*****
Patrick O’Rourke felt better than he had in years. He was home. Oh, he wasn’t where he intended to be in a few days – at Savannah’s side, but he was home. Last night he had been in her bed, and leaving her before daybreak was one of the hardest things he had ever done. But, surely she would understand. He had to protect her until he found out what was going to go down with Lucas. Sipping the bottle of water, he waited for his contact from the base to show up. That had been the only way Patrick could think of to set the ball rolling. After retrieving the flash drive from Savannah’s last night he had placed an early morning call to Commander Edge at Barksdale Air Force base. It had taken him four calls before he was put through.
At first the Commander had been skeptical, but Patrick had served with his son and after he had reminded him that that had met and what they had talked about, Commander Edge had listened. The accusations Patrick was making against a superior officer were very serious, but so was treason. Probably what was most compelling was that Edge’s son had been at Patrick’s funeral and now Patrick himself was telling the old man how he had been betrayed and turned over to an enemy POW camp.
Edge had insisted that Patrick come in and make a statement, but he had also agreed that someone needed to stand guard over Savannah without frightening her to death. So, he was sending an MP to watch her from a safe distance until Patrick could return. He would take the man to where Savannah worked and give him her schedule – there was no way he was letting her go unguarded as long as that fiend, Lucas, was on the loose.
So – he waited. And while he waited, he couldn’t help but marvel at how incredible it had been to make love with Savannah again. There was nothing in the entire world like being buried in her velvet-soft, sweet warmth – nothing. Only thoughts of her had kept him sane while he had been in The Pit.
The Pit had almost been the end of him. Torture unlike anything Patrick had ever dreamed had been his lot. They had water-boarded him, stretched him on the rack, deprived him of sleep and several other things he was trying to black out of his memory. But Patrick had refused to talk. Many times he thought he was going to die. They played Russian roulette with him so often that he eventually stopped flinching when they would pull the trigger.
He might still be there, but Lucas himself had given him the strength to escape. Just over a month ago, the bastard had come to visit him. Patrick had known that Lucas knew where he was and that his commanding officer was the reason he was there – the guards had enjoyed reminding him daily that he had been betrayed by one of his own – an American.
But, the absolute gall of the man was mind-boggling. With his own eyes, Parick had witnessed him taking money for information. Several days later, he had heard the guards laughing about the two helicopters that had been brought down because the traitor had revealed their mission. But the straw that had broken the camel’s back was what had happened when Lucas had paid him a private visit and goaded him, “The mistake you made was going after me, O’Rourke. You’re never getting out of here.”
“You’d better hope I don’t, Lucas. Because, if I ever do escape, you’re a dead man.”
“Where’s the evidence you have on me? I want it. If you give it to me, if you tell me where I can find it – maybe I’ll ask them to kill you quick. Wouldn’t you rather be put out of your misery than stay in this hell for three more years or longer?” The questions had come out of nowhere and chilled Patrick to the bone.
“What evidence?” He played dumb, buying himself time to think.
“Why do you think you’re here? I knew you were gathering evidence against me. I’m not stupid.” Lucas spat on the floor.
“That’s debatable.” How much did he know? Every cell in Patrick’s body went on high alert as he waited for the verdict. How much did he know about Savannah? God, he hoped he hadn’t heard too much before Patrick noticed he had been at the cemetery with them that night.
“I took your possessions apart before I sent them home to your friend. It wasn’t in your belongings.”
Patrick said nothing.
“I’ve kept an eye on your buddies.”
That didn’t worry Patrick. If Jayco and Hawke had been up to something they would be smart enough to hide it from Lucas.
“Is it at your little slut’s house? What’s her name? Savannah? She was with you at the cemetery.”
Patrick lunged across the room and if Lucas hadn’t backed up, he would have seized him through the bars.
“You stay away from Savannah!”
Lucas had the audacity to laugh. “Ah, did I hit a nerve?” The shithead narrowed his eyes and looked at him. “Either you’re just highly protective or I’m right. Which is it?”
“You’ve never been right about anything in your life!” Patrick knew he wasn’t being convincing, but he was furious and scared shitless for Savannah. It was bad enough being in some damn hell-hole, but having to worry about his beloved would be impossible to bear.
“Well, we’ll see. In a few weeks, I’ll be going stateside – and guess who I’ll be visiting.”
The taunting tone in Lucas’s voice ramped up Patrick’s rage. “You come within a hundred miles of her and I’ll blow you to the very gates
