Sight Unseen (21 page)

“Want to talk?” Lynch asked as he watched her buckle her seat belt.

She shook her head. “There’s been enough talk. Too much. I just want to rest and close everyone away from me.”

He nodded. “I’ll try to keep Griffin and the rest off you.” He made his way down the aisle.

Evidently he succeeded because Kendra spent much of the trip home lost in her thoughts, trying her best not to mentally replay her conversation with Colby. Lynch and the FBI agents spent most of the short plane flight tapping out memos on their laptops and passing around pages from documentation provided by the warden. She knew that there would be a complete copy of the file in her e-mail in-box the next morning, and she’d be better able to focus on it then.

They landed at the San Diego airport at eight thirty. After a few mumbled good-byes between her and the other agents, Griffin pulled her aside.

“Look, I’m sorry about the way things went down at the prison. I shouldn’t have asked you to join us.”

Her brows rose in surprise. “I’m touched.” She paused. “You were right to ask.”

He blinked at the response. “Your first reaction was that you didn’t want to go.”

“Damn right. But I thought about it and realized it had to be done.” She looked him in the eye. “So it was my decision. Everything that happened was my responsibility, not yours.”

“That’s very … generous.” He started to turn away, then looked back at her. “I can see how a guy like that can get inside your head, especially with your history with him. I know it took a lot for you to go there. Thank you.”

She nodded. “Good night, Griffin. See you tomorrow.”

Griffin walked away.

“I’m amazed,” Lynch said from behind her. “That’s not a guy who usually makes apologies.”

“Well, it doesn’t come easily to him. His teeth were practically clenched for the entire conversation.”

“Baby steps, Kendra. Baby steps.” Lynch motioned toward the terminal exit. “This way. I’m taking you home.”

She frowned. “Since when?”

“Since I remembered that you didn’t bring your car here. How did you think you were getting back to your place?”

“Cab.”

“Nope. Anyway, there are a few little things I want to go over with the security detail outside your condo. Let’s go.”

After the quick ride home, Kendra was surprised at what Lynch considered “little things” he wanted to discuss with her security guard.

“Nelson, until you hear otherwise, your services will no longer be needed,” Lynch said to Agent Nelson the moment he reached him.

“What?” Nelson and Kendra said in unison.

“Thank you for your service,” Lynch said. “You’ve done a fine job.”

Nelson was obviously blindsided. “Uh, I’ll need authorization from Griffin for this.”

“Then get it. Or don’t get it. Whatever. In any case, Kendra won’t be here.”

“And just what makes you think that?” she asked.

“Colby. You wouldn’t let me in the room with the two of you, but that was good. From behind the glass, I was able to watch the two of you as if you were on a movie screen. Every expression, every nuance. His promise of making you suffer was all the inspiration I needed.”

“Your inspiration, not mine. I don’t recall any discussion about my leaving my home.”

“That’s because there wasn’t any. I just thought of it a little while ago.” Lynch opened the door and walked with her into the condo and closed the door on Agent Nelson’s troubled face. “Go pack a suitcase. Bring enough for at least a few days.”

“Wait. Hold it. Where am I going?”

“The safest place I know.”

“Where’s that?”

“My house.”

“Like hell.”

“Trust me, there’s no place safer. The house was designed from the ground up to withstand almost any kind of assault. It’s the best place for you right now.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “Your house is designed to withstand an assault? I knew you had a habit of making enemies, but seriously…”

“I’m being very serious. But you’ll never know that you’re in an impenetrable fortress. You’ll be staying in a nice, cozy guest room. It’s very comfortable. More to the point, it will throw off any plans that Colby and his psychopathic friend might have for you. It’s a contingency they wouldn’t have planned for.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Well, you sure didn’t plan for it.”

Kendra thought for a moment. “I can’t argue with that.”

“You can’t do anything predictable. That means you don’t stay with friends or family.”

“A hotel?”

“Not safe enough. Too many people coming and going. At my place, you’ll have me
and
the house defending you.” He grinned. “You’ll be impressed. We’re a formidable team.”

