Colby Agency: Guardian Of The Night Part 20

Someone was opening the large overhead door.

The sun was up. Light filled the warehouse, crowding out the darkness.

Blue tried to s.h.i.+eld Noah with her body. The semi-automatic weapon belonging to the general slipped from his limp fingers. She reached for it, her gaze never leaving the silhouetted figure standing in the now fully open doorway.

She started to raise the weapon...

"Put it down. Now."

Disbelief held her in suspended animation for two beats.

The figure stepped forward, his own weapon leveled on her.

Edgar Rothman.

She tightened her grip on the gun and took a bead. "Close that door or I'll shoot."

Rothman laughed. "No you won't. Because I'll shoot Noah. You might kill me, but I'll kill him."

He was right. His aim was now directed at Noah. He might be a scientist, but who knew what kind of marksman he was.

Noah groaned.

"You're killing him!" she cried, her hands beginning to tremble in spite of her best efforts. Why was Rothman doing this? Reality jolted her like a lightening strike. He was the mole...the man on the inside. The one who'd helped Leberman.

"Precisely," Rothman said. "Even if you stopped me now, which is highly unlikely, that slow-working poison I injected will kill him within a few hours."

Blue shook her head. "Why?"

Rothman smiled. "For the money. What else? Leberman made me an offer I couldn't refuse. It's a shame the general and his men didn't take care of the two of you and save me the trouble. Although I must admit that Bonner's sudden appearance was unexpected, I'm disappointed he failed. Be that as it may, as soon as the two of you are dead, I'm rus.h.i.+ng to the hospital where Lucas and Victoria are. I won't have any trouble getting in, especially when I tell them that Leberman has struck again. Then I'll finish Lucas and retire in style." He adopted a look of annoyance. "If Leberman had done his part, I wouldn't be in this position. I wasn't supposed to have to kill anyone. But, you see, he had to leave in a hurry. So, unfortunately, it's my job to finish what he started, one way or another. That was the deal. Once you're all dead, I get the rest of my money."

She shook her head again. "You were supposed to be Director Casey's friend...Noah's friend. I can't believe this."

"You don't have to. You're dead."

Rothman swung his aim in her direction.

Two shots echoed in rapid succession.

Blue stumbled back.

She was. .h.i.t.

But only once...she thought.

There had been two shots.

She hadn't discharged her weapon...

Noah. Was he hit? The poison...

The lights suddenly dimmed.

She swayed. Her knees buckled.

The concrete floor flew up to meet her. It felt cold beneath her.

Chapter Fifteen.

Three Months Later Finally, an a.s.signment.

Blue took a seat in front of Lucas's desk at Mission Recovery's headquarters and tried to contain her antic.i.p.ation. The secretary had said that he would be right back and that Blue should wait. She had been on light duty for three long months. After what felt like an eternity jockeying a desk, the doctor had allowed her to return to field duty.

She forced away the thoughts of Noah that immediately resurrected. She couldn't think about him. It still hurt too much. All she had left of him was that painting and she stared at it for hours on end each night. How pathetic was that?

Edgar Rothman had almost succeeded in killing him. But somehow Noah had survived.

Blue still couldn't come to terms with Rothman's duplicity. The man had claimed to be Noah's friend as well as Director Casey's. And he'd tried to destroy them both, Noah personally and Casey professionally. Lucas had explained to her that Rothman's failure with the chameleon implant had pushed him over the edge. At one time he had been a brilliant research scientist, a genius. The failure and subsequent downgrade in his position with the government had turned him bitter and angry. But no one had suspected. He showed up for work every day and pretended all was well.

His bitterness had only deepened as Thomas Casey had continued to move up the ranks. The idea that Casey was successful and he was not had, apparently, been too much to take. In the end, Rothman had seen Noah as part of the reason his life and career were a failure. Transference of guilt was not uncommon in this kind of case. At least that's what the shrinks said. Blue had always heard that genius was only a narrow margin away from insanity. Rothman had proven that when he accepted Leberman's offer. Of course the money had been substantial. From what they'd discovered among Rothman's bank accounts and other personal belongings, Leberman had already provided him with more money than he could hope to make in several lifetimes as a researcher.

And then there was Leberman...still at large.

Thoughts of Noah managed to trickle into her musings. He'd saved her life by managing to get off that one shot, killing Rothman. But Rothman had put a bullet in her, a little too high to be lethal, but it had screwed up her shoulder pretty badly. Still, she was thankful Rothman had turned out to be a lousy shot. And even more thankful Noah hadn't allowed him a second attempt to improve his standing.

Busy cleaning up, the owner from BullDog's bar had called the sheriff after hearing the gunfire. When he'd realized it was safe to approach the building, he'd closed the overhead door for Noah. Then the guy had stayed with Noah and Blue, though she had no recall of it, until help arrived. And Lucas had thought the islanders weren't friendly.

In the hospital, after surgery, Blue had learned that Noah had been taken into custody by the organization where Rothman had worked...where Noah had once worked.

Though she'd tried to contact him several times that first month after leaving the hospital, she'd had no luck. Finally, she'd given up. Well, actually, Lucas had ordered her to stop trying. He would only tell her that Noah was alive and receiving treatment.

She was grateful that he was alive.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Callahan," Lucas said as he came in and settled into the leather executive's chair behind his wide mahogany desk.

"No problem, sir." She pushed all other thoughts from her mind and focused on the man before her. Lucas was fully recovered as well. He appeared to have suffered no permanent complications.

He folded his hands atop the blotter on his desk and settled that penetrating gray gaze on hers. "I'm afraid this meeting is not about a new a.s.signment. In fact, I'd like you to take a couple of weeks of actual vacation starting now."

