Chapter 11
Lee was startled from his fitful dozing when the front door banged open, and the loud voice of Jozsef Petrak reverberated through the apartment. Terrified for Amanda, he maneuvered his unsteady body to his feet, cautious to avoid any weight bearing pressure on his painful right ankle. The sensation of dizziness was immediate, and he had to catch himself on the bedside dresser before he toppled to the floor.
Reaching for the doorframe, Lee watched the unfolding scene in horror. Jozsef stood in the entryway, holding the drenched, limp body of Amanda in his arms. "Gyorsan", he shouted. Hurrying from the kitchen, Zsofia took one look at her brother's unresponsive charge and immediately steered them toward the tiny bathroom.
"Oh, my God! What's happened?" Lee's hoarse voice was completely ignored while the Petraks kept their focus on Amanda. All he could do was watch in panic as Zsofia stripped her down to her underwear. Feeling like a voyeur, but wishing he could help, Lee fought back tears of frustration at his total ineptness. He could only stare helplessly when Jozsef lifted Amanda into the tub and securely held her upright under the shower.
A wave of relief washed over Lee when she begin to revive under the steady flow of misty water. Seized with a sense of worthlessness, he cursed his impotence when Amanda's pleading cries echoed through the apartment. "Lee, Lee."
"I'm here, Amanda," he yelled, again and again, not sure if his words even reached her ears. Feeling his weak legs about to buckle, he managed to sink backward onto the bed. His feverish body shook uncontrollably while his frantic mind tried to grasp the situation, playing out across the hall. He'd never forgive himself for failing to protect his partner.
It was only minutes later when he saw the group coming through the doorway with Amanda wrapped in a blanket. Yanking back the covers, Lee made room for Jozsef to lay her beside him. Zsofia reached for the red flannel nightgown and signaled for the men to turn their heads. In an uncharacteristic show of kindness, the Hungarian woman spoke in soft tones and helped the traumatized Amanda dress before easing her under the covers.
"Keep her warm, Stetson," Jozsef commanded. "Mrs. King may be suffering from hypothermia. Your comrade had to jump off the ferry into the Danube, in order to avoid capture. I was lucky to find her and get away from the police." With no further comment, Jozsef steered his sister from the bedroom, leaving Lee to provide care and comfort to his friend.
Tucking more covers around her shivering form, Lee studied Amanda's solemn face and quickly concluded what he had to do. "I need you to trust me," he assured her. Finding acceptance in her watchful eyes, Lee leaned toward his companion and wrapped his feverish body tightly around her cold, delicate frame. He rocked her gently as she willingly snuggled close and whimpered softly into the hollow of his neck.
Reaching to turn out the light, Lee whipered to Amanda in hushed tones. "Sssssh, that's my girl. Everything's going to be all right." Soon, she relaxed against him, clutching the collar of his pajamas with childlike innocence. As her breathing became even, he could feel the soft exhale of her breath upon his throat. When Amanda's icy fingers traced the outline of his clavicle, he gently covered her hand. Finally her skin grew warm within his grasp.
In the glow of the moonlight, he was content to study her face and rub her back when she shivered in his arms. Slowly he felt her sag against him, giving into the fatigue of her ordeal. Troubled dreams seemed to plague her rest, and occasionally she jerked awake, only to settle down again when his words of comfort reassured her. Once, her hand flew up to his face, as if desperately searching for him. He responded with a delicate kiss, placed tenderly in the center of her palm as it grazed against his lips.
My God, this woman had risked life and limb for him. While he languished in a sick bed, she flirted with death in her effort to save him. He was the one who should be meeting contacts and arranging his own escape. Not her. Not his Amanda.
Then it hit him. She no longer had a way out of Hungary. If the police were after Amanda, then surely her cover was blown. A flight from Budapest was off the table. Now his mind reeled with worried scenarios of how he might get her home, with or without him.
As she burrowed more deeply against the solid bulk of his chest, he contemplated the irony of their situation. It took a huge fight, a trip behind the Iron Curtain, and narrow escapes from death before they could muster the courage to share a bed and actually hold each other. While he fully intended to honor her chastity, the dire circumstances failed to dim the desire that pervaded every fiber of his being. Despite his weakened state, his body came alive with its vivid awareness of who was in his arms.
