Athena Force: Deceived Part 19

She eased out of his arms and forced a smile to her lips. She had to leave. "This is difficult, you know. Betraying Jonas," she said, focusing on the task at hand. "But I know it's the right thing to do."

Nick's eyes shone with approval. "That's what we all want, Lynn. The world will be a better place if he's not working it."

At nine-thirty Lynn sat in the living room alone, waiting for Jonas's arrival. Nick was in the kitchen. The other men were in place and hidden from sight. All they were missing was the guest of honor.

As she waited, her thoughts went back in time, through her childhood and adolescence. Surely Jonas had loved her just a little? Surely he'd cared about her. But even as she thought this, her mind refused to embrace it.

It was a parent's job to teach their children how to have wings, how to stand on their own, depend on themselves and grow into independent people. That's how people loved their children, by preparing them to leave the nest.

Jonas had done just the opposite. He'd taught her nothing about freedom, had kept her bound to him through fear. He'd wanted to keep her a prisoner forever, using her until she was all used up. That wasn't love.

She heard a car approaching in the distance, and every muscle in her body tensed in antic.i.p.ation. As the car noise grew louder, Nick stuck his head out the kitchen door and gave her the thumbs-up sign, then disappeared once again.

Lynn stood, heart thumping loudly in her chest. This was it. Her final showdown with Jonas. She went to the front window and looked outside as a black sedan pulled up and parked in the driveway. Jonas got out of the driver's side.

She saw him look around, obviously making sure there was no reason for concern. She stepped to the door and opened it to make sure he could see her.

"Uncle Jonas," she said. She hated even calling him Uncle but knew it was important that she act as if nothing had changed between them. If he sensed anything wrong he'd never come inside, and their plan might fall apart.

He hurried toward the door. "Lynn, thank G.o.d." She stepped aside so he could enter the living room. She'd expected Nick's men to move in immediately, but everyone stayed in their hiding places as Jonas hugged her, then stepped back from her.

"It's so good to see you, baby. I was worried sick when I heard that you'd been arrested."

"It was awful." She forced a shudder.

"It's all over now," he replied. "Within hours we'll be safe. Do you have the urn?"

"It's in the bedroom, but before I get it for you I need to know what's going on. Where are we going, Uncle Jonas?"

"So you're coming with me?"

She hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Last night I wasn't sure. I thought maybe I could stay here in the States, but I realize now I can't. I'm a fugitive from justice," she said. "I can't stay here. I sure don't want to go to prison."

"What did you do to my bank accounts, Lynn?"

"I changed the pa.s.swords," she said truthfully. "I didn't want you to leave without me."

"I wouldn't have left without you unless it was absolutely necessary," he replied. "Just because things got screwed up here doesn't mean we can't continue our work someplace else."

Where were Nick and his men? "I'd like that," she said. "And don't worry, I know the new pa.s.swords. The accounts are safe."

"Then get the artifacts and let's get out of here," Jonas said. "We've got the jet waiting for us. We can be in Puerto Isla by nightfall."

"I don't think so." Nick stepped into the room from the kitchen, gun in his hand and pointed toward Jonas. "You aren't going anywhere."

"What's this?" Jonas looked from Lynn to Nick, then before she could guess his intent Jonas grabbed her by the hair and pulled her against his chest. She felt the cold steel of a gun barrel at her temple.

Lynn's heart crashed against her rib cage as Nick cursed. "Let her go, Jonas," he said, his features taut. "You don't want to hurt Lynn."

"Of course I don't want to hurt Lynn," Jonas agreed, his voice smooth as silk. "But I will if necessary. Sorry, baby, but there's no way I'm going to prison. Now, put your gun down, Nick, or I'll shoot her in the head."

Nick's features were tortured, but he bent down and placed his gun on the floor in front of him.

Jonas backed up toward the door as the other three agents stepped into the room from the hallway.

"Hold your fire," Nick exclaimed. "Dammit Jonas, it's over. Let her go."

"You aren't locking me up," he said and tightened his hold around Lynn. "Tell your men to drop their weapons. If you have men outside, you might want to tell them that with my last breath I'll pull this trigger. You'll get me, but she'll be dead. Can you live with that?"

Nick glanced at one of the other men. "Go tell them to hold their fire. Hold their fire, dammit." The agent ran toward the back of the house while the others placed their guns on the floor.

