“Is she okay?” the woman asked. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Just stay close,” she heard Jack reply. Her head began to swim and her vision went blurry as her head lolled against Jack’s shoulder. As darkness rose up to claim her, Maddie heard Jack’s frantic words. “Finn? Finn, do you copy? We need an evac!”
* * *
Jack sat next to the bed where Maddie lay, still unconscious. The doctor had said she had a concussion, but that it wasn’t too serious. So why the hell hadn’t she woken up yet? He bent forward in his chair, resting his forehead on his clasped hands and closed his eyes, trying to bring his emotions back under control.
“I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
He lifted his head at the sound of Claire Davenport’s voice. He’d almost forgotten that she was sitting in the corner of the hospital room, curled up in the only other chair in the tiny space. The hospital had been flooded with injuries as a result of the blast that had apparently left twenty people dead and nearly a hundred injured, several critically.
When he looked away without responding, Claire added softly, “This is my fault, isn’t it? None of this would’ve happened if Tad hadn’t sent me that flash drive.”
He shook his head. “No. This isn’t your fault, Claire. These people are ruthless, shameless. They don’t care who they hurt, how many lives they ruin.”
“Why did they want the flash drive?” she asked. “Don’t they already know what’s on it?”
He shook his head again. “It contains proof of who we are, what we do. At least, that’s what we think it is. We won’t know for certain until I get this back to headquarters and have our tech people take a look at it. But we can’t risk exposure—that’s why everyone is after it. I’m sorry, but we couldn’t let you confront Hale about it and risk letting it fall into his hands.”
“I only wanted to find Will,” she said so softly he almost didn’t hear her. “I needed to know that I hadn’t dreamed what happened in Nigeria, that there was this guardian angel who’d saved my life. I just wanted to know that he was still alive, that there were . . . that there were still people out there who gave a damn and made a difference. After all I’d seen in that town, the carnage . . . I needed something to believe in again.”
Jack turned back to her, studying her for a long moment. “You have to give up this search, Claire. It’s too dangerous for you. That’s why Will has stayed away.”
She swiped at her cheeks, where silent tears streaked her skin. “How exactly am I supposed to do that? There are things I’ve seen, things I’ve experienced that Ican’tforget. I owe it to the people who’ve died, to remember.”
“We’ll relocate you,” Jack promised, “give you a new identity, make sure that the men who’ve been after you won’t be able to find you. You’ll be safe.”
What he didn’t say was that she’d have no choice in the matter.
She offered him a tremulous smile. “I don’t even know your name. Not your real name.”
“Not many people do,” Jack told her. “Not even the woman lying in this bed. And I love her more than life.”
“Does she know that?” Claire asked.
Jack’s brows lifted. “She did once. I don’t know if she does now.”
Claire sniffed and wiped her cheeks again. “It seems to me life’s too short to keep that kind of thing to yourself.”
“It’s complicated,” he muttered.
Claire gave him a sympathetic smile through her tears. “Whenisn’tlove complicated?”
Maddie moaned softly, drawing his attention back to the hospital bed. He gripped her hand, smoothing her skin lightly. “How are you, love?”
She opened her eyes, squinting against the dim light in the room. “I feel like shit. How are you?”
He chuckled, relieved that her sense of humor was still intact. “Doing better than you are.”
Maddie’s eyes went wide. “Where’s Claire? Do you have the flash drive?”
Claire was at the bedside in an instant, offering Maddie a shy smile. “I’m here. Thanks to you and Jack. And he has the flash drive.”
“So what now?” Maddie asked, her lids heavy.
“You rest,” Jack told her, smoothing her curls away from her face. “Then we’ll head back to our hotel to grab our gear before leaving for Chicago. Finn’s eager to get to work on this intel.”
She nodded. “Sounds good. What about Claire?”
