Читать книгу Bulletproof Marriage - Karen Whiddon - Страница 8

Chapter 2

“Natalie?” Sean couldn’t see. Couldn’t hear. Couldn’t breathe. He inhaled, struggling for air. Concrete dust filled his lungs, making him double over in a racking cough. He should be grateful—at least this proved he was still alive.

What about Natalie?

He called her again, his voice barely rising above a croak.

“Sean?”

Alive! Muttering a quick prayer to the powers that be, Sean attempted to push himself up. Though he tried to harness the energy of the relief that had flooded through him at the sound of her voice, he couldn’t move. Blinded, disoriented and confused, he wasn’t sure why.

“Sean?”

“Over here.”

A volley of gunshots erupted. Those damned AK-47s, blasting a path toward them. Evidently, their pursuers had garnered reinforcements and were on their way to finish off what the grenades hadn’t.

He cursed again, struggling to lift himself off the concrete.

“Sean, come on. We don’t have much time.” Natalie appeared out of the swirling cloud of dust, voice frantic. “Get up. We need to go. Now.”

“I know.” Struggling to push himself up, Sean frowned. He still couldn’t move. Rubbing his eyes, he tried once more. No luck.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t—” Heart pumping overtime, he cursed when he saw the problem. The concrete wall had come down on his left foot, pinning him beneath it.

Funny how wounds don’t hurt until you see them. True to form, the second he noticed, his foot began to throb.

“I’m trapped.”

“Oh, God.” Natalie’s eyes widened, but she didn’t waste time on small talk. “If I lift, can you try to wiggle out?”

He clenched his teeth. “No way you can lift this. Even if you could, my foot’s probably broken. I couldn’t go far.”

She shook her head. “No is not an option. I want you to try.”

Team-leader words. He pondered this for half a second before giving her a cursory nod. “Go for it. If you can manage to lift the pillar, I can certainly manage to move.”

Straining, she grabbed the concrete and gave it her best shot.

Nothing. Not even a minute bit of movement.

“Damn it all to hell.”

Natalie continued to strain, pushing at the concrete.

“Stop,” he ordered. “You need to go. Save yourself.”

“I’m not leaving you.” Her fierceness surprised him. Where was the timid mouse he remembered?

“You have to. If you stay, they’ll kill us both.”

“If I go, they’ll kill you. That’s not acceptable.”

He put all his frustration into the look he gave her. “Listen to me—”

“No!” She threw herself against the concrete again. This time, he could swear the damn thing moved, even if only a fraction of an inch.

“Nat—”

“You’ve got to help me!” Eyes bright, she shoved again. Another infinitesimal movement.

Not enough.

“I can’t.”

“Do you want to die for real?” She shoved her face close to his, nose to nose. “Is that it?”

“No.” He ground out the word, surprised to realize he spoke the truth. Even the dark secret he’d been carrying since before he’d met her wasn’t enough to make him want to give up his life. Especially not since they were together again.

“Then help me!”

Pushing himself to a sitting position, he tried. Bracing his arms against the cement, he used every bit of his strength.

“Bingo.”

The gunfire came again, louder. Closer.

“One more time,” she urged. “You can do it.”

“Rah, rah, rah,” he muttered. Still, he was willing to try.

One more shove did the trick. Together, both their efforts succeeded in moving the concrete off his foot.

“Can you stand?”

“I don’t know.”

She held out her hand. “You have to. Come on.”

Grimacing, he ignored her outstretched fingers and tried to get up on his own.

Though already swollen, it seemed his foot would support him. For now.

Standing, he tried to flash a triumphant smile but ruined the effect the moment he attempted to put weight on his injured foot. Staggering, he nearly fell.

With a loud sigh, she grabbed him. “We don’t have time for this.” Arm around his waist, she half pushed, half lifted, and helped him back to his feet.

“Come on.” Heading toward what had been the back of the alley, she helped him over chunks of cement, twisted metal and smoldering hot spots.

Dust choked him—them—but still she pushed on. He found himself admiring her determination.

“The explosion blew a hole in the backs of both neighboring buildings. The whole area could tumble down like a stack of cards. I’m hoping they don’t know it yet.”

Jaw clenched, Sean nodded. Sweat ran down his face and his foot hurt so badly he was half-afraid he might pass out.

Couldn’t do that. Had to keep Natalie safe.

Or was it the other way around?

His field of vision narrowed, then went gray. Blinking furiously, he tried to keep his focus, fought to keep putting his uninjured foot in front of the other. He knew his wife’s slender shoulders couldn’t support his full weight.

The effort had him panting.

“Easy now.” Nothing but cool satisfaction rang in her voice as she helped him over a large piece of concrete. She didn’t, he noted sourly, even sound winded.

