Chapter 168
"We're glad to be here," Sheila said. "Lovely gown."
Harrison met Elizabeth's gaze. For a woman well into her fifties, she was pleasant on the eyes. She was also quite intellectual, an attribute that had drawn him to her from the very first moment they met. "The room, my dear Elizabeth, looks almost as divine as you."
Elizabeth blushed and gestured toward a young woman giving instructions to the waiters and waitresses. "I'm afraid the champagne hasn't been brought out yet, but if you would like I could have my a.s.sistant, Amy, bring out a bottle in honor of your arrival."
"Sheila," Harrison said to his wife, "would you mind giving the two of us a moment alone."
"I'd prefer to stay here with you," Sheila said.
Harrison gestured with his chin toward the entrance. "Your favorite actor, John McBride, has arrived."
Sheila looked over her shoulder, her face brightening at the sight of the actor. "Oh, well, in that case, I'll make myself useful and greet the guests."
"I'll catch up to you in a moment," Harrison said as Sheila walked off.
When he turned to Elizabeth, she was peering into his eyes with a yearning that made him miss the enthusiasm she used to put into their lovemaking.
She raised a hand to his jaw. Her thumb grazed his bottom lip.
Gently, he removed her hand from his face. "Now is not the time, Elizabeth."
"Then why did you send Sheila away?"
"I wanted to see how you're holding up."
"I've been lonely, Harrison. I miss you."
He hadn't expected such a heartfelt confession. "You've done it again, Elizabeth," he said, hoping to change the subject. "You've used your magic to turn this ballroom into a fairytale."
She sighed. "She doesn't love you the way I do, Harrison. Why are you doing this to us?"
Because Sheila embodied perfection, he thought but didn't say. Sheila was the woman that Elizabeth could never be. Sheila was his prize, his just reward after Donna, his first wife, walked out on him, and humiliated him. Sheila was his revenge, a constant reminder to his ex-wife, the woman he still yearned for, that she could have been the one at his side, attending extravagant galas like tonight's event. "I had no choice," he finally answered.
"No matter how hard I try, I can't stop loving you."
A tic set in Harrison's jaw, not because of what she said, but because of the way she said it...the hunger in her voice, the pining in her eyes. Elizabeth loved him in a way both Donna and Sheila never could. His chest tightened at the thought. And yet he had standards and Elizabeth's defiant manner, not to mention the fine lines gathering at the corners of her eyes, were only two reasons why it would never work. The more money he came into, the higher those standards rose. Sad, but true.
"I'll do anything you want to make it work between us. We deserve to be together."
He remained stiff. "It's over, Elizabeth. No more talk of the two of us or I won't be able to attend these charity events any longer."
Boldly, she slid her hand inside his jacket and over his chest. A warm tingle spread through his loins, but he pulled away when he spotted Patrick Monahan motioning to him from across the room. "I have to go."
In the few seconds it took Harrison to reach Monahan's side, Elizabeth was all but forgotten. "What's going on?" Harrison asked.
Monahan looked about before he said, "I talked to Ben less than an hour ago. Lou knows that Jack Coffey and Kate Huntley took off from Haiti on a private plane. Apparently Lou is furious after being told they would never get off the island alive."
"Tell Ben to let Lou know that Coffey won't make it back to the States. Lou will be hearing good news regarding the situation by morning."
Monahan nodded.
"And next time you want to talk about private matters," Harrison said, "I expect it to be done in closed quarters."
The plane shook and Kate opened her eyes. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest. Outside, the sky was no longer bright with suns.h.i.+ne, but overcast with shades of gray. The plane was a six-seater...three seats opposite three more seats with a sleek built-in table in-between.
Jack slid his compact computer from its case and opened it. She saw him do the same thing a few times before she'd fallen asleep. After a moment pa.s.sed, he would hit a few more b.u.t.tons on the keyboard, frown, shut it off and slide the computer back into its case. Jack's nose had turned from red to a purplish blue, casting a dark shadow under his left eye. Who was Jack Coffey, she wondered. And why had he really come for her? Could she trust him? Peering out the window, she watched the dark silhouette of the plane glide over the blanket of thick clouds below.