"What?" Shock, quickly followed by ire, quaked through her. "I'm ready for an a.s.signment. I've been on desk duty for-"

Lucas held up a hand silencing her. "This is a direct order from Casey."

Blue seethed. This was ridiculous, that's what it was. Casey would hear about this.

Lucas picked up a small envelope. "I think this will explain the reasoning behind our decision." He pa.s.sed the envelope to Blue.

Trying her best to contain her fury, she ripped the envelope open and pulled out what looked like an invitation. The embossed front depicted a local Georgetown art gallery. Recognition flared. It was the gallery where she'd purchased Noah's painting. Her fingers suddenly cold and trembling, she opened the invitation and stared at the printed words inside.

The Nelson Gallery cordially invites you to the premiere showing of the works of Noah David Drake on Friday, October 27, at 5:00 p.m.

Her heart thundered into a run. That was today.

Her gaze locked with Lucas's. "What's this about?"

His expression gave nothing away. "That is the first of many showings and personal appearances to come if the critics are right about his work."

She shook her head. "No, I mean is he all right? Really all right?"

Lucas nodded. "There was no antidote. Rothman lied. Nearly a year ago, however, one of his proteges came up with a surgical procedure to fix things, but Rothman never mentioned it to Noah since that's about the time Leberman approached him."

She could scarcely breathe. "So he's okay? The light..."

"The condition is completely stabilized. No side effects whatsoever. But it was a painful process. A dangerous process. Nothing like Rothman had suggested. Noah didn't want you to know. He had to undergo extensive surgery and then weeks of rehabilitation."

Blue blinked furiously to hold back the gathering tears. "So, he's okay and he wants to see me?" She looked at the invitation. "This was his idea?"

Lucas smiled. "Yes on all counts. That's why we knew you'd need a couple of weeks off. Drake said something about a long, private, secluded vacation on some mountain in Switzerland."

Blue stood, almost dizzy with happiness. "I...I have to go." She had to find just the right dress. She had to...

What she felt certain was an absolutely moonstruck smile slid across her lips. Noah wanted to be with her. They could have a life together now. "I have to go," she repeated.

"See you in two weeks, Callahan," Lucas said as she rushed out of his office.

She tossed him a wave without slowing down. It was three already. She had to hurry.

Blue grabbed her purse from her desk and took the stairs two at a time. She was too keyed up to wait for the elevator. Noah was waiting for her.

BLUE HESITATED outside the Nelson Gallery. She considered the little black dress and spiked heels she wore. Noah had never seen her dressed like this and with her hair fas.h.i.+oned in a French twist. What if he didn't like it? What if the two weeks in Switzerland was all he wanted?

She couldn't keep torturing herself.

Fortifying herself with a deep breath, she entered the elegant, quiet gallery. She was early, few patrons had arrived as yet. The climate-controlled air made her s.h.i.+ver. She smiled, her pulse leaping. Or maybe it was the man waiting for her just inside the door.

"h.e.l.lo, Blue."

The black tailored suit was one of the narrow-fitting designer ones. The crisp white s.h.i.+rt was open at the throat and displayed a few inches of that magnificent chest. She swallowed tightly. He looked wonderful. His thick, dark hair was a little shorter, but otherwise...perfect.

"h.e.l.lo, Noah."

They stared at each other for a very long time. Both content simply to look.

Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she could scarcely draw a breath, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. He was really here. It was still daylight outside and he was free of the curse that had plagued him for five long years.

He had his life back.

"I've missed you," he said finally in that dark, enigmatic voice.

"I've missed you," she echoed.

He looked away for a moment. Her heart lurched. Was this the part where he let her down easy? No, she wouldn't accept that.

His gaze collided with hers once more. "I was thinking that we should spend some time together, alone, getting to know each other. Really getting to know each other."

She clenched her fingers around the tiny black beaded bag in her hand. "I have some time off coming." She hardly recognized her voice. She sounded so uncertain...so small.

He moved a step closer. "I've thought of nothing but you for three months," he said softly. "You were all that got me through the pain of recovery."

She blinked at the tears welling. "I wanted to see you."

He shook his head slowly as he moved yet another step nearer. "I needed to be whole before I saw you again. I needed to be sure I could offer you what you deserved."

"Noah-"

He raised a hand, cutting off her protest. "I want you in my life permanently. I want us to restore the house together in our spare time. I want us to walk the beach in the moonlight...to have children...to just be...together."

She was the one who moved this time, taking a tiny step forward...toward that fairy-tale life he'd just painted with all the right words. "I'd like that very much."

Finally, just when she thought she'd die if one more second pa.s.sed, he took her into his arms and kissed her. She knew without doubt that she would spend the rest of her life loving this man. Like finding that painting of his...it was fate.

LUCAS SAT at a table in an open-air coffee shop and watched Blue enter the Nelson Gallery only a few yards away, across the small cobblestone plaza. The moment she entered the ritzy joint, Noah Drake approached her. They talked for a while, then he took her into his arms. The kiss went on and on.

"Do you think they'll come up for air anytime soon?"

Lucas turned his attention across the table to Thomas Casey. "Probably not."

Casey shook his head. "To be that young and in love." His expression turned serious then. "Do you think we're going to lose one of our best Specialists? Drake did tell you he intended to make her his wife."

Lucas s.h.i.+fted his attention to the couple going for a record-breaking kiss in the gallery window. A few pa.s.sersby had stopped to watch the show.

"No, I don't think we'll lose her," Lucas said with complete certainty. "I think we're going to gain a h.e.l.l of an intelligence officer to add to our ranks. One who has a real gift."

Casey nodded. "We could use Drake."