When she had first met Marie, Bryn had been a little bit embarrassed by the relationship she was obviously sharing with Lee, but she had been gratified to see that the older woman seemed to like her on first sight. And Marie apparently adored her employer, so it seemed that the two of them together could do no wrong.
Bryn was up and dressed by7:00 a.m.on Sunday morning-- ready to leave before Lee was out of the shower. But early as it was, Marie had coffee ready downstairs. She tried to get Bryn to eat but Bryn knew she couldn't swallow a mouthful of food. When Lee did appear downstairs, Bryn barely allowed him to sip a cup of coffee, she was so anxious to get to the town house.
Lee didn't try to talk to her on the way over. They were both extremely tense.
Bryn almost burst through the front door; she remembered though--that even though it was her home, Andrew and Barbarawere probably together. And they deserved a certain respect for their privacy, especially since they were staying there, courting danger, to keep an eye on things for her so that she and the boys could be safe at Lee's.
Impatiently, she rang the bell. It was only eight. The call wasn't due for an hour. Lee gazed at her, and she flushed.
"Bryn--you're going to work yourself into knots before anything happens," he warned her.
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Her throat tightened. "I can't help it, Lee. You don't know what it's been like."
"I have a pretty good idea," he said dryly. "And I still think we should have called the police at the very beginning." "No! Something might have happened to Adam!"
"And you also might have had him back four days ago," Lee said flatly.
"He's fine, I'm telling you, he's fine!" Bryn said irritably. Her voice was rising, getting hysterical.
The door swung open while she was still in mid-yell. Barbara, clad in a housecoat, looked from one to the other, backing up so that they could enter. Lee's hard features and Bryn's flushed ones warned her that the tension was already mounting. "I've got coffee on," she murmured, glancing at her wristwatch.
"This is going to be a long hour. Very long," she muttered.
Bryn was already inside, pacing. "Lee, when he calls this time, I'll do the talking. You have a habit of irritating him."
"Forgive me for not wanting to get both you and Adam killed," Lee retorted, his jaw hardening still further. Barbara could feel the sparks flying and she quickly grasped Bryn's arm. "Come on, honey, let's go into the kitchen and get the coffee."
It was a long hour. Andrew appeared downstairs, and Bryn heard him talking quietly to Lee. She ran out and faced both of them. "Please, please! Don't do anything to mess this up! There won't be any trouble.
I'll give the prints back; Adam will be home. Don't the two of you do anything! Promise me that! Swear it--"
"Bryn," Barbara warned.
Then Andrew andBarbara who were nervous themselves, were left with the task of keeping Bryn and Lee apart. Personally, Barbara agreed with Lee that Bryn was wrong. The police should have been called. But then she couldn't blame Bryn for being terrified for her little nephew.
And it was said, Barbara decided. She sincerely believed that Lee and Bryn were just right for each other, that the love was there that should have helped them--had helped them-- now, as in the days that had passed.
But both of them, it seemed, were afraid of the depths of that emotion, and so now, with torment and tension mounting, they were at the snapping point.
At exactlynine o'clockthe phone rang. Bryn cried out and raced for it, leaving no time for a second ring.
"Ah, good, Miss Keller. You're there. All ready?" "Yes, yes! I've got your negatives and the proofs and I haven't touched a thing. Please, when can I have Adam?" A husky chuckle answered her."Put Condor on." "No!" Bryn protested. "Please, you're dealing with me; I want Adam now. Oh, please--" "Put him on."
The command was unnecessary. Lee had grabbed the phone from her.' 'We want the child.Now. Or we will do something with these pictures," Lee snapped.
"You'll have him. As soon as I send the kid, you call that lobby and tell Miss Keller. She drops the stuff and leaves. Don't you dare let there be anyone suspicious around, youhear ? I don't think you're that stupid, but I just wanted to talk to you again, Condor, to remind you I don't want any tricks." "No Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
tricks," Lee agreed, glancing at Bryn. "But so help me God, if anything goes wrong..." "Not on my end.
Tell her to go." Lee hung up the phone.
"Well?" Bryn demanded, gripping his arm, unconsciously digging her nails into it like talons. "You can go now," he said unhappily. "Oh, thankGod, thankGod," she murmured. Then she caught his eyes with her own."No tricks, Lee, really. You have to be here."