In the Dark

No man had ever managed that…not for her.

 

All this time she’d considered her self some what lacking in the libido department, but Hennessey made her feel alive and on fire. How could that be?

 

From a purely psychological standpoint she understood that she had been celibate for longer than usual and she was still hurting from those final months before David had died. She’d known something wasn’t right. Now she knew what.

 

There had been another woman.

 

Maybe his involvement with her had been purely business, but that didn’t make her feel any better. Then again, Hennessey could be correct in his suggestion that David had been trying to protect her. But that would be giving him far too much of a benefit of the doubt. Even she wasn’t that gullible.

 

She and David had been over at least two months before his death.

 

So why had he kept coming back? Why those final calls? Why hadn’t he just told her it was over? It wasn’t like he had made any sort of major commitment.

 

Like any other woman, she had considered he might be the one. That the two of them could perhaps move to the next stage. Get married and start a family. But deep down, especially those last few months, she had known it was going to end.

 

She banged her fist against the mattress. Why on God’s green earth would she get involved with another man like David Maddox?

 

Evidently she was just as gullible as she’d thought. And seriously out of touch with her education level.

 

For goodness sakes, plain old commonsense screamed at the utter stupidity of this move.

 

And still she couldn’t help how she felt.

 

Yes, Hennessey was CIA just like David had been.

 

Yes, he was handsome and charming and sexy.

 

Just like David.

 

But there was one significant difference.

 

She thought of the way she’d touched him. Couldn’t imagine how she’d ever worked up the nerve to make that bold move. She hadn’t actually. She’d acted on instinct. With out thought.

 

Her heart bumped into a faster rhythm even now at the memory. There was no comparison between the two when it came to matters below the belt. Joe Hennessey was far more well-endowed than David. No way would a former lover not notice that disparity.

 

Elizabeth flopped onto her side and pushed away the confusing thoughts. She refused to get involved with another man until she knew all the facts related to her last relationship.

 

Was it possible that David had used her for more than mere sex?

 

She chewed her bottom lip and let the concept penetrate fully. Didn’t banish it immediately as she did when she was first asked to be a part of this. David knew the identities of the agents she’d transformed the same as she did. At least he had until the last year. They hadn’t discussed the last three she’d done because there had been no reason. He was no longer her handler and like any good member of CIA personnel, she hadn’t told.

 

Nor had he asked.

 

If he’d wanted to know, why didn’t he bring up the subject? Never, not once did he ever, ever ask any questions. He hadn’t even appeared interested.

 

But was that a front to keep her fooled?

 

She sat up, slung off the covers.

 

The conspiracy theories were ram pant now.

 

She’d never get any sleep at this rate.

 

Could he, if he were guilty of this heinous betrayal, have listened in on her conversations with Agent Dawson?

 

Impossible. Dawson always picked her up and took her to a secure location before giving her any details.

 

They never talked in her car, on her phone, landline or cell, or at her house.

 

It simply wasn’t done.

 

And David would have known those hard and fast rules far better than her.

 

A cold, rigid knot of panic fisted in her stomach.

 

He would also know how to bug her clothing, her purse, her body for that matter, in such a way that no one could tell.

 

“Oh, God.”

 

Wait. Maybe she’d seen one too many spy movies.

 

The whole idea was ridiculous.

 

But people were dead…more might die.

 

She had to know for sure.

 

The only way to do that was to go home and look for her self. She would never voice those thoughts about David with out some sort of confirmation. It just wouldn’t be fair. She had loved him. She couldn’t betray him like that simply because Joe Hennessey planted the seed in her mind.

 

Yes, things had been wrong some how between her and David those last few months but did that mean he had done any thing wrong? She didn’t know. One thing was certain, Hennessey had said there were only a handful of people who knew the names of those agents who were being picked off one by one.

 

David Maddox had been one of them.

 

Not giving her self time to change her mind, she slipped on her clothes and shoes, grabbed her purse and headed for her door.

 

Holding her breath she opened it.

 

The hall was clear.

 

After taking a moment to gather her courage she eased out into the hall and moved soundlessly to the stairs.

 

Ten seconds later she was in the laundry room at the rear exit.

 

Now for the real test.

 

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