Colorado Abduction (14 page)

Hospital visiting hours had, of course, ended much earlier. And the nurses didn’t seem pleased about the after-midnight exception they made for Carolyn and Burke after he showed his FBI credentials.

Walking beside him down a clean corridor, she tried to keep her sneakers from squeaking on the tile floor. Her hands were washed, but the black clothes she’d worn for the meeting with Sunny were filthy and sweaty. She felt like a germ invading sterile territory.

Hospitals made her uncomfortable, especially this one—it was where her father had passed away. She shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t really be involved in anything like a hostage extraction. She was a CEO, not part of the CIA. But the alternative was doing nothing, and she had to admit that rescuing Sunny had been a rush. Escaping from pursuit and racing to the hospital made her feel like she was accomplishing something. And it looked like there would be a happy ending to that story. Sunny was already in the delivery room with Silverman. If only they could rescue Nicole so easily, Carolyn could get back to her regular life—a life that didn’t include Special Agent J. D. Burke.

She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about never seeing
him again. Like her, he was dressed in black—a color that should have made him appear smaller. But he looked huge and dangerous. His jaw was tight. His dark eyes burned with a purposeful intensity that fascinated her.

Perhaps she’d miss him.

At the end of the hall, they entered Jesse Longbridge’s private room. Wentworth and another guard from Longbridge Security greeted them with a handshake and stepped aside.

Dim night-lights gave the room an ethereal quality. Jesse lay motionless and unconscious under a white sheet. IV lines ran into the veins in his right arm. The left was bandaged. A large dressing covered his left shoulder. A nasal cannula delivered oxygen to his lungs, but he was breathing on his own. His chest rose and fell steadily. The heart monitor made a regular beep.

As Carolyn approached his bed, she felt a strong connection to this man who was, in fact, a stranger. They’d never been introduced, but his blood had flowed through her fingers and stained her clothing.

She gently brushed his thick black hair off his forehead. He was rather handsome. She’d heard that Jesse was half Navajo and could see his heritage in his strong features. His eyelashes flickered, and she thought for a moment that he would waken. But the slight movement faded into stillness.

Concentrating, she sent positive thoughts from her brain to his.
You’re going to get better, Jesse. You will be well again.
He’d risked his life trying to protect Nicole. Frankly, he was the answer to all their questions. When he woke, he’d be able to identify the kidnappers.

Seeing him lying there—so still and quiet—saddened her. He didn’t deserve these injuries. He was one of the good guys, someone who tried to do the right thing. And how was he repaid for his efforts?
Damn it, this wasn’t fair.

Burke stood close behind her. “He’s expected to make a full recovery.”

That knowledge didn’t assuage her anger. “What if he doesn’t?”

“He will.”

She turned her head. In Burke’s expression she saw strength and determination, but he couldn’t affect Jesse’s medical condition. Some things were simply out of his control. And hers, too.

Quietly, she stepped away from Jesse’s bed. Wentworth accompanied her and Burke, leaving the other guard in the room to keep watch. He led them past the nurse’s station into a private office with file cabinets, a computer and a couple of chairs. Wentworth closed the door.

Burke asked, “What’s the update on Jesse’s condition?”

“Same as before. No broken bones. No organ damage. All his systems are functioning and he’s got brain activity. A couple of times, he’s opened his eyes, looked around and then zonked out again. The docs say he’ll be okay.”

“I’m sure he will be.” Burke took his cell phone from his pocket, checked the caller ID and excused himself. “Sorry, I have to take this call.”

“Thank you, Wentworth,” Carolyn said, “for all you’ve done.”

“It’s my job, ma’am.”

“Can you explain to me why Jesse isn’t awake?”

“There’s no medical explanation, ma’am. But I’ll tell you this. Jesse’s no slacker. When he decides to wake up, I guarantee he’ll be raring to go.”

Though Wentworth was obviously concerned, he kept his fears to himself. His stoicism reminded Carolyn of the cowboy ethic. Never show emotion.

She wanted to scream, to jump up and down and rail
against the bastards who had put this good man in the hospital.

“Is there anything I can do?” she asked. “Should we call in a specialist?”