Away from the alley, the smoke-clouded air felt a fraction better. Cleaner. He tried to take a deep gulp and choked.

“Hurry,” she whispered, trying to pull him forward. “We’ve got to move faster or they’ll catch us.”

He was doing the best he could, but she didn’t need to know the extent of his weakness. Pushing himself, he struggled to lengthen his shaky stride and to keep from muttering curses each time he came down on his injured foot.

Natalie led him down a twisted alley, turning left then right and left again—so many different directions that he lost track of them. Finally, they arrived at the back of a pipe shop housed in an ancient stone building.

“In here. Auggie’s one of my contacts. He’s also a friend. He’ll help us.”

Her friend? Since when did contacts become friends? Allowing connections to become personal could be dangerous. That was one of the first things Corbett had taught Sean when he’d begun training many years ago. Natalie should know that—she’d had intensive training when she went to work with SIS.

Sean had actually opened his mouth to caution her when he realized he had no right. She didn’t even consider him her husband anymore. After all, as far as she knew, he’d been dead for the last two years. By choice.

The back door was unlocked. Moving carefully, Natalie let herself in.

Sweating profusely, Sean leaned against the wall, drawing ragged breaths, trying to stay conscious.

“Are you coming?” she asked. If he detected a trace of impatience in her voice, it vanished when he raised his head and she got a good look at his face.

He must look even worse than he felt.

“God, Sean. You need a doctor.” Slipping her arm around him once again, she helped him up the steps and into the back of the shop. Once he was inside, she closed and locked the door behind her.

“There. We should be safe for a bit.”

A moment later, a bearded giant of a man came around the corner. He lifted one bushy brow when he saw Sean.

“Auggie!” Smiling, Natalie hugged him, her arm barely able to circle his neck. “This is Sean. He, uh, does the same line of work I do.”

For some reason, the fact she didn’t name him as her husband rankled.

“I’m her husband,” he said, holding out his hand.

As Auggie’s huge paw engulfed Sean’s, Natalie crossed her arms. “He’s not my husband,” she told the giant man. Then, letting her gaze drift over to Sean, she gave him a hard look. “Not anymore, you’re not. You’re dead.”

“Come on, Nat. I’m not dead.” His protest sounded weak, he knew, but it was difficult to talk and still try to hold on to consciousness.

“You are to me,” she said, turning her back and walking away.

“Sorry, boyo.” Auggie clapped him on the back. Hard.

Sean winced. Looking about for a place to sit, he hobbled over to a large wooden crate. His vision grayed. Again, he clenched his teeth and rode out the pain and nausea.

With fumbling fingers, he managed to extract his cell phone from his pocket.

“No.” Auggie snatched it out of Sean’s hand. “Not unless Natalie says it’s okay.”

Dumbfounded, Sean could only stare.

“I heard my name.” Natalie reentered the room. “What’s up?”

“He was trying to call out.” Tossing her the cell phone, Auggie gave Sean another baleful glare.

“Who are you calling, Sean?”

He could barely answer. “Corbett.”

“Why?”

“I need to find a doctor.”

“I know a good one.” Natalie and Auggie exchanged a look. “Why bother Corbett? We don’t work for him.”

Vision wavering, Sean swallowed. At this point, if Auggie had announced he was a brain surgeon, Sean wouldn’t have cared. “But I do—er, did. Let me call him.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Auggie spoke to Natalie as if Sean wasn’t there.

“He hurt his foot. I don’t think it’s broken.”

“Give. Me. The. Phone.” Sean gritted out the words.

Without hesitation, Natalie tossed it to him. “Knock yourself out.”

He punched in the speed-dial code. A second later, Corbett answered.

“I need the name of a doctor.”

“What? Have you found Natalie?”

Sean answered in the affirmative, filling Corbett in on the details. He ended with his foot injury.

“Sean, ask Natalie. She’ll probably have the best name. SIS has their own people and she’s been working in that area the last two years.”

While he’d been sequestered up in the Highlands, playing dead.

“Point taken.” He sounded churlish, he knew. “At least give me a name.”

“Very well.” Corbett sighed. “Contact Dr. Pachla.”

“Thanks.” Sean ended the call and dropped the phone back into his pocket.

A half smile on her full lips, Natalie watched him. “Let me guess. He told you Dr. Pachla.”

Reluctantly, Sean nodded. Even that slight movement brought him pain. “Can you contact him? Now?”

She looked at Auggie.

Smiling, Auggie nodded. “He’s already on his way.”

Sean leaned his head back against the wall. He must have passed out, because the next thing he knew, he heard the sound of bells tinkling.

Natalie and the giant were standing close together, talking in voices too low for Sean to hear.

