********************
He stood in the doorway, watching her for a minute before he went in. She was sitting in the dark, staring into space. The moonlight from the window cast enough light for him to see her silhouette.
"Ree?"
She turned her head slightly in his direction, but didn't look at him.
"Will you come back to the room?" He didn't like the idea of her being alone in the house, where he couldn't watch out for her.
At least that was the excuse he was allowing himself. He chose not to think that maybe he just wanted to be close to her.
"Give me one good reason."
It took him another minute to make himself say it, even though he'd known he would have to from the second she'd walked out of the room. Still, the words didn't come easily - for more reasons than he cared to think about.
"I was betrayed by my wife," he said finally.
She looked fully at him then, eyes wide with shock. "Sloane said you'd been - " She cut herself off. "Jack, do you realize -"
"Yes. But it's not something I want to think about tonight." He stood, stiffly, just inside the door, feeling as unsure and vulnerable as he did around his daughter. "Ree. Will you please come back to the room with me? I won't touch you, but I'll be more . comfortable if you're with me - if I know you're all right." 'Safe' was what he was thinking.
She watched him for a moment - beginning to understand a little of what drove this man and finding herself blindly hating the woman who had hurt him so deeply - then realized he was still waiting for an answer.
"Come sit with me for a while." She moved over to make space for him on the couch.
He hesitated, but came over and sat down uncomfortably. "I'm. sorry," he said when it became clear that she wasn't going to speak. "Sorry about before and about your fiancé."
"I know."
More silence.
"It must have been a difficult time for you."
She sighed and looked over at him with a sad smile. "Yes, it was. And made worse by the fact that it was my fault."
"It sounds like you did what you had to do."
"I don't know, Jack. That's what I tried to tell myself at the time, but." She shook her head at the memories. "All I know for sure is that he's dead and I might have been able to do something about it. You know, it's really easy to make the hard decisions in training. You do what's going to work best and, while you might regret the cost, it's all for the greater good. In real life, when it's people you've come to care about and you know that your choices can mean the difference between life and death for them."
She met his eyes and the pain he saw there touched him, made him want to hold her and make it all go away.
"I lost it, Jack. Whatever 'it' is, I lost it. I couldn't do the job anymore, not any part of it. They tried telling me I just needed time, that it would come back to me, but I knew it was gone forever. Just like Matt was gone forever." The tears were back, but she didn't even seem to notice. "He left me everything, you know - savings, stock, life insurance. I don't ever have to work again as long as I'm careful. But the important things - the man I loved, my job, my nerve. All gone."
He couldn't bear to watch her anguish anymore. He pulled her to him, cradling her head against his chest. He was afraid she'd resist, but she melted into him as if she was coming home.
"You must have loved him very much."
"I did," she said simply through her tears.
He held her without speaking for a long time, stroking her hair. It had been a long time since anyone had allowed him to comfort them. And since he'd allowed himself to attempt it.
Then before he quite knew what he was doing, he found himself speaking. "I loved Laura, too. I wish to God I could say I didn't. Hadn't. But I did. And when I found out what she'd done. My whole life came apart. It felt like everything I had was founded on a lie and when that was exposed. There was nothing left."
"I'm so sorry." She held him even more tightly and for a long time they let themselves take comfort from one another.
Finally Ree moved herself away from him slightly. "All right."
His eyes questioned her.
"I'll go back to the room with you." She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. "But I won't hold you to the no touching part."
********************
In the morning they began collecting and repacking their belongings. Ree stopped suddenly and put a hand to her ears. "My grandmother's earrings."
Jack looked at her questioningly.
"Her earrings. I was wearing them yesterday when. I must have left them there!" She tossed the last of her things into her bag and zipped it up. "I need to go get them."
"Ree," Jack began.
"It'll take what? Thirty, thirty-five minutes if I hurry? You'll barely know I've gone. Jack, I can see where I left them."
"I'll go with you."
"I'll be fine. I'm just going -" The look on his face told her it was pointless to argue. "All right then, but we've got to go now. Our ride will be here in about 50 minutes and, no offense, but I really don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."
His phone rang and he glanced down at the display. "I have to take this."
"Jack."
"All right," he said finally. "Go ahead and I'll catch up with you as soon as I've finished this. But be careful."
"I know, I know." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried off.
About 10 minutes later Jack left the room and nearly bumped into Sloane coming down the hall.
"Arvin?"
"Jack. I was coming to get you. I'm sorry to be right about this, but Ree's gone. She took off in a hurry, carrying only her purse. I've got a man following her who'll take care of her when she's gotten a little distance from the estate. Unless, of course, you want her brought back so you can question her?"
"What?" It took Jack a minute to process what he'd just heard. "Arvin, no! She went to get her grandmother's earrings. Her earrings! She left them there yesterday when we - You need to call your man off! She's not leaving!"
Arvin shook his head. "Jack, Jack. You're letting your emotions cloud your judgement."
Jack grabbed the smaller man by the shoulders and shoved him up against the wall. "Call your man off now! I swear to you, Arvin, if anything happens to her -"
"Mr. Sloane?" A nervous looking young man stood in the doorway of the room. "There's a fax for you."
Jack let go of Sloane and stood back while Sloane deliberately straightened his suit jacket before heading over to take the papers.
"Thank you." Sloane scanned the pages quickly then looked up at Jack. "Look's like you were right after all," he admitted grudgingly. He turned to the man still waiting in the doorway. "Contact Sullivan immediately. Tell him Ms. Ash is not to be harmed. He is just to observe from a distance. Repeat, she is not to be harmed."
Jack was already out the door at a run.
