Неизвестный - 06. Honor Under Siege

Renée shuddered and for just a second, Blair thought she was going to break down. Then she squared her shoulders and continued.

“Paula will let Mac know the exit route, and he’ll communicate with our driver.”

Blair looked out the window and saw that they were heading out of the city. The last thing she wanted was to end up in another safe house, but she realized that was one decision she couldn’t impact. She closed her eyes and willed her mind to go blank. It didn’t work, but it kept her from trying to break down the barrier between herself and whoever was driving and demanding to know where they were going. Just when she thought she couldn’t stand it anymore, she felt the limo slow down. She jerked upright and saw a sign for Interstate 495 South flash by as the vehicle turned into a deserted truck weighing station by the side of the highway. “What’s happening?”

Renée shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Blair reached for the handle, but Renée stopped her. She was about to protest when the door opened and Cam slid in. The limo immediately accelerated back onto the highway.

“Are you all right?” Cam slid her arm around Blair’s shoulders and pulled her close.

“Am I?” Blair laughed shakily and pressed her palm to Cam’s chest. “I was afraid…” She lost the words and just kissed Cam instead. “Are you?”

“Other than a few sore ribs from ending up under one of Tanner’s security guards, I’m fine.” Cam stroked Blair’s hair and looked at Diane and Renée. “You both okay?”

“Yes,” Renée reported, sitting tensely on the edge of the seat.

“Stark took a round in the chest,” Cam said. “Her vest stopped it. She’s in pain, but she’s still in charge. She’ll be okay.”

Renée blinked and looked away. “Thank you.”

“Was anyone else hurt?” Blair asked.

“Another one of Tanner’s people took a shot to the vest in the process of shielding Emory Constantine.”

“Emory!” Blair said, momentarily stunned. “My God, is she hurt?”

“She sprained her wrist, but she’s tough and taking everything in stride.” Cam glanced at Savard. “We brought Emory with us. She’s in the Suburban.”

“Smart call,” Savard said. “What about the assailant?”

“He’s dead. Stark left Wozinski behind temporarily to coordinate with the FBI and police.” Cam coughed and winced.

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Blair said immediately.

Cam shook her head. “Sore ribs. I got a quick look at the guy. He’s one of the four on Emory Constantine’s watch list.”

“You mean Emory was the target?” Blair exclaimed.

“We’re not sure, but it’s possible.” Cam shifted, obviously trying to get comfortable. “For now, we’re not making any assumptions.”

“How much of this can we keep out of the press?” Blair asked.

“Stark’s already been on the line to Lucinda, who’s spinning some story right now about Emory suddenly being taken ill to cover her leaving the banquet. Fortunately, the scene was contained immediately so we may be able to keep the real details out of the press.”

“Good,” Blair breathed. “The last thing I want is another story circulating about me being a target.” She took Cam’s hand. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Yes.” Now she was, now that she’d seen Blair. Now that some of the helpless fury at not being able to reach her when she’d been in danger was dissipating. Despite the pain in her ribs, she held Blair more tightly.

“What?” Blair murmured, sliding her hand to the back of Cam’s neck. “Darling?”

“Nothing,” Cam whispered. The instant she’d seen the assailant, she’d tried to shield Blair, but Tanner’s man had grabbed her from behind and thrown her down. If Stark hadn’t been there, hadn’t moved without the slightest hesitation, Blair could be dead. Cam closed her eyes, as if that could obliterate the image in her mind, and buried her face in Blair’s hair.

Blair moved her mouth close to Cam’s ear. “I’m all right. I’m right here.”

Cam took a long breath, straightened, and directed her next comments to Savard again. “There’s been no evidence of pursuit, and this has the feel of a lone gunman.”

“I agree,” Savard said. Her color was better and her eyes focused and intent. Beside her, Diane looked exhausted, but calm. “He was probably staying at the hotel or knew someone who was.”

“But how did he know where we were?” Blair said. “Or that we were leaving?”

“He could have paid one or even several of the hotel employees to keep him informed,” Cam said. “It’s possible he had an accomplice who was a legitimate guest at the fundraiser. He might have been watching the limo from some vantage point within the hotel, but I think that’s less likely. Once Wozinski and the rest of the on-site team backtrack his route, we’ll know more.”

“He didn’t say anything, did he? I didn’t hear anything before… the shots.” Blair knew how to fire a gun. She’d had a license since her late teens and had been to the firing range fairly regularly since then. But the muffled pops of controlled gunfire in a firing booth bore no resemblance to the terrifying reverberation of gunshots echoing down a hotel corridor. She could still hear the shots, and the shouts, and her own silent screams. She found Cam’s hand and held it. “I was wondering about the guy earlier—the one outside the banquet hall who was quoting scripture, or his version of it anyway.”

“The gunman didn’t say anything,” Cam said. “His message was in his gun hand.”

“Where are we going?” Blair asked.

Cam smiled for a second. “Home to Whitley Point. Lucinda will have someone take care of the hotel room and pick up our luggage.”

“If it’s all right with you, I’d rather not leave the island again for six months or so.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Cam said.

