Chapter 8

Only the pilot and Agent Pearce knew where they were going. On the one hand, Sam trusted her to get them somewhere safe. On the other, he worried that she was part of some plan to reunite him and Jesse with Mike and Fi wherever they were being held. As Sam snuggled with Elsa under a blanket and couldn't sleep while the craft flew through the night, Elsa told him in detail about her trip to Mumbai and how Pearce took care of her. She could have given up Elsa at any time, but she didn't. Sam was beginning to feel ashamed of his lack of trust.

Across the aisle and back one row, Keith snored. Pearce sat two rows ahead of them all with Jesse. Now and then the two talked in hushed tones, and Sam heard the soft flipping of paper. A reading lamp shone on her from above. He knew when they were closing in on their destination; she rustled a bunch of papers and tapped them against the tray table. The papers whispered as she deposited the stack into her briefcase. Two snaps, and the case was closed. She cleared her throat and fabric rubbed against fabric as she moved in her seat.

The seatbelt sign turned on, and the pilot announced, "Approaching our destination. Please prepare for landing."

Sam and Elsa hadn't removed their seatbelts or used the tray tables, so they had nothing to do to prepare for the landing. The lights dimmed allowing Sam the opportunity to look out the window try to determine where they were. He was more than a little surprised to see few lights twinkling below, and a small concentration to the right disappeared not long after he saw it. The bump and shudder of the landing gear locking told him that they were almost on the ground.

"Where are we," Elsa asked.

"I don't know. I'm hoping it's someplace warm." He pulled on the corner of the blanket and set it on his shoulder.

"Me too. But if not, well, we've got each other." She chuckled low, her hand slipping behind his neck to bring his lips to meet hers in the little bit of space between them. When she parted from him, she licked her lips and said, "I'm feeling warmer already."

His laughter brought a sexy smile to her face and fire to her eyes. "Later," he promised on a breath against her cheek before he kissed it.

The wheels hit the pavement and jarred them, but neither one was fazed by the action. Sam took her hand and held it under the blanket until the aircraft came to a stop.

Jesse stood in the aisle and asked, "Sam, are you okay with walking off this plane?"

"Sure, why not? I got on."

"Okay, if you need any help, just let someone know."

Pearce seemed nervous, but Sam tried his best to not be suspicious. It most likely had more to do with the secrecy and keeping Sam and Jesse under wraps, and not that she had something underhanded in mind. At least, that's what he hoped.

A dark SUV waited for them outside, again bringing back memories of when he was shot, only this time the surroundings were shrouded in darkness. He moved fast on the crutches with Elsa by his side. Pearce and Keith flanked them, and Jesse led the way. He got into bench seat in the back, Elsa took the middle seat, and Sam packed himself into the room that remained. Pearce got into the front passenger seat, and Keith took the keys from the driver who brought the SUV. He drove them away from the airport.

"It looks like they're taking us out into the woods," Elsa whispered into Sam's ear.

"It does." Sam agreed. "We must be on the west coast somewhere, considering how long the flight was. Or down south, but that would be too obvious to anyone looking for us."

Keith turned onto an uneven road. Gravel crunched under the tires that bounced them over the unpaved road. Elsa crashed into Sam and he put his arms around her. He smiled in the dark. Keith could keep it up for a little while as far as Sam was concerned. Elsa felt so good clinging to him. Hopefully they could go to bed soon, because he was getting weary and having her beside him made curling up in a nice warm bed so attractive.

The SUV spun in a wide arc and stopped. Pearce got out, opened his door, and in the glare from the dome light he saw her offering him assistance. His leg was a little stiff from traveling, so he grasped her hand and exited the vehicle.

"Thanks." He got himself on solid ground before turning to accept the crutches from Elsa. Side by side, they followed Pearce, Jesse, and Keith.

"Whose place is this," Jesse asked.

"It's a friend's vacation home," Pearce replied. "He's letting me use it as a safe house."

The three carried luggage up a short set of steps that led to a large house surrounded by bare tree limbs. The half moon lit up the trees and transferred the shadows onto the ample sloping roof. It was a two-story wood frame house with a long porch, but it was too dark to see much else. Pearce unlocked the door by touch and let them inside, but it wasn't until she and Jesse drew the curtains that she turned on a lamp in the living room.

To the right, a long couch and two love seats formed a u-shape in front of a large stone fireplace. A coffee table sat in the center. To the left stood a large oval table with six chairs, a buffet, and three matching stools parked at a breakfast bar that separated the dining area from the kitchen.

"There's one bedroom downstairs," Pearce announced. "Sam, you should take that one. There are three bedrooms upstairs."

"There are five of us, but either Dani or I will be watching over you guys at any given time," Keith added.

"It's alright. We've got things worked out," Elsa said. "Now, whose cases are whose?"

"The agency packed enough clothing and things for everyone," Pearce said. "Your name is on the tag." She found hers, picked it up, and headed for the stairs. "Keith, do you want first watch?"

"Sure, why not." He hefted his case and held it out toward her. "If you take this upstairs and put it in one of the rooms."

"No problem."