Deciding to play it safe, Lee gently turned Amanda away from him, until he could spoon her back up against his chest. He dutifully tugged her flannel gown over her legs, but couldn't resist the urge to slide his hand along the delicate curve of her side. The feel of Amanda, braced securely against him, was blissful agony, but he accepted the gift gratefully as a treasure to protect. Burying his face in the damp locks of her hair, he tightened his arms around her waist. Tonight they may be two lost souls, but in the presence of each other they had truly been found.
SMK-SMK-SMK
Amanda awoke with a soft moan, obviously suffering the repercussions of her late night dip in the bitter cold Danube. Stiffly moving her body, she gasped as her limbs entangled with another pair of legs. When her eyes flew open in surprise, she was greeted with Lee's concerned face, hovering only inches away.
"Hi, Lee," she said, her voice sounding like a squeaky hinge. Her eyes grew wide as she realized the predicament of their close quarters. Whether she liked it or not, propriety had given way to practicality.
"Good morning, Amanda." Lee smiled cautiously, his breath catching when his bed partner carefully disengage her body from his aroused frame. "We have to stop meeting like this."
"Oh my gosh." Lee's attempt at humor unleashed her bashfulness, and its telltale crimson surged into her cheeks, like a spreading wildfire.
When Amanda averted her gaze away from Lee's penetrating eyes, he reached out to lift her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Are you all right? I was scared to death when they brought you in last night." As she barely nodded her head, Lee probed for more information. "Now I need you tell me what happened."
Amanda's nervous hands modestly pulled the bed sheet closer to her neck. "Lee, everything was fine until I took the ferry back to town, where Jozsef was waiting for me. I had met the contact . . . . Oh, he's really very nice. I can't wait for you to meet Tamas Lazar. He has a huge dog, named Suzie . . . ."
"Amanda, please." Lee motioned for her to stay focused. "You were telling me about your jump into the Danube."
"Well, everything was fine. I was minding my own business on the ferry when two men grabbed me. They didn't appear to be policemen, but they had guns and shouted, 'Stop, police'." Well, actually, only one man spoke English. The other man shouted at me in Hungarian - at least I think it was Hungarian. Well, of course, it would have to be Hungarian, wouldn't it? "
"A-man-da." Lee sighed with impatience, trying to steer her back on track.
"Sorry, I'm just a little rattled." She reached for his hand and smiled as he gently entwined their fingers. "Whoever they were, they apprehended me and pulled me out on the deck in the pouring rain. However, before we reached shore, a man, who was dressed like an old woman, hit them with an umbrella and a tote bag. Then he made me jump off the ferry with him."
"Lord, you jumped?" he all but shouted. "Then what happened?"
"Really, Lee, that's all I remember. Somehow the man helped me swim to shore. The next thing I knew, Jozsef was fishing us out of the river."
"Well, thank God you were rescued. Someone was looking out for you."
"I guess it was a pretty narrow escape, huh?"
Lee pulled her back against him, breathing a sigh of relief. "Amanda, you could have died."
"I'm fine. It's over."
"It's not over. Last night was just a bump in the road compared to what's ahead. You know what all this means, don't you?"
"You aren't going to let me go meet anymore contacts, are you big fella?" Amanda grinned and poked him in the side.
"Humph, I didn't let you go this time, remember?" Lee tweaked her nose before pinning her with his gaze. "Last night's fiasco means you can't fly out of Hungary. Now we need to find a way home for both of us."
"Oh." Amanda exhaled softly against his neck. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intent to complicate our situation."
"Hey, you met a contact, right? There's still hope." Holding her tightly, Lee stroked her back. "You know, partner, I'm very proud of you."
"You are?" Amanda's mouth dropped open in surprise.
Lee smiled warmly. "Absolutely! You continue to dazzle me with your courage."
"Well, thank you, Lee. You dazzle me, too."
Amused by her innocent remark, Lee responded with a wide grin, but wisely kept his mouth shut.
Immediately embarrassed, the blushing Mrs. King hastened to explain her comment. "Oh, well, you know what I mean by 'dazzle' - you being the top agent and all."
Lee's grin only got bigger. "Exactly."
