“Does he know who you are?”
Kat mulled that one over. “He probably has a good idea. He ripped off my throat mike during the fight. When I hit the ground, it was gone, so he must’ve taken it with him.”
“And after examining it, he’d probably have a pretty good idea that he’s dealing with at least a U.S. government agent, if not a military member. Not too many civilians have access to the caliber of equipment we use. Let’s assume he does know roughly who you are.”
Kat frowned. Okay. So that only made his request to meet her all the more puzzling. Vanessa was quiet on the other end of the phone, and Kat didn’t fill in the silence. Viper’s intellect was formidable, and her instincts were pretty much without exception spot-on.
Finally, Vanessa sighed. “Jeff said this guy was old school. Carried no gun and made no effort to do serious injury to the two of you. Is that your impression of this guy as well?”
“It is.”
“Something extraordinary has happened. Something he wants the American government to know about-badly enough to risk his life to tell it to you. You’re the logical person for him to approach. Particularly since you could’ve killed him and didn’t. You’ve earned a measure of trust from him.”
Kat burst out, “And Jeff’s asking me to betray that trust!”
“I’ll talk to Jeff. You go to that meeting. Do what you have to do.”
“Are you telling me to follow Jeff’s order?” Kat asked in disbelief.
“I’m telling you to follow your heart. You’ve got more courage and decency in your pinkie finger than most people muster in a lifetime. I’m telling you to do what you think is right. Then, no matter what consequences follow, I’ll back you up and you’ll be at peace with yourself.”
It was as if a wash of cool water flowed over her, flushing away all the bad energy, all the anger and disquiet making her sick at heart. Kat took a deep breath. Released it slowly.
“Thank you, Vanessa.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. I told you to do what you were already going to do anyway.”
“I haven’t made up my mind-”
“Sure you have.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the heart and soul of my team. The arrow on the Medusas’ compass that always points us in the right direction. You never waver; you always know the right thing to do. Whenever I’m not sure of what I’m doing, I can always look into your eyes and see exactly what I’m supposed to do. Tonight, I hear in your voice that you know the right thing to do. And I’m telling you to go with it. You’ve never steered me wrong before. I’ve no reason to believe you’ve read this one wrong, either.”
Kat was speechless. Such a ringing vote of confidence from Vanessa, whom she arguably admired more than any other person alive, was overwhelming.
“You still there, Cobra?”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks. Wow.”
Vanessa laughed. “So does this mean Junior and I get to stay home to look after my swollen ankles and eat chocolate tonight?”
Kat chuckled. “You do realize you’ve probably just signed the death warrant on my career, don’t you?”
“You know, about half the folks in the Spec Ops community said Jack would never make colonel because he broke every rule in the book to bring the Medusas into existence. The other half said he was a shoo-in for colonel precisely because he broke every rule in the book and brought the Medusas into existence. And here he is, sporting a shiny new set of eagles on his shoulders. Risk takers are rewarded more often than not, Cobra. You’ll come out of this okay.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“I’ll stand beside you no matter what happens.”
Too bad Jeff couldn’t say the same thing. “Thanks, boss.”
“Any time.”
In a much calmer frame of mind, Kat performed an ancient tai chi routine as the sun slid away into the west. She had a job to do, Jeff or no Jeff. And she would not fail Vanessa or the Ghost. She would live up to both of their best opinions of her.
No matter what Jeff did to her for it.
Chapter 14
Thankfully, the last-minute preparations for the meeting kept Kat-and Jeff-occupied enough that she didn’t have to speak to him alone before they left for the rendezvous.
As soon as they arrived at the park, Jeff and her teammates melted away into the sultry stillness at the bottom of the sheltered valley. She was left to cool her jets in the car and listen to the others murmur over the radio as they covertly searched the park and moved into position to observe the meeting. The Medusas found no sign of the black-clad men from last night’s robbery.
And then the waiting began.
Typically, when Kat waited before a kill, she dropped into a state of relaxation where time flowed over her and around her without touching her. But tonight she was unable to achieve that fugue state of waking sleep. She fought back jitters over and over. Under normal circumstances, if she were this agitated, she’d step away from the shot and let someone else take it. But tonight there was no one else. The Ghost would speak to her and her alone.
Finally, eleven-forty-five flashed on her watch. She got out of the car gratefully and made her way into the deserted park. Jeff had decided she’d move into place early to give the team of assailants from the last robbery plenty of time to reveal themselves.
She went to the bench and sat down. Acutely aware of the eyes of her team upon her, she schooled herself to utter stillness. After all, she had a reputation to maintain. The Medusas often called her the ice cube when she was waiting to make a kill. She could sit for two or three days with barely a twitch. She could surely sit on this bench for ten minutes without fidgeting.
But it turned out to be surprisingly hard to do. She was used to being the hunter, not the hunted. She knew all too well how easy a target she was, motionless and out in plain sight like this. Even the most inexperienced of snipers could pick her off like a tin duck in a cheap shooting gallery.
Jeff was out there. He’d never let anyone take a potshot at the future mother of his children-good Lord, had she just thought that? Since when had she bought in to his crazy notion of love at first bolt?
Good thing the Medusas had shown up when they had, or she might have been in serious danger of doing something entirely inappropriate in the middle of a mission. Except why didn’t she feel relief at that thought? Why was vague disappointment at her team’s inconvenient timing rattling around in her gut instead?
Jeff would be looking at her right now. He’d assigned the Medusas to scan the forest while he watched the immediate vicinity around her. Was he undressing her with his eyes? Imagining what they could’ve done together last night had they not had their argument? Whatever was on his mind, the heat of his gaze was palpable at a distance of a hundred yards or more. Or maybe that heat was coming from her own risque thoughts. There was no question in her mind that he’d be a skilled lover. He was too comfortable with women, too physical a being, too at home in his own skin to be anything else.
Midnight came and went.
And still she sat. Alone.
She’d expected this, however. The Ghost would approach carefully, reconnoiter the area. Make sure she hadn’t set a trap for him.
The bench she sat on faced the main walking path that wound through the gully. Behind her fell a curtain of hanging vines and ferns from a stone arch that had once supported the ceiling of an ancient cave. Beyond the vines,