He stood in the doorway, watching her for a minute before he went in. She was sitting in the dark, staring into space. The moonlight from the window cast enough light for him to see her silhouette.
"Ree?"
She turned her head slightly in his direction, but didn't look at him.
"Will you come back to the room?" He didn't like the idea of her being alone in the house, where he couldn't watch out for her.
At least that was the excuse he was allowing himself. He chose not to think that maybe he just wanted to be close to her.
"Give me one good reason."
It took him another minute to make himself say it, even though he'd known he would have to from the second she'd walked out of the room. Still, the words didn't come easily - for more reasons than he cared to think about.
"I was betrayed by my wife," he said finally.
She looked fully at him then, eyes wide with shock. "Sloane said you'd been - " She cut herself off. "Jack, do you realize -"
"Yes. But it's not something I want to think about tonight." He stood, stiffly, just inside the door, feeling as unsure and vulnerable as he did around his daughter. "Ree. Will you please come back to the room with me? I won't touch you, but I'll be more . comfortable if you're with me - if I know you're all right." 'Safe' was what he was thinking.
She watched him for a moment - beginning to understand a little of what drove this man and finding herself blindly hating the woman who had hurt him so deeply - then realized he was still waiting for an answer.
"Come sit with me for a while." She moved over to make space for him on the couch.
He hesitated, but came over and sat down uncomfortably. "I'm. sorry," he said when it became clear that she wasn't going to speak. "Sorry about before and about your fiancé."
"I know."
More silence.
"It must have been a difficult time for you."
She sighed and looked over at him with a sad smile. "Yes, it was. And made worse by the fact that it was my fault."
"It sounds like you did what you had to do."
"I don't know, Jack. That's what I tried to tell myself at the time, but." She shook her head at the memories. "All I know for sure is that he's dead and I might have been able to do something about it. You know, it's really easy to make the hard decisions in training. You do what's going to work best and, while you might regret the cost, it's all for the greater good. In real life, when it's people you've come to care about and you know that your choices can mean the difference between life and death for them."
She met his eyes and the pain he saw there touched him, made him want to hold her and make it all go away.
"I lost it, Jack. Whatever 'it' is, I lost it. I couldn't do the job anymore, not any part of it. They tried telling me I just needed time, that it would come back to me, but I knew it was gone forever. Just like Matt was gone forever." The tears were back, but she didn't even seem to notice. "He left me everything, you know - savings, stock, life insurance. I don't ever have to work again as long as I'm careful. But the important things - the man I loved, my job, my nerve. All gone."
He couldn't bear to watch her anguish anymore. He pulled her to him, cradling her head against his chest. He was afraid she'd resist, but she melted into him as if she was coming home.
"You must have loved him very much."
"I did," she said simply through her tears.
He held her without speaking for a long time, stroking her hair. It had been a long time since anyone had allowed him to comfort them. And since he'd allowed himself to attempt it.
Then before he quite knew what he was doing, he found himself speaking. "I loved Laura, too. I wish to God I could say I didn't. Hadn't. But I did. And when I found out what she'd done. My whole life came apart. It felt like everything I had was founded on a lie and when that was exposed. There was nothing left."
"I'm so sorry." She held him even more tightly and for a long time they let themselves take comfort from one another.
Finally Ree moved herself away from him slightly. "All right."
His eyes questioned her.
"I'll go back to the room with you." She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. "But I won't hold you to the no touching part."
********************
In the morning they began collecting and repacking their belongings. Ree stopped suddenly and put a hand to her ears. "My grandmother's earrings."
Jack looked at her questioningly.
"Her earrings. I was wearing them yesterday when. I must have left them there!" She tossed the last of her things into her bag and zipped it up. "I need to go get them."
"Ree," Jack began.
"It'll take what? Thirty, thirty-five minutes if I hurry? You'll barely know I've gone. Jack, I can see where I left them."
"I'll go with you."
"I'll be fine. I'm just going -" The look on his face told her it was pointless to argue. "All right then, but we've got to go now. Our ride will be here in about 50 minutes and, no offense, but I really don't want to stay here any longer than we have to."
His phone rang and he glanced down at the display. "I have to take this."
"Jack."
"All right," he said finally. "Go ahead and I'll catch up with you as soon as I've finished this. But be careful."
"I know, I know." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried off.
About 10 minutes later Jack left the room and nearly bumped into Sloane coming down the hall.
"Arvin?"
"Jack. I was coming to get you. I'm sorry to be right about this, but Ree's gone. She took off in a hurry, carrying only her purse. I've got a man following her who'll take care of her when she's gotten a little distance from the estate. Unless, of course, you want her brought back so you can question her?"
"What?" It took Jack a minute to process what he'd just heard. "Arvin, no! She went to get her grandmother's earrings. Her earrings! She left them there yesterday when we - You need to call your man off! She's not leaving!"
Arvin shook his head. "Jack, Jack. You're letting your emotions cloud your judgement."
Jack grabbed the smaller man by the shoulders and shoved him up against the wall. "Call your man off now! I swear to you, Arvin, if anything happens to her -"
"Mr. Sloane?" A nervous looking young man stood in the doorway of the room. "There's a fax for you."
Jack let go of Sloane and stood back while Sloane deliberately straightened his suit jacket before heading over to take the papers.
"Thank you." Sloane scanned the pages quickly then looked up at Jack. "Look's like you were right after all," he admitted grudgingly. He turned to the man still waiting in the doorway. "Contact Sullivan immediately. Tell him Ms. Ash is not to be harmed. He is just to observe from a distance. Repeat, she is not to be harmed."
Jack was already out the door at a run.