“Thank you.” Blair knew it wasn’t possible, but for just a little while, it felt good to dream.

Chapter Eighteen

Sunday

“Tanner’s here,” Blair said as the limo pulled up behind the SUV parked in the circular drive in front of the beach house. She stiffened when three figures materialized out of the dark and approached the vehicle. Even in the middle of the night, with only streaks of moonlight to cut the inky blackness, she could make out the automatic rifles.

“They’re Tanner’s people,” Cam said. “Stark probably called ahead once we were out of range of the city and filled Tanner in on what happened.”

Despite Cam’s assurances that the figures posed no threat, Cam and Savard got out of the limo first and closed the door, leaving Blair and Diane shielded inside.

“I don’t know how you stand it,” Diane said. “It’s all so horrible.”

Blair slid across the space between the facing seats and put an arm around her. “Try not to think about it right now, honey. We’ll get you inside and once we’re safe, you’ll feel better.”

Diane laughed harshly. “Safe? That’s just an illusion, and I bet you’ve known that all along, haven’t you?” She touched Blair’s face as if seeing her for the very first time. “You’ve known you could never be safe, so there was no reason to let them pretend to protect you.”

When the door opened and Cam leaned in, Blair didn’t move but smiled over at her. “I’ll be right out, darling.”

“Go with her,” Diane said. “I’m all right.”

“No you’re not. None of us are.” Blair rubbed Diane’s arm and rocked her gently as Cam moved away. “You’re partly right, you know—about my being guarded. I used to think there was no real need for protection and I resented them for trying, especially when it meant having them in my life twenty-four hours a day. I still hate it—everything about it—but mostly I hate that one of them could be hurt trying to protect me. But they’re very good and they’ve saved my life and I trust them with it, now. All of them.” She took a deep breath. “And I know that I need them.”

Diane shivered. “I saw Paula jump in front of you and I saw her get shot. Thank God, it was just a millisecond, but I saw her body jerk, and I’ll never forget the shock on her face.” She looked down at her hands which were clasped tightly in her lap. “All the way back here, I kept wondering if Valerie’s already dead. If someone—”

“She’s not, and you can’t think that way.” Blair took Diane’s face between her hands. “You never give up. Okay? It’s not allowed. We will win.”

“God,” Diane laughed unsteadily. “You’re turning into one of them.”

“Bite your tongue.” Blair released Diane and opened the door. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

Tanner stood waiting with Cam next to the vehicle. As Blair and Diane slid out, she wrapped her arms around both of them. “Hey, you two okay?”

“Just shaky,” Diane said.

“We’ve got a fire going and a nice bottle of wine waiting for you,” Tanner said.

“I don’t even want to think about why you need your security people,” Blair whispered against Tanner’s ear, “but I owe you for the rest of my life for them.” She closed her eyes, trying to banish the sight of Cam lying on the floor. “Thank you so much.”

“Don’t even go there,” Tanner said grimly. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there myself.”

“You did exactly what we needed.” Blair eased away from Tanner. “Is Emory inside already?”

“Yes, she volunteered to check out Stark and Tanner’s security guard.” Cam wrapped her arm around Blair’s waist as they walked to the house. “Stark took a hard hit and I ordered her to stand down. I’m sorry, but I need to contact Wozinski to find out what’s going on back there.”

“I understand. Just promise me you’ll try to get some sleep tonight, too.” Blair held the door open and waited until everyone else disappeared inside before asking, “Do you need something for your ribs?”

“No, it’s tolerable. I’ll wrap this up just as soon as I can.” Cam cupped the back of Blair’s neck and kissed her gently. “I love you.”

Blair kissed her back, far less gently. “I love you too.”

“If that’s a come on, I might be too tired to deliver tonight,” Cam said.

“It is, but I think I’m too tired to accept delivery.” Blair gave her a gentle push. “Go do what you have to do. There’s always a shower to look forward to in a few hours.”

“Where’s Diane?” Blair asked when she looked in on Adrienne and Felicia in the living room.

“She wanted to be alone,” Adrienne said. “Do you think she’s all right?”

“She will be,” Blair said. “It’s the first time she’s ever been shot at.”

“If she needs a little escape from all of this, she can stay with Tanner and me,” Adrienne said. “The atmosphere around here might be a little intense for her the next few days.”

“Tanner never mentioned you had such a knack for understatement.”

“Speaking of my spouse,” Adrienne said, rising, “I should find her and get her home before she decides to stand guard herself.” She glanced at Blair. “She’s more than willing, if you need her—”

Blair shook her head. “No. And you’ve both done enough. We’re fine.”

“We’ve got plenty of people to secure this location,” Felicia added, setting her coffee aside and standing as well. “I’m going to check in with the commander.”

“And I want to see Emory,” Blair said.

She bade the others goodnight and walked down the hall to the bedroom the agents used when they were off-shift. As she knocked on the partially open door, it swung open before she could catch it, affording her a glimpse of Emory Constantine leaning over a semi-nude young woman stretched out on the bed. Steph Fletcher, one of Tanner’s security guards.