The Value Of Valor - KJ3 (24 page)

Lynn Ames

Kate didn’t want to risk going into a store and being recognized. If CNN was reporting her death, her face would be plastered all over the television for the rest of the day. Barbara had said Peter was looking for her and would call in. Assuming he’d done so, it was likely he was on his way to Phoenix already.

She gauged the passengers as they waited for their luggage at baggage claim. Finally, she found what she was looking for. She watched as a tall, gangly teenager standing off by himself pulled a set of keys out of his pocket. He was clearly waiting for his luggage.

Casually, she approached him, watching as he openly appraised her.

“Hi,” she said, giving him her most seductive smile.

“Um, hi,” he answered awkwardly, standing up a little straighter.

“Waiting for your luggage?”

“Yeah.”

“Vacation?”

“School break.”

“Ah. Hey, I wonder if you could help me out. I’m in a bit of a bind here.”

“Sure.”

Kate was certain the boy would walk to Egypt for her if she asked.

“My luggage got lost and my car keys were inside. I wonder, if you’ve got a car, if you could drop me in Scottsdale.”

“Absolutely. My parents left my car in the short-term lot this morning.”

Kate hated lying and hated worse playing with the boy’s hormones, but she really had no choice. She waited with him for his luggage to arrive and followed him to the parking lot.

She folded herself into his beat-up Chevy Camaro and gritted her teeth as he drove like a maniac on 44th Street.

“Do you live here?” he asked.

“Part of the time,” Kate lied. She had told him her car keys were in her lost luggage; if she told the truth now, he would know she’d been lying before. To deflect any further questions about herself, she changed the subject. “Where do you go to school?”

“Back East. I’m sure you wouldn’t have heard of it. It’s a small, liberal arts college in Vermont.”

Kate couldn’t believe it. This could only happen to her. “Let’s see, there aren’t that many small liberal arts colleges in Vermont…Bennington, St. Michael’s…But you look smarter than that.”

She pretended to size him up, which made him blush. “Middlebury.”

The boy looked over at her, astonished. “You know it?”

The Value of Valor

“Yeah, a little bit.” She was nervous. She was one of the college’s more recognizable alumni; was it possible he didn’t know who she was?

“What’s your major?”

“Biology with a minor in geology.”

Kate breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that he was a science nerd worked in her favor. “What year are you in?”

“I’m a freshman.”

“What do you want to do when you get out?”

“I’m not really sure yet. I just think the sciences are cool.”

“You can pull over here.” Kate pointed to a spot by the curb at the intersection of McDonald Drive and Invergordon, around the corner from her destination. She didn’t want the boy to take her all the way to the mountain. The less he could figure out, the better.

“Are you sure?”

“Yep. Thanks.”

“Okay.”

As she was getting out, she asked offhandedly, “Can I trouble you for a couple more things?”

“Sure.”

“I don’t have any shorts in my house and I’m going to roast before I can get to a store. You’re about my size; got a pair of shorts in your bag you could part with? I’ll pay you for them.”

Kate watched as the boy’s mind derailed at the thought of her in his shorts.
Thank God for boys and their hormones.

“You bet.” He jumped out of the car and ran around to the trunk.

“How about these?” He held up a pair of Middlebury gym shorts.

She smiled at him. “Perfect.”

“What was the other thing?”

“A pad of paper and a pen.”

“You got it.”

“How many agents do we have on the ground out there?” Wayne Grayson asked the Viper as they ate lunch in his private dining room. He especially liked that this room afforded him a view of the White House.

“Three are just about to touch down.”

“Just three?”

“They’re the best we have.”

“Okay. I want to make sure we’ve got Kyle’s funeral covered, too. It might be interesting to see who turns up to pay respects.”

“Are you expecting anyone in particular?”

“No, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone has attended her own funeral.”

Lynn Ames

“You think she might double back? I think that’s highly unlikely.

She’s too recognizable in this town.”

“Perhaps, but I still want to be prepared, just in case. As it is, she’s been on the loose too long. We don’t know that she hasn’t already made contact with someone.”

“Mmm. But we don’t know that she has, either.” The Viper realized his mistake as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He stiffened.