“I have no doubt.” She made a face. “But I value my privacy, dammit.”

“More than you value your life?”

She hesitated, and he took the opportunity to nudge her toward the condo’s back hallway.

“Start packing. It’s safer for you and safer for the people you care about. I’ll wait in your living room and take the call from Griffin that’s surely on the way.”

At that moment, the phone vibrated in his pocket.

Lynch smiled. “Right on cue.” He pointed to the hallway. “Pack.”

CHAPTER

9

FORTY MINUTES LATER,
Kendra found herself in Lynch’s car exiting I-5 toward Carmel Valley Road.

She turned toward him. “I thought you lived in Riverside.”

“I did. I just moved here about eight months ago. This place took over two years to complete.”

“I guess that’s what you get when you build a fortress in suburbia.”

“Building a fortress is easy. The trick is to make it not
look
like a fortress.”

She shook her head. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

“I didn’t talk you into anything. You can’t be talked into doing anything you don’t really want to do. Just like Griffin didn’t really talk you into traveling to San Quentin. As you said, deep down, you know what needs to be done. You know you’ll be safer here than at your place.”

“I’ve seen you work your Puppetmaster routine on a lot of people, Lynch. First you identify their buttons, then you press them. You found my button.”

“Which is?”

“Logic. Common sense.”

He chuckled. “There are worse weaknesses.” He glanced at her. “But that wasn’t the button I pushed. I slipped in one sentence that tilted everything my way.”

“What?”

“I told you it would be safer for the people you care about.”

She stared at him thoughtfully. “Mind and emotion. You’re very, very intimidating.”

“Why do you think I need a fortress?” He didn’t wait for an answer but gestured up ahead. “It’s to the right, around that bend.”

A few minutes later, they approached a large gated home at the end of a row of luxury estates.

Kendra’s eyes widened. “Impressive. You bought this on a government salary?”

“No. When I was with the FBI, my place was considerably more modest. My agent-for-hire income allows for a much grander lifestyle.”

“Obviously. This is what, ten thousand square feet?”

“Oh, not that much.” He shot her a sideways glance. “Nine.”

She shook her head. “Aw, man. You didn’t tell me I’d be slumming it.”

“You’ll just have to suffer.” Lynch pressed a remote on his sun visor, and the electronic gate swung open. His house was a classic Tudor, surrounded by an eight-foot wall. Although it was night, artfully placed outdoor lighting showcased the landscaping and intricate stonework on the structure’s face.

Kendra pointed up toward the house. “You’re not worried about someone’s just breaking in through a window?”

“No. At the first sign of a perimeter breach on the property, steel shutters drop down over each and every one. They’re built into the walls.”

She glanced at his face, then said slowly, “You’re not joking.”

“No, I promised you a fortress, didn’t I? You were right about one thing. I’ve made a lot of enemies in my time. Everyone from crime bosses to gunrunners and terrorists. Most of them I take care of before the job is done, but there are always a few who linger in the shadows … waiting. I can never be sure when they’ll strike.” He shrugged. “So I like having a place where I can come back and relax. Out there on the street, I may have to be on guard. Not here.” He parked the car in the garage, and the door automatically closed behind them. He leaned close to her and spoke softly. “I hope I can give you the same peace of mind.”

Heat.

Sexuality.

Intimacy.

She looked away and tried to say carelessly, “You’re off to a very good start.”

“I’m glad you think so.” His face was only inches away from hers, close enough for her to feel the warmth, the vitality. A few minutes before, she had been thinking that Lynch was right, that she could relax here. He knew what she needed almost before she knew it herself. But she was not at all relaxed right now. Every muscle was tense, and her heart was pounding hard.

Don’t let him see it.

She gripped the door handle. “Give me a tour?”

He studied her expression for an instant. “Sure.”

They pulled Kendra’s suitcase from the trunk and moved toward the door. Lynch raised a fob and pressed it to throw the lock.

He showed her the fob. “The code changes every seven seconds. This fob and the door-lock codes stay in perfect synchronization.” He gripped the doorknob, then froze. “Oh, shit.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing serious,” he said, sensing the tension in her voice. “I just remembered something.”

