knees as he rubbed his face roughly with his palms, as if he could wash away the feelings of guilt and despair.
Tess was up and crouched in front of him, her hands on his knees. “You have to know somewhere inside you that it wasn’t your fault. You tried to get her help. She refused. What more could you have done?”
“I could have tried harder.”
“How? Tell me exactly what you could have done differently?”
“I-I could have made my supervisor see how desperate she was. Forced him to recognize that she was teetering on the edge.”
Tess shook her head. “And how can you force someone to see something they refuse to see?” She took his hands and held them in hers. “Don’t you see that you did everything you knew how to do? Don’t you see that she couldn’t accept the help? She failed all on her own, even with you at her side, trying to rescue her and bring her back from the edge.”
He laughed bitterly. “Obviously I didn’t try hard enough. She’s dead.” He lifted her head and stared at her, angry that he’d lash out at her but unable to help himself.
“No, you spent a hell of a lot of time trying to convince yourself that it was your
He reached out and wrapped several strands of her hair around his hand, feeling them slide effortlessly through his fingers. Unable to resist, he dipped his head and tasted her, savoring the yielding, giving quality of her mouth. Her hands encircled his neck, holding him to her. Her gentleness and compassion surrounded and filled him, and the first wave of inner peace he’d felt in months washed over him.
“Thanks for listening,” he said softly. “I don’t think-”
The phone rang, interrupting him.
“They’re on to us,” Tess said urgently.
The phone stopped ringing. Three rings and then nothing.
The silence was deafening.
“We need to get out. Now!” Tess scooted across the bed, pulling on her clothes. “Hurry, we don’t have much time. They’re probably already on their way down here.”
He jammed his feet into his shoes as Tess moved to the window, opening a small slit between the drapes. “See anything?” he asked.
“There are three cars and a van parked up near the office with their lights on. Six men standing around the outside. I don’t recognize any of them-must be the gorilla squad. The others must still be in the office.”
She let the curtain drop back in place and turned toward him. Her gaze met his. He couldn’t help but notice the startling calm in her eyes, the complete lack of fear.
Ryan zipped up his bag and stood. “We don’t have a lot of options, Tess. If we leave, they’re bound to see us. If we stay, they’re going to search this room at some point.”
She nodded in agreement and whirled around, headed for the bathroom. Ryan followed.
She pushed aside the shower curtain and climbed up on the side of the tub. He stared at the tiny window and then back at Tess, making no effort to hide his disbelief.
“You’re kidding, right? There’s no way I’m going to fit through that thing,” he said.
“I’ll go first. I’ll pull on the other side. We’ll get you through.” Tess pushed up the window and snapped out the aluminum screen.
“There’s no way, Tess.”
“We don’t have a choice, Ryan. I checked this out when we first arrived. You’ll fit. It’ll be a tight squeeze, but you’ll fit. Now give me a boost. We don’t have time to argue.”
He watched her slither through the window frame as effortlessly as a snake slips through the water. Wedging the toes of one foot on the opposite side of the tub, Ryan lifted himself up to the window and looked out. His shoulders rubbed up against the side of the window.
Tess waited below, darting glances in the direction of the side of the motel, checking for any sign of Flynn’s men. “Go through the window sideways, Ryan-hands out in front and I’ll pull you through.”
He boosted himself up and slipped his upper body out the window. It was more than a tight squeeze, but not impossible. Suddenly he froze. From inside the room, he heard the loud knock of someone pounding on the motel- room door. They had arrived.
“Come on,” Tess urged from below. “Give me your hand.”
Ryan slid back through, ignoring Tess’s frantic questioning of what the hell he thought he was doing.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out the car keys. Leaning back over to the window, he threw them out. Tess caught them with one hand.
“Get out of here. Now!” he ordered.
For the first time since they’d gotten up, the intense expression of determination on her face disappeared. She stared up at him with a touch of confusion, panic almost. The green of her eyes sparked in the early dawn. “What are you doing?” she demanded. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“They want you, not me. Go! I’ll stall them for as long as I can.”
“I’m not leaving you, Ryan. Now get your butt out here.” Her voice was gruff, but he didn’t miss the underlying quiver of fear and the sound wasn’t something he’d come to expect from Tess. She knew he was serious, and she wasn’t liking his decision one bit.
“I’m not arguing with you, Tess. They’re here, and there’s no time to argue. Now get going.”
He pulled down the window, but not before she whispered, “I’m not leaving you, Ryan. I’ll be back.”
He rearranged the curtain, brushed their shoe prints off the side of the tub and then flushed the toilet. As he opened the bathroom door, the outer door crashed open and three oversize men pushed through, followed by a familiar face- General Flynn.
Ryan affected an expression of surprise as he casually tucked in his shirt. “What are you doing here, Flynn?”
Flynn didn’t answer but instead snapped his fingers at the two men standing on either side of him. They immediately grabbed Ryan, and when he tried to shake them off, they stepped in closer and pinned his arms back. A third man drew a gun and cautiously made his way over to the bathroom.
“I’m in no mood to play games, Doctor. In fact, I’m feeling more than a little irritable. So-” Flynn flicked on the overhead light “-let’s cut to the chase. Where is she?”
“She? I’m not sure who you’re referring to, General. I’m alone. Took off for a little trip north to see the sights.” Ryan grinned. “But if you’re looking for some female companionship, I think the clerk out at the front desk would be more than happy to fix you up with some lovely lady.”
The general’s eyes burned hot, but he didn’t bother responding. He nodded his head at a third man. “Check the bathroom.”
The man was gone for a minute and then stepped back out. “Empty. But there’s a small window in there. Locked, but she might have squeezed through.”
“Go!” Flynn jerked his head toward the door. “Find her.”
Ryan tried to push himself in front of the door, but the two men muscled him to his knees. He watched in frustration as the third man skirted around him and headed for the alley behind the motel.
Chapter Thirteen
“You need to understand something, Doctor.”
General Flynn settled into the chair directly across from Ryan, his voice pleasant. Reasonable. “I’m not what you’d call a very nice person. Especially when I’m impatient. And at the moment, I’m feeling impatient.”
“Perhaps you should consider taking a seminar on anger management, General,” Ryan said, allowing his own tone to match Flynn’s. But even as he spoke, his mind raced. Somehow he needed to stall them, keep them occupied until Tess got far enough away.
“How’d you find us?”
“I have one of the best trackers in the business working for me. You’ll meet him soon enough.” Flynn nodded to
