She could only hope that Devon would be in the minority.
DEVON ABSENTLY RUBBED CASPER BETWEEN the ears as she watched Bridget walk toward her.
The woman was moving briskly, a hint of impatience in her stride. Devon had watched her walk from the helicopter with Marrok, and her stance had been even more tense while she was talking to him. It was clear she wasn't happy with him or the entire situation.
Well, neither was Devon.
Casper brayed and moved toward Bridget as she came nearer.
'I seem to be deserted,' Devon said. 'Marrok told me that you were a Pied Piper.'
'Casper still cares about you. I'm just the new kid in town.' Bridget said as she reached up and stroked the donkey. 'And he's grateful you saved him from getting shot by that farmer.'
'You do your research.'
Bridget smiled. 'Doubting Thomas. You remind me of Marrok. He calls it hocus-pocus but he doesn't scoff any longer. I had a hard time with him when I first met him. In his heart Marrok does believe in things that he can't hear, see, or touch. He won't admit it. He took too much punishment as a kid as an apprentice to Paco. The elders might have respected Paco but his peers, the children on the reservation, laughed at him.'
'He seems to have survived just fine.'
'No, the scars linger, and they've caused a hell of a lot of trouble. It's no wonder he became so volatile. A drug addict for a father, a mother who took off and left him when he was a baby.'
'Did she divorce his father?'
'No, she died a few years after she left the reservation. It was a car accident, but she was drunk. It was just as well she deserted Marrok. From what I've been able to piece together, she was pretty erratic herself. Catrin Munoz was born in Spain and was traveling the world when she met Marrok's father in San Francisco. He'd just gotten out of the navy and probably had a good deal of the same sex appeal as Marrok. Catrin was experimenting with everything else, liquor, drugs, sex, and decided to include him in the package. He was just another fling to her.'
'You know a lot about Marrok's background.'
'Yes, you don't think I'd take any job without investigating what I was getting into.'
Devon was silent a moment. 'And you had Lincoln to help you research.'
'You've been doing a little research yourself. Did Marrok tell you that?'
'Yes.' She added, 'I don't like Lincoln. I told Marrok that I found your connection… suspicious.'
'Marrok finds it suspicious, too. But he still trusts me.'
'I don't trust you. I don't know you.'
'That's why I'm here. I have an idea we may need each other. If you trust me, it may make it easier.'
'Marrok said you were upset I didn't go to Sarah's.'
'That's putting it mildly.'
'I couldn't leave. I have to-'
'Don't explain. I know why you want to stay. You want to save the world or at least this part of it. It's very commendable and very stupid. You're going to ruin everything.'
'I'm not stupid and not a fanatic do-gooder. I have to do this.' She smiled faintly. 'You told me once you weren't good at being diplomatic. You're proving it right now.'
'Oh, crap. How can I convince you that you should go to Sarah's until this is over?'
'You could tell me how I'd ruin everything. You can't do that. I'm intelligent, not overly impulsive. I've worked disaster sites for years, and I know karate and can handle a gun. I'm determined and per sis tent. I'd say I'm a damn valuable asset.'
'And I'd say you could blow us out of the water.' She frowned, trying to put it into words. 'Look, I don't doubt that under ordinary circumstance you could be helpful. But sometimes there are certain people who become catalysts. Put them into the mix, and events change, people do what they ordinarily wouldn't do. You plan on their jumping one way, and they go another.'
'Danner?'
'And Marrok. I could accept you tilting the odds in Danner's favor, but I can't risk you doing anything that might affect Marrok.'
Devon frowned. 'Isn't that the same thing?'
'No.' She sighed. 'I'm not getting to you.' She hesitated, then said a rush, 'Okay, what if I told you that you'd die if you jump into this?'
A chill went through Devon. 'I'd say you were pretty desperate to stop me. Did you see this in your crystal ball?'
Bridget shook her head. 'It doesn't work that way.' She made a face. 'And I didn't actually sense you'd die. Just that you were in danger of… something.'
'I could be in danger of stubbing my toe.' She shook her head. 'Bridget, if you're trying to frighten someone, you shouldn't throw it out there, then start qualifying.'
'I was trying to frighten you.' She added simply, 'Because I'm frightened, Devon.'
And that grave simplicity scared Devon more than the words that had gone before. She moistened her lips. 'I was in danger a hundred times on those search and rescue missions through the years. You can't stop because something might happen.' She kept her voice cool and steady. 'Particularly when the warning comes from someone who I don't know and has admitted that she just gets 'feelings.' You could be trying to influence me into doing what you want.'
Bridget stared at her helplessly. 'It's true, you know. I don't hit it every time, but this time I think…' She shook her head. 'You won't do what I ask?'
'I won't go to Sarah's.' She stared her in the eye. 'What are you going to do about it?'
Bridget didn't speak for a moment. 'I'm going to accept it and make the best of you.' Her voice became brusque. 'I don't want you near Marrok. Suppose you work with me.'
'Why not? I think it's a good idea for me to be in a position to keep an eye on you.' She paused. 'As long as I'm doing something constructive, and you don't expect me to take orders.'
'You'll have something to do that's constructive. You're a vet and good with dogs. Marrok tells me we may be bringing the other dogs here. It's risky, but if we-' She stopped, her gaze on the road where two headlights speared the darkness. 'I think that's Lincoln. It's about time he showed up. Come on, let's go up and meet him.'
'Why?'
'Because I need him to see me. We haven't been together in a long time. It's always good to do person-to- person reinforcement.' She was already walking toward the house. 'And I want to ask him where he's been.'
'Will he answer?'
'Probably not. But if I ask it in the right way, he'll wonder if I already know.'
Devon shook her head ruefully. The more she learned about Bridget, the more she felt she had to learn. This conversation had revealed her to be a combination of toughness and vulnerability. The toughness was undoubtedly real. The vulnerability could be feigned. There was no question she was clever enough to be playing both sides against the middle. Maybe she didn't want another player in the game if there was a greater chance of her being exposed.
And maybe she did believe that Devon was going to die. She had rushed to qualify, but that could have been a lie. What was the truth?
'I'll be fair with you.' Bridget was studying her expression. 'You're not going to have to be afraid of me. Unless you do something to hurt Marrok.'
'I'm not afraid of you,' Devon said. 'And Marrok can take care of himself.' She saw Marrok coming down the steps of the porch as a car pulled up before the house. 'You were right, that's Lincoln behind the wheel.' She said with mock wonder, 'Gee, you must be psychic.'
'And you must be a smart-ass,' Bridget said. 'It's nothing to joke about.'
'I need to joke about it. You said the Grim Reaper was about to cut me down.'
'That's not what I said. Well, maybe I did. But I told you I wasn't sure what-' Bridget grimaced. 'And it didn't work anyway. I didn't do it right.'
'You obviously don't exude the correct amount of menace. They didn't teach you well at MI6.'