"Hungry?"
She turned toward Jack and watched him sift through a brown paper bag.
"Starved."
He pulled out a wrapped sandwich and handed it to her.
The smell of fresh meat and tangy mustard made her mouth water. "Where did you get the food?"
Jack gestured toward a cooler sitting in the back.
She took a bite. Her stomach rumbled. She couldn't remember the last time she'd tasted anything so heavenly. Other than a piece of fruit and stale bread, she hadn't had time to think of food in days. She was ravenous.
Jack handed her a soda and another sandwich.
She took both and tucked the second sandwich into her bag. "I'll save it for later. Thanks."
While she ate, Jack clicked away at his keyboard.
After was.h.i.+ng her
"Turbulence," Jack said over his shoulder.
The tingling sensation she often felt when something didn't feel quite right washed over her, sending s.h.i.+vers up her spine. She walked back the other way and peeked through the curtain separating them from the c.o.c.kpit. The door to the c.o.c.kpit was open. The pilot stared straight ahead. The man had hardly spoken a word since they'd boarded the plane back in Haiti.
Jack looked up from his laptop. "What's the matter?"
She dropped the curtain back into place and rubbed her arms. "Restless. That's all."
He glanced at his watch. "We're scheduled to land in Los Angeles in under an hour. Agent Harrison will be waiting for us with a car."
Kate nodded and headed for the back of the plane.
When she returned, Jack was furiously clicking away at the keyboard. "I'm finally getting a connection," he told her.
"That's some piece of equipment," she said.
He patted the seat next to him. "It's a mini workstation consisting of a high performance processor."
She took the seat he gestured toward and watched the computer monitor. Within moments the screen blinked and the main page of the Federal Bureau of Investigation filled the screen. Jack typed in his full name and pa.s.sword. Seconds later the screen flashed USER NAME UNKNOWN.
A look of concern crossed Jack's features. He input what looked like a string of codes and pa.s.swords.
"What is it?"
He didn't answer right away, just kept hammering away at the keyboard. He hit enter. "It seems good ol' Patrick Monahan thinks he can keep me off my own terminal." A bitter laugh escaped him. "The poor sap doesn't have a clue."
Kate hovered closer. The FBI's Most Wanted list flashed across the screen. Her eyes widened.
A picture of Jack filled the screen, a younger picture, taken when he had long sideburns and light brown hair that brushed against his shoulders. Below the picture it read, Wanted for the murder of Dr. Harold Forstin.
Kate looked at Jack. "What's going on?"
"Somebody's idea of a bad joke." An edgy sharpness lined his voice. Jack's gaze left the screen. He looked straight into her eyes. "I didn't kill Dr. Forstin."
"I know."
Clearly Jack was struggling to take it all in, which couldn't be easy considering only a few days ago he was an outstanding citizen ready to fight the injustices of the world. And now, here he was on the FBI's Most Wanted list. The agency probably wouldn't be thrilled to discover he'd just hacked into their site. Jack Coffey, it seemed, was in a world of trouble.
The plane moved erratically, taking a dip in alt.i.tude. Kate's grip tightened on the armrest. "Something's not right."
"More turbulence," Jack said without looking up. He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the screen. "Un-fricken-believable."
"They set you up, Jack."
He began clacking away at the keys again. "None of this makes sense. Why would they do such a thing?"
Kate didn't know what to say.
He talked as he typed. "I'm going to contact A.J., a computer buddy of mine. We worked in Cyber Unit 3 together. He'll be able to shed some light on what's going on."
Jack typed, A.J. What's up? Then he clicked Send and waited.
Within moments he had a response. Jack. Where the h.e.l.l are you? They've got half the agency looking for you.
Kate put her hand on his, stopping him from replying. "If he works for the FBI, why wouldn't he know where you are?"
"Few people knew where I was headed."
"Don't tell him anything. Not until you know what's going on. They think you're the bad guy now."
"It's okay," he told her, "he's a good friend."
"From here on out Jack, your friends are your enemies, and your enemies are just that."
The plane trembled slightly, but Kate hardly paid the turbulence any attention.
Another message appeared on the screen. Jack, tell me where you are. Your family's worried about you, especially Sally.
