Twenty-three
John was waiting for her dressed in a T-shirt and
slacks when she tapped at his motel room door at midnight. He opened the
door, but blocked her way in.
“We’ve got Dimitri,” Jennifer said. “He just sort of
dropped in on our doorstep.”
“Alive?”
“Francis fed him some chicken soup and he’s doing
just fine. Tell your boss we’ll trade him for some assurances of our
safety. I wrote up an account of everything that’s happened to me during
the past few days on Francis’ portable computer and Francis ran into town
and made copies of my print-out. We’ll mail them to all the local
television stations and newspapers, e-mail them to the FBI and anyone else
we can think of, and turn Dimitri over to the first reporter who promises
a story. The only thing I left out is you.”
John stared at her in astonishment, but took her
ultimatum in stride. “I’ll relay the message,” he said. “The response
should be interesting.”
He started to close the door. Jennifer put her foot
in the way. “I want to stay here with you.”
“I’ll give you a call.”
“No. This is too important, and nobody else knows
how to deal with you. Besides, Francis hired a mercenary to protect us.
If you don’t deal with me, you’ll have to deal with him.”
“That wasn’t smart,” John said. “Her mercenary
could as easily be my replacement. There’s no way she can know his
loyalties.”
“Then maybe you’ll want to get this thing settled
before he gets here.”
“I’ll do that,” John said, “but I can do without the
distraction.”
“I’d feel safer here with you.”
“Kid, you won’t be safe with me.”
“There’s nothing you can do to hurt me if you’re not
going to kill me. I’m sorry about the distraction thing, but I thought
men like that kind of distraction, seeing as we happen to be of the
opposite sex.”
John sighed in self-contained misery. “You’re just a
kid.”
“I’m a precocious kid, okay?”
She took her foot away. He shook his head with
exasperation and started again to close the door.
“Please?”
She said it without making a move to stop him. Her
tone of voice was enough.
“Kid, I operate alone,” John said. “You’re nothing
but trouble and we both know it.”
“Big deal. Since when are you a law-abiding citizen
that can’t handle a little trouble?”
“I wouldn’t be the one risking the trouble,” John
said evenly.
“I’ve done okay so far, and the kind of trouble
you’re talking about is a long way from being unnatural or unhealthy.”
He sighed heavily. “Don’t you have family, kid,
someone to teach you right from wrong?”
“You teach me. I was orphaned in California. I came
from around here somewhere, but I’m not sure where. Please, I don’t have
anyone else but you.”
He could sense that she had one last comment to add,
and he waited for it patiently.
“And you don’t have anyone but me.”
“Shit,” he murmured to himself, and he said it as if
she had shot him with her gun, but he opened the door and let her in.
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