“Jesse’s getting first-rate care,” Wentworth said. “It helps to have two of us here, 24/7. We’re also keeping tabs on your ransom money.”

Swept up in concern for Jesse, she’d almost forgotten that the ransom had been delivered here to the hospital so the traitor at the ranch wouldn’t know the money had arrived. A million dollars in cash! How could she forget? “It’s in a backpack?”

“Yes, ma’am. A real big backpack.”

Burke completed his call and rejoined them. Without missing a beat, he said. “We’ll be taking the ransom with us.”

“Yes, sir.”

Burke slipped easily into the leadership role. Though he wasn’t Wentworth’s boss or his client, he still commanded respect. The only time she’d seen that fierce composure slip was with Sunny. Handling a woman in labor had dumbfounded Special Agent Burke.

He turned to her. “That was Corelli on the phone. Logan has called the ranch twice, looking for you. It’s worth finding out what he wants.”

“It’s probably about Sunny.”

“Most likely,” Burke said. “If he tries to contact you again, Corelli will patch the call through to my phone.”

“Okay.” She didn’t want to talk to Logan, but Burke was right. She might learn something useful.

“Wentworth,” Burke said, “I’ve got another assignment for you. We have another witness at the hospital who needs a full-time guard. She’ll be in the maternity wing.”

Though Wentworth nodded, he said, “Could be a problem,
sir. There are only two of us, and we need to take turns sleeping and watching Jesse.”

“I’m leaving an FBI agent here with you.”

“Silverman?” she asked.

“He might as well stay here,” Burke said. “You saw how he was fawning all over Sunny.”

“I thought he was sweet,” she said.

Burke turned to Wentworth. “Can you manage with three guards?”

“I’ll work it out, sir.”

“Actually,” Carolyn said, “you’ll be watching three people. Jesse, Sunny and a newborn baby.”

Burke’s cell phone rang. He checked the ID and handed it to her. “It’s Logan. Don’t tell him anything about Sunny.”

She took the phone from him and answered, “What do you want?”

“I knew you’d be awake,” he said. “There are probably a half dozen feds monitoring the phones. Did they get you out of bed? Are you wearing one of those skimpy little nightshirts? I remember a blue one with butterflies.”

A shudder of revulsion went through her. She hated that he knew what she wore to bed. “Why did you call?”

“Where’s Sunny?”

“Who? What are you talking about?”

“Sunny,” he repeated. “She was one of the women you were talking to today. She ran off, and I’m pretty damn sure she came to you for help.”

From the way he was talking, she didn’t think he’d actually seen them rescuing Sunny. It would be useful to know if any of those people with flashlights had spotted them. “Why would you think she came to me?”

“Because you put ideas in her head. I know how you are.”

He knew nothing about her. And, apparently, nothing about
their hostage extraction. She gave a short laugh and said, “You think I poisoned her mind? Convinced her to leave you?”

“That’s right.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed,” she said, “I kind of have my hands full. Why would I care about some woman who was dumb enough to join up with you in the first place?”

“Like you,” he reminded her. “You used to be with me.”

“Thank God I came to my senses.”

“Where else would Sunny run to? She came to your ranch,” he said. “You should know that she’s a liar. A runaway that I picked up off the streets. You can’t believe a word she says.”

“She’s not at the ranch, Logan.”

“Don’t mess with me.”

“Or else?” She laughed again, harshly. “What are you going to do?”

“You think you’re untouchable. You’re the high-and-mighty Carolyn Carlisle. But I know how to bring you down.”

Was he talking about Nicole? Would he hurt Nicole to get back at her? “Are you threatening me? Again?”

“Take it any way you want.”

The phone went dead.

A
N HOUR LATER,
sitting in the passenger seat of the van, Carolyn had pushed aside her sadness about Jesse and her frustrated anger at Logan. Her mind filled with happier images as she thought about Sunny’s beautiful baby girl. After their wild ride to get her to the hospital, the actual delivery—assisted by Silverman—had been uncomplicated and fast. And the result?

Carolyn grinned. Sunny had given birth to a perfect little being with wise, curious eyes and rosebud lips.

She sighed. “Babies are so miraculous.”

“Yeah,” Burke said. “Bundles of joy.”