Jack whistled through his teeth. "There. That's my first clue that something's not right. Sally was one of our Cyber instructors. A real b.i.t.c.h. This is A.J.'s way of letting me know they're watching him."
Jack stared at the computer screen as if he could will the world back to the way it once was. There was nothing Kate could say to make him feel better. She knew firsthand how it felt to think the world was one way only to find out it was the complete opposite. "I'm sorry," she said.
His jaw clenched, his expression one of simmering rage. "Not as sorry as they're going to be. Whoever's responsible for setting me up is going to be very unhappy when they open their door and see me standing on the other side." His expression became focused, determined. He typed, Tell everyone I'm okay. I'll be in touch. He hit a few more b.u.t.tons and the screen went blank. Jack leaned his head back into the seat. "Why would they set me up to take the fall? I have to talk to Harrison."
Kate sighed. "Sheldon said that it was 'Lou' who set you up. Anyone you know?"
Jack shook his head.
"I figured he was talking nonsense," Kate muttered. "You can't trust anyone. It could be Harrison for all you know. Someone wants to stop the world from finding a cure for AIDS."
"For the sake of debate," Jack said, "let's say there really is a conspiracy. What could they, whoever they are, possibly gain from letting millions of people die?"
"I don't know. Not yet. But once you spotted me somebody at the agency obviously became more than a little worried. They certainly didn't waste any time promoting you to Special Agent, did they?" Kate narrowed her eyes. "Did Harrison know you were going to see Dr. Forstin? Better yet, was it his idea that you pay Forstin a visit?"
Jack raked a hand through his hair, but remained silent.
"A little too convenient, don't you think?" she asked. "Promoting you, sending you for a little visit with Dr. Forstin and then whisking you off to Haiti? They tied it all up in a nice little bow. They wanted everything to look official. After that, all they had left to do was send a couple of goons after you to take us both out. n.o.body would be the wiser."
A tic set in Jack's jaw.
Her voice softened. "My father told me to stay hidden for a reason. He was a highly intelligent man. He would have told me to go to the FBI, the authorities, somebody, anybody, if he thought I'd be safe in their hands. He never would have told me to hide from the world if it wasn't absolutely necessary."
"Harrison sent a plane for us," Jack said. "Why would he do that if he was involved? It doesn't add up."
Jack shut his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. After a few minutes of silence he said, "Back in Haiti, you mentioned some unfinished business you needed to take care of. Care to elaborate?"
Kate sensed Jack needed time to digest the possible betrayal by his own people. But she wasn't sure how much she wanted to tell him about her plans. The less she told him, the better. Jack's boss, Agent Harrison, could very well be the man she was looking for, and she wasn't ready to test Jack's loyalty to the agency. "It's nothing," she finally said.
"Your father?"
She shrugged noncommittally. "Yes, I want to go through my father's things, see if he left anything behind."
Jack nodded, his eyes still hazy with angry disillusionment.
Poor Jack. He had such confidence in the world and its people...an unspoken allegiance to justice that made him so very different from anyone she'd ever met before. Jack Coffey, computer whiz turned rookie FBI agent, risked his life to come for her. And yet he would have been just as willing to leave Haiti without her if it meant keeping her alive. He wore his commitment to fight the injustices of the world like a badge branded upon his chest. His decency and strong sense of morality were downright charming.
An unfamiliar pang stirred within...right before the plane pitched.
Kate stiffened. "Did you feel that?"
This time he sat up and listened. Before he could get to his feet, they heard a whoosh. The curtain separating them from the c.o.c.kpit whipped up and flapped violently against the ceiling. The force of the wind pushed Kate backwards. She held tight to her bag and threw the strap over her neck. Objects flew through the cabin: a small pillow, wrappers, bags of peanuts. The in-flight door was open. The c.o.c.kpit was empty.
Kate's heart jumped to her throat.
Jack shouted and pointed, but she couldn't hear a word he was saying. The noise was deafening. Taking hold of her arm, he urged her toward the c.o.c.kpit. Through the window, Kate saw the pilot open his parachute and disappear into the billowing clouds. Her stomach lurched.