"Ahem," she cleared the raspy catch in her throat. Apparently feeling self-conscious by their close proximity, Amanda pulled away from his strong embrace. "Lee, I want to thank you for helping me last night - for keeping me warm and comforting me."
He studied her for a moment, before taking the humorous route again. "It was my pleasure." He repressed a laugh as Amanda turned her head and coughed. "After all," he continued, "there's nothing like body heat to keep a person warm. You know the old saying, 'necessity is the mother of invention'. What is it that Francine always says? 'You have to work with what you've got'."
"Lee, please stop." She covered her eyes with her hand, shaking her head at his suggestive humor.
Wiping the smile off his face, Lee attempted to make amends. "All joking aside, Amanda, I would do anything for you, and this assignment has certainly shown how far we will go to help each other."
A knock on the door distracted them from the awkward moment. "Just a minute," Lee shouted. Turning toward Amanda, he raised his eyebrows. "Are we decent?"
Adjusting her nightgown and moving to the far side of the bed, Amanda signaled her readiness. "I don't know about you, but I'm decent."
"Come in," they yelled in unison.
The Petraks looked them over with somber expressions. "It is good to see you pulled through, Mrs. King," Joszef commented. "Our luck is holding, is it not? No one followed us."
Lee pushed himself into a sitting position and reached to reclaim Amanda's hand. "Just what did happen last night?" With his agent mode firmly in place, the Scarecrow persona seemed to finally awake from a long sleep.
"Ah, Mr. Stetson, you seem more alert today. You are better, yes?" Zsofia watched the couple intently.
Amanda stretched out a hand and placed her fingers on Lee's forehead. Grinning, she announced her conclusion. "Cool as a cucumber. The fever is gone." She gently patted his face and moved into the circle of his arms.
Zsofia raised a critical eyebrow. "This is not the time to celebrate."
Jozsef focused his attention on Lee. "You must know the Hungarian Secret Police discovered Mrs. King's true identity, yes?" His words had a cutting edge as he related the turn of events. "The authorities were prepared to capture Scarecrow's partner. The police were waiting to escort her ashore when she arrived back on the ferry. Luckily, a member of the underground was prepared to help her escape."
"Mrs. King's airplane ticket is useless," Zsofia added. "Like you, Mr. Stetson, she must find another way across the border."
Perturbed by the dangerous turn of events, Lee lashed out at the Petraks. "How in hell did her cover get blown? Did her contact turn her in?"
"Lee," Amanda said. "Tamas is a very nice man. He wouldn't do anything to harm me."
"A-man-da, nice doesn't cut it. His voice was thick with anger and worry. "Your 'nice' Tamas, or any of the other 'nice' people you told me about, could have blown your cover. He began to count off all the charming Hungarians she encountered on her trip. "Maybe it was the team trainer from the plane or one of the soccer players. Maybe it was the cab driver or a passenger on the ferry. I bet they were all 'nice' people."
Zsofia waved her hand dismissively. "Last night no longer matters. Now you must rest, yes? Tonight you will make your escape. We have risked much for you, Scarecrow, and Mrs. King. We can no longer be responsible for your safety."
Jozsef's face softened. "Tamas has contacted us. He has agreed to come at eight o'clock tonight to set your escape in motion. When I informed him of Mrs. King's mishap, he offered to take both of you across the border. You are willing to trust him, yes?"
"I guess you leave us no other choice." Lee looked at Amanda and she affirmed the decision with a nod.
"Good," Jozsef said. "We are leaving now and will not be returning. No matter what happens tonight, do not come back to the apartment." Smiling faintly, he extended his hand.
Accepting the handshake, Lee's gaze affirmed Jozsef and Zsofia. "I guess we do owe you two a great deal of gratitude. Thanks for risking your lives for us."
"Yes, thank you for saving both of us," Amanda added, her smile including both Petraks.
"Good luck to both of you, my friends," Jozsef said. With a tip of his hat, he conveyed his farewell. Then he nudged his sister toward the door. She merely nodded toward them, before disappearing from sight.
Lee and Amanda watched in silence as the Petraks marched out of the room and out of their lives. No words were needed to state the obvious. Scarecrow and Mrs. King had a long, dangerous road ahead of them.
To be continued