back tears as she opened another bottle and held it to Gabby’s mouth.

“I can do it.” The doctor took the bottle and tilted it, gulping water for several mouthfuls, then slowing to sips. “God, that tastes good.”

“We have food, too.” She retrieved the box of snack bars. “Granola, nuts, sugar. You’ll have energy back in no time.”

“Thank you, Lark.”

Lark listened as they drove. Jason brought her father up to speed on what they’d learned, dropping the last bomb as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

“We have a report that Kolanko is involved.”

Matthew stared at Jason for a moment, his hand on the door handle. “That’s not possible.”

“I’m just telling you what I was told. We didn’t look into it yet. Our priority was finding you and Gabby.”

The doctor’s name seemed to galvanize Matthew, who jumped out of the truck and opened her door to help her out. Lark ran up to the hospital entrance to get a wheelchair.

A few hours later, they gathered in Gabby’s room. She’d been admitted overnight for IV fluids and observation. The pale blue, almost white, hospital gown made her red skin blaze. They’d given her pain meds and she dozed fitfully.

Lark had obtained extra chairs and sat in a hard plastic one next to her father, who’d pulled the cushy armchair close to Gabby’s bed. He didn’t touch her, but he didn’t need to, with the way he looked at the woman, and his attentiveness—being ready with water when she licked her lips, boosting or lowering the top of her bed, and fixing her pillows. Their experience had bonded them, obviously. It remained to be seen if he’d be smart enough to take it from there, but Lark hoped he would. He’d been alone and lonely long enough.

Jason had driven to Matthew’s house to get him a change of clothes, and the hospital staff had let him use a staff shower—Lark was pretty sure some money had been handed over. He looked normal, except for his own ruddiness and a distinct lack of energy. He needed rest. They all did, now that they were safe.

She knew none of them would get it.

“We need to find Kolanko,” Jason said in a low voice. “I know you don’t believe he’s behind any of this, but he could be the buyer, Matthew.”

“Or know him,” Matthew admitted. “You’re right, whether he’s really part of it or not, he’s a link.”

Jason leaned forward from the edge of his chair. He glanced at Lark out of the corner of his eye, then said in a very low voice, “Ella indicated Isaac wants to get you arrested for treason.”

The sudden darkness that descended in the room confused Lark. “Why is that worse than what we thought before?”

Her father didn’t answer, only rubbed his face with his palm and then sat, hunched, staring at the floor. She turned to Jason, who took her hand and wove his fingers through hers. She knew it was serious then, because he would never have let on to her father that anything had happened between them.

“Traitors to the United States can be executed, Lark.”

“I don’t understand why that’s worse than destroying his company’s reputation and killing him outright.”

“It’s an extremely difficult charge to fight,” Jason explained. “On both sides, actually, but what Isaac is trying to set up will provide the witnesses and proof the government would need to show Matt was ‘offering aid and comfort to the enemy.’ Selling this kind of technology to an enemy of the United States, if it could be used to hurt people, is an act of war.”

“But Kolanko’s not an enemy of the United States,” she interjected.

“He didn’t used to be,” Jason said. “I don’t know what his status is now, or if there’s something else going on the government hasn’t found out yet.”

“So we won’t let it happen.” She stared from one to the other, surprised at their postures of defeat. “Come on, you guys, you can’t let this stop you.”

Her father looked up at her with bleak eyes. “I’ve been fighting the collapse of my company for six months, watching commercial clients flee in fear. All we have left right now is government work. I’ve skirted several laws.” He waved a hand to indicate Jason. “If Isaac gets enough information to sell the RT-24 and calls it a weapon, and he makes it look like
we
did it, I don’t stand a chance. And neither does Jason, frankly. I’m not giving up,” he continued when she was about to protest, “but I need some time to process what’s happened. And rest.”

He was right. He had to be exhausted, and Lark knew neither man was a quitter. They wouldn’t sit back and let this happen.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t help that I want to get moving on the information right away—but we don’t have to talk any more tonight. Let’s go home and rest. Everything will look better in the morning.”

