Third Half Page 12

  "I can't explain that now."

  "Of course not. I'm sure it doesn't paint you and my brother as fair-haired boys."

  "Maybe not, but we did send you what we did for the school. And at the moment, unfortunately, I wish we had saved some of it. We could certainly use it . . ." He stopped, watching her expression change.

  "Stop looking at me that way!" She couldn't meet his dark gaze. "Finish what you were saying."

  "I was saying I'd be able to flash some of it around to convince them we have it."

  "But why?"

  "To get to the top man – and don't ask anymore questions. Look M.C., the less you know the better. You're already in enough danger."

  "So are you."

  He smiled. "That's hardly the same thing. But I know you won't reconsider, so you'll have to stick close to me. Besides, after opening your big mouth about what you know, you could be in serious danger. I may be the only protection you have."

  "How do I know you are protection?"

  "Trust . . .like I said before. Like I also said, I could have already forced you to tell me, and eliminated the possibility of them figuring out that I could easily be replaced by you."

  A chill ran down her spine as she again realized she would be helpless against this man. A man who had already murdered at least once . . .Her eyes grew wide as a thought occurred to her. "Jack knew too. Could you have forced him to tell you?"

  He got up and came to stand before her. "I get it, you think I decided to go into business for myself and got rid of Jack."

  "Well what should I think? You've already . . ." She stopped and bit her lip, stopping just in time.

  "I've what?"

  Her cheeks were on fire. "I just . . .well . . ." She slid slowly to the side of her chair, away from him, as he leaned closer.

  "You what . . .?" he hissed softly.

  She could feel his tobacco-scented breath on her cheek as he spoke. "I . . . I . . ." She slid further, until she suddenly tipped the chair and fell to the floor. "Damn! Look what you made me do!"

  With that the man hovered over her. Laughing.

  "Stop it!" She yelled from where she sat on the floor. "Oh you . . ." She swung her heel into his shin.

  "Ouch!" He leaned forward rubbing his leg, before grabbing her beneath the arms and lifting her from the floor as though she was a mere doll. "Now for you . . ." he threatened.

  "Wait." She held up her hand to stop him, certain whatever he meant for her would not be pleasant.

  He slowly released her, not taking his brown eyes from her green ones. She had no idea the picture she made, her black and white veil askew, blonde hair slowly making its way out of its confines.

  A long, slow breath escaped his lips as he regained control. "What?" He finally asked.

  "You said you could use some of that money Jack sent me. I'll get you some of it."

  "I hope that means you finally believe me. Really believe me. That you will fly back to the States and send me the money. And that you'll let me handle things down here alone."

  "No. It means I've brought some money along . . .In case I needed it while I looked for Jack."

  "Where is it?"

  "Hidden. With my things where I'm staying. If we're going to stick together, I suppose, I'll have to get them."

  "We'll go now." He had considered the possibility of being stuck with this obstinate woman for a partner. If that was the case he may as well get his plan into action.

  "Now! Do you have any idea what time it is?"

  "Yes, and if we don't do it now it will be daylight. I'd like to get a little rest before we begin anything."

  "Don't you think you could let me in on whatever it is we're going to do."

  "We're going to have a little substitution. You're going to take Jack's place."

  "Doing what?" She wouldn't budge if he didn't tell her more. "I came to get my brother back. Not do anything illegal."

  "It may be your only way of getting him back."

  Her expression showed her distress. "Okay, whatever it is, I'll do it."

  "Good," Marshal said flatly. "Tomorrow, we let ourselves be captured."

  I

  Liane quietly slipped into the Smith's home and went straight to her room. "Finally you're back," Luke whispered as she stepped into the room. "I was worried. So was everyone else."

  "Oh Luke, I'm sorry. I wish I could explain. But there isn't time."

  "Have you found your brother?"

  "No, his partner . . ." She looked at the man who had been so helpful. "I'm going to go with him and try to get my brother back. You understand, don't you?"

  "Are you certain I can't help?" The Priest looked helpless standing in the middle of the room, his hands out-stretched, palms up.

  "Besides getting me something to eat, no." She laughed. "But I must hurry." She opened her small flight bag and picked up a few of her things. "Do you think Paul and Carla will mind if I leave some things behind?"

  "No, not at all, but . . ." he stopped and looked up with a frown. "Okay, something to eat," he said as if changing his mind from what he had been about to say.

  "There is something else you can do," she said as she joined him in the kitchen. "If I give you a letter, would you please mail it tomorrow?"

  The thought had just occurred to her that the real Mary Catherine should be notified of what was going on. She also should be made aware of what to do in case things went wrong.

  "Yes, but you will be careful, won't you?" Luke asked as he handed her a sandwich. "I don't like the sounds of this."

  "Don't worry. I know that sounds like false bravery, but I get the feeling my brother's partner is a man who knows exactly what he's doing."

  "And you?"

  "I certainly don't. I'm going to need someone who does."

