She finally managed to stop laughing and shook her head. “Come on, we both know you’ll find a way to get your own back eventually. But you should have been more cautious when you were dealing with Lynch. You knew he was afraid for you. From the beginning he told you that he didn’t want you to go there. He was probably only waiting for his chance.”
“You mean ‘excuse,’” Kendra said. “I didn’t do anything wrong, dammit.”
“He thought there was jeopardy. And we both know he’s an expert. But that doesn’t matter, he didn’t want you to run the risk.” Her smile faded. “And neither did I. You get into enough danger here without wandering into a war zone. I hated the idea that you were over there in Kabul. I worried about you every day.”
“You didn’t have to worry long,” she said sourly. “It was only three weeks before Lynch arranged to get me kicked out. And the devious bastard had a complete plan in place to keep me here before I got off that C-130.”
“Maybe he had the outline sketched in, but there was no way he’d know about Elaine and Ronald Kim. You can hardly blame him for that, Kendra.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Of course I don’t. But I never know where I am with him. After we got to Kabul, I thought he might be willing to accept that I was there and could do my part to help Jessie and him capture that scum. He acted just like he always did when we were working a case together.” That was what had hurt her most when she realized that he’d betrayed her. She had thought that he accepted her as part of the team. Yes, she had known he was afraid for her, but she was also afraid for him and Jessie. She hadn’t tried to get them tossed out of the country, had she? By staying together, they could protect each other. And in the beginning, she thought she’d managed to persuade him to her way of thinking. Those first weeks he had been amusing, knowledgeable, listening to her and Jessie with equal attentiveness. Being Lynch at his most fascinating. It was painful to think it might have just been lies and manipulation to get his own way. “He didn’t get uptight until that last night.”
“You mean when he thought the Taliban might decide to pay you a visit? That would do it, considering how he feels about you. You’re lucky his patience lasted for three weeks.”
“Patience?” The word irritated her. “I was contributing. As for what he feels for me, it evidently doesn’t include respect or understanding.”
“I believe it’s in the mix somewhere.” Olivia shrugged. “But he’s a complicated man and what he feels for you is complicated, too. If you didn’t like complications, you wouldn’t have stayed and worked with Lynch during these last years. You would have found someone like Metcalf. You’re not simple, either. You probably put Lynch through hell every now and then.”
“No more than he deserved. I generally treated him as a trusted partner and colleague.” She ignored Olivia’s gentle snort. “And he had no right to do that to me. I’m going to find a way to go back and finish the job.”
“I’m sure you will,” Olivia said quietly. “But not until you finish solving the job you’re on now. I believe everything can wait until we get justice for Elaine and Ronald. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the most important thing on the agenda.” Her lips tightened. “And at the moment, I don’t care how pissed off you are with Lynch. He’s smart, he has contacts, and he’s innovative as hell. If he were here, I’d have you go to him and ask him for his help.”
“And I’d do it,” Kendra said quietly. “I’m not about to put anything ahead of Elaine. I know my priorities.” She threw her napkin on the table. “But Lynch isn’t here and not likely to be. He said he was staying to wrap up the investigation in Kabul, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that means he’s going after those bastards by himself. But I am here and I’ll do everything I have to.” She pushed back her chair and stood. “Now I’ve got to get dressed and get out of here.” She started for the door and looked back at Harley, still at Olivia’s feet. “He looks very contented. He’s been like that ever since you came