Final Hours (11 page)

“I keep expecting Kane to blame me.” She lowered her head,
spoke out loud what she was afraid to even think. “He was injured because of
me. He could have stopped Guy, gone after him—”

“Stop, right now.” Bridget freed one hand, cradled her
cheek. “If your Kane is half the man I think he is, if he cares as much as I
suspect, he will not blame you. You left behind everything to save the life of
a stranger. That takes powerful courage, Elizabeth.” Bridget glanced over at
Kane. “I have a feeling your Kane would willingly give his life to protect what
he sees in you.”

Elizabeth fought the tears lodged in her throat.

“Thank you. For everything.”

Bridget waved off her gratitude. “I was a bit player. Kane
is the star in this. He saved that boy’s life without thinking twice about it.
We will need more like him in the months to come.”

“What do you mean?”

Bridget studied her, as if she asked a stupid question. A
question she should have known the answer to. “We lost so many good men in
France.”

Her heart skipped. “Excuse me?”

“Admiral Ramsay was killed, before he could—” She turned,
pulled a folded piece of paper out of her suitcase and handed it to Elizabeth.
It was the front page of the newspaper, dated 14 May, 1940. The bold headline
announced Ramsay’s death, that most of the BEF were lost to them. Her fingers
shook against the paper as she read the article.

Oh, God—

Bridget’s voice dragged her back. “German forces trapped a
good portion of the BEF, behind enemy lines. If not for the SIS stepping in, we
would have lost all of them. They managed to save a few thousand before the
rest were overwhelmed by the Germans. It took months for those who escaped to
make it back to England.” Bridget reached out, touched the fist Elizabeth
didn’t realize she had clenched in her lap. “You didn’t know this.”

She shook her head, her heart pounding, her throat so dry
she couldn’t swallow.
No—no, no no—

Guy succeeded.

Kane slept like
the dead, and woke starving.

His body protested every movement as he carefully sat. His
right shoulder throbbed by the time he stood. Elizabeth was still asleep,
curled in the blanket, so he left her; she needed rest as much as he still did.
He could check on Robin and Lindsay and be back before she woke.

“Kane?” Her sleepy voice halted him.

He turned, found her propped up on her blanket, all that
blonde hair falling around her like a golden cloak. He wanted nothing more than
to bury his hands in that hair, feel her body under his as they—

He choked off the rest of that thought, but it was too late.
The image already had him painfully hard. “Go back to sleep, Beth.”

“I’m already awake. Where are you going?”

“To check on Robin. Come with me?” He did not mean to say
that. It sounded—plaintive, almost like he was begging her to spend time with
him.

She pushed herself up, dressed only in the blue shirt and
trousers, her feet clad in argyle socks. Kane nearly smiled. Before he could
think to avoid it, she slipped her hand in his, and paused long enough to step
into a pair of worn black boots.

Together, they searched out the facilities, then headed over
to where the kids sat, eating bread with a thin layer of jam on it. Robin
looked better; still pale, but he was young. Time and rest would put color back
in his cheeks.

“Good morning.” Kane crouched in front of him and smiled.
Robin gave a shy smile in return. Lindsay almost knocked him over when she
threw her arms around his neck.

“Thank you.” She whispered against his throat, tears in her
voice. “I will never forget what you did for my brother. For us.”

“It was my pleasure, sweetheart.”

She let him go, a blush on her cheeks, and moved to hug
Elizabeth. “Thank you. I would not have—Robin and I—”

“I’m glad we were here to help.” Elizabeth eased back, and
Kane watched in mute surprise as she removed her locket, put it around
Lindsay’s neck. “I want you to wear this for me, as a remembrance.”

“Oh, I cannot—” Lindsay’s fingers already closed over the gold
heart.

“I insist. The heart is empty, but I know you will fill it
with images that make you smile.” She leaned in, kissed Lindsay’s forehead,
then leaned over to kiss Robin as well. He smiled, his eyes dancing. Yes, he
would be all right.

Kane took her hand as she stood, kept his voice low. “You
gave your mother’s locket away.”

Elizabeth smiled up at him, and there was an ease to it she
didn’t have before. “It felt right. I only kept it because it belonged to my
mom. Even she never wore it much, so I don’t know when the sentimental
attachment to it happened. Maybe because it
was
all I had of my parents.”
With a sigh, she leaned against his arm. “Bridget told me I would know when to
let go of it. She was right. Lindsay will treasure it, as I never did.”

A siren broke the early morning silence. The people around
them stood and gathered up their belongings, shuffling toward the exit.