As Jonas half dragged, half carried Lynn out the front door, she felt as if she'd fallen into the middle of a nightmare. The shock of the realization that Jonas would kill her to save himself had her numb.

She hadn't realized until this moment that a small part of her had clung to the belief that Jonas loved her just a little.

They reached the porch, and still the barrel of his gun drilled into her temple, telling her exactly the extent of his love. He would gladly sacrifice her life to save his own. He would shoot her before he'd allow himself to be taken into custody.

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" Nick yelled as he followed them onto the porch.

As Jonas yanked her toward the car, she knew that if he managed to get her inside, then Jonas would get away and the odds of Lynn surviving were minimal.

"I'm sorry, baby," Jonas said. "But you shouldn't have done this. You shouldn't have set me up like this." He opened the driver's-side door, and as he did, Lynn summoned all the strength she'd ever known.

She flung her elbow backward, hitting Jonas's belly. He grunted in surprise and cracked her in the head with the b.u.t.t of the gun.

She kicked and hit his hand, sending the gun flying from his grip. He shoved her backward and she fell, hitting the ground hard. Before Nick or the agents could do anything to stop him, he was in the car and had started the engine.

Lynn skittered backward like a crab to stop from being run over as Jonas peeled out. The agents fired at the retreating car, but it didn't stop. They ran toward their cars parked down the street, but she knew by the time they managed to give chase Jonas would be gone.

"Call it in," Nick cried as he raced to Lynn's side. "Are you all right?" He crouched down and grabbed her to his chest.

"He got away," she cried. At the same time she grabbed the side of her head where she'd been hit.

"We'll get him," Nick replied, helping her to her feet. "There's no way he's getting on any plane for Puerto Isla. He'll be in custody in a matter of hours." Although Nick spoke with a.s.surance, she saw the deep frustration burning in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Nick."

"It's not your fault. We underestimated him. It will never happen again." He took her by the arm. "Come on, let's get you back inside."

Once inside, the first thing Nick did was look at her head where a goose egg had knotted. He wanted to call for the paramedics, but she a.s.sured him she was fine. He got an ice pack for her, then got on the phone.

Lynn sat on the sofa and held the pack on her head. She'd known that Jonas was a criminal, and she'd known that he'd used her. But she'd never dreamed that he would have the capacity to kill her.

But he did. She'd felt it in the steadiness of his hand as he'd held the gun to her head. She'd heard it in the even tone of his voice. He'd gambled that Nick wouldn't sacrifice her, and he'd won.

It was fast approaching the noon hour when Nick finally came into the living room and sank down on the sofa next to her. "We lost him."

"Oh, Nick, I'm so sorry. Although I'm not surprised."

He shrugged. "The good thing is his bank accounts are useless to him. We've got men at every airport. Hopefully he'll turn up and we'll be there to arrest him. We have enough on him now to ensure a conviction on a mult.i.tude of charges. We'll get him, Lynn. It's just a matter of time. How's your head?"

"Better. You should have taken the chance and shot him."

"I couldn't do that. I couldn't take a chance with your life," he said. He reached for her hand and grabbed it in a tight grip, his eyes as dark as she'd ever seen them. "I've never been more terrified in my life than when I saw that gun pressed to your head."

She pulled her hand from his, a new pain filling her chest as she realized it was time for her to go. "I'm fine. I need to call a cab. I need to get to the Sleepy Time Motel."

He frowned. "You don't need a cab. I'll take you."

"Don't you need to be here, or doing something about Jonas?" she asked.

"It's out of my hands now. We've got agents all over the city looking for him. I can take you wherever you need to go."

In minutes they'd loaded her suitcases in the trunk of his car. For most of the twenty-minute drive to the motel room, they were both quiet.

It was not a comfortable silence. Rather, it was filled with a tension she'd never felt between them before. She cast a surrept.i.tious glance at Nick. His jaw muscle was knotted, and she wondered what thoughts were whirling in his head.

She was certain he was thinking about Jonas and the escape. After all, he'd worked two long years undercover to see it all fall apart in a matter of minutes. He must be devastated.

She had no words of comfort to offer him, although her heart ached for his disappointment. But that wasn't the only reason her heart ached.

There was no more time to explore the depth of her feelings for Nick. There would be no more times for making love, no more slow dances at Smokey's or walking on the beach and talking about nothing and everything important.

