Part 10 (1/2)
He had no right to draw her into his private world. It was bad enough that she was here in a professional capacity. To play upon her feelings...her attraction to him...was wrong, selfish. He understood that and still he could think of nothing else. He wanted her with a desperation that minimized all else into insignificance.
This was a decision she had to make. In order to do that she had to know all the facts. If, after being made aware of his circ.u.mstances, she chose to pursue this path, so be it. Becoming involved with him would be a mistake, but it was hers-hers alone-to make if she so desired. And when her time here was up, she would go.
Decision made, Noah went in search of her.
He found her in the living room scanning the perimeter of the yard via the monitor that was a duplicate of the one in his room. It had been set to nighttime use, which eliminated the numerous filters that blocked the brightness of the sun during daylight hours.
Before making his presence known he studied her for a while. He liked very much that she always wore her hair down. Her clothes were far too concealing for his taste. He would like to see her in a great deal less fabric, fabric that was much more sheer. Actually, he'd like nothing more than to see her completely naked.
She turned abruptly, as if he'd telegraphed that last thought to her. The moment she became aware of his presence her tension grew palpable. The bruise on her cheek had darkened. Anger seethed inside him again. Not for the first time he wished it within his power to hurt the man responsible for that mark as well as the others. He thought of the way he'd touched her early this morning, applying the antiseptic ointment, and he longed to touch her more intimately.
First, he had to know that's what she wanted. Before she could make an informed decision she had to know the full truth. She had to know everything. Primarily that there was no future involved.
”I hope you slept well,” she said, her tone guarded. She was uncertain of this ground, and he could understand that, considering his conflicting signals.
”Not very.” He paused next to her. ”And you?”
Those blue eyes locked fully onto his and need welled inside him. ”I didn't sleep at all,” she admitted. ”Lowell and I spent the entire day making sure the food supplies and so forth were safe.”
”I take it you found all to your satisfaction?” She was treading carefully here, keeping the conversation on business.
”Everything but three bars of soap that were delivered last week. Chester insists that the supplies were never out of his sight, yet the gla.s.s was imbedded in all three and all were made to look as if they'd never been opened.”
He filed that information for later a.n.a.lysis. ”Anything else?”
”Inside each soap wrapper there was a note. Cut-and-paste jobs like the others.”
He waited expectantly for her to continue.
”Gotcha!” She searched his eyes, for reaction no doubt. ”That's all. Just that one word.”
Noah scrubbed a hand over his chin, belatedly noting that he should have shaved, but he'd had no patience for it. ”I think I'd like to speak with Chester myself on the matter. Lowell as well. Has he retired already?”
She nodded. ”I think he was pretty tuckered out from all the excitement.”
”We had a visitor,” Noah prodded. He'd been aware of the intrusion, but had not wanted to interfere. He'd recognized the man from Edgar's description of him. The infamous Lucas Camp. The man inspired awe in most, hatred in a few. But everyone in the business had heard of him. He was a legend.
”Lucas Camp, my boss.” She ma.s.saged her forehead with her fingers, tired and sleep-deprived. The exhaustion was only now catching up to her, the struggle was visible. ”He believes we're missing something right under our noses. He wants to dig a little deeper into Chester's background as well as Lowell's.”
Noah lifted one shoulder in a shrug. ”Though I doubt he'll find what he's looking for in either of those gentlemen, I agree that we are overlooking something.”
He tried not to devour her with his eyes, but the task was a difficult one. He wanted to study every line and curve of her. To know her by heart. No matter what else happened.
”No one on the island has ever given you trouble in the past?”
That angle had already been pursued, but he wasn't opposed to repeating the exercise. ”There are a couple of the locals who at first resented my presence since they didn't understand my circ.u.mstances. They made a few idle threats, threw rocks at my house, nothing drastic. In time they simply gave up and accepted that I was here to stay.”
She looked directly at him now, her eyes earnest. ”And what are your circ.u.mstances, precisely?”
He motioned to the sofa. ”Please, sit down.”
She held his gaze, unmoving, trying to read him, a.s.sess his intent, but he gave away nothing just yet. Finally, she relented and perched on the edge of the sofa looking anything but relaxed.
He selected a seat directly across from her. He wanted to see the reaction in her eyes when he told her what she wanted to know. What he needed her to know.
”Five years ago a prototype cloaking device was stolen from Edgar Rothman's research group. The device, in the wrong hands, posed a serious threat to national security. I agreed to retrieve it.”
”The general stole it,” Blue offered.
”Correct.” Some parts she already knew. Now for the hard part that she didn't know. ”In order to retrieve the prototype, I was forced to use a duplicate device. The mission could not be accomplished without absolute anonymity.” Flashes of memories from those moments when he'd insisted on the mission flickered past his mind's eye. Edgar had tried to dissuade him, but he'd known as well as Noah that it was the only way.
”But something went wrong,” she suggested when his silence dragged on.
”Yes. The device is an organic implant that overrides the part of my histology and neurology that controls flesh tones, hair coloring...” He splayed his hands in a magnanimous gesture. ”At will I can take on the qualities of my environment, to an extent. I can blend in. The dark is the most favorable environment.”
She blinked, attempting to hide her initial astonishment. ”Still?” She shook her head. ”I mean, does it still work?”
He nodded affirmatively.
A flicker of irritation darkened those blue eyes. ”That's why I can't see you when you go out into the darkness. You used it to hide from me.” She huffed an exasperated breath, then seemed to catch herself and tuck her annoyance away. ”But there are complications? Side effects?”
”Yes. The implant affected my nervous system in such a way that it remains oversensitive to light. If I'm exposed, there is severe pain that eventually leads to death.”
Her expression turned solemn, fearful...fearful for him. ”So you're not safe in the daytime. If someone tried to flush you out...you'd be at his mercy. They could storm the house, drag you out.”
”I've taken measures against that.” He gestured to her. ”You're here to see that no one is able to do that.” He wasn't prepared to tell her about the escape tunnel just yet.
”I'm not enough.” She pushed to her feet. ”You're too vulnerable in this house. If someone came after you...there are ways to draw you out.”
”There are ways, yes.” He stood, moved toward her. ”No one is exempt from the dangers of everyday life. I live in a prison as it is, I refuse to resort to even more desperate measures. I won't run from him.”
She stared up into his eyes, the emotion in hers something unfamiliar to him. ”There's no way to undo this implant thing? They can't just take it out?”
”No. It's organic. It melded with my own tissue far more quickly than anyone had imagined. Attempting to remove it would result in far worse consequences.”
”There's nothing they can do?”
Noah should simply say no, but that would be a lie. He didn't want any untruths between them. ”Edgar Rothman has developed an injection that he believes would shut down the implant, but it carries a great risk as well. There is a very strong possibility that it would damage other areas of my brain. I will not take the risk.”
She looked away from him and shook her head. ”So this is forever?” Her gaze s.h.i.+fted back to his, demanding an answer.
His heart stumbled at the regret he saw in her eyes. But he did not want her pity for what he could not change. ”Yes. It's forever.”
She laid her hand on his arm. ”Thank you for telling me. It means a great deal that you shared this with me. I prefer to be fully informed in order to be more prepared for an a.s.signment.”
He looked down at her, his gaze leaving no room for speculation. ”I didn't tell you this to better prepare you for your a.s.signment, Maggie Callahan,” he said bluntly. ”I shared this information with you because I want you to understand that I'm offering you no strings...no future...nothing beyond here and now.” He reached up to touch her. Her breath caught. His fingertips traced the softness of her cheek. ”I'm only offering this moment, if you wish to take it.”