He didn't move.
“Dammit, out! I have to get her out of here!”
Monty looked at her a moment and then jumped out the window.
Alex crawled over Sarah. Monty was sitting quietly beside the car and whined when she wriggled out the window.
“I know. We'll get her out.” She pulled the door, trying to get leverage to open it. It moved only a few inches. She pulled again, using all her strength. The door opened another foot. It would have to do.
She grabbed Sarah under the armpits and tugged. Awkward. So damn awkward. She tugged again. What if she was causing Sarah to bleed more? Don't think about it. What else could she do? If that tree gave way, the jeep might topple over at any minute.
So get her out of the car. Get her against the cliff wall.
It took her another few minutes to pull Sarah out of the car and drag her across the ledge to comparative safety under the outcropping of the cliff wall.
Monty sat down beside Sarah and looked pleadingly at Alex.
“I know. I'll try to help her.” She opened Sarah's sweater and then her blouse. The wound was high and the bleeding wasn't as bad as she'd feared, she realized with relief. “Stay with her, Monty.”
She went back to the jeep, grabbed Sarah's handbag, and pulled out her cell phone.
Call 911. Tell them to come.
Tell them they had to come and save Sarah.
The 911 operator was quick and efficient, and it was frustrating how little information Alex could give her. “I don't know where I am. Somewhere on Highway 30 between Denver and Arapahoe Junction. I told you, I woke up and—”
Someone was shining a flashlight down at them from the road above.
A man was silhouetted against the headlights of the car behind him.
Monty growled.
Her heart jumped. Keep calm. Don't panic. He would have a difficult time reaching them even if he tried to descend the steep slope. And an accurate shot would be nearly impossible from that almost vertical angle.
“I'll keep my cell line open,” she said to the 911 operator. “See if you can trace it. Maybe you can at least zero in on the closest tower.” She drew Monty closer to the cliff wall next to Sarah and hopefully out of range of that bastard above.
What if he did try to come down? She had no weapon. She'd left her gun behind in the trailer. God, she felt helpless. Like a sitting duck.
She wasn't helpless, dammit. She would hear that bastard on the rock and she would fight. If nothing else, she'd tackle him or push him off the damn mountain. She ran to the jeep, got the first-aid kit and blanket out of the back. A weapon. What could she use as a weapon? The small shovel Sarah always kept in her vehicles. She grabbed the shovel and ran back to Sarah.
She dressed Sarah's wound and covered her. Sweet Jesus, why didn't she regain consciousness? Alex drew her protectively closer.
But her other hand tightened on the shovel.
Arapahoe Junction
A tall, muscular man straightened away from the door to Sarah's hospital room as Alex came down the hall. “Ms. Graham? I'm John Logan.”
She recognized him immediately from the photos Sarah had shown her. But the photographs couldn't capture the sheer dominant presence of the man. He had been frantic when Alex phoned him when they'd gotten to the hospital a few hours ago. Now he was fully in control and chilly, very chilly. How could she blame him, she thought wearily. He probably thought she was at fault for Sarah's injury, and he was right. “The doctors say that Sarah will be fine. She'll be out of here in a few days, but it will take another couple months to fully recuperate.”
“I know all that.” His words were curt. “What I don't know is how I'm supposed to make sure she has the time to recuperate.”
“I don't know what you mean.”
“Sarah tells me you're a good friend. Then you should know that her life is rescue. She needs to help people.” His lips tightened. “And it seems you're the current project.”
“I told her I didn't want her involved.”
“And did she listen? No, of course not. You're not only in trouble, you're her friend.” His tone became harsher. “Well, be a friend and get the hell out of her life for a while.”
Alex nodded. “I'll talk to her again.”
“Haven't you been listening to me? That won't do the job. You've got to be tucked away safe somewhere so that she can get well without worrying about you. Have you got that?”
She shook her head. “No, I don't know what the devil you're talking about.”
“I'm saying that I can't have you running around with people shooting at you.”
She grimaced. “I assure you that I'd like to avoid that too.”
“Good. Then here's what we're going to do. I'm going to talk to the FBI and arrange for them to put you in a safe house while they investigate both the helicopter crash and the attempt on your and Sarah's lives. You'll be comfortable and secure and it will solve—” He stopped as he saw her shaking her head. “Why the hell not?”
“I have a job to do too. I can't hide. I'll be careful and I'll accept FBI surveillance, but I won't crawl in a hole and let those bastards intimidate me.”
“You think that damn story is worth the risk?”
“I think finding the people who hurt my friend is worth the risk. And if they also caused that landslide and dam break, there's no question. I don't think you'd let yourself be hidden away, would you?”
“I'd do anything I had to do to save Sarah.” He stared her directly in the eye. “Under other circumstances I might admire your attitude, but I can't have you getting in the way. I love my wife and I won't have her hurt again.”
“She won't be hurt. I promise. I won't let her near me.”
“That's not good enough.” He muttered an oath. “Don't you think I'm going to go after the bastards who shot Sarah? But I can't do it now. I have to get her well first. Leave it to me.”
She shook her head.
