“A little distracted can get a man killed, Robert. What gives?”
For an instant, Robert was tempted to sign off. To turn off the radio and end the questions. The last thing he wanted to do was make a fool of himself in front of his boss. How stupid was it for an agent to get involved with his contact while on a dangerous mission? Plenty stupid. Imbecilic if he wanted to be truthful about it.
“You going to talk to me or are we going to burn up the satellite waiting each other out?” Hatch snapped.
“My contact,” Robert began. “She’s a woman.”
Hatch’s eyes sharpened. “I’m listening.”
In all the years they’d worked together, Robert had never discussed his personal life. He was a private man and he’d always sensed Hatch was the same.
“Lillian Scott,” Hatch said after a moment. “An American journalist. I know all that.”
“She has a son.” Sighing, Robert looked out the window, realized it had begun to rain. “He’s mine.”
Now it was Hatch’s turn to curse, and he did so quite thoroughly. “I knew you knew her. That’s one of the reasons I chose you for this mission. But I had no idea you two were involved.”
Robert looked at the monitor to see Hatch thumb an ant-acid from his pocket and pop it into his mouth. “I guess there are some things even ARIES intelligence can’t know in advance.”
“I guess so,” Hatch agreed.
The rumble of thunder broke the silence, and Robert found himself thinking about Lily and Jack in the basement of the hospital all alone.
“I’m bringing you in,” Hatch said.
Robert’s hackles rose. “No, you’re not.”
“It’s done. Cross the border into Holzberg. There will be a jet at the airport waiting to take you to Paris.”
“I haven’t found out about Dr. Morrow yet.”
“You’ve set up base camp. You’ve obtained information about the gems. You’ve discovered the location of DeBruzkya’s headquarters. That’s enough for me to deem this mission successful.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s oh ten hundred there in Rebelia. I want you at the airport in an hour.”
Robert stared at him, aware of the steady thrum of his heart, keenly aware that he was about to disobey a direct order and more than likely screw up his career. “I can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not?” Hatch snapped.
“I’m not leaving without her.” Robert reached for the keypad to sign off.
“What do you need, PHOENIX?” Hatch asked quickly.
Robert moved his hand away from the keypad. “I need a chopper with night vision and a winch.”
“You got it. Just tell me where and when and I’ll have someone there.”
“I’ll let you know.” Robert hit the keypad and the screen faded to black.
Chapter 14
Lily lay on her side in the narrow bed and snuggled Jack against her. Exhaustion dragged at her, both physically and emotionally, but her thoughts refused to let her rest. She couldn’t get Robert out of her mind. Couldn’t stop thinking about all the things that had happened between them since he’d walked into her cottage just two short days ago. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face. The way he’d looked at her when he’d walked away. The way his eyes darkened when he touched her. The emotion in his eyes when he’d told her he loved her. He was a good man, and he loved her. But it hadn’t mattered to her. She’d hurt him anyway.
Shifting restlessly beneath the blanket, she eased Jack’s little body more closely against her and closed her eyes tightly. Dr. Orloff had left one of the overhead lights on. Just enough for her to make out the clock on the wall, and she’d spent the last forty minutes watching the second hand sweep endlessly around the dial.
The transfusion had taken forty-five minutes. Once the bag of donor blood had emptied, Dr. Orloff had removed the needle from Jack’s arm and applied a small pressure bandage. Lily had spoken softly to her son while the doctor checked his blood pressure and took his temperature. She’d been inordinately relieved when he’d told her Jack appeared to be tolerating the transfusion well and that he didn’t expect any complications. The mild sedative he’d given Jack would wear off in a few hours, and Jack would be back to normal shortly thereafter.
But as Dr. Orloff had scrubbed down, he also reminded her that at some point Jack would need a bone marrow transplant. While her son might be the picture of health now, he could relapse in a few weeks. Leaving her with that unsettling thought, he’d told her to get some rest and then left.
That had been nearly an hour ago, and she still couldn’t quiet her thoughts. Robert had always told her she had an unreasonable conscience. She felt too much for others. Not enough for herself. A flaw that had cost her plenty over the years. But Lily had always been an old soul. She’d been born knowing things—feeling things—that normally came with experience or age or both. Closing her eyes, she thought of Robert.