Out Of The Night (18 page)

A.J. and Arman returned to the car and pulled away from the curb. “Let’s get out of here before the whole place erupts.”

They drove several miles before Abby reached over and put Tony’s head in her lap. He was barely conscious. He did
, however, reach up and remove the cap. She wiped blood from his face. His head wound needed attention. “How much longer?”

“We’re almost there.” A.J. passed her a rag and a canteen of water.

She gently wiped Tony’s face, and his eyes fluttered open. “Where are we?”

“We’re on our way
to West Base.”

“My head is killing me.”

“You’ll get help, and after we check with the doctor, we’ll decide where to go from there.”

“Any news on Joe?”

“Not a word yet, but el Jibar’s plane set down in Damascus. So, I assume that’s where Joe is.”

Tony managed to sit up. “We have people there who can protect Joe if we can get him to a safe house.”

“We have no contact.”

“Where is my cell phone? If Joe is able, he’ll call me.”

Abby shrugged. “I think it was blown up in the bomb attack.”

“Get Frank to clone the number. That’s possibly my only contact with Joe.”

“Won’t he call the CIA?”

“No, he’ll call me.”

Arman turned the corner and headed for a barricaded compound. “He’s knows you’ll be the one sent to find him?”

“That and the fact he doesn’t trust the CIA anymore.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Washington, DC

Bea returned to her desk after lunch and watched as Brad made his way to Karla’s office. She waited. The trap had been set. Let’s see if the two idiots
were stupid enough to try something crazy. Gray hair didn’t make you senile.

Bea jumped when Senator Parker came to her desk and demanded, “Where is Hall?”

“I’ll buzz and let him know you’re here.”

Parker walked into Brad’s office and took a seat. Since the office was glass
, as most were, Bea watched him beneath her hooded eyes. Anger rolled off his body in buckets. Bea hoped to learn what had him in such a tizzy.

Brad walked back to his office and shut the door. The Senator waved his hands and his face turned red. Something had him all stirred up. Hopefully, it had something to do with Joe Mitchell’s disappearance.

Certain no one was within hearing distance, Bea picked up the phone. “Did you get it?”

“Yes.”

“Then the trap is set?”

“All is as it should be.”

Bea leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. While Parker gave Brad hell, Bea grinned. Little did he know.

Karla walked by without speaking. Bea sat up and said hello.

Karla looked down her nose, forced a smile then continued on her way. She’d gotten what she wanted, so there wasn’t a need to play nice with the old lady anymore.

Bea stood and headed for the exit. Time she met up with her friend Sharon in Records.

Cairo

Tony came to and tried to make his mouth say words he’d formed in his head, but it didn’t work. He fought to stay awake while Abby cradled his head in her arms. A worried look drew her pretty features tight.

Tony’s lashe
s fluttered open. “Abby, do we have any water?”

She tipped a canteen to his mouth, and
he drank his fill. The lukewarm water tasted delicious.

He licked his lips. “We on the way to a hospital?”

She cupped his cheek. “Yes, you’ll get the help you need there. Then you’re going home.”

Home
. The memory flooded him like a tidal wave. He only wanted to rest for days. Sleep until he couldn’t sleep anymore. Then have a nice glass of scotch and kickback on his couch and watch a football game.

But he had a job to do
, and he’d do none of that until he finished here in the Middle East. Joe Mitchell depended on him and disappointing Joe wasn’t an option.

Tony
turned his head slightly and saw that Arman drove and A.J. sat in the passenger’s seat. They were probably taking him to the West Base. No one could describe West as a real base, more like a compound where American soldiers served six months, then went home. Soldiers there monitored the area and kept a low profile.

The car pulled to a stop at the gate. Arman flashed his badge
, and the guard motioned them forward. When the car stopped and the engine went silent, Tony tried to sit up but couldn’t. Abby helped him. Then Arman and A.J. took him to the medical building.

“This the hospital?”
Abby asked.

“Best in Egypt.”

“That isn’t saying much.”

The cool air hit Tony as soon as they entered the building
, and he instantly felt better. They managed to get him on a gurney and pushed him down a hallway.

When A.J., Arman
, and Abby were told to wait, they all refused. Tony inwardly grinned. They’d take good care of him.

A tall, thin man wearing bifocals leaned over him with an inquisitive look. “When did this happen?”

“The bombing attack in town.”

“I heard about that.” He looked up. “We all did. We waited to see if they needed medical help, but no one asked.”

“We’re asking.” A.J. set his assault rifle butt on the floor and leaned on it.

“My head hurts like crazy.”

“I’m not surprised,” the doctor said, removing all the bloody rags from around his head. “You have quite a gash here. I need to take x-rays to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

“I’m pretty sure I have one of those.”

“We also have to see if you fractured your skull. If so, you will be emergency evacuated to Germany for critical care.”

“Let’s hope that’s not the case.”

The doctor gently probed the wound, then took out a needle and started for Tony’s head.

Tony reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.
“Whoa, where you going with that syringe?”

“It’s a numbing agent. I have to remove those stitches
, so I can clean the wound and close it properly. Then we have the x-rays. I promise it won’t hurt much.”

Doc knew his stuff
. Tony didn’t feel anything. From the way he worked and the corpsman dabbed, Tony knew the wound hadn’t stopped bleeding.

“Okay, the wound is clean and stitched. Let’s take a look inside and see if there
’s any further damage.”

They’d put Tony in a really ugly gown that opened in the back and tied
shut with two little strings. When he came out to go into x-ray, he smiled at Abby.

