“Just do it, Charles. Okay?” She hung up before he could argue with her.
A moment later, she was in the bathroom, washing her face and running a brush through her hair. Then she moved to the closet and snatched the pants and shirt her mother had sent to the hospital. She put them on, flinching as she drew the shirt over her bandaged arm. There was no way she was going to face an argument from the nurses at the front desk, so she’d have to find a way to slip out without being noticed.
She stopped and sat down before she faced putting on her shoes. She was short of breath, and her muscles were very sore.
Ignore it. She could get through this. Use this time until she met Waldridge to think and plan. She had an idea which way to go, but it had to become more clear, every detail precise.
Detach.
Concentrate.
*
“IS YOUR FRIEND, GIANCARLO, who owns that jet still in the country?” Kendra asked Lynch as soon as he picked up her call.
“I have no idea. What the hell are you doing calling me at this hour? You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“It didn’t work out that way. Would you find out if he is and will lend you his jet? I suppose it doesn’t matter. You’ll manage to fix it somehow. I’m heading for Montgomery Field right now. Will you meet me?”
“Are you going to tell me why you’re not in the hospital?”
“I will when you get there. I’d rather you spend the time on the phone with your friend, Giancarlo. Will you meet me?”
Silence. “I’ll meet you.” He hung up.
Charles tilted his head as he glanced at her from the driver’s seat. “You’re nothing if not a whirlwind, Kendra. You’re certain all this will come together?”
“No,” she said bluntly. “But it has a chance. And if it does come together, it will be better than your wandering around blindly and letting Griffin find you.” She glanced at him. “That’s the first time you’ve questioned me since I got in the car. Doubts?”
“Yes, and I wouldn’t be blindly wandering. I just don’t have a plan in mind yet. However, I’m perfectly willing to put myself in your hands.” He smiled. “Because even if it doesn’t work out, I’ll enjoy watching you one more time before I have to break out on my own again.”
“I’m glad I have entertainment value.” She picked up her phone again. “Now I have another call to make, and I only hope that I can be persuasive instead of entertaining.” She was punching in the number. “Anyone will tell you that’s not usually my area of expertise.”
Montgomery Field
Lynch was standing in front of the hangar at the deserted airport when their car drew up before it. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his black leather jacket, and his expression was harder than Kendra had ever seen it. He gave a cool glance at Waldridge as they got out of the car. “I thought you might be mixed up in this.” He turned back to Kendra. “I’m here. That’s all I promised.”
“Giancarlo?”
“He’s ordered that his Cessna be fueled up and put at my disposal.” He paused. “I told him I’d let him know later if I’d actually be using it. I don’t like taking orders, Kendra.”
“It wasn’t an order. It was a request. I just didn’t have time to make it a polite one.”
“And any request should have come from me.” Waldridge stepped forward. “I can understand how you wouldn’t want to be involved, Lynch. You’ve done more than enough for me. Forget this. I’ll handle it on my own.”
“You will not,” Kendra said impatiently. “It would be too easy to get screwed up. And I don’t intend to let that happen. I want to get back to my kids and not have to worry about you.”
“Your kids?” Lynch’s expression changed the slightest bit. “What do they have to do with anything?”
“They obviously don’t. Because I’ve had to put their therapy on hold since all this began. And now Charles is becoming all noble again, and it will probably end up having Jessie slicing me open and putting another disk in me.”
“That won’t happen,” Lynch said grimly. “Never.”
“Never,” Waldridge repeated. “It’s time you stepped away, Kendra.”
“Not until I’m certain that this is going to work out.” She was seething with frustration as she turned to him. “Listen to me. Can’t you see? Lynch is perfect.”
“At last I agree with something you’re saying,” Lynch said.
“Be quiet. I can only deal with one thing at a time.” She locked eyes with Waldridge. “Look at him. You saw what Lynch did at that ridge. He’s a damn rock star. Neither of us have probably ever seen anyone as good as Lynch at what he does.”