“Someone’s here,” Sean muttered. “Maybe the doctor.”

“Or a customer. Just one moment,” Auggie said, disappearing into the front of the shop.

When he returned a moment later, a tall, elegantly handsome blond man followed him. Something about him looked familiar, though Sean knew he hadn’t met the man before.

When the doctor saw Natalie, his aristocratic features lit up. “Nat!”

“Dennie!” Natalie ran to him and hugged him. An intimate body hug with full frontal contact, Sean noticed, his irritation mounting.

For his part, Dennie didn’t seem in any hurry to push her away.

“Ahem.” Sean cleared his throat. “Over here.”

Immediately, Natalie stepped away from the doctor. “Dennie,” she said. “This is Sean. Can you take a look at his foot?”

“Of course.” Kneeling beside Sean, Dennie held out his hand. “Dennie Pachla.”

Sean shook it with as much heartiness as he could muster. “Sean McGregor.”

Both of Dennie’s blond eyebrows rose. “The Sean McGregor?”

Sean gave a weary nod.

Obviously surprised, Dennie glanced at Natalie. “But that would mean—”

“We were married.” Natalie sounded grim. “Once.”

“I was going to say that would mean you’re not dead. But I guess ‘we were married’ works.” Dennie continued. “You’re not still?”

“Yes,” Sean said.

“No,” Natalie replied at the same time.

“We were never divorced.” He glared at her.

“I’d think your death would have dissolved the marriage, don’t you?” She glared back.

“Whoa.” Dennie held up his hands. “Time out. I’ll just be taking a look at this foot, and then I’ll be on my way.”

Auggie went up to Natalie and put his arm around her shoulders. “Why dinna you tell me he was back?”

She shrugged. “I just found out. You know I would have called you.”

Sean winced. Though he’d always secretly harbored the fear their marriage wouldn’t have survived his secret, watching her prove she’d made it without him hurt more than it should.

“We’ll need an X-ray,” Dennie said after a brief exam.

“No time,” Sean responded.

A quick look at Sean’s face showed Dennie he meant business.

“I’m thinking your fifth metatarsal might be broken. Depending on how bad the break is, surgery is sometimes necessary.”

“Not an option.”

“A cast?” Dennie offered.

Sean shook his head no.

“Very well. I’ll run back to my surgery and fetch a walking cast. It’s a heavy boot,” Dennie said as Sean started to protest. “You have to leave it on for six to eight weeks.”

“Perfect.” Sean held out his hand. “Thanks.”

After a brief shake, Dennie rose and headed toward the door. Auggie followed. Only Natalie remained.

“What are you going to do?” she asked quietly. “After he puts that boot on your foot?”

“I came to protect you,” he drawled. “So I’m thinking I’ll accompany you back to London.”

“London?” Though she never raised her voice, her anger simmered in her eyes. “I’m not going to London.”

“That’s the plan.”

“According to whom?”

“Corbett. No doubt he’s been talking to your father.”

Briefly she closed her eyes. When she opened them, he saw determination and resignation in their depths. “I’m not going to London.”

He sighed. “Fine. Then tell me, what are your plans?”

“You never answered.” She crossed her arms and stared at him. Daring him to contradict her. “You first.”

“I said I was going to protect you,” Sean growled. “I’m going after him.”

“Him?”

Though she shouldn’t have had to ask, in a perverse way he was glad she had. He wanted to say the name of his enemy out loud. “The Hungarian.”

“The crime lord?” She looked wary. “Why? Don’t tell me Corbett’s already given you a mission.”

Sean had to remind himself that he had deliberately protected her from the truth about the Hungarian and the evil he could do. She believed his entire family had died in the same fiery crash that had supposedly killed him. In reality, they’d been slaughtered by the Hungarian’s henchmen.

The man known as the Hungarian had completely destroyed both of their lives. The crime lord’s vendetta was the reason Sean had pretended to die, so that Natalie’s life might be spared.

And she knew none of this.

“No,” he said slowly. “No mission. I’m not working for Corbett at the moment.”

“Then why?”

“Because the Hungarian is after you.”

He could see the stubborn light in her eyes.

“The code I was working on before all this started was believed to be his, but what does that have to do with you?”

“That code may be part of the reason your team is dead, but he’s after you because you’re mine.”

When she started to argue, he shushed her with a finger to her lips, oddly gratified when she didn’t immediately jerk her head away.

“Natalie, I need to explain—”

“No.” Violently shaking her head, she pushed herself away from him. “I’m not interested in your explanations. The past is over with. What’s done is done. Save your story for someone who cares.”

He ignored the stab of pain her sharp words brought, knowing that, at least in her mind, he deserved them. “What I have to tell you has a bearing on the situation now.”

