Lady Liberty by Vicki Hinze Read Free Book Online

for a second term, and, two months ago, albeit unknowingly, Marlowe had become a player. No doubt his fear of exposing his past crimes, large and small, had already caused the good senator many sleepless nights. Nights of waiting for the proverbial ax to fall. What would he do when it became clear to him who held that ax that now hung over his head?
    Of more immediate concern, what would be Jonathan Westford’s next move?
    Westford was a pro. Gifted and, particularly when an operation involved Lady Liberty, lethally dangerous. Others might speculate, but Gregor knew of only one emotion strong enough to provoke the depth of Westford’s protective instincts toward Liberty—one emotion so intense that a man would forfeit being with her to keep her safe: love. Gregor also knew that no other emotion could make a man less predictable or more treacherous.
    If there had been any way to avoid a direct confrontation with Westford, he would have done so. But destiny had issued its decree. Westford might initially blame PUSH for the coming events, but only for a short time. Gregor and Westford would eventually collide on this mission, and the projected outcome of the clash seemed inevitable. Only one of them would survive.
    The question was: Which one?

Chapter Three

Thursday, August 8
First-Strike Launch: 68:00:00
    At precisely 4:00 A.M. the lab phoned. Jonathan took the report in the galley, staring blankly at his distorted reflection in the stainless coffeepot. “You’re certain?”
    “Positive,” the lab tech said. “We ran dual panels to test and verify simultaneously and pulled a hundred-percent cross-check comparison on the results.”
    “Thank you.” Jonathan ended the call and swallowed hard a couple of times, but the damn lump in his throat wouldn’t go up or down, and his knees felt as weak as water.
    Walking to midcabin, he tuned his earpiece radio to conference call the cockpit and Home Base. On international assignments carrying Level-Five SDU status, Commander Conlee monitored Liberty himself. He would report the results to the president.
    Liberty looked down at Jonathan’s shoes, saw his sneakers, and dragged in a sharp breath, reacting instinctively even though she had suggested he wear them. A momentlapsed, and then she forced her gaze to lift and meet his. Intense, but steadfast. She knew he had received news. “Are we leaving?”
    He blinked hard. The woman had more courage than anyone he had ever met. She was terrified and yet she sounded calm, together. He was anything but. His nose stung, the backs of his eyes burned, and a boulder had homesteaded on his chest. Too emotional to trust himself, he stood near her and spoke into his transmitter. “Captain Dean, you’re cleared for takeoff.”
    “Thank God.” Dean expelled a relieved breath that hissed static through the earpiece.
    Afraid to allow himself to feel it, Jonathan kept his relief locked inside. He hadn’t cried since he was a kid, but he was damn close to it now. He could have lost her.
Lost her.
    She reached over, pressed a staying hand to his forearm. A flash of vulnerability flickered through her eyes. “So, I’m okay?”
    “You’re fine, ma’am.” He nodded and dared to put his hand atop hers on his arm. “Just fine.” The relief inside him swelled and filled his chest. He loved and hated it. Loved that he knew she would live and hated the way that knowing affected him. He should
not
be emotionally attached. Not to her.
    “Good.” Her worry left her eyes, then clouded them again. “We’ve lost a lot of time.”
    The Code One disaster was back in priority position in her mind, if it ever had slipped to second place. Jonathan patted her hand. They were down to sixty-eight hours on the phantom seventy-two-hour deadline she’d given him at the hotel, and again he wondered exactly what it meant. “Take a minute to enjoy the good news. It’s a long flight.”
    “But I have a ton of work to do on it.” She pulled her hand away