No, there wasnat a window in the bathroom. There was actually a small coin-operated machine attached to the wall that sold condomsa"classy placea"but no window.

He went back into the other room, where Meg looked ready to jump out of her skin.

In fact, she did jump when Nilsas cell phone rang. He flipped it open, turned it on. aNilsson.a aYeah, itas Paoletti. We just bagged seven GIK terrorists in the parking lot. So far thereas been no sign of any more of aem, but weall be out here watching for as long as it takes.a aThanks, L.T.a aWeave got surveillance set up to record and trace any phone calls that come in, and weare continuing to keep watch, but thatas it.a In other words, this room didnat have any cameras or listening devices.

aI thought youad appreciate that information,a Paoletti continued. Lieutenant Tactful.

aYeah,a Nils said. Meg was watching him, dying to find out what the phone call was about. She was sitting on the edge of the bed that was farthest from the window, her body pointed toward that beige telephone.

Please, Jesus, for her sake, let the Extremists call this evening. Let them call now.

The phone didnat ring. And then it still didnat ring.

aThanks, L.T.,a Nils said again. aLook, Lieutenant, I know I owe you an explanation fora"a aYou do,a Paoletti interrupted. COs could get away with interrupting whenever they wanted. aAfter this is over, you will be spending a good long time in my office. With the door closed. While I go down a list. A very long list.a aL.T., I am sorrya"a aYale, right, Nilsson?a aUh, yes, sir, I went to Yale.a aIn that case, Ivy League Genius, do you really need me to define after for you?a Nils closed his eyes. This was going to be okay. He was going to get yelled at. Or even worsea"head get Paolettias quiet aIam disappointed in youa speech. It would be hard to stand through, but he could endure anything short of getting kicked out of the Troubleshooters squad. And as long as the CO was calling him faintly insulting names, he was still at least slightly beloved. aNo, sir, you do not.a aGood.a Paoletti was silent for a moment, and then he sighed. aYou do know, Johnny, that in the next twenty-four hours you could well be facing the ultimate no-win scenario. That little girl could be dead. She probably is. And I know youare gooda"youare one of my best officers. I know youave got this anothing is impossiblea mentality, and I applaud it, you know I doa"even when it gets you into trouble. But even you canat bring a child back to life.a aI know that,a Nils said. aIam counting on luck and maybe even a miracle, sir. Iam counting on getting there before sheas harmed.a The lieutenant didnat argue. He just sighed again. aTell Meg my prayers are with her and her daughter and grandmother tonight.a aI will, L.T. Thank you.a Paoletti cut the connection, and Nils snapped his phone shut. aThey got all the GIK out of the way,a he told Meg.

aThat fast?a aYeah. We can relax a little bit.a He sat down across from her, on the other bed. She looked like the poster girl for high stress. aIt might be a good idea to try to get some sleep.a She glanced at that beige motel telephone. aYou can turn out the light if you want.a And leave her sitting bolt upright on the other bed, strung too tight even to close her eyes? No way. As bone tired as he was, he wasnat going to do that.

aIf the phone rings, Iall hear it,a Nils told her gently. aEven if Iam asleep. I promise.a She had her arms crossed in front of her as if she were cold, or as if she were holding on to herself for dear life. She looked at the phone again.

aTheyall call,a Nils told her. aThey will. They want Razeen. Theyall definitely be in touch with you.a aI know that.a Meg nodded. aI understand that. I just . . .a She shook her head. aWhat if they donat? What if they just never do? How long are we going to wait here? A day? Two? A week? A month?a She was starting to shake, and she tried desperately to stop, tried holding herself even more tightly.

