Chapter Eight
Steve was well beyond worry and beginning to feel afraid; it had been almost eight hours since he had taken Jaime from the rooftop, and she was still no closer to waking up. What, exactly, had they given her? Was it really just a strong sedative, or (he couldn't bear to think this) had their tormentor managed to dose her with something far more dangerous...and lethal?
The cabin had no telephone, but he knew there was no one he could safely call for help anyway. They were on their own, and until Jaime regained consciousness, Steve had to be the look-out/protector for both of them. Very carefully, he lifted the right side of Jaime's shirt to check her 'imaginary' wound. It was raw and angry-looking, and as gently as possible, he covered it with antibiotic cream. Jaime winced slightly and rolled away from him but still didn't open her eyes.
"Oh, Sweetheart," he whispered, pulling the quilt over her once again, "what did they do to you?"
- - - - - -
Hansen closed the last of the three files, sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. For the first time in his career, he'd have given anything to be wrong, but – as always – the NSB Director's instincts had been right on the money.
For the sake of comparison, he'd chosen two men who'd partially fit Corrigan's profile, in addition to his prime suspect, and obtained complete Secret Service background reports on all three men. One of the men fit the profile so completely that it could have been tailor-written about him. Jack took the file of the man he now knew for certain was the perpetrator and locked it in his top desk drawer before re-dialing the direct line to the Secret Service.
"I need you to bring Chris Williams and Michael Marchetti to my office immediately – it's urgent."
- - - - - -
The cat growled in frustration – an angry, back-of-the-throat sound that was really more animal than human. Damn! He'd almost had them, but (without even knowing it) they'd managed to avoid extermination by mere minutes. It was only a temporary setback, but still a maddening one.
He had to laugh, though; those stupid, lovestruck mice were probably just settling into a comfortable sense of security. What a rude shock it would be when he finally caught up with them and forced them to pay...the ultimate price!
- - - - - -
Jaime began to cry very softly in her sleep, and Steve reacted quickly so when she opened her eyes she found herself in his arms. Her pre-conscious struggle was calmed instantly by the warmth of his touch and the love in his eyes.
"Steve?"
"Welcome back," he said quietly, holding Jaime close as he felt her lean into him for comfort.
"The hospital...?" she whispered, confused and frightened but fully coherent. "Steve, they were gonna..."
"I know, but you're safe now, Sweetheart. I sort of...liberated you."
"Oh, God – then they're after us, aren't they?"
"Probably," Steve confirmed, "But I have a plan..."
- - - - - -
Chris and Michael sat in Hansen's office, anxiously waiting for him to get back from his meeting and wishing they knew what was going on. They didn't have to wait long before Jack returned, flanked by a trio of Secret Service agents. He got straight to the point.
"You've both been eliminated as suspects in what happened to Jaime. We know now who's been terrorizing her, and we need your help to find her – and Steve – before that person makes his next move."
"I knew she wasn't seeing things," Michael said softly. "How can we help?"
"You were each in a serious relationship with Jaime at some point in the past. Where would she go if she felt threatened, or where would Steve take her to help her feel safe?"
Michael shook his head sadly. "We really weren't together long enough...I'm sorry."
Chris appeared deep in thought for a few moments, then looked up with a start. "I know where she is!"
- - - - - -
The cat was jubilant. Normally, he preferred to draw his prey to him, but getting to these 'special', over-rated and over-priced mice was worth every bit of the extra effort. As he stood in the trees outside the cabin, he took a little time to savor victory before moving ahead with his plan for their immediate extermination.
- - - - - -
The knock on the door made Steve stiffen slightly. His every nerve was on high alert; this was likely to be IT – or, more precisely, him. Hoping Jaime would find the courage to stick to their plan (she'd never let him down before), he slowly opened the door.
"Hello, Pal," Oscar said, spitting out the endearment as though it was bitter acid. He pulled a gun from inside his jacket and held it point-blank to Steve's chest as he pushed him back into the cabin. "Now – where is Jaime?"
- - - - - -