It was time to say goodbye.

When they reached the motel, she saw that Dawn's car wasn't there. Apparently, she hadn't arrived yet. Nick helped Lynn unload her suitcases and carry them inside the room.

"What happens now?" he asked, his gaze dark and brooding as it lingered on her.

"My sister should be arriving soon, then we'll be leaving."

"Are you going to tell me where you're going?"

She thought about it, then shook her head. "To tell the truth, I'm not sure exactly where we're headed."

He stepped close to her, so close she could feel his breath on her face and smell the scent of him. "Secrets. I see them in your eyes." She didn't reply. She didn't know what to say.

All she knew for certain at this moment was that saying goodbye to him was going to be more difficult than she'd thought. Not that he was asking her to stay, she thought. He'd gotten what he needed from her even though Jonas had managed to escape.

And she'd gotten what she needed from him-a glorious night of lovemaking to remember for the rest of her life....

"Lynnette." His voice, soft and deep, pulled her from her thoughts. She looked into his eyes, and what she saw there frightened her more than anything she'd ever faced. "Don't go."

Those two words shot through her heart like twin daggers. She hadn't expected to hear them from him. She hadn't realized until this moment how much she'd wanted to hear them from him.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her closer against him. Her head fit perfectly just beneath his chin. She leaned into him and closed her eyes.

She was capable of doing amazing physical feats, she could hear the wings of a b.u.t.terfly in the air and endure a man who had a gun to her head, but nothing had prepared her for this.

"Don't leave," he murmured into her hair at the same time that his arms encircled her. "I've dated a lot of women, have had my share of relationships, but I've never felt about anyone like I feel about you."

It would have been easy if he'd just been using her. She'd hurt when she'd believed that, but it was nothing like the pain that ripped through her now.

"I have to go," she said, and kept her face turned into his chest.

"Why? Tell me your secrets, Lynn."

She finally looked up at him. "I can't, Nick." Reluctantly she pulled away from him and stepped out of his embrace. "I can't tell you why, but I have to leave."

His gaze held hers intently, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "So this is it? We make love last night and we say goodbye today?"

She felt the pain she saw reflected in his eyes. It shocked her, and she realized his feelings for her were as deep as hers for him. "Nick, there are things I can't tell you about, things I have to do before I can go on with my life."

"Are you in trouble?"

She didn't know how to answer that question. "I'm not sure." She had no idea where the circ.u.mstances of her birth and Rainy's death might take her.

He reached out for her hands and squeezed them tightly. "I'm an FBI agent, Lynn. If you're in trouble, talk to me. Let me help."

"I have to do this for myself, Nick. I had to find out about my past before I can go forward with my future."

He squeezed her hands once again. "You're an amazing woman."

She smiled. "Thank you, but I'm just beginning to know the woman I am...to envision the woman I can be." Aware that Dawn would arrive at any moment, she knew she could no longer put off the final goodbye.

"Nick-" she pulled her hands from his "-you need to go now." The words threatened to choke her.

"One more thing before I leave." He reached out and pulled her back into his arms, and his mouth claimed hers in a kiss so deep, so complete, that tears burned her eyes.

When he finally released her, his gaze held a wistfulness she felt in her soul. "Will you be back?" he asked, his voice sounding deeper than usual.

"Maybe when I've taken care of what I need to."

"How long do you think that will be?"

She drew a deep breath. "I don't know. Days...weeks...I just don't know. Nick, I can't think about any kind of a future right now. I don't even know what's going to happen an hour from now."

"I'll wait, you know. However long it takes. We had magic, Lynn. I don't want it to end. All you have to do is tell me there's a reason for me to wait."

She started to open her mouth to reply, but he placed a finger over her lips. "Not now. The past forty-eight hours of your life haven't exactly been calm. You get where you need to go, Lynnette White, then if you want me to wait for you, if you think we can have some kind of future, you call me."

He didn't wait for her reply but slid out the door and into the afternoon sunshine.

She moved to the doorway, the late-July sunshine almost blinding her, bringing tears to her eyes as she watched him get into his car and roar off.

The moment he was gone Dawn pulled up in her car and stuck her head out the window. "Come on, shake a leg, sis. We've got a flight to catch."

With those words, Lynn's future reached out to her, even as she mourned what might have been.