aWhat have I done?a she said. aWhat if the Extremists find out Iave turned Razeen over to the FBI? Theyall kill Amy and my grandmother right away. This is a mistake, John. I donat think I can do this.a Nils crossed the little aisle between the two beds and sat next to her. aYes, you can,a he told her. aDonat start thinking about worst case scenarios. Donat do that to yourself.a aI canat help it.a She was trying hard not to cry and her breathing was ragged. aI just keep thinking, what if they donat call? Or what if they do call, and God! What if they kill you then, too?a aTheyare not going to kill me. There are a lot of people working with us, Meg, making sure the Extremists arenat going to kill me. Or you. And as for the Extremists finding out about Razeena"there are very few people who know heas been taken into custody. Max Bhagat and about two other FBI agents. My SEAL team knows, tooa"I trust those guys with my life all the time. Iad trust them with your life, too. And Amyas.a Nils wanted to touch her. He was dying to take her into his arms and hold her, to try to soothe her, calm her down. But shead set up this invisible boundary around herself with those crossed arms, and he didnat want to trespass over the line, didnat want to move into the realm of potentially inappropriate.

They were locked together in a motel room, trapped in wait mode, sitting on a bed with not a whole hell of a lot to do.

He didnat want her to think he had a list of ways they could entertain themselves quite nicely in the course of the next few hours.

Even though, damn it, he did.

aYouave got a whole pack of highly trained experts on your side, Meg,a he told her instead of reaching for her. aAnd youave got me, for what itas worth. Iam here. Iall be herea"whatever happensa"whatever we have to deal with.a aYou think theyare dead.a She looked at him searchingly, as if trying to prove her own statement wrong.

Nils gave her what she wanted. It was the least he could do. aNo,a he said. aI donat. Not really. I think Amy and your grandmother are still alive.a She both laughed and cried at that, her tears finally escaping. aYou are such a liar.a She reached for him then. She unwound her arms and reached out for him, giving him all the permission he needed to take her into his own arms. He held her tightly, glad shead chosen to let him in, to lean on him, to share her fears and apprehension with him this way.

aI want them to be alive,a he told her, stroking her hair. aAnd as long as thereas a chance, Iam choosing to believe they are still safe.a aIs there really a chance?a she asked. She pulled back slightly to look into his eyes again. aI need you not to lie to me, John.a aYes, thereas a chance.a It was a slim chance, but there was a chance. He wasnat lying. Nils took her hand and placed it on his chest. aThereas always a chance. Cross my heart and . . .a Hope to die. Wrong thing to say tonight. aCross my heart.a aWhat are the real odds here?a she asked. aTruthfully. In terms of going face-to-face with the Extremists and coming out alive?a aI donat know about odds,a he admitted. aIam not much of a gambler so I donat think in terms of odds. Is it going to be dangerous? Yes, it is. Is there a chance we might be killed? Zealots and weapons are a bad combination, Meg. Bullets tend to fly when the two get together. And whenever bullets start flying, yes, death is a possibility. This is why Iad like to send in a female FBI agent in your place anda"a She put her hand over his mouth. aNo. No more replacements. No more lies and no more replacements. Okay?a He nodded. And when she took her hand away, he leaned forward and kissed her. It wasnat a real kissa"just a brief touching of his lips to hers. Still, he knew it startled her.

aNo more lies,a he agreed.

He didnat give her a chance to respond or react. He pulled her with him, so that they were sitting on the bed, leaning back against the pillows and the headboard, his arm around her, her head against his shoulder.

aTell me about Amy,a he said. aTell me about what sheas been up to in the last three years.a He could feel her surprise at his question. It was the last thing shead expected him to say.

aTell me all the good stuff,a he continued. aDoes she still like to draw? Sheas ten now, right? Does she still wear her hair long or did she get it cut? Is she in middle school yeta"or is she going to start that next year?a Meg exhaleda"just a brief burst of air. Nils just held her and waited. Come on, Meg. Talk about Amy.

aActually,a she said, her voice breathless, aIave been . . . Iave been thinking about taking Amy out of the public school and enrolling her in an all-girls school in September. I want to move out of the citya"I know she does, too, and . . .a Her voice trailed off.

aWhat does she want to be when she grows up?a Nils asked, trying to keep her in the here and now, trying to keep her out of what if land.

Meg tipped her head to look up at him and smiled. It was shaky, but it was a smile. aSheas ten. She wants to be an astronaut. Or the next Britney Spears.a aAstronaut or . . . pop star? Iam not sure I get the connection.a Another smile. aThe connection is that sheas ten.a aAh.a Nils smiled back at her, loving the life that was coming back into her eyes, into her face.