“Remembered what?” Adam Lynch was actually looking sheepish, she realized with wonder. She hadn’t been aware he was even capable of that expression.

“Look,” he said. “You’re going to see something kind of unusual in my living room. Promise not to judge, okay?”

She smiled with anticipation. “I’ll promise nothing of the sort. What is it?”

“Damn. I can’t believe this. Okay.” He pushed open the front door.

Kendra entered the house. The place was still dark except for a few accent lights. At first, she was impressed by the modernistic furniture, travertine floor tile, and black galaxy granite countertops.

Then she saw it.

She stopped short, eyes widening. “Oh, my God.”

In the large living room, one single windowless wall was covered by a twenty-foot-long enlarged print of his latest girlfriend’s bus ad. Beautiful bikini-clad Ashley overwhelmed the room.

“Uh … Wow,” was all Kendra could say.

“Yeah.”

“Why…?”

Lynch was looking more sheepish than ever. “A couple weeks ago, I came back from a trip out of the country and … there she was on my doorstep with that poster, several movers, and an interior decorator. She whisked them inside, and an hour later, it was done.”

“She had this wall-sized picture of herself made for you?”

“This was actually hanging from the ceiling at the campaign’s launch party. She asked for it and had it mounted and framed for me.” His expression was baffled as he stared at the poster. “I guess she thought … it should occupy an entire wall in my home?”

Kendra started laughing and found she couldn’t stop. She pointed to a row of eyeball-recessed light fixtures aimed at the print. “Did she have the spotlights put in, too?”

“No, those were there already. They were installed to showcase a collection of my favorite paintings in all the world. Paintings, by the way, that the movers relegated to a hall closet.”

Kendra laughed even harder.

“What can I do?” Lynch said. “She’s very proud of this. She took a lot of time planning it. I don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

“You’re so damn tough. Yet you can’t say no to a bikini model?”

“I could say no, but I have to work my way around to doing it humanely. She thinks most guys just want to screw her.” He frowned ruefully. “Okay, that may be one of my prime objectives. But she’s decent and likeable, and I don’t want her to think that’s all she is to me. We have enough problems understanding each other’s point of view. She honestly thought this was a terrific gift.”

“I’m sure she did.” Kendra struggled to catch her breath. “Hey, if I had a body like that, I’d give out wall-sized pictures of myself, too.”

“You have a fantastic body. And no, I don’t think you would do that.”

“I agree it’s not very subtle. But at one time I might have yielded to the temptation.” Kendra realized she was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them away. “Oh, that felt good. I needed that, especially after the day I’ve had today.”

“Glad I could be of service.” He grimaced. “Now, if you’re through enjoying your laugh at my expense, I’ll show you your room.”

“I can hardly wait.” She followed him up the stairs. “But nothing could impress me more than beautiful Ashley.”

“You’re not going to drop it, are you?”

“No way. Unless you can offer me something to make it worth my while.”

He slanted a look over his shoulder. “Oh, I could do that. Just give the word.”

She lost her breath as she met his gaze. Dammit, being with Lynch was like riding a seesaw that pitched and changed with every second. “Forget it. It’s much more amusing to laugh at your vulnerabilities, Lynch.”

“Is it? Do you realize that displaying my vulnerability might have been planned? It’s a prime tactic to disarm.” He opened a door. “Did I disarm you, Kendra?”

Had he planned it? She didn’t know, and she wouldn’t think about it right now. “What do you think?” She glanced away from him and looked at the guest room. “This is very nice.”

True to Lynch’s word, the guest room was large and comfortable, centered by a four-poster bed and half a dozen overstuffed pillows.

He handed her a touch-screen remote. “Pretty much every song ever recorded is at your fingertips. You select your tunes here, and the sound comes out of the ceiling speakers. In case you’d like to listen to music as you fall asleep.”

Kendra looked at the remote and smiled. He knew how important music was to her. It was medicine not only for her clients, but for herself. Music had helped her through some of the most difficult times of her life, bringing life and color when there was literally only darkness.