Pack some of the clothes Bridget bought for you. Enough for a couple days.'
'We're going to be gone that long?'
'Probably not. But I believe in preparing for any emergency. Things don't always work out the way we want them to.'
'I believe you mentioned that. You didn't kill a man in time to save my friends.' She passed him as they entered the house. 'Who's going to take care of Ned?'
'He goes with us. You'd better take Gracie back to Nick.'
'You always take Ned with you?'
'When I can. When it's good for him.' He reached down and stroked Ned's head. 'Usually it's safer. I don't trust him with everyone. Walt and Bridget.' He looked up. 'And you.'
'Considering the consequences, I wish you'd not included me on the short list.'
'You'd rather I'd left him to be found by Danner's man?'
No, she couldn't stand the thought of a helpless animal being slaughtered. It hurt her to even imagine it. 'I'd rather you told me, warned me, and let me decide.'
'There wasn't time. And I'm not used to letting anyone else decide anything about Ned.' He headed for the library. 'Get moving. Ten minutes.'
CHAPTER 7
'WALT FRANKS, DEVON BRADY,' Marrok introduced them briefly as he opened the door of the helicopter for Devon. 'Are we ready to get under way, Walt?'
The pilot nodded. 'I told you I'd be ready. I've already arranged for the rental of the private jet for us to change to in San Francisco.' He smiled at Devon. 'It's good to see you with your eyes open.'
'You brought me here?' Her brows rose. 'That makes you an accomplice, you know.'
'I've been an accomplice to worse things than keeping a nice lady like you alive.' He started the engines. 'Buckle up. We're on our way.'
Walt Franks wasn't what she expected. He was a man in his fifties or early sixties, with grizzled gray-black hair and squinty hazel eyes. His drawl sounded Southwestern, maybe Texan.
'You're not going to give Walt a guilt trip,' Marrok said. 'He told me a long time ago when he came to work for me that he was leaving both responsibility and guilt on my shoulders.'
'No one can do that. Everyone has to shoulder their own share.'
'Why?' Walt said. 'Marrok causes the ruckus, I just come in and pull him out.' He grinned at Marrok. 'Just like I did in the jungles in Colombia when he was in the SEALs. He owes me big-time.'
'You were in the ser vice together?'
Walt nodded. 'That's where we met. Little did I know it was going to lead to me wiping his nose for all these years.'
'Walt.'
Walt chuckled. 'Do you hear that tone, Devon? That's his big chief shut-up-or-I'm-going-to-scalp-you voice.'
'That's remarkably po liti cally incorrect,' Marrok said dryly. 'And I was never anything as grand as a chief. The closest I ever got was being an apprentice to the shaman in the tribe. I didn't even do that well. I conducted most of my holy rites in the nearest bar.' He shrugged. 'What the hell. I was only a kid, and I could see that all the government officials at the reservation thought we were all stupid pieces of crap. Why not get drunk and for a moment feel like a man who could be respected?'
She couldn't imagine Marrok as that wild, reckless boy. He was so totally in control and contained now.
He glanced at her and smiled faintly. 'You don't see it? It took a long time to move away from that wild kid. I made a lot of mistakes. I still make them. I spiral out of control every now and then. I just don't use liquor as a crutch.'
'Violence instead of booze?'
His smile faded. 'Violence, despair, regret. Do you ever lose control, Devon?'
'I'm a vet. I can't afford to lose control. I could cause hurt.'
His gaze was suddenly narrowed on her face. 'You were married.'
'Yes.' There was no doubt she had lost control with Les to her eternal regret. 'I was seventeen, and I thought sex was love. He didn't make the same mistake. He knew exactly what he was after.' Good God, what were they talking about? The intimate confidence had just tumbled out, prompted by Marrok's words. She tried to shift the subject away from herself. 'But control is usually-'
'You don't sound too warm toward Enright,' Marrok interrupted. 'I thought you were reconciling.'
She stared at him, shocked. 'What? Where the hell did you get that idea?'
'The same place the rest of America got it. Enright told CNN that you'd settled your differences and were going to go away together once he rescued you from the bad guys.' He tilted his head. 'No?'
'No,' she said flatly.
'I'm very relieved,' Marrok said. 'Since I'm the 'bad' guy in the equation. I wouldn't want to interfere with true love. Now why would he make a statement like that?'
She had an idea, and it was making her uneasy. 'How should I know?' She tried to veer away from the subject. 'Are you married?'
'No, I skipped that.' He shrugged. 'But I've done most things at least once.'
That didn't surprise her. There was a world of experience mirrored in the lines of his face. What experiences, she wondered suddenly? There was a sensual curve to the setting of his lips, and his eyes were hard, glittering, and knowing…
Walt chuckled. 'Yep, until you got bored. Though how you could get bored with that madam at that house in Bangkok, I can't fathom. You said you'd learned all she could teach you, but if it was me, I'd have stayed around and practiced.'
'Walt, you have an extremely big mouth.'
'And a memory to match.' His eyes were twinkling as he lifted off. 'That's probably why you keep me around. You're so closed up that you need someone who knows where you came from. Otherwise, you might forget.'
'No, I wouldn't.' Marrok looked out the window at the ground dropping away. 'You've got my number. Everyone needs a friend to share experiences. Otherwise, you get hollow inside. I know about hollow.'
'I know you do,' Walt said. 'And when I'm not around, you always have Ned.'
Marrok nodded. 'Who doesn't talk when he should be concentrating on flying.'
Walt laughed. 'I don't think Ned can fly a plane yet. Though it wouldn't surprise me. He's getting smarter and smarter.' He reached back and patted Ned's head. 'How about it, buddy, want a lesson?'
Ned lifted his head and gave a ruff.
'Don't promise what you can't deliver,' Marrok said. 'Ned will hold it against you.'
The chemistry between the two men was interesting to watch, Devon thought. Walt Franks must have been at least twenty years older than Marrok, but his demeanor and personality seemed much younger. It was clear they were friends of long standing, and Franks was definitely not intimidated by Marrok.
'Have you figured us out yet?' Marrok was gazing at her again.
'I'm not wasting my time.' She scratched the Lab behind his ear. 'Ned is the only one who's worth the effort.'
'Ouch.' Walt made a face. 'That stung. But I suppose I can't blame you since kidnapping was involved.'
'How generous.' She turned to Marrok. 'How are we going to do this? The police
'Probably. And as I said Danner may have his man there on the watch, too.'
'How do we do it?' she repeated.
'We reconnoiter. I take out the police guard and we go in and get what we want.' He held up his hand to stop the protest he knew was coming. 'No, I promise I won't kill him.'
