Part 26 (1/2)
But he shook his head. ”You have to do something for me at this point,” he said quietly, reaching into a coat pocket.
”What do you mean?” She was certain he had been leaning toward her, too, but then pulled back.
Tucker held up a blindfold. ”You have to wear this thing until we get to the rendezvous point with Mr. Lawrence. Colby's orders.”
”Oh, come on. You can't be serious.”
”Unfortunately, I am. You have your secrets, and we have ours.” He motioned to her. ”Turn around.”
Reluctantly she turned her head, then the world was gone behind a soft fabric extending from her forehead to beneath her nose. ”Not too tight,” she protested.
”Sorry.”
”I can't believe I'm doing this,” she muttered to herself.
Tucker knotted the blindfold at the back of her head, then slipped the Jeep into first gear, turned right at the intersection, and gunned the engine.
She gripped the Jeep's door and the console between them tightly, now unable to antic.i.p.ate the turns of the narrow lane. ”Hey, slow down!”
”Okay, okay.” Tucker eased off the accelerator. ”So, what else is going on in your world?”
Her feelings for him had come from nowhere. Suddenly she'd realized that she cared about him, but, just as she thought the spark was about to ignite and that he felt the same way, he had pulled back. Perhaps he was afraid that Jake would find out. ”I'm seeing my son this weekend,” she said. ”My ex-husband is dropping Hunter off tomorrow evening.”
”Didn't you just see Hunter last weekend?”
”Yes.”
”But I thought Mr. Lawrence told me you only got to see him once a month.”
”That's right.”
”Then what's going on?”
”My ex seems to be developing a conscience.”
”This would be the guy who brought you to Richmond in the first place, the one who didn't turn out to be your knight in s.h.i.+ning armor.”
”Yes.”
”Be careful, Angela.”
”Why?”
”You know why. He wants something.”
Angela gripped the Jeep door tightly as they went around a sharp curve. ”Maybe he does, but I can handle myself. Besides, any extra time I get to spend with Hunter is worth any risk.”
Tucker slowed the Jeep down and they coasted across a narrow bridge spanning a creek. ”Why aren't you seeing anyone, Angela?”
At least he was still trying. That was a good sign. ”How do you know I'm not?”
”Colby gave me a full rundown on you while you were having dinner with Mr. Lawrence.”
Of course they knew. They seemed to know everything. ”I've been too busy lately.”
”Uh-huh.”
”How long until we get there?” she asked, her thoughts turning to the voice mail she'd received from Liv this morning. The man who had claimed to have information concerning Bob Dudley had called back and wanted to meet. She had tried to call Liv to warn her against going-or at least to be very careful-but hadn't been able to reach her.
”Not too long.”
Five minutes later Tucker stopped at the first checkpoint. It was another bridge crossing a creek. Two armed men emerged from the woods, pointing a flashlight into Tucker's face and on Angela's blindfold. ”Half a mile ahead up on your right,” one of them said gruffly. ”There's an entrance to a dirt road between two large oak trees. Follow that road until you arrive at the first T. A person there will direct you further.”
”Right.” Tucker gestured at Angela. ”Can she take off the blindfold?”
”Not yet,” came the sharp reply. ”Now move ahead.”
A half a mile down the lane Tucker identified two huge oak trees and a dirt road leading off into the forest. As he turned onto it, two more men appeared from the brush and signaled for him to stop. Once again, Angela and he were inspected, then waved ahead. Once again, Angela was not allowed to remove her blindfold. But at the first T in the road-where they were instructed to go left until they reached the next fork-she was given permission to uncover her eyes. Tucker had convinced the guards that there was no reason to impose such strict precautions at this point. Angela had been blindfolded for fifteen minutes and would never be able to find her way back here again. The guards had relented because they'd been given strict orders to treat her respectfully. She was not to be frisked this time.
”It sure is lonely back here,” Angela observed as Tucker guided the Jeep along the rutted dirt path. ”Kind of spooky too.” Tall, bare oaks and elms rose above them into the winter night. ”Why do you think this road is here? It doesn't look like a driveway.”
”Probably an old logging access route,” Tucker responded. ”Doesn't look like it's been used in a while.”
Once more, armed men appeared like specters from the woods as Angela and Tucker rounded a bend. This time there were five of them. Once more the Jeep was waved ahead after being closely inspected. Then the road opened up onto the edge of a small field, and Angela spied several other Jeeps as well as what appeared to be about fifteen to twenty men standing around the vehicles in groups of three and four, rifles slung over their shoulders. Then she recognized William Colby striding purposefully toward them in the headlights.
”h.e.l.lo, Bill,” Tucker called, stepping from the vehicle.
”Good evening, John.” Colby nodded at the guard following him. The man moved briskly to where Tucker stood and began frisking him.
”What the h.e.l.l is this?” Tucker bellowed as the guard patted him down.
”Shut up, John.” Colby turned toward Angela, who had gotten out of the Jeep and come around to the driver's side. ”h.e.l.lo, Ms. Day. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but we're on high alert tonight due to some intelligence I've just received. Mr. Lawrence was in New York City today and is flying in by helicopter to meet you. He should be here in no more than ten minutes.”
”Thank you,” she answered. Colby seemed more polite tonight. Almost civil.
He turned back toward Tucker. ”I trust you didn't see anyone following you. Not like the other night,” he said quietly so Angela couldn't hear.
”I didn't see anything. Look I'm p.i.s.sed that you would have your guys frisk me for Christ-”
”Enough,” Colby interrupted, turning his attention to Angela. ”I a.s.sume after the instructions I gave you last Sunday night, Ms. Day, you didn't tell anyone what you were doing this evening.”
Before leaving the hotel, Colby had given her specific instructions not to disclose her meetings with Jake Lawrence to anyone. Just before leaving her apartment, however, she had recorded a message on Carter Hill's cell phone voice mail. ”No,” she answered hesitantly, ”I didn't.” She looked away, wondering if he could tell she was lying.
”Good.” He motioned for Angela and Tucker to follow him. ”Come this way.”
With guards surrounding them, Angela had to jog through the knee-high underbrush along the edge of the field to keep up with Colby's quick pace. It was clear and cold, and as she hustled along, she pulled the zipper of her ski jacket up to her neck.