He drew a deep breath. “Think about it. Reconsider. I'm taking Sarah to our place by the ocean. When she gets well enough to ask questions, I want to be able to tell her you're absolutely safe.”
“I'm sorry. There's no use talking anymore. I can't do it.”
A multitude of expressions flitted over his face as he watched her open the door. “Believe me, I'm sorry too.”
He turned and strode toward the policeman standing guard down the hall.
That had almost sounded like a threat, Alex thought. Logan clearly liked his own way and was terribly concerned about Sarah. Well, so was she. She had been terrified all the way to the hospital until she'd gotten the word that Sarah was going to be all right.
Sarah's eyes were closed as Alex approached the bed. But she must have sensed a presence, for her lids lifted. “Hi.”
“How do you feel?”
“Blurry. They've got me doped up.” Her voice was slurred. “I think . . . Was John here?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Always wanted you to meet him.”
“I'd rather it not have been like this.”
“Where's Monty?”
“He's curled up beside your bed. I raised hell until they let him stay. It helped that they knew you were one of the search-and-rescue teams. You and the other rescue workers are their heroes.”
“Bull. But thanks for Monty. . . .” She yawned. “Sleepy.”
“I'll get out of here. I just wanted to see— I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Fine . . .” Her eyes were closing. Then she suddenly came awake. “Who was it? Who tried to hurt you?”
She shook her head. “I don't know. He was gone by the time the fire department came.”
“Tell John. You could be . . . Might happen again.”
“Hey, I'm fine. Leopold called in the FBI and I'm going to be positively surrounded.” She brushed the hair from Sarah's face. “And you were the one who got shot.”
“Bad aim?”
“He probably aimed for you b
ecause he wanted the car to go off the cliff and explode. There wouldn't have been much evidence left.” She leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Now stop worrying and go to sleep. Everything will be fine. I'm going to go now. Leopold wants me to talk to Bob Jurgens, some FBI agent.”
“Good. But tell John.” She was dozing off again. “He'll fix it. He's good at fixing things.”
Alex had a sudden memory of Logan's grim expression when she'd told him that she wasn't going to do what he wanted. “I'm sure he is,” she murmured as she headed for the door. “And I imagine he's pretty good at breaking things too.”
Sarah was sleeping.
Logan sat down in the visitor's chair and covered her hand with his own. God, she looked fragile.
Don't panic. The doctor said she was going to be fine.
He'd better be right. Logan wouldn't be able to stand it if Sarah was taken from—
Stop it. She was going to get well.
Monty whimpered, got up, and put his chin on Logan's knee.
“Shh.” He stroked the dog's head. “We've got to let her sleep. We have to take care of her, boy.”
And he would take care of her. This wasn't going to happen again. He couldn't take any chance of Sarah being hurt. He would stay here beside her for a little while, holding her hand and celebrating the fact that she was alive and still with him.
And then he would phone Galen.
The White House
3:35 A.M.
“Could I speak to you for a moment, Mr. President?”
Andreas leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. God, he was tired. He must be getting old. “As long as you're not here to tell me there's been another bombing, Keller. I'm not up to that right now.”
The Secret Service man smiled faintly as he shook his head. “I beg to disagree. I've known you too long, sir. In an emergency you bounce right back.”
“Your confidence is gratifying,” Andreas said dryly. “If totally misplaced. Why are you here, Keller?”
“It's the trip to Arapahoe Junction, sir. There have been some developments that make me uneasy. I want to cancel your visit.”
Andreas stiffened. “What developments?”
“I told you about the recent landslide. It's not safe.”
“Bullshit.” His gaze narrowed on Keller's face. “You told me that the dam disaster was probably caused by an earthquake. This second landslide seems to indicate an aftershock. Has anything changed?”
“No, it's the most likely explanation. There doesn't appear to be anything suspicious.”
“Well, I want to go there and see for myself.”
“Sir, we weren't compromised.”
“Compromised? What a nice clean word when you're talking about the death of over a hundred people.” He met Keller's gaze. “I'll accept the possibility that natural disasters happen. I won't accept the possibility that we may not be exploring every avenue to determine that's what it really was.”
“The CIA assures me that there's absolutely no sign there was terrorist involvement at Arapahoe Dam. Ben Danley says Cordoba and his Matanza group were too busy staging the bombing in Mexico City. They may be widespread, but it would take enormous resources to attack us on our own turf. That hasn't been their modus operandi in the past.”
“That doesn't mean they can't change. Maybe they're graduating to the big leagues.”
“Mexico City was fairly big league, sir,” Keller said quietly. “Two of our embassy workers were killed. I know it pales in comparison to Arapahoe Junction, but I'd say Matanza was stepping up to the—”
“I know,” Andreas said. “I wasn't thinking.” He was so tired it was difficult to focus. “So tell me the real reason you don't want me to go to Arapahoe Dam.”
Keller hesitated. “It's not just this trip. I believe you should stick close to the White House for the next few months. I've proved I can keep you safe here. We've managed to foil two attempts on your life since the last election.”
“And I'm duly grateful.” He grimaced. “I'm particularly grateful you managed to keep the attempts from Chelsea.”
