“But here I am.” She tried to smile. “And Dyle is a fool if he believes that you’d give up all you’ve worked for to keep me safe. You’ve always known what’s important and how to balance that against the risks you had to take.”
“And you’re just another risk?” He shook his head. “I might have a problem with this particular risk. And Dyle knows it. He knew that night I let you slip away from the program in Monterrey. Why do you think that I didn’t contact you for all those years? You were a potential weapon he could use against me. I’ve known for years that Night Watch could become a monster.” His gaze was holding her own. “But, Kendra, the potential. It could also become a God that could save lives. I could see it shining and, with every advance I made, it became stronger, brighter. I couldn’t let it go.”
“I know you couldn’t. No one would want you to give it up.” She smiled. “Miracles, Charles.”
“Which are now being hijacked by the monster. And you may be one of the victims.”
“Then we have to make certain the hijack doesn’t come off. Which means that we have to get you out of this place. That’s why I had to be here.”
“What?” He was gazing at her with horror. “Shit. Don’t tell me that you deliberately let yourself be taken. I don’t want to hear it.”
“You will hear it. You’d been gone too long, and it was getting increasingly dangerous for you. Biers said that you could be killed and were probably being tortured. We had to get you out.”
“Biers? You talked to Biers? When?”
“Yesterday. Jessie Mercado finally located him. He’d been in hiding since he reached California and found Shaw was dead.”
“He’s safe? I thought he might be dead, too. Dyle kept telling me how he’d gotten rid of all the scientists on the project except me. It was another way to isolate me.”
“He’s safe. Jessie stashed him in her apartment. After he told us what was going on with Night Watch … and you. He said he could only make guesses, but he assumed that you might still be alive since you were the linchpin of the project.” She gazed searchingly at him. “He also thought you were probably being … hurt.” She lifted her hand and touched his cut lip. “He was right?”
“That was just a little initiation to show me possibilities.” He made a face. “Dyle got much more innovative after the first session. He got someone who knew about the chemical injections used on prisoners in Iran. Extremely painful, like pure fire in the veins and able to be repeated frequently without danger of heart attack or brain damage. Dyle particularly didn’t want to risk brain damage.”
“My God. How could you stand it?”
“Oh, I was a complete coward.” He smiled wryly. “No stalwart Navy-SEAL attitude for me. I’m a scientist, for God’s sake. They had me crying like a baby.”
“But you didn’t give in to him.”
“Maybe I got used to it.”
“Yeah, sure.” She repeated softly, “Coward? And you wouldn’t have told him what he wanted to know no matter what he did to you.”
“Well, it helped that I thought that after he got what he wanted, he’d kill me anyway. You’re making me out to be some kind of hero.” He smiled faintly. “You always made that mistake. I’m only a man who has a skill and sometimes a dream. I’m flawed in so many ways. I’m driven, and sometimes I can be ruthless. I’ve never been able to maintain relationships unless they were connected to my work. I’m a workaholic, and I expect everyone around me to be as—”
“I always knew you were no hero,” she interrupted. “I wasn’t that blind. But I learned who and what you were, and that was always enough for me. And I’m learning more all the time, so stop treating me as if I’m a gullible child. Yes, I came because I owe you. But I also came because you’re one of the good guys. There aren’t that many left in the world. We have to make sure that they don’t become extinct. So stop lecturing me on why I shouldn’t have come to help you, and let’s think of a way to do it. You said you don’t know how much time we have.”
He was silent; and then he nodded. “Point taken.” Another pause. “And if you decided to bust me out of this place, I trust you have a plan or assistance?”
“I thought I had.” Now that the haziness was dissipating, she realized that she was experiencing a dull throbbing ache in her left side. Not good. There had been no pain after the first few hours when Jessie had inserted the device. She shifted and pulled her shirt out of her pants.
A bandage was taped over the incision formerly containing the device. “Shit!” She ripped it off and looked down at the neatly stitched wound. “A GPS device was inserted under the skin that should be sending out a message to Jessie and the FBI. It looks as if it was found and removed.”
“Let me take a look.” He moved closer and examined the wound. “At least, it looks clean and professionally stitched. As I said, those goons Dyle has working for him aren’t usually this careful.”