Megas smile faded, but her eyes stayed warm. aThank you,a she whispered. aFor talking about her as if sheas got a future. As if sheas going to have a September.a aShe is,a he told her. No lying. He corrected himself. aShe probably is. And right nowa"tonighta"she definitely is. Tonight sheas still alive. Even if sheas not, Meg, we donat know it yet, so we can give her one more night of life. One more night with a future. You know?a Tears were back in her eyes, but she smiled at him again, reaching up to touch his face. aThank you.a She settled back against him, resting her head on his shoulder, holding him tightly, her arms around his waist. aShe still wears her hair long,a she said. aAlthough sheas been talking about getting it cut for the summer. The humidity makes her curls go wild.a She laughed. aOh, God, did I tell you that sheas taking karate?a Nils ran his fingers through her hair, loving the way it slipped through his fingers. aNo way!a She smiled. aShe just started, but she loves it.a aThatas so great.a Please, God, keep this child safe.

aSheas still really small for her age,a Meg explained. aSheas pretty annoyed about that. I think she wants to be able to pull a Jackie Chan and beat up the boys who tease her for being flat chested.a Nils had to laugh. aGive me a breaka"sheas only ten. I hope sheas still flat chested.a aThatas what I tell her,a Meg said. aThat sheas got plenty of time to . . .a She stopped.

aSheas got plenty of time to be a teenager,a Nils finished gently for her. aDoes she like boats? After this is over, maybe the two of you could come out to California. Iall take you out on my boat. Bet shead like that.a Meg didnat answer. She just held him tightly. Just breathed.

Nils talked about his boat, talked about California, talked about the places they could go, the things Amy might want to do and see when they visited. When. Not if.

And finally, slowly, her death grip on him loosened. Her breathing slowed.

She was asleep.

Nils stared at the beige phone as he held her.

Come on, god damn it.

Ring.

aYo, Locke!a Alyssa turned to see WildCard Karmody waving to her from the other side of the hotel lobby.

He was with Jenk and Muldoon. And Sam Starrett. They must have come in the other entrance. Karmody bore down on her now like a heat-seeking missile. He had a mad scientist look to him even when he wore black BDUs. It mightave been the way his dark hair stuck out in all directionsa"as if head been pulling it while he sewed together some monster made with various body parts. Or maybe it was the gleam of near-crazed intelligence in his eyes. Head been blessed with a brain that most men would kill for, but unfortunately for him, it came with a piss poor lack of judgment and an inability to keep out of trouble.

Karmody caught up to her by the elevators. She pushed the up button, praying that she wasnat going to have to ride up to the twentieth floor in an elevator with Starrett, who was straggling behind with Jenk and Muldoon.

aGood job out there today,a Karmody said.

aThanks.a She gave him a purposely cool nod. aYou, too.a aNice defensive moves,a Karmody said. aI think that guyas going to be singing soprano for about a week.a He winced in sympathy. aOuch.a Ouch was right. Her elbow was bleeding, and shead wrenched her ankle pretty badly when shead been knocked over. She stared up at the elevatorsa lights, willing one to go on, signaling her escape.

aWeare heading over to the restaurant,a Karmody told her. aWeare starving and itas still early, barely even eighteen hundred hours. Wanna come?a aIave got a roast beef sandwich and an ice cream sundae with my name on it,a Jenkins chimed in.

Ice cream sundae. Oh, God.

Locke looked up to find Sam Starrett watching her.

And just like that, she was hit by a vivid memory of Starrett looking into her eyes that very same way as he . . . as they . . . Oh, God.

She quickly looked away. She had to clear her throat before answering Karmody. aThanks, but no.a She held up her elbow as an excuse. aI need to get cleaned up, and . . . Thanks, anyway.a Ding.

The elevator doors opened, and she jumped inside.

aWhatas up with Locke?a she heard Jenk wonder as the doors slid closed.

She closed her eyes. God help her. She needed a shower and about twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.