“I just love your new look. It’s so down to earth. As in lowly.” She chuckled. “I wish I had a camera.” She turned to A.J. “Don’t you have a camera on your phone? Take a picture for me.”

A.J. laughed and walked toward the chow hall. “I’m not getting involved in this lover’s spat.”

Abby looked down. “Guess he doesn’t know we’re not lovers.”

Tony reached out and took her hand. “You sure about that?”

Before she could reply, a man wheeled him into the room for an x-ray and maybe an MRI.

***

Abby stood
, watching Tony disappear. This would be the first time they’d been separated since all this began. She chewed her bottom lip and stared at the swinging doors.

Arman took her by the arm. “Want to go get something to eat?
They have a mess hall here that serves food all day.”

She tried to smile. “I think I’ll wait until they’re finished
, and I know he’s okay.”

Arman tugged her. “You need to eat and get a little rest. They know where we are. They’ll come for us when he’s finished.”

Her stomach growled. “Maybe I should eat something.”

“That’s a girl. An army travels on its stomach.”

She looked at Arman. “We’re not an army. We’re not even sure we can get him home safely.”

“I know we can. I can have him airlifted out of here in a matter of minutes.”

“Then why don’t you? Can’t you see how bad he is?”

“We’ll let the doctor decide that.”

“But he’s seriously wounded, and he has no memory. How can he possibly pull off a mission?”

“That’s Tony’s call. We don’t make decisions for other agents. Only they know what they’re capable of.”

“So if he wants to go after Joe, you’ll let him?”

“I won’t be able to stop him.”

They reach a small room that resembled a school cafeteria. She went to the line, took down a metal tray, and moved to the main course. She chose meatloaf, potatoes and corn. She filled a tin cup with coffee and headed to the table where A.J. sat eating.

He looked at her tray. “My, you’re brave. You chose the mystery meat.”

She looked at his fried chicken. “I don’t know how real your meat is. I’ve never seen that part on a chicken before.”

A.J. stabbed his fork into the meat and held it up. “Hell, it doesn’t matter. Everything tastes like chicken.”

He took a big bite and licked his lips. “Just like my momma used to make.”

Arman sat next to her and ate. “Keep in mind. Falcon agents will eat anything. And sometimes we don’t have a choice. So it pays to not be picky.”

With her appetite gone, she couldn’t keep her eyes off the door, waiting for the doctor to come in and report on Tony’s condition. “Do you think that hit on the head made his memory worse?” she asked, nibbling on a stale dinner roll.

“Could
’ve made it better.”

She dropped the bread onto her tray. “I can’t see how something that serious could do any good at all. It could have killed him.”

A.J. put his hand on hers and smiled. “But it didn’t.”

Arman took a sip of his coffee. “And let’s be thankful for that.”

Abby fought back tears. He’d been through so much.

The corpsman walked in. “The doc will see you now.”

They all stood, left their food, and followed the medic down the narrow corridor to a curtained off room.

Tony lay on the bed, his eyes closed, h
is head bandaged. The doctor sat in a chair beside him writing on a metal notebook. When he finished, he looked up.

“He has a MTBI, but his skull isn’t fractured. However, I don’t know how he managed that.”

“What’s MTBI?”

“
Basically a concussion or a minor injury to the head. It means he should rest for a couple of days, be observed, and take medication to relax. There’s no bleeding in the brain, which is a good sign, but if not treated properly and completely, he could suffer permanent damage.”

“You’re saying he needs to go back to the
States?” Abby asked. “To rest and get well.”

“That’s my advice.”

The doctor left the room, and Tony opened his eyes and managed to push himself up with A.J.’s help. He looked around. “Where are my clothes?”

Abby handed
him a pair of jeans and a tee shirt a corpsmen had come up with. “I guess you heard the doctor. It’s back to the States for you.”

Tony reached out, hooked his hand behind her neck and pulled her face toward his. Their lips met in a clash of emotion. Warm desire zinged through her blood stream
, as his moist mouth pressed against hers with urgent need and passion. His arms encircled her and she struggled to breath.

Then her arms were wrapped around his neck
, and she returned the kiss with all the wanton hunger she’d kept locked inside for months. His touch, the sense of him, his powerful masculine presence turned her weak in the knees and dizzy headed.

He released her and their gaze
s met with a promise of yearning, as well as knowledge and familiarity. They’d been this close before…closer.

He smiled. “I’m not going home, but you,
A.J. and Arman are. I can handle this from here.”

A.J.
stepped closer, his brow wrinkled. “You have your memory back?”

“My thoughts are starting to come together.” He took Abby’s hand. “I remember more about her. The rest is slowly coming. I talked to Joe before he left for Cairo. He was scared.”

Arman stepped closer. “Scared of what?”

“Someone betrayed him. I want you back in DC looking into Brad Hall and Senator Parker. They’re somehow involved.”

“Frank can handle that,” A.J. offered.

“Do they have them in custody?”

“There isn’t that much evidence yet. And if we don’t bring Joe Mitchell back, we may never be able to prove a thing.”

“We’re going to have to get el Jibar to admit he’s involved with Parker and Hall.”

A.J. stroked his chin. “We have to find him first. He’s on the move right now. That tells me he’s on his way to Joe Mitchell to make him talk.”

Arman leaned against the wall. “If el Jibar gets his hands on Joe, it’s all over. The CIA will be seriously compromised, America as well.”

Tony slipped off the bed. “I’m not going to let that happen. I can’t take two men and a woman where I have to go, but I might be able to use Abby.”

“How?” Arman asked.

“No one is looking for a man traveling with his wife.”