“Come on, tough guy. I saw your face when you were holding the baby. You liked it.”

“Don’t confuse me with Silverman.” He frowned at the road ahead. “I don’t know what the hell’s gotten into him. He’s single, never married. What does he know about babies?”

“More than you,” she teased.

The atmosphere between them was different tonight—more intimate. In the dark, when she couldn’t see clearly, her other senses were heightened, as if she could hear him breathing and feel the warmth emanating from his body. His voice seemed more resonant; the tones vibrated inside her.

They’d experienced so much in one day. The emotional high of rescuing Sunny. And the low point this morning when she broke down in tears. In some ways, Burke knew her more thoroughly than men she’d dated for years. But she still didn’t have much of an inkling of his background. Now—when they were finally alone—was her time to find out about him.

“Did you have siblings?” she asked.

“I was an only child, raised in Chicago by a single mom.”

She was surprised that he’d offered so much biographical information—a whole sentence. Usually, he answered her questions with a question of his own. She pressed for more. “You grew up in the city?”

“Mostly.”

Pulling answers from him was like sucking on a bent straw. “Does that mean you also lived somewhere else?”

“I spent a lot of summers in rural Wisconsin with my grandparents. That’s where I learned how to ride.”

He yawned. She knew that his defenses were down. “After high school, what did you do?”

“Is there a point to your questions?”

“I’m trying to get to know you,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because I like you, Burke.”

As the words left her lips, her heart took a little jump. She wasn’t usually so direct; Carolyn knew how to play the dating game. But there wasn’t time for them to do the traditional get-to-know-you dance. For them, there would be no candlelit dinners or long walks in the park. They didn’t even have time for a first date.

If anything was going to happen between them, it had to be as fast and furious as a tornado.
Is that what I want? To be swept up in a wild vortex?
She reminded herself that tornadoes were generally looked upon as disasters.

“You like me,” he said.

Lights from the dashboard showed a grin that was a bit too arrogant for her taste. She backtracked, not wanting to give him an edge. “Maybe I do.”

“Maybe?” He turned his head and gave her a cocky look—a challenge that made her want to raise the stakes.

“When I first met you,” she said, “I thought you were an insensitive, domineering jerk.”

“And now?”

“You’re sensitive enough.” And sexier than she wanted to admit. “The problem is that I don’t know you well enough to form much of an opinion.”

“Fine,” he said. “Ask your questions.”

“You said you were once in love. Tell me about that.”

“I was a first-year law student,” he said. “She was my professor. Beautiful and tough, she was the smartest person I’ve ever known. I couldn’t stay away from her.” He sighed. “I wanted to be with her, even after she told me about her illness.”

His voice had deepened, lending weight to his words.

“What did she have?” Carolyn asked.

“An inoperable brain aneurysm. For most of her life, she faced the knowledge that she could die at any moment. We lived together for six months. Then she was gone.”

The tragedy was still with him. She could feel his sorrow. “I’m sorry, Burke.”

“I dropped out of law school and joined the Chicago P.D. Stayed there for five years. My mom was killed in a car accident, and I moved to the FBI.” He shrugged. “That’s it. My life story.”

A story of love and loss. No wonder he was so guarded. “How did you become a hostage negotiator?”

“The FBI decided that’s where I fit. You’ll have to ask profilers, like Smith and Silverman, for the psychological details.”

She didn’t need more explanation. He’d trusted her. He’d shared his past. And that was enough.

Through the windshield, she saw the lights of the ranch house. Though it was after two o’clock in the morning, someone was still awake. Not Dylan, she hoped. Her brother needed more sleep. “Is Corelli still monitoring the equipment?”

“That’s his job,” Burke said. “He’s listening to the bug I left in Logan’s office. It’ll be interesting to hear what they have to say about Sunny’s disappearance, especially after your conversation with him.”

And Logan’s threat. “I could have handled that better.”

“You did fine.”

She looked toward the house. After this brief reprieve, they were returning to the crucible. Tension tied a knot in her gut. She wanted more respite, wanted to be with Burke, wanted their intimacy to increase. She wanted to spend the rest of the night in the safety of his arms.
Am I ready to make love to him? Is he ready?