“The all clear,” Elizabeth said. She let go of Kane and helped
Robin stand. Lindsay wrapped one arm around his waist, moving slowly as he
hobbled along beside her.

Kane started after them; he had made a promise, to help them
find their parents. Elizabeth’s quiet voice stopped him.

“People will be out there to help him and Lindsay, Kane. They’ll
be fine.” How did she read his thoughts, know what he meant to do before he
told her? She continued before he could start to panic. “The hard part is the
wondering. If their home is still standing, if their family and friends made
it. I hate this war.”

“Beth.” Her bitter tone set off a warning. He caught her arm
before she could get away from him. “What is it?” Something had changed,
between last night and now.

“I’ll tell you when I can.” Bridget approached them, Elizabeth’s
jacket in her hand. Blankets were tucked in a deep basket hooked over her arm,
a suitcase in her other hand. Elizabeth took the jacket from her and slipped it
on. “Thank you, for taking care of us.”

“I am afraid your shirt and your coat are beyond repair, lad.”

Kane nodded. “I figured as much.”

She handed Elizabeth a card with a handwritten address. “If
you need a place, and it’s still standing, you are more than welcome.”

Elizabeth hugged her, with the familiarity of people who had
shared secrets. Another thing Kane would have to pull out of her. “Thank you.”

Bridget kissed her cheek. “The pleasure was mine, dear girl.
Come here, my brave, handsome man.”

Laughing, he wrapped his left arm around her waist, gave her
a smacking kiss. “Thank you, for all of your care.”

She patted his scarred cheek. “Take care of each other. That
will be thanks enough for me.”

After a last hug for Elizabeth, she joined the last of the
stragglers headed for the stairs. Kane waited until their voices faded, and
turned to face her.

“Tell me.”

“The evacuation didn’t happen.”

If she had slapped him he wouldn’t have been more stunned.

“How—”

“Bridget.” She told him what she knew.

He started pacing the now empty platform, to keep from punching
the nearest wall. The morning trains hadn’t begun yet, so he took advantage of
their isolation. He knew his next words would start an argument.

“I’m sending you back to the lab.”

“Like hell you are.” Elizabeth stalked toward him, and
surprised the breath out of him when she slammed her fist into his gut. “I am
not weak or pitiful or needy. I can stand on my own, damn it, and do what needs
to be done.”

“I’ll not have you—”

“Tell me where you need to go.”

He stared down at her. “What?”

“Tell me where you need to go to stop Guy.”

He didn’t have the answer she wanted, and she bloody well
knew it. “Dover.”

“You won’t find the Admiral in Dover. Try again.”

“Damn it, we don’t have the time for—”

“You want to send me away so badly, you have to know.” She
crossed her arm. “Try again.”

Kane bit back the curse on his tongue. “Dover Castle.”

“All right. Now tell me how you’ll get past the gate, the
soldiers, and the locked door between you and Admiral Ramsay.”

With a sigh, he admitted defeat. “You’re not planning to
share this information, are you?”

“I could, but it won’t do you much good. Kane,” she reached
out, stopped before she actually touched him. It hurt more than he expected.
“The evacuation was a top secret endeavor. Right up until they started
implementing it. The only reason more people learned about it beyond the inner
circle was because Ramsay needed boats, and he commandeered the pleasure crafts
up and down the coast.”

“How do you know so much about this?”

She shrugged and lowered her head. But he saw the blush
before her hair curtained her face. “I enjoy learning about history, especially
British history. I spent three days exploring Dover. I also bought a pile of
books on the evacuation. If you want to stop Guy, you’ll have to get past more
obstacles than you think.”

“So will he.”

She let out a sigh, looked at him. “I believe he
accomplished that.” He ran one hand through his hair, stung by her simple
words. They told him that he failed; failed to stop Guy, failed to do the one
thing he was good at. “I have a question for you,” she said, pulling his
attention back. “How, exactly, are you going to get yourself back there to stop
him?”

Kane pointed to the transport on his wrist. “As soon as I
can get the block off, I—”

“It happened the day we were there.” She took a folded piece
of newsprint out of her jacket pocket. “Read it.”

He did, his gut knotting tighter with every word. “I can’t
go back.”

“No.” She studied him, her eyes sober. “But I can.”

Mac snuck into
the lab again, long after
everyone should have been in bed.

“Took you long enough.”

He skidded to a halt halfway to the main console. “Colette?”

A sigh filtered out of the shadows next to the door.
“Sergeant.” She stepped out—and she wasn’t alone. Carrie followed her, still
wearing her nurse’s scrubs, like she just got off duty.