“I don’t like not knowing.” Grayson’s eyes flashed.

“Yes, sir. I’ll make sure we have a full complement of agents at the funeral the day after tomorrow.”

The Viper took his leave via the inside elevator from Grayson’s penthouse offices to an underground parking garage.

Jay wiped her eyes. After her discussion with Terri, she’d gone into her room to lie down for a while. She had tried to sleep, but visions of Kate had kept her awake. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to sleep again. For now, she would take things one day, one hour, one minute at a time. CNN had reported that the funeral for Kate was to take place the day after tomorrow. She would be there. But first there was something she needed to do.

She blew her nose one last time, walked out of her room, and faced Terri, who was making tea in the kitchen. “I’m going to find Trystan.”

“Jay, give Trystan a little time. She needs to adjust. She’ll come back.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to wait. I won’t leave here without seeing her and setting things right between us.”

“You’re planning on leaving?”

“Yes. Kate’s funeral is the day after tomorrow. I have to be there for it.”

“Jay,” Terri put a hand on her arm. “Do you know who tried to kill you?”

“What? N-no, I have no idea.”

“Then what makes you think it would be safe for you to go home?”

“I don’t know, Terri. All I know is that I can’t hide for the rest of my life, and frankly, I don’t really care at this point if they find me again. Let them.”

“Jay! You don’t mean that.”

“Actually, I do.”

“Well, if you don’t care, I do.” Terri’s nostrils flared in anger. “And so does Trystan.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“I am. You can’t take your safety so cavalierly.”

The Value of Valor

Jay thought for a moment. Terri had a point. By showing up at the funeral, she would be making herself an easy target. She could stay in the shadows and watch from a distance. Or better yet, she could call Peter; he’d know what she should do.

“May I use your phone?”

“Of course.” Terri stepped aside, her rigid posture a clear indicator that she was still upset. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

When she was alone, Jay dialed Peter’s number in Albany. The answering machine picked up on the fourth ring. She debated whether or not to leave a message, finally deciding that hearing her voice on the answering machine would be too jarring for him. He had enough to deal with. She’d just have to stay in the shadows and look for him at the funeral. She hung up and walked into the living room.

“I couldn’t reach my friend. It’ll be fine, Terri, I promise. Peter will take care of me as soon as I can find him.”

“Peter?” Terri wondered—could it be? She remembered the good-looking stranger who had questioned her about Jay. “What’s his last name? Can you describe him for me?”

Confused, Jay complied.

Terri put her head in her hands.

“What’s the matter?”

“He was here.”

“Who was? Peter?”

“Yes.” Terri nodded. “He came several days after the accident. We didn’t know whom to trust. That’s why Trystan and I moved you to this house from the clinic.”

“You were hiding me from view.”

“Exactly. In case he was a bad man sent to finish the job.”

“Oh.” Jay tried not to think yet again about the fact that she could have been home weeks earlier. “Thank you for protecting me.”

“I’m so, so sorry, Jay. If I had known that he was your friend…”

Jay wrapped her arms around Terri and squeezed, trying her best not to think about the “what ifs.”

“How could you know? You did your best to keep me safe, and I’ll never forget it. I owe you my life.”

“You owe me nothing, child. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for the mistakes I made.”

“Don’t,” Jay said around the lump in her throat. “You can’t change what is any more than I can. We’ll get through it together.” She gave Terri one last squeeze and let go. “I have to go find Trystan.” She squared her shoulders and headed for the door. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck, Jay, although you won’t need it.”

Lynn Ames

Jay walked down the street to the small cottage she knew belonged to Trystan. She had no idea what she would say when she got there, but she knew she cared about Trystan and didn’t want to lose her as a friend.

As she got closer, she could see Trystan sitting on the front step, watching her approach. “Hi,” Jay offered.

“Hey yourself.” Trystan took one look at her friend and knew something had changed.

“Can I sit down?”

“Of course.” Trystan shifted left, giving Jay enough room to sit.

After several moments of awkward silence, Jay took a deep breath and jumped in. “I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been busy,” Trystan mumbled.

“If you’re not too ‘busy’ right now, I could sure use a friend.”