“I don't want gratitude for doing my job. I'm only saying that the Matanza threats against you are becoming increasingly frequent and pointed. There'll come a time when Cordoba and his group will have to put up or shut up and lose face among their fellow terrorists. I think that time is very near.”
“So do I.”
“Then don't go. The Vice President can make the trip. You know he's offered to go wherever we think there may be a threat to you.”
“And I let Shepard stand in for me at two hot spots I'd rather have handled myself.”
“But it would be perfectly logical to let him go to Arapahoe. He's already visited there once with Homeland Security, right after the break. This would just be a follow-up. You could empower him to do anything you would do.”
“We don't even know that there is a threat at Arapahoe. And I'm not going to let just the possibility that it might have been Matanza change my schedule. I've cooperated, I've given in to your restrictions more than I like, Keller. Since you have no proof, I'm going to Arapahoe Dam as planned.” He smiled as he bent over his desk. “It's your baby. Protect me. I guarantee my wife will have your head if I lose mine.”
He sighed. “I don't have the slightest doubt of that, Mr. President.”
Ben Danley got to his feet as Keller came out of Andreas's office. “No luck?”
Keller shook his head. “He's going.” He grimaced. “I might have had a leg to stand on if you and your CIA buddies hadn't sworn that Matanza had nothing to do with the dam break. Want to change your mind?”
Danley shook his head. “I have to call them the way I see them. Unless new evidence surfaces, I have to stand by my intelligence reports.”
“Well, your intelligence reports could have been a little timelier about the Mexico City bombing.”
“I don't have to take that from you, Keller,” he said coldly. “You have no idea the problems we're facing.”
“If I did, then I'd be better able to make judgment calls. Under Homeland Security we're supposed to be one big happy family.” He waved his hand as Danley opened his mouth to reply. “I don't give a damn about anything the CIA does as long as you don't get in my way.” He jerked his thumb at the door to Andreas's office. “I like that stubborn son of a bitch. I'm going to make sure he stays alive.”
“How do you expect to do that if you can't even keep him from wandering all over the country?” Danley didn't wait for a reply as he headed for the door. “If there's any change in the situation, I'll let you know.”
Danley waited until he was driving down Pennsylvania Avenue before he placed the call to Betworth. “He's going to Arapahoe. Since there's no proof of sabotage, Keller couldn't talk him out of it.”
“I didn't think he'd be able to do it,” Betworth said. “Naturally Andreas would be suspicious. I thought the seismograph report might allay some of it, but evidently . . .” He was silent a moment, thinking. “And this Alex Graham business is troubling. I believe we'll have to do some adjusting to our plans. I'll let you know.” He hung up.
Stockton, Maine
The muscles of Judd Morgan's spine tightened as he felt eyes watching him from outside the open window.
Runne?
He bent over the canvas, listening.
No, not Runne.
There wasn't enough purple in the shadow of the man's cloak. He added the smallest brush stroke before he called, “What the hell are you doing here, Galen?”
“How did you know it was me?”
He turned to face the window. “I know your footsteps.”
Galen chuckled. “And that's why you left all those fallen leaves spread on the ground in front of the window.” He hoisted himself onto the windowsill and swung his legs over. “Snap, crackle, pop. Did I crunch loud enough for you?”
“You know you did.” Sean Galen could be as quiet and lethal as a panther when he made the effort. “You soun
ded like a hippopotamus.”
“I thought it wise to let you know I was coming. I've seen you react to the unexpected, and Elena wants me to come back in one piece.”
“How is Elena?”
“Fine. Strong. Beautiful.”
“Lethal.”
“Only when she's betrayed. You're lucky she didn't follow you and cut your throat.”
Judd shrugged. “I did what I had to do. I tried to make sure no one was hurt.”
“And that you got away with thirty million in drug money.”
“I needed it.” He set his brush down. “Is that why you're here? You want to save Elena the trouble of getting even?”
Galen shook his head. “She wouldn't thank me for doing that. You'll be glad to know she's looking forward, not back, these days.”
“I am glad.” He smiled. “And relieved. I like Elena.” His smile faded. “And I like you, Galen. I'm sorry I had to disappoint you. You know why I had to have the money.”
“You needed bribe money to get the CIA's hit men to take the sanction off you. Dammit, I was trying to pull strings to get you clear. Why couldn't you wait?”
“It was taking too long. Another three months and they would have found me. They needed a scapegoat very badly, and dead meat is absolutely required in these situations.”
“Well, evidently the money hasn't helped, or you wouldn't be hiding out here in the woods.”
“I'm getting there. The cover-up went to the top on that North Korean sanction, and politicians have to be careful with a sudden influx of cash.”
“If they don't find you before you get out from under.” Galen paused. “Like I did.”
Judd smiled faintly. “But you're extraordinarily qualified in that area.”
“You didn't make it easy. You've moved four times in the last month.”
“How did you find me?”
“Your new obsession.” Galen's gaze went to the painting on the easel. “You lived at my ranch for months. I knew you'd need paints and canvas and you particularly like the quality of the paints from that dealer in Nova Scotia.”