“I don’t care. I’ll be fine.”

Exhaling, he dropped the subject, knowing he’d have to try again later. She had to know the facts so she’d know what kind of monster they were up against. “So will I.”

“Have you ever worn one of those walking casts? You can’t move the way you’re used to.”

“Concern? From Super-spy?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t like to be mocked.”

“I’m not mocking you. Isn’t that what you are now?”

“Look, you’re out of practice, injured and you probably have no idea what’s been going on in the underworld since you’ve been gone.”

“Your point?”

“The Hungarian has taken out several of SIS’s best agents. He may be responsible for what happened to my team. If you go after him alone, he’ll kill you.”

So much for faith in his abilities. If anyone needed protecting, it was she. Sean could take care of himself.

“I’m already dead, remember?” He gave her his best cold look. “If he kills me, I guarantee I’ll take him down with me. Anyway, I’m not your problem anymore, now am I?”

Waiting with bated breath for her answer, Sean knew he longed for her to say the impossible. Extremely foolish, considering she’d been absolutely correct. Unless he killed the Hungarian, he didn’t expect to come back except in a body bag.

Natalie opened her mouth to speak, then shook her head. “No.”

His stomach clenched.

“You’re absolutely right,” she said, turning her back to him. “What you do isn’t my concern. But I think you should know we’re bound to cross paths sooner or later.”

“What do you mean?”

One swift glance over her shoulder, the directness of her gaze taking his breath away. “If the Hungarian is trying to kill me, then I refuse to sit around and wait for him to come after me. I’m going to him.”

Stunned, he could only stare. She’d just outlined his worst nightmare. “Why?”

She lifted her chin. “Among other things, I’m an SIS agent. My mission is clear.”

Before he could comment, she spun on her heel and walked out of the room. A moment later, he could hear her laughter mingling with Auggie’s.

Her life no longer included him. He should be used to the pain by now, but he wasn’t. If anything, seeing her again, taking the brunt of her anger and knowing he deserved it had made him hurt even worse.

How the Hungarian would laugh if he knew. Despite Sean’s sacrifices, the Hungarian had won a different sort of victory. Ironically, he’d succeeded in robbing Sean of the one person he’d loved the most. Natalie.

A few minutes later, Auggie returned alone.

Sean glanced up, then down at his hands.

“I’m worried about her,” Auggie said, dropping onto the couch next to Sean.

“So am I.”

“Are you?” The skepticism in the giant’s voice had Sean raising his head. “You sure have a funny way of showing it.”

Saying nothing, Sean gave the other man a look that plainly said back off.

Auggie ignored him. “If you want to go with her, all you have to do is make like you’re weak, so she thinks you need her to protect you.”

“I don’t need anyone to protect me,” Sean snarled. “Go away.”

The other man didn’t budge. “Swallow your pride, man. Just because you’re a legend in the intelligence community doesn’t mean you can’t eat a little crow to protect the woman you love.”

Wincing, Sean lifted his head. “Am I so obvious?”

Auggie chuckled. “Maybe not to her, but the way you feel is plain to see. Every time you look at her, it’s like you found gold at the end of a rainbow. I can read you like a book.”

“Wonderful,” Sean groaned. “Her knowing how I feel is the last thing I need.”

“Why? You’re her husband.”

“I was. Now, she hates me.”

“Can you blame her?”

Silence was the only answer Sean needed to give.

“Look, if you faked your own death, it must have been for a good reason. I would think you can pretend to be an invalid to protect Natalie. What could it hurt, other than your pride?”

Reluctantly, Sean nodded. “Is she any good?”

Auggie’s bushy brows flew. “I wouldn’t know. You were the one married to her.”

He felt his face color. “No, I didn’t mean that. I meant is she any good as an agent?”

Chuckling at Sean’s discomfort, Auggie shrugged. “She must be. She just got promoted to team leader, right before the tragedy with her team. I imagine she’s finding that hard to live with.”

As would anyone. But team leader? Sean couldn’t wrap his mind around that. Though Natalie had changed, she’d always been more of a follower than a leader.

With a sigh, Auggie heaved his bulk to his feet. “Think about it, all right?”

“I will.” Clumsily Sean stood, too, holding out his hand. After they shook, he met the giant’s eyes. “Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me.”

“No, but I do know Natalie. I care about her. Nat needs all the help she can get. You know what the Hungarian is capable of.”

Sean gave the other man a sharp look. “But does Natalie?”

“She lost her entire team.”

Exhaling, Sean realized once again he’d need to swallow his pride and pretend to be something he was not.

But to save Natalie, he’d do anything. Even tell her the truth—that more of their marriage had been a lie than she knew.