Her father looked toward Gabby’s bed, and Lark caught her breath at the longing that tightened his features. She put her hand on his shoulder.

“She’ll be fine, Dad. No one knows she’s here, and I don’t think Isaac will bother with her now. She’s too much trouble.”

He didn’t respond, but stood and bent over Gabby to kiss her forehead. She murmured something and touched his face, then subsided back into sleep. Whatever she said eased the lines from Matthew’s face and lightened the bleakness in his eyes.

Lark’s own heart felt lighter as they left the hospital and climbed back into Jason’s Range Rover. It seemed her father might be finding love again. And if he was, maybe it would make her relationship with Jason less of an issue.

At least she could hope.

* * *

Jason spent the night in Matt’s guest room, one he’d slept in dozens of times before, after events or work sessions or before early basketball games. But it was different tonight, with Lark in her room on the other side of the wall. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, and wondering if Matthew had sensed what was going on between them. He hoped his friend was too exhausted and had too much on his mind. Jason, himself, had been distracted all day by his attempts to treat Lark normally, not like a woman he’d slept with. A woman he was falling in love with.

He lay in the comfortable bed, staring up at the ceiling, wishing they could make it work. Every obstacle he attacked just led to something even bigger.

Lark being his best friend’s daughter seemed manageable now that Jason had seen Matt with Gabby. Being in love made a man look at things differently, and Matt knew him. Trusted him. Who else would he want for his daughter?

The work issue was bigger. Lark had a contract with BotMed, and Jason wouldn’t leave Hummingbird or Matt. Boston and DC weren’t
that
far apart, but a long-distance relationship was never easy. Making one successful with the kind of work and travel they both did would be near impossible. There was no compromise, either. One of them would have to give up something important.

The memory of Lark standing outside in the sun today, hair blowing, popped into his head. He grinned, thinking about her ferocity when she went at Nils and Ella. Lark had a passionate soul. He wanted that passion directed at him, and not just temporarily.

It suddenly was no longer out of the question for him to leave his job, to find something with no danger component. He could live with desk work if it meant Lark would never have to suffer through losing him violently.

His physical condition was still the biggest issue. He’d blown off Gabby’s warnings at first, focused on getting out of the lab and getting Lark to safety. Once this was over, he’d talk to the doctor about precautions. Diet, supplements, air purifiers, whatever he needed to do, he’d do it. The nerve part, well, they’d already proved they could work around that. Some women wouldn’t even get through one date of having to think about every touch, or would consider him a wimp. Lark just…handled it. Jason had no difficulty imagining her…handling it for the rest of their lives.

But that was just one small piece of the whole. Lark had implied that she was afraid of watching someone she loved die like her mother. Jason’s situation was even worse, because no one knew the long-term effects of his treatments.

And now they had the traitor thing hanging over them.

If Isaac succeeded in labeling Matt a traitor, and the government prosecuted him, it would all be possible only because of Jason’s injuries. Matt had broken the law only to save his life. Even if Lark didn’t blame him, how could she want to be with him while her father was in jail, or worse? And that was assuming Jason escaped prosecution, himself, which was highly unlikely given his position in Hummingbird. He couldn’t make Lark go through that twice.

So stop Isaac before it gets that far
.

“That’s the plan,” he muttered to his subconscious, and rolled over to try to get some sleep.

The next morning, all three of them wound up in the kitchen at about the same time. Together they made fresh-squeezed orange juice, sour cream buttermilk pancakes, and turkey sausage links, avoiding all serious talk until the food was on the table and they’d sat down to eat. Matt had called the hospital early, and Gabby was doing fine. She was being released about ten o’clock. They decided to have a pow-wow about their options before they went to get her.

“We obviously have to go after Kolanko.” Lark poured some raspberry syrup on her pancakes and handed the bottle to Jason. “He’s the only lead of any value we have left.”