My Spy by Christina Skye Page B

slowing. He glanced down at his watch. “I'd better get the lead out. I've got another finance meeting on the Hill.” He helped Sam maneuver to a chair. “Get some rest, Commander, and call me if you need anything. Even if you just want to talk.”
    Or if you remember.
    But Howe didn't say the words. The SEAL had enough to weigh him down right now. His neurologist had reported that there was no sign of brain damage, and Sam was expected to recover the lost chunk of memory eventually.
    But would it be soon enough?
    Others had proposed hush-hush experimental stimulants and deep hypnosis. Some crank had even pushed for electroshock therapy. For now, the admiral had tabled all such discussions.
    But he couldn't hold out forever. He would give his man another week to remember. After that, like it or not, he'd have to get tough.
    But first McKade was going to take a trip out West.



Chapter Nine
    A NNIE O'T OOLE STOOD IN THE DARKNESS, DISORIENTED AND restless.
    At 2:00 A.M. , the night air was cool. She shivered a little as lights cut through the distant sky.
    A helicopter churned closer. The knowledge that Sam was on board left her nerves jumping. She had read his medical file a dozen times since his transport was finally cleared, and the details were carved into her memory. But how would he look and what would he say? Most of all, would he remember her at all?
    The file said nothing about that.
    “Ready for your new patient?” Izzy stood beside her on the deserted inland road, connected to his cell phone via a small earphone. Annie was coming to see that the man made staying in touch a high art form.
    “Absolutely.”
If you discount my breathing difficulties.
Annie stared at the approaching lights. “I just wish I could be sure that no one else knows about this.”
    “The Navy is doing everything they can to take the heat off. They sent out two other choppers tonight from different bases, each bound for a different destination.”
    “Decoys?”
    Izzy nodded. “It's unlikely that anyone will track Sam's flight here.”
    “But it's not impossible.”
    Izzy stared into the darkness. “Nothing's impossible.”
    The hum of motors grew louder. Annie picked out a darker shape against the racing clouds. “I want to do everything I canfor him,” she said. “But I need to know his outlook. His commitment. How much he'll remember …”
    “The medical team at the hospital has filled in a few details about the accident, but they don't want him to be overloaded right now.” Izzy turned, studying Annie in the darkness. “They've decided not to tell him about what happened before the crash. The neurologist felt it would be best for him to piece things together as part of his recovery.”
    “So he doesn't know that he's been here before? He won't know me or that we've met?”
    “That's about the size of it. The less he's told, the better. His medical team plans to use his rate of recall to assess the recovery.”
    Annie laughed tightly. “Sam is going to be furious when he finds out that his doctors want him purposely kept in the dark.”
    “Probably,” Izzy agreed. “But it's not our call. His medical team thinks it's the right approach, and that means you two relate strictly as patient and therapist. They don't want him to be sidetracked by personal issues from his past. Right now he has to focus on regaining his fighting performance.”
    “I don't like lying,” Annie said tightly.
    “We don't have to like it.”
    Izzy looked up into the darkness. The air churned. Suddenly lights cut across the slope, trees shaking in the sudden turbulence.
    There were no markings or military identification on the helicopter that hovered over the meadow. The high-tech black body looked sinister, like something out of a movie. The Navy was taking no chances with Sam's safety.
    Thanks to some juggling, most of Annie's guests were gone, and all but her essential staff had been given time off. The remaining workers had been briefed to