The grin spread even wider and suddenly burst into laughter. “Am I still in love with him? Good Lord, no! We kept up that relationship for close to four years, and by the time it was over I was having to force myself to keep up the act. It wasn’t that I didn’t like him anymore, it was just a matter of being tired of keeping up a pretense for so long. Two weeks after I moved away I had a brand-new boyfriend, one who thought I was the dream girl he’d been looking for all his life. There’s a big difference between someone kissing you because it’s ‘appropriate,’ and someone kissing you because he wants to so badly he can’t see straight. Sooner or later, you’re going to realize that Noah can’t give you what you really want and need. It isn’t his fault, he just doesn’t have it in him.”
Sarah stared into her eyes for a moment, her own face showing that she was controlling her anger. “Let me tell you something,” she said. “A couple of months back, Nicolaich Andropov managed to infiltrate our group and kidnap me. I’m the one he used as bait that time, to draw Noah into a trap where he planned to kill him. Noah knew that, knew good and well that coming to get me would probably get him killed, but he came anyway. Maybe he doesn’t have feelings the way the rest of us do, but when we were all being debriefed and he got asked why he came after me even though it violated protocol, do you know what he said? He said he came after me because he didn’t like the thought of a world that existed without me in it. Just because he never had those feelings for you, don’t you sit there and try to tell me he can’t have them for me. I know I’m expendable, I know that if it came down to me or the mission, the mission would probably win, you’re right about that. But at least I know that up to that point, he’ll do anything it takes to protect me.” She leaned forward until her face was only inches from Molly’s. “Now, if that isn’t some kind of love, then you tell me what it is.”
Molly’s grin was gone, replaced by the sad smile she had used earlier. “In his case, Honey, it’s simply selfishness. He obviously enjoys you, and he doesn’t want that enjoyment to come to an end, so he’ll do his best not to let you get away. But if you do—if he loses you, no matter how it happens, he’ll move on without ever suffering any grief or remorse. As long as you can handle that, then maybe you can survive being in love with Pinocchio.”
FIFTEEN
Lassiter and Sanchez showed up a half hour later and were introduced to Molly. They were informed about Andropov and the likelihood that he was planning to kill Molly, and Noah made it clear that he expected them to do everything possible to keep that from happening. Both of them seemed quite dedicated to their duties, and to have the skills necessary to accomplish their goals.
“Okay,” Noah said, “it’s time for us to go do a little tree shaking. Molly, we’ll be in touch later. You stick with your bodyguards while we do everything we can to take Nicolaich down.”
“And what are you gonna be doing?” Molly asked.
“I think it’s time we turn the tables a bit. He’s got people watching you, now watching us whenever they can; they think they got the easy job, so I think it’s time we engage them.”
The team left the building and walked to the car. Moose and Noah spotted a Ford sedan parked at the end of the block at the same time.
“Three men in that Ford,” Moose said. “They’re eyeballing us pretty intently.”
“I see them. Let’s take them for a cruise in the countryside.” They slid into the car and Noah turned to Sarah. “Just head toward Clifton. We’re looking for somewhere isolated.”
Sarah looked at him and swallowed hard, then punched “Clifton, Virginia,” into the GPS and put the car in gear. Noah pulled down the sun visor and used the vanity mirror to watch the Ford pull out behind them.
Sarah pulled the car onto Interstate 66 a few moments later and the Ford followed them up the ramp. The driver was carefully keeping them in sight, while trying to keep one or two cars between them. Sarah made it slightly difficult, weaving in and out of traffic and keeping her speed close to eighty-five miles per hour. The Ford’s driver had to work a bit to stay close enough, but that was what Noah wanted.
Following the directions on the GPS, she took the I-495 loop south to North Springfield and then peeled off onto State Route 620. A couple of minutes later she bore left onto 645 for the eight-mile drive into Clifton. The Ford stayed with them.
“Up there,” Noah said as he pointed through the windshield. “Looks like some kind of burned-out old building. Turn in there, but make it sudden. I want it to look like we’re trying to dig them. As soon as you get off the highway, floor it and try to get around behind the building. I need a few seconds where they can’t see us. As soon as we’re out of their sight, stop long enough for me and Moose to bail out, then go on a hundred yards and stop again. Turn the car so that you and Neil can get your own guns out the windows. Keep them aimed at the Ford, but do not fire unless you absolutely have to.”
In the back seat, Moose lightly backhanded Neil on his shoulder. “Got that? Don’t shoot unless you have to!”
“No, really? I couldn’t hear the boss just now, thank you for interpreting.” Neil withdrew the machine pistol from the computer bag lying on the seat beside him and quickly checked to make sure it was locked and loaded.