Morgan sat quietly, watching her. Listening intently, not something he was usually good at. He was biting back the frustration from the past weeks. He'd been such an idiot, allowing his deep feelings for her to cloud his view of the big picture, and to cloud his view of her. Was it a selfish yearning for a normal life? A desire to settle and forget about the solitary, cat-and-mouse life he had embarked upon? Probably, he thought. An element at least. But, no. It was more, much more than that. It was Ari.
The tears were rolling freely down her tanned cheeks. At that moment, she was so fragile and afraid, finding herself in the midst of a game for which she was ill-prepared and ill-equipped. Of course, Morgan now knew she was with the Foreign Office and not the Red Cross. But it was also clear she had been deliberately cast adrift by someone desperate to discredit her, or worse, someone intent on using her to distract play - Johnson. Davenport was convinced of it, and Arena's eleventh-hour email cry for help had been all the confirmation they needed.
Morgan reached a hand across. Arena looked through her tears and held a hand out to him. He took it and pulled her close. She fell into his arms, sobbing.
CHAPTER 52
Lundt took a deep breath. He looked around to see if there were any faces becoming too familiar. He was using a public phone booth in the shadows near Sydney's Central Railway station. There were no obvious signs that he was being followed. "Make sure you're there, Cornell. Go to the spot where I told you, and then you make yourself invisible. Try not to stand out by being weird."
He hung up and dialed another number.
"You got the email I sent before I left Perth?" Lundt asked when the phone was answered.
"Got it," the reply was deadpan.
"All I need is top cover. You've got the pies I sent you, the man and the blonde? He'll be easy to recognise, pasty faced bastard, starting to go bald. First sign of him in the park, you let me know. And I need to know if he has anyone with him or anyone that looks like they're hovering around him. Detailed descriptions. Understood?"
"Understood." A pause. "The blonde's a real looker. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on that for a while."
"You may get your chance if this goes to plan. How many guys have you put together?"
"Four. One driver, me and three other guns. One guy will stay with the driver and they'll sort out the girl. The other two will be with me in thepark. Enough?"
"Yep. Car?"
"Old model Land Rover Discovery. It's clean. Got the side opening rear door, like you asked."
"Good. Tell your crew to keep their eyes peeled for cops or another crew. First sign of trouble and we're out of there. If plan changes... take my lead."
Lundt hung up, then headed off to find a bed for the night.
CHAPTER 53
"I think I'll freshen up and slip into something more comfortable." There was that mischief, albeit accompanied by a sniff and dainty dab of a tissue. The sparkle had once again returned to the beautiful big blue eyes he remembered so well, although they were now red and swollen.
Morgan and Arena had sat in silence for 20 minutes, holding each other. Ari had cried and cried until, eventually, she'd stopped, said she was sorry, and clung to Morgan as tightly as she could. But now a familiar lightness had returned.
"Seeing you in something even more comfortable sounds like a great idea," he replied with equal waywardness. "What do you have in mind?"
"Well, whatever I decide, you'll have to leave. A gentleman should never be present when a lady is changing. I believe that the exceedingly efficacious Commander Sutherland has arranged a room for you along the corridor," she teased, laughing. "So, you'll have to run along."
"I think I'd rather stay put, thank you very much," he replied. "I'd hate to miss anything."
"Anyway, you're the one who should be getting changed," as she flicked his tie. "Sydney's in the middle of a heat wave, Major."
"Habit, I'm afraid. I'm meeting Dave a bit later to go over the game plan." "Oh, God! That's right," she said, with a suddenly distant, discomposed
air. "I'd allowed myself to forget that you, we, have work to do. It's so good seeing you, being with you again; our reason for being here slipped away from me. For a moment."
"I know, Ari, for me, too. But, I guess that's obvious." He meant it. "Are you OK about all this? Cornell and Lundt, I mean."
"Not really. I just want it to be over. Ifwhat you suspect of Abraham Johnson is correct, he's as good as condemned me. For all I know, this Lundt person could tap on my door, announce 'Room Service' and blow my brains out the moment I open it. I feel so exposed, Alex. So vulnerable."