Jesse found his case, grabbed it, and followed Pearce. "Hey, 'night Sam, Elsa." He smiled wide. "Looking forward to hanging with you tomorrow, Sam. I never thought I'd see you again."

Sam wore a soft, warm smile for his friend. "You too, Jess. 'Night."

"Okay, these are ours," Elsa said as she picked up the last two cases. "Let's get settled in."

Keith made sure the thick curtains were drawn shut tight in their room before retreating and wishing them a good night. "See you tomorrow, Sam, Elsa." He gave them an amused leer before closing the door.

To Sam's surprise, Elsa began to cry. He set the crutches against the wall and turned her into his arms. He shushed her with a soft breath in her ear. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't think… didn't think that I would have this ever again," she replied and pressed into his chest, his shirt absorbing her tears. "And I feel... feel like a wimp for crying over all I went through, when you and your friends have... have dealt with stuff like this for years."

"Hey, it's okay. Before you know it, this'll all be over and we'll go home and start a new life together." He held Elsa's face in his hands and planted light kisses on her forehead, down to the tears beneath her eyes, moving at a slow pace to her lips. He whispered, "Don't think about anything tonight but us being back together."

She nodded, found his lips, and kissed him until he grew shaky on his legs. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down to the bed, and rolling so she lay atop him. Smiling, she said, "Promise me that you'll tell me if I do something that hurts, won't you?"

"Oh yeah, I promise, baby." He pulled her down to press her against his body, and it pained him, but he enjoyed the closeness of her too much to protest.

Elsa was right. He was just as afraid as she was that he would never have this again. Maybe later, after they lay curled up in each other's arms, he would think that it had been a dream. When it happened and she pressed her backside into him and he wrapped his arms around her, letting her fall asleep with her head on his arm, Sam stayed awake longer than he should have. In the glow from a dim nightlight plugged into an outlet, he studied Elsa, heard her even breathing, and marveled. His nerves tingled with the sensation of her skin against his. If he buried his nose in her hair, it smelled like a rose garden, a scent that would never be half as lovely if it wasn't wrapped around her. Yet he was afraid that if he closed his eyes she would disappear, so it was well after midnight before he fell asleep from exhaustion.

A thump woke Sam a few hours later. His senses on alert in a heartbeat, he propped himself up on a hand and listened, but it was all quiet. Too quiet for his taste. Sam twisted around until he sat on the edge of the bed, taking a few breaths before standing. Everything seemed to hurt. He bent down to reach for his pants and a sharp pain in his abdomen caused him to suck in his breath. He held it, straightening until it passed, and resumed the search for his clothing in the dark.

Still concerned about the sound followed by nothing, Sam limped out of the bedroom without using his crutches. A single lamp in the living room glowed, but there was no one in the room. He glanced around with concern. Who was on watch? He heard the soft thud of footsteps descending the stairs, and he whirled to face Pearce. She wore jeans and a sweater, looking concerned that he was out of bed.

"Is everything okay, Sam?" She spoke soft.

"Who's on watch?"

She surveyed the room and noted that they were the only two in it. "Keith was on, but..."

"He's not here." Sam bit back a curse. "I should have known there was something up with him. I didn't trust him..."

"You didn't trust me, either." Her eyes locked on his. "I knew that. Look, I'm sorry that things didn't work out all that well with that Menaro fiasco, but I'm behind you and Michael, the whole team, and I would never do anything to contribute to what's been happening." She paused, shaking her head and staring up at the ceiling. With a sigh she continued. "I don't really know how to make you believe me."

"It's been hard knowing who to trust lately. I'm sorry," Sam said, feeling chastised for insulting the one who orchestrated their run for safety. "How did you have so much information to blow this thing wide open, and why didn't you go to Raines a long time ago?"

"I should have, but I was being watched as closely as you were. I had to throw them off and make them think I knew nothing."

"It didn't work, did it? Card sent you to Mumbai because he knew you were dangerous with what you had on him." Weariness overtaking him, Sam moved to sit on the couch. He discovered a lump on it when he sat, and he shot up to his feet.

"Hey, man!" Keith exclaimed as he pushed a blanket off and sat up, running a hand through his hair. "What, you don't trust me so you're gonna try to snuff me out by sitting on me?"

"Sorry," Sam muttered, then his eyes grew wide. "Hey, you were listening to us?"

"You betcha," Keith replied with a smirk as he stood. He wrapped the blanket around himself. "I was getting a little cold, so I found a blanket in the closet, wrapped up, and thought I'd just park myself on the couch until it was Dani's turn to take watch."

"So that was the thump I heard?"

Keith nodded. "There was a lantern on the shelf and it almost beaned me when I pulled the blanket off. It was all I could do to keep from swearing a blue streak and waking everybody." He yawned. "Well, anyway, now that I know I'm not trustworthy and unwanted, I'll just crawl off to bed. Have a nice night."

"I'm sorry," Sam said.

"No, it's okay." Keith looked into Sam's eyes as he spoke. "If I were in your shoes I'd be wary too. All I can do is my job, and you'll see the proof." He stepped around Sam and patted his shoulder. "Night, Sam. See you tomorrow."

"Night, Keith." He could have kicked himself for revealing his doubts. He'd have to work harder on keeping such things to himself.