She needed to stop thinking about Sam Starrett.

It was absurda"how difficult could it be to stop thinking about the man? She didnat even like him.

Meg awoke with a start. aIs that the phone?a The room was silent and dark. Nothing rang. Nothing moved. Except for Johnas heart, which was racing beneath her hand.

He finally exhaled. aYou mustave been dreaming.a His voice was thick and warm from sleep.

Somehow shead fallen asleep. Somehow shead moved from sitting up against the head of the bed and waiting for the phone to ring, to lying here in the darkness, with Johnas arms around her.

Oh, God, it felt so good. It was a freakish combination of her worst nightmare and her ultimate fantasy. She was in bed with John Nilssona"because Amy had been kidnapped.

He was solid and warm against her, but he shifted as he checked his watch.

aWhat time is it?a she asked.

aTwenty-oh-nine.a He translated, aAbout ten minutes after eight.a She could hear him smile in the darkness. aCongratulations. You slept for about two and a half hours. I donat suppose I can talk you into sleeping a couple hours more?a This was weird, and yet at the same time it felt so natural. Lying in the darkness beside this man, listening to his sleepy voice as it wound its way around her, through her, inside her.

aYou should go back to sleep if you want to,a she told him. aI know youare still tired.a He laughed softly. aYeah, while you do what? Lie here and worry?a aJust because I canat sleep doesnat mean you shouldnat.a John shifted onto one elbow, leaning on her slightly as he reached across her to turn on the lamp. His body was heavy against hers. Muscular and completely solid. Capable of pinning her downa"probably with one arm tied behind his back.

It was funny, but she hadnat realized until that very moment exactly what John had done. Oh, shead guessed it, but she hadnat truly known until now.

All those hours in the car . . . Head had countless opportunities to overpower her. He could have gained control of her gun nearly any time head wanted to.

But he hadnat. Head used words and compassion instead of physical strength, reason and kindness over violence. Head used love.

His hair was rumpled and he squinted a little as his eyes got used to the light. He smiled at her, completely at ease with her scrutiny of his face.

aYou want to talk more?a he asked, propping his head up in his hand, elbow bent. aAbout Amy? Or how about your grandmother? Iad love to hear about her. Eve, right?a Meg touched him. His shoulder, his face, his hair. Shead always loved his hair, even in Kazbekistan when it was shaggy and long. Even after shead given him a Marine-style, square-topped crew cut. It was such a pretty shade of brown, so thick and soft to the touch.

She ran her fingers through it. Shead always wanted to do that. Theread been way too many times shead wanted to touch this man, but hadnat. Couldnat.

But there was nothing stopping her now. In fact, this would probably be her last chance.

Before shead fallen asleep, theyad played at normal. Pretending that Amy and Eve were unharmed, that she and John were going to survive the violence that was still to come. Talking about September, talking about the future.

When in truth, her future was down to these few final hours of existence.

And, no, she didnat want to spend that time sleeping.

Johnas smile faded as she gazed up at him, and the look in his eyes, on his face, was a heart touching mix of uncertainty and desire. Apprehension and need. Meg knew that he was afraid of reading her wrong.

So she gave him a message he couldnat possibly misread.

She kissed him.

Meg kissed him.

Nils heard himself make a low sound in the back of his throat. She wasnat just being friendly. This was no sweet thank-you kiss. This was a kiss, complete with her tongue swept into his mouth, complete with her arms around his neck, complete with her leg thrown up and over his.

Her mouth was so soft, so warm, so what he wanted.

He pulled back to make sure this was really what she wanted, too.

And found heat in her eyes.

aIf the phone rings,a he started.

aIam answering it,a she finished for him fiercely. aNo matter what.a aOf course,a he said.

She kissed him again, pushing him completely onto his back, straddling him, just the way shead done that day on the Mall lawn. It was as if three years hadnat passed, as if they were right back there, almost where theyad started, white hot desire primed and ready to erupt given half a chance.

What she was doing was way more than half of anything.