  She ate half her sandwich while she scribbled a letter to her sister. After stuffing it into an envelope and addressing it, she handed it to the tall blond man standing patiently beside her. "Thanks..." She sighed, relieved that she had taken the time to secure her sister's future. "She couldn't go on forever hiding in that hospital. And I doubt she'd get far pretending she's me."

  Luke placed the envelope inside his shirt. "Now what?"

  "Now I better leave," she looked at the half eaten sandwich. "I better wrap this and take it along for later. I really don't have time now. Mr. Marshal's waiting just down the street."

  I

  She got inside the taxi beside the man and waited for his comment on the length of time she had taken. When it didn't come she began her explanation.

  "I was hungry. Are you? I have a . . ." She turned to the man and saw through the streetlight creeping through the window, that his eyes were closed and his breathing deep. He's sleeping. She shook her head in wonder. And at a time like this.

  She then turned to the driver and told him to take them back to the corner where he had picked them up, a few blocks from Marshal's room.

  "Mr. Marshal . . .Mr. Marshal . . ." she said, then finally shook the man beside her. "We're here."

  He grabbed her wrists and sat up with a start. "Oh . . .! It's you. Sorry."

  "What did you think, they already came for us?"

  "It's a possibility." He yawned as he opened the door, got out, and stretched. "Here." He leaned inside and handed the cabby some money.

  When they returned to his room, Liane watched as her companion seemed to glance at the bed with longing. "I think you better get some sleep," Liane said as she looked at her bearded companion. She couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he'd had a good night sleep.

  "What about you?" He frowned.

  "I'm not very tired," she lied, knowing the entire day had exhausted her too.

  He studied her closely, shaking his head. "I'm used to this. I catch a few winks whenever I can."

  "I get the feeling you don't trust me, Mr. Marshal?" She said sarcastically from beside him.

  "First you can stop that Mr. Marshal stuff," he ordered. "Sinc
e we are now partners, I think you can call me by my name, Todd."

  "Todd," she repeated, the name that somehow seemed foreign to her tongue. "Okay, Todd it is."

  "And since we are partners, I think you can start to trust me as much as you seem to think I should trust you," she retaliated.

  Todd stared at her a moment, then relaxed slightly. Finally he shrugged and walked over to the bed. "Okay, I'll trust you. But don't say I didn't give you first chance on the bed," he said as he laid down.

  "That's fine. I'll take second shift."

  "Wake me in a couple of hours . . .no longer," he said, his words already slurred as exhaustion caught up with him.

  Liane spent the first hour of his sleep sitting at his table with her head laid on her crossed arms. She might have dozed, she wasn't sure, but the position was far from comfortable. Finally she got up and quietly opened her bag.

  A smile spread across her lips as she searched her belongings and pulled out the nearly forgotten bottle of floral bubble bath. I definitely deserve this. She looked at her sleeping companion and was certain he wouldn't miss her for a little while.

  Silently she went to the door, knowing there had to be a bathroom somewhere in the building. Probably one he shared with the other residents of the building. She supposed as Mary Catherine she shouldn't mind the communal type living, but she had to admit she longed for the luxury of a private bath.

  In the hall she paused at several doors before seeing one partly ajar. A closer look revealed it to be a bathroom. She was relieved it housed a giant tub instead of a shower as she had feared it might. Now, as long as the water is hot.

  She turned to close the door behind her and frowned when she found the lock on the door was broken. Hanging from the doorknob was a small sign in Spanish, she hoped said Occupied. She hung it outside the door.

  Then as she stripped from her sister's clothes she turned on the faucet, pleased to note there was indeed plenty of hot water. She added an ample amount of bubble bath to the water, then stepped in the steamy water and allowed the foam to surround her.

  She laid her head back and closed her eyes, allowing all the tension of her day draining from her tired body. Forcing all the worries from her mind, slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

  She was disoriented when she awoke from the knocking sound. Just as she realized where she was and was about to respond, the door flew open and Todd Marshal stepped into the room. His face held a mixture of anger and relief.

  How much time had passed she didn't know, but she was thankful for the thin layer of bubbles that still remained on the surface of the water hiding her nakedness from this man who was now boldly assessing her.

  Unfortunately the water had little of the warmth it had when she stepped into the tub and she couldn't suppress the shiver that went through her body.

  "What do you think you're doing barging in here?" she snapped, wishing he'd turn around so she could get out of the cooling water. She also realized the layer of bubbles was thinning fast. Certainly not covering her as well as she'd have liked.

  Worse still, she realized that in her haste to take the bath she had not attempted to find a towel before she got into the water.

  "I woke up and wondered where you'd gone," Todd finally said in relief, leaning heavily on the door. "I thought maybe . . ."

  "I ran away," she finished for him. Her words colder than she was. "I thought we were going to be partners."

  His eyes darkened as he stepped further into the room. "And partners look out for each other. Did it occur to you that I might awaken and think Juanita's people may have come and abducted you? Or have you forgotten that only you have the information they are most interested in getting."

  She made a vain attempt to cover her exposure. "I'm sorry if I worried you."

  "Worried me! I'd like to wring that lovely neck of yours." He stared down at her, his pupils nearly filling the centers of his dark eyes.

