he’d be.” He dropped down beside her. “I didn’t think that you should be the only one to take the flak.”
“I was prepared for it.” She leaned her head back against the wall and gazed up at the night sky. “After all, it was my plan. When will Quinn be here?”
“Three or four hours. He would have gotten here sooner, but he’s having Gideon drop him off at our private airfield at Baldar and will make his way here on his own.”
She frowned. “Why?”
He shrugged. “He was a SEAL. His instincts are to go in and make that first strike before anyone knows he’s hit the ground running. He’ll want to slip in and look the situation over. Particularly where Eve is concerned, and he trusts no one in Jokan.” He grimaced. “And that includes us.”
She studied his expression. “And you’d do the same?”
“Certainly. I have a few problems with trust myself.” He was suddenly bending toward her, his eyes narrowed on her face. “You didn’t answer me. Is everything okay? I saw the lights go out in the museum, and I thought you’d both be going to sleep.”
“Eve’s asleep. I thought I’d get some air before I tried to settle down.”
His gaze was still searching her face. “Why?”
She was suddenly aware of something different about him tonight, a tension, a recklessness, and that tough ruthlessness that was such a part of him seemed more obvious than usual. It was making her uneasy. “For goodness sake, because I wanted some air. Stop interrogating me, Novak.”
“But I do it so well,” he said mockingly. “Check my credentials. Though I’m better with Al-Qaeda and Isis. You’re really not worth my expertise.” He changed the subject. “You didn’t think Quinn would go easy on you?”
“Why should he? I think Eve is beginning to forgive me, but I knew her family might never do that. I can take any flak Quinn hands out.”
“Yeah, you’re just collateral damage,” Novak said bitterly. “How could I forget?”
“I don’t know. I guess because it seems to bother you.” She was trying to keep her tone light. “We’ve discussed this before. In your job, you usually accept it as a fact of life. Yet you seem to be making some kind of exception for me.” Her gaze shifted to his face. “You were even kind to me those days in Nairobi. Extraordinarily kind.”
“Imagine that,” he said dryly. “Since I’m sure you didn’t deserve it. You’ve caused me nothing but trouble since the day you came to me with that wild tale about Hadfeld. And when you showed up at the U.N., I was ready to break your neck.”
“I know.” She moistened her lips. “But I had to do it.”
“You made that clear. No debt left unpaid.” He added harshly, “What did you say? You’d been alone all your life, but I hadn’t left you alone when you needed someone that night. So I had to have my payoff, too.”
“I was grateful. I don’t understand why it upset you.”
“Then you should have thought about it,” he said curtly. “I know you, Jill. You forget that I was there with you after those therapy sessions that shrink put you through in Nairobi before he’d release you. I know what kind of life you’ve led.” His words were suddenly spitting like bullets. “Talk about collateral damage. You trailed all over the world behind your father from the time you were four, and he paid more attention to his camera than he did to you. It’s no wonder that you were so confused you had to develop your own concept of who you are and how to survive. You had to fend for yourself.”
“I never said that,” she said quickly.
“No, but you made a few slips, and after I left Nairobi, I did a check to fill in the blanks. Your father never even made provisions for you if anything happened to him. When he was killed in Tibet, you ended up in an orphanage in Hong Kong for over a year until you managed to convince the local U.S. ambassador that you were a U.S. citizen. You were only eleven years old, and you had to do it yourself.”
“My father never intentionally hurt me,” she said quietly. “I just wasn’t high on his list of priorities. Some men aren’t meant to be parents. I’m not a victim, Novak.”
“No, you didn’t let yourself be a victim even when you were bouncing through five foster homes, who accepted you only for the paycheck and