Trystan turned so she could get a good look at Jay. It was obvious that she’d been crying. “One friend reporting for duty.”

Jay smiled wanly. “I’ve had sort of a tough day.”

“Yeah? Why don’t you tell me about it?” Trystan bumped Jay’s shoulder with her own.

“I know who I am.” Jay’s voice was nearly a whisper.

“That’s great, right?” Trystan’s heart lurched as she looked down to see the diamond ring on Jay’s finger.

Jay sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Okay. How about if we start simply? What’s your real name? It’s not Alexa, is it?”

“No, it isn’t. My name is Jamison Parker. My friends call me Jay.”

“Hi, Jay. Nice to meet you.” Trystan extended her hand for Jay to shake. She held it for a moment, studying the woman she’d come to know as Alexa. “It suits you.”

“What does?”

“The name—Jay. It’s strong, yet soft. Like you.” Trystan looked down, embarrassed that she had said too much.

“Thanks.”

“What has you so upset? Something’s obviously wrong. Is it the men who tried to kill you?”

“No. I still don’t know who they were or why they wanted me dead.”

Jay fiddled with her ring, trying to find the next words she wanted to say.

“Have you watched the news today?”

“No, I rarely watch the news. Why?”

“The president died.”

“That’s too bad. My mother raves about him, I know.” Trystan shrugged. “Me, I don’t pay too much attention to politics. Amà has given up on talking to me about it. What does the president dying have to do with you?” She watched as a look of unspeakable pain crossed Jay’s face.

The Value of Valor

“I remembered who I am because I saw my…my wife’s face on the television screen. She’s—” Jay cleared her throat. “She
was
the president’s press secretary.” Tears started falling anew.

Trystan couldn’t help herself. She gathered Jay into her arms and rocked her. “Was?” she asked.

“According to CNN, she…” Jay couldn’t go on.

“Shh, it’s okay, honey. Easy. Shh. I’ve got you.”

After a while, Jay composed herself. “I’m so sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.”

“CNN says that Kate committed suicide.” She took a deep breath.

“They said the combination of the president’s death and mine was too much for her—that she didn’t have anything to live for anymore.”

“Oh, Jay.”

“I remembered too late. If only I could’ve figured it out sooner, Kate would still be alive. It’s my fault.”

“What? It is not your fault. You didn’t know.”

“I should’ve tried harder to figure it out.”

“How could you have?”

“I don’t know.” Jay began sobbing again. “Your mother thought I—

that is, Jamison Parker—was the other woman in the car—the woman who died. She didn’t tell you?”

“No, she didn’t. I guess she thought since it was related to politics, I wouldn’t listen,” Trystan said quietly.

“Trystan, Kate’s gone.” Jay began to shake uncontrollably.

“Shh. I’ve got you.” If Trystan had thought she had any chance of a future with Jay, she knew with certainty at this moment that it had vanished. She leaned her cheek on top of Jay’s head and felt her own tears come.

Jay pulled back first. “Got any tissues?”

Trystan laughed. “I think so.” She went inside, coming back with the box of Kleenex and a garbage can.

“I want you to know how grateful I am for the friendship you’ve given me since I’ve been here. It means the world to me.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Jay. You’re impossible not to love.”

Jay picked a piece of nonexistent lint off her jeans. “I, um, I think you’re a very beautiful woman, Trystan. Under different circumstances, I’m sure—”

“Don’t.” Trystan put two fingers over Jay’s lips. “Please, don’t say another word. I understand where you’re coming from, and I appreciate that you were willing to come here to tell me in person. You’re a very classy lady, Jay.”

Lynn Ames

Since there was nothing left to say, Jay leaned over and kissed Trystan gently on the lips. “I’ll never forget you.” She rose to her feet, looked back once to wave, and walked away.

“I’m the one who will never forget,” Trystan whispered, her fingers reverently touching her lips.

The Value of Valor

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

he sun was warm on her face and sweat soaked her T-shirt, but T Kate kept moving. She knew with certainty that the Commission would be hunting her, and she assumed that eventually they would figure out which flight she had actually taken. The only question in her mind was how long it would take them to be back on her trail.