Dead Aim by Iris Johansen Page B

Any more than I know why you should tell me the truth."
    He looked down at the stew. "Ten minutes," he said quietly. "Your bedroom is down the hall to the left. I don't have any clothes for you, so I put some of my stuff in your bureau drawer. You'll have to make do. I'm afraid I was a little unprepared. I didn't want it to come to this."
    She slowly rose to her feet. "I'm going to make your life hell. This isn't going to be worth your while."
    "You may be right. You've already caused me more problems than you know."
    "Good." She grabbed her purse and camera bag, strode down the hall, and slammed the door of the bedroom. A moment later she was splashing water on her face in the adjoining bathroom. She wiped her face on the guest towel and then went into the bedroom and stared out at the heavily falling snow. Between the darkness and the snow she could barely see the mountains.
    She doubted if the cold water was going to make her any sharper or more able to cope. She was still feeling fuzzy from that blasted sedative. What the devil had he given her?
    Okay, try to think. This entire episode was like something from a bad movie. She went to the bed and checked her purse. No gun, no phone. Nothing that even resembled a weapon, unless you counted a ballpoint pen.
    But there were probably knives in the kitchen.
    She'd always hated the thought of knife wounds. She might not have to use a weapon. It was clear Morgan was intelligent enough to respect a threat. Play the situation by ear.
    Logan. He was the one who'd hired Morgan. He could fire him. That was another path she could explore.
    Well, she couldn't accomplish anything by hiding here in the bedroom. She would face him, learn as much as she could from him, and then find a way to get out of here.
    Decker watched the two morgue attendants slide Lester's body into the hearse.
    What the hell had happened?
    A cold chill went through him. It didn't matter what had happened. The woman was gone. Lester was dead and the police would probably ID him within hours. Powers would be furious.
    Okay, think fast. Damage control. Find a hook and wriggle out from beneath the censure and punishment to come. He had to cover his ass.
    Find the hook.
    He hurried back into the hotel.
    "Sit down." Morgan put a bowl of steaming stew down on a place mat at the kitchen table. "You must be hungry. I didn't give you much time to eat dinner before I called in the alarm."
    "That was totally irresponsible. Someone could have been hurt."
    "It was a judgment call. There was a bigger chance of you being hurt if I didn't get you out of there." He sat down across the table from her. "So I got you out. Eat your stew."
    "How do I know you didn't put something in it?"
    He smiled. "You don't."
    But it wasn't likely. As he'd said before, he could have killed her at any time while she was lying there helpless. She picked up her spoon and dipped it into the stew. "How long was I unconscious?"
    "Not too long." He offered her a bowl of rolls. "I'm not going to tell you how long because you'd immediately start trying to figure out how close we are to Denver. The less you know, the better for me."
    "I will get away from here." She smiled through bared teeth. "And then I'll make sure you and Logan are punished."
    "Logan too? But won't that hurt your friend Sarah?"
    "He had no right to--" But there was no way she could hurt Sarah. She drew a deep breath. She'd think about Logan later. "I'm not even sure Logan did hire you."
    "I know. That's why I'm going to let you talk to him after dinner."
    "What?"
    "This situation is going to be difficult enough. It will make it easier for both of us if you believe I'm here to protect, not hurt, you." He took a bite of stew. "Anger is okay, but I don't want you to be afraid of me. Fear sucks."
    "I'm not afraid of you."
    "Yes, you are." He gave her a steady glance. "Not all the time. It comes and goes, but it's there."
    "And who are you to analyze--" She stopped as she met his gaze. "I'd be