Stalemate (18 page)

He smiled. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"No, with you it comes naturally."

"Perhaps. Or it could be that I'm eaten up with envy of your history with Quinn. But new history is formed every day. Sometimes you just have to put the old history behind you."

She frowned. "What the devil are you talking about?"

"Something you don't want to hear. Good night, Eve. I'll see you in the morning. Or if you want to talk to me, I'm always at your disposal."

She watched the door close behind him. As usual, he was being maddeningly enigmatic, and she didn't want to deal with him right now. She had enough on her plate and she needed to concentrate all her attention on Joe.

Jesus, he was pale. Montalvo had said he'd lost a lot of blood and there was clear evidence that was true.

Wake up, Joe.

Look at me. Let me see that you're going to be fine. Just wake up...

"Eve?"

Eve's lids flew open. Joe was awake and looking up at her.

"Hi," she said softly as she leaned forward, her hand grasping his. "You're being very boring lying there sleeping. I must have dozed off."

"Sorry." His gaze was on the bandage on her temple. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"How fine?"

She should have known Joe wouldn't accept a pat answer. "The bullet grazed my temple. It was a little too close and I ended up with a concussion. It put me out for a time or I would have been here sooner."

"Montalvo was here. I asked...He said you were alive and well." His lips tightened. "Liar."

"No, I was as well as could be expected. He didn't want you to worry."

"Is that why they kept giving me drugs?"

"No, they gave you drugs because you were in pain. You got the worst of the attack. You covered me with your body."

"Not in time. You were still hurt."

"In plenty of time. I'm alive. According to Galen, I wouldn't have been if you hadn't jerked me down. The bullet was aimed at my head."

"Damn him." He was silent a moment. "Then it probably wasn't Montalvo. He wouldn't mind me dead. But he wants you alive and functioning."

"Galen checked his ID and the shooter was named Duarte and he works for Ramon Diaz. Diaz must have sent him to make sure I didn't do the job I was brought here to do."

"He came close." Joe's eyes were once again on the bandage on Eve's temple. "Too close."

She didn't like the hard edge she heard in his voice. She had heard it before and it usually meant anger barely leashed. "It didn't happen, Joe."

"He hurt you."

"Not nearly as much as you were hurt."

"And you think Diaz isn't going to come after you again? You're caught in the middle between him and Montalvo. He's going to keep on coming until he puts you down."

"That's not going to happen. Stop thinking about it. Concentrate on getting well. That's what's important right now."

He nodded curtly. "Damn right, that's important. I'll be out of this bed by the end of the week."

"Not likely."

"Entirely likely." He closed his eyes. "Tell Galen I want to see him, will you?"

"Hey, are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Hell, no." He didn't open his eyes but he squeezed her hand before releasing it. "I'm just making sure no one else does."

How primitive is your Joe Quinn?

Montalvo's words came back to her as she looked down at Joe. She hadn't even wanted to consider the answer to a question that would have opened a whole can of worms. Yet she knew it had been in the back of her mind. There was no one who was more protective or more vengeful than Joe if the occasion warranted it.

Jesus, and this occasion definitely warranted it.

"Stop fretting and get me Galen," Joe said.

"I'm not fretting. I want to shake you."

He opened his eyes and smiled faintly. "The way I wanted to shake you when you wouldn't come back to Bogota with me? Don't argue. I'm not listening."

Her hands closed in frustration as she stared at him. "Joe, this isn't the--"

"Galen," he said again.

She jumped to her feet. "I'll get Galen because you're hurt and I don't want you upset." She strode toward the door. "But this isn't the end of this discussion." She jerked open the door. "What the devil am I talking about? You won't even let me argue you back to some sort of reason."

"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.