She unbuttoned his shirt as she kissed him. She swept her hands up and across his chest, pushing his shirt off his shoulders. He wanted to take her shirt off, too, and he tugged it free from her jeans. Her skin was like silk beneath his fingers. After one touch, he just wanted to stay there for an eternity, kissing her and running his hands up and down her back.

But she sat up, positioning herself more exactly on top of him, pulling out of his reach.

aLast chance,a she whispered, with the kind of smile head only dreamed about. Except in his dreams she hadnat had such sadness in her eyes. aYou want to say no or throw on the brakes, youave got to do it now.a He had to laugh. aYou honestly think Iam going to stop this?a aYou stopped us three years ago.a aYou were married,a he countered.

aThat really mattered to you?a aWhoa,a he said. aHavenat you been listening to anything Iave told you? I was in love with you, Meg. I didnat want just one night. I wanted . . . a lifetime.a Jesus, he couldnat believe head actually said that aloud. But he had. And in retrospect he knew it was true. He had wanted a lifetime. Head just been too stupid, too scared to know it.

He looked up at her now, praying that she wouldnat laugh at him or fall over in a dead faint from shock.

Her eyes were even more sad. She gave him a tremulous, beautiful smile.

aWhen you say whoa,a she said, obviously trying desperately to keep things light, adoes that mean youare putting on the brakes?a So okay, she wanted to skip the lifetime comment. She clearly didnat want to go there now, and Nils wasnat about to make her. Instead he followed her lead.

He answered her question by lifting her up and flipping them both over so that he was on top of her. He managed to get both her shirt and her bra off in the processa"no small feata"and she was laughing breathlessly as he kissed her breasts.

She was impossibly beautiful, and he wanted to spend another eternity just looking at her. But he couldnat look without touching, couldnat touch without wanting to taste.

Her laughter turned to a sigh as he did just that, drawing her into his mouth, using his knee to push between her legs so that he could settle against her, cradled there by her softness and heat.

She was touching him, running her hands across his back and shoulders as if she, too, couldnat get enough of him.

aPlease,a she said. aJohn . . .a She wanted out of her jeans. Which was perfect, since he wanted her out of them, too.

Together they pulled them off her, peeling down her panties as well.

She was naked and beautifula"the most beautiful, incredible woman head ever knowna"and she was lying back on that bed, waiting for him.

Nils let himself look at her as he stood back and unfastened his belt. aIam not putting on the brakes,a he said. aFYI, Iam just taking my time.a aI know.a Meg watched him as he stepped out of his pants. Her gaze shifted down to his briefs, lingering there. She looked up at him and smiled. aI can tell.a Yeah, okay. Now he was completely on fire. aYou wouldnat happen to have two dollars in quarters, would you?a She laughed. aWow, youare a real bargain.a He loved that she could make jokes, that she could tease. He hoped it meant that shead decided to go on living, that no matter what happened over the next few hours or days, that shead take the time she needed to get past it and keep on breathing.

He sat down next to her on the bed, unable to keep from touching her legs, running his hands down the softness of her skin. aThereas a machine that sells condoms in the bathroom.a aReally?a She laughed. Shook her head. aI donat know whether to be impressed or appalled.a He grinned. aThis place is four star all the way, baby.a aI didnat pick it,a she objected.

aI know, Iam just . . .a Shit, the mood had shifted. All fun was erased. She hadnat picked this place. No kidding.

Her eyes filled with tears, and he reached for her and gathered her into his arms.

aIam sorry,a she said, clinging to him.

aShhh.a He stroked her hair, wishing that he could somehow hide the fact that he was completely aroused, hoping shead understand that what he needed right now had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her. That sex was secondary to everything. That putting his clothes back on and holding her in his arms was more than head expected, more than head ever dreamed possible. aYou donat need toa"a She lifted her head and kissed him. Hot, wet, and passionate. A tongue down the throat, every nerve cell jangling, every pleasure center up and completely online kind of kiss.

It was a take-me-now kiss. A throw me back on the bed and give it to me hard and fast kiss. She reached into his briefs and wrapped her fingers around hima"no doubt just in case he hadnat gotten the message from her kiss.