Mac started toward the console again, forced casual even as
adrenaline shot through him. He hadn’t been alone in the same room with Colette
since the night he heard her talking with Harper. For a heart-stopping second,
he thought she’d finally come to threaten him. Or worse.

“Just doing some follow up, ladies. No reason for you to
hang around.” Dr. K had already busted his ass more than once for being in the
lab after hours. He had no excuse, not with everyone on lockdown. But he wasn’t
giving up—not on Elizabeth, especially not on Kane. There was some big, bad
ugly going on, Harper was smack in the middle of it, and he damn well meant to
find it. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

“Stop trying to schmooze us, Macaffrey,” Carrie said. She
crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. “We know why you’re here, and—”

“We want to help.” Colette gave Carrie a look that Mac would
never want to be on the wrong end of. “Kane’s a good man, and I don’t want him
to—”

“Stop beating around the proverbial bush.” Carrie stalked
forward and slapped her hand on the console. “We know something’s up.” She
glanced over at the dormant portal, and shuddered. “Guy didn’t just turn all Jack
the Ripper on a whim. Someone’s running him.”

“And you want to help.” Mac rubbed both hands over his face,
already exhausted from his cat and mouse with Colette. “Look, ladies. I
appreciate the offer. I’m more than happy to put my own ass in a sling, but I
won’t be responsible if you get in trouble.”

“Bite me, Mac.” Colette stomped over to him. “You don’t get
to play the lone Texas hero this time. Besides, you’re on the short end of
burnout, and you need help. We’re here to provide it.”

He dropped into the chair and laid his aching head on the
console. God, he was tired. Stupid tired—when it was too easy to slip up and
make a fatal mistake. “I want to lie and say you’re wrong.” It took both hands
to prop his chin up so he could look at them. “But I’d be lying. I still don’t
want you to get yourselves in—”

“Oh, shut up,” Colette said. She glanced over at Carrie.

“Massive quantities of caffeine.” She jogged across the lab
and picked up a case of Mac’s favorite soda. “Check.”

Mac spotted a bag next to her. A takeout bag, with a picture
of a red steer on the side—it couldn’t be…

“You got me Lou’s Ribs?”

“All the way from the great state of Texas,” Colette said.
“And don’t ask me how. I’d have to kill you.”

He twitched at her choice of words—then forgot himself when
she opened the bag, and the holy scent of Texas barbeque wafted across the
room.

“I may have to marry both of you.” He pushed out of the
chair, his mouth watering so badly he expected to start drooling all over the
floor. Carrie saved him by carrying the bag over. He had his hand in the bag
and a rib in his mouth before she finished setting it down. “Oh, sweet mother.”

The tangy sauce sent his taste buds to nirvana. He hadn’t
seen or smelled one of Lou’s succulent, melt-in-your-mouth ribs in four years.

“That settles it,” he said, talking around the meat. “I’ll
have to marry you both.”

“Pass.” They said it at the same time, and burst out
laughing. The sound echoed in the empty lab.

Colette sobered up first. “Get to work, Macaffrey.” She
pulled a can of soda out of the case, tossed it to him. He caught it, surprised
to find it ice cold. “We have to clear out before my shift ends. That gives you
until five a.m.”

“Got it.”

He sat, taking the big white bag with him. He planned to eat
with one hand, tap with the other. These ribs weren’t leaving his grip until he
sucked the last one dry.

~ ~ ~

It took until
after four, but Mac found it,
buried so deep in code he almost bypassed it.

“Son of a bitch.” He set the can of soda down, went at the
screen with both hands. “Son of a
bitch
.”

“What?” Colette skirted around the console, and leaned over
his shoulder. Carrie had sacked out in the R&R room hours ago. She had her
next shift at seven. “What did you find?”

Mac couldn’t bring himself to believe that Colette was part
of this, that her betrayal went so deep. So he took a chance, showed her on the
small console screen. He did
not
want to move it from the file, even to
show her on the bigger screen. Any electronic footprint could get them all dead
in a hurry.

“Is that…” Her voice faded as the truth hit. “Oh, shit.” She
stared at Mac, her hands shaking on the console. Relief washed through him at
her horrified reaction.

“Couldn’t have said it better.”

He stared down at the single document, the letterhead of their
oversight committee front and center.

In five short sentences, it completely dismantled the
current administration of TimeSearch, giving control to the one organization
Dr. Kinimoto fought long and hard to keep out of the project.

MI-6.