  She stared back at him, unable to break his gaze. His look was charged with a current she couldn't explain. She nervously licked her lips, watching his breathing quicken. She had no problem putting a name to his emotion now. She was suddenly warm within the cold water.

  "It's your turn in the bed," Todd nearly rasped as he turned back toward the door.

  "Wait!" she called as he was about to leave.

  When he turned it was like a shutter had gone over his eyes. She relaxed, her own breathing returning to normal. "I forgot to look for a towel."

  He shook his head and walked to a cabinet on the far wall. He took out a towel and started toward her, then stopped, tossing it to her instead, as if afraid to get too close.

  As she dressed she wondered about the sudden attraction she had felt toward this stranger, Todd Marshal. She had dated often, but never had anyone affected her emotions so swiftly as he had since they met. One minute they were fighting each other like two alley cats. The next minute was charged with pure sexual tension.

  Glancing in the mirror as she again became Mary Catherine, she chided herself for being foolish. After all, to him she was a nun – unapproachable. It was the woman he did not know, she needed to worry about.

  I

  This woman is a complication I don't need! Todd Marshal ran a weary hand through his dark hair, turning to walk across the room again, as he had so many times since finding his companion's earlier disappearance had been caused by no more than a desire for a bubble bath.

  He glanced at the woman laying on the bed. Even in the dim light from the street lamp outside the window he could make out her shapely form. Or, he wondered, was that simply his mind playing tricks on him?

  What shapely form could be detected beneath all the black and white material of the nun's habit she wore? Of course, she hadn't been wearing it earlier when he found her asleep in the tub of fading bubbles. Bubbles that did little to hide . . .

  "Damn!" he mumbled under his breath, again running his fingers through his hair. What's gotten into me? I must have been on the job too long. Now I'm actually finding a nun sexy. Troublesome nun at that.

  He forced himself to remember that he was now responsible for Mary Catherine, no matter how much he disliked the prospect. It would have been far better had she returned to the States and left him to do whatever he could to find Jack.

  Her adamant refusal was going to make the job ahead that much more difficult. A job that was going to be difficult enough as it was, without added problems.

  He was so tense he nearly jumped when he heard her call out.

  I

  Liane found sleep nearly impossible with Todd Marshal so close. The tiny room seemed even smaller with him pacing around like a predatory cat, alert and tense, ready to pounce.

  When sleep finally did come, it was a restless, fretful sleep, filled with faces and strange images of the people she had encountered during the last few days. Most often it was a bearded face that overwhelmed her dreams. Dark eyes that seemed to bore deep into her psych, searching for answers, but giving none in return.

  Once she heard a feminine voice and awoke with a start, only to realize it had been her own voice she'd heard. In the darkness she could make out the shadow of her companion close by her side, his deep tones, assuring her everything was okay, lulling her back to sleep.

  But after that, sleep was impossible. She had never known herself to talk in her sleep before. But then with everything that had happened, with so much on her mind, she had no doubt it was possible.

  If she was speaking her dreams aloud, she was afraid of what truths she might reveal while in such a vulnerable state.

  "You haven't been sleeping very long," Todd said when she sat up on the side of the bed. "You should try and get some more rest."

  "I did, in the bathtub," she reminded him, happy it was still dark enough in the room so that he couldn't see the rosy warmth that was covering her cheeks.

  "A hard bathtub isn't exactly comparable to a soft bed for getting rest," he continued. "Really, we don't know
what's ahead. You may regret not sleeping when you could."

  "We all have to regret something sometime." She tried to put humor into her words.

  "Yes, I guess we do," Todd replied, and Liane was certain that at the moment his main regret was having her working with him.

  "What now?" she asked.

  "Now," Todd said as he turned on the light. "I try again to convince you to go home."

  Liane shielded her eyes from the blinding light, then as they adjusted she lowered her hands and looked up at her companion. "I thought we settled all that last night."

  "I thought you may have been having second thoughts," he replied, shrugging. "Don't even say it," he continued before she could reply to his statement.

  He ran his fingers roughly through his hair. A habit, judging by the five rows through his hair, she realized he did quite often.

  "You have the same determined set of your jaw as your brother. I know that your mind is made up . . ." he continued. "I've only been around you a total of a few hours and already I feel I can read your every expression."

  Liane quickly looked away, not wanting him to be able to read too much of her expressions. I'll have to be very careful with this man.

  "You're a lot like your brother. Jack said the three of you had a great deal in common. Now, I see how much." Todd was shaking his head as she looked back. "Somehow I always got the impression your sister was the crazy one, and you the level-headed one. If that's the case, thank goodness I don't have her to contend with too."

  "Yes, you can be grateful for that." Remembering her role, Liane got up from the bed and faced him. "I doubt she'd be as easy to get along with, especially considering she would be trying to clear her name of a murder charge."

  "But then, maybe she'd believe me when I say I'll take care of that," Todd said almost sadly.

  "Yet you won't admit how you plan to do that."

  Todd sighed. "Some things have to be based on trust."

  "How can I trust you when I don't even know you," she nearly whispered.