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captors again, but she heard all sorts of noises. Marching feet. Mechanical sounds, like guns being cocked. Loud voices. There were a lot of men in the corridor for several minutes, and then they were marching away. Outside, she heard sounds like those of aircraft. Not airplanes. Belicopters, perhaps? She remembered what Philippe Sabon had told her about his plans to garner American intervention, and she shivered. Be really meant to attack his own people and blame it on a neighboring country. Did Kurt know that? Was he part of it? And what about Brianne's mother and little Nicholas, where did they fit into this insanity? Kurt couldn't be so desperate that he'd help Sabon start a war! Incensed by her lack of sight in here, she popped the chair upside down on the bed-springs and stood on it, trying to get high enough to see out the window. But all she could manage to see was the blades of a helicopter go by. This was interesting. Surely it was part of 206 Diana Palmer Once in Paris 207 the assault, and it was ready to start. She couldn't warn anybody. She couldn't even help herself. Surely Sabon wouldn't kill his own people. He must mean to fake an attack, for the benefit of any foreigners who might be in residence. The mainland was several miles away. But the sound of bombs and missiles carried a fair distance, so when Brianne heard explosions a few minutes later, she knew what they must be. It was too late to prevent this. If only she could get out of here in time to warn someone back home, before Kurt spoke to his senator. She stood, frozen, as she put the pieces of the puzzle together. Kurt was already in the States, Sabon had said. He knew the attack was coming. He was going to be "conveniently" in Washington when he was informed of it. He'd tell his senator friend, who'd tell some colleagues, and No, wait! They'd have to have a hearing and appoint a committee, just as they always did before sending troops anywhere. She breathed a sigh of relief. There wasn't going to be any danger. What was she thinking! The Americans weren't like some other nations. They deliber- ated before they acted. Poor Kurt! And poor Mr. Sabon, too. This was all for nothing. She got off the bed, turned the chair back over and sat down on it. She didn't need to worry about a war. Her own situation, and Pierce's, seemed of paramount importance now. She only hoped they hadn't discovered his identity. His situation was a lot more precarious than her own. She wondered if he was thinking about her, after their torrid interlude. She didn't dare tell him the truth about Sabon just yet. When he found out that Sabon was incapable, he'd be furious that he'd gone to such lengths to protect Brianne. Worse, if he found out that she hadn't taken her birth control pills for two days, he'd be livid. The threat of pregnancy was a very real one, because she was halfway between her monthlies the best time for it to happen. She let herself dream about a little boy with Pierce's dark, wavy hair and black eyes. But it was a sad dream, because he'd hate both of them. He was still in love with his dead wife. She winced as she recalled something from their intimacy that she hadn't wanted to remember. Just as he began to relax from the strain and delight of satisfaction, he'd whispered a name. But it 205 Diana Palmer hadn't been Brianne's. She heard the words echo over and over in her mind. "Margo, dar ling." " ," " " " She closed her eyes, trying to blot out the memory of all that passion she'd thought they were sharing. She'd only been a substitute for his beautiful ghost, and she hadn't known it until it was all over, and she was about to whisper how much she loved him. She was glad she hadn't. It would only have made a bad situation worse. He didn't love her. She wrapped her arms protectively around her chest and refused to think about it anymore, for fear of going quietly mad in the lonely room. She'd face all the unpleasantness later, when she had the time. Right now, she had to think up some way to get out of here! Even if Sabon hadn't a chance of attracting American troops here, his mercenaries could miss their target and accidentally bomb the house she and Pierce were held in. Or some of his countrymen, unaware of the real identity of their attackers, might fight back and cause a greater tragedy. While she sympathized with Sabon's position, she thought his approach to a solution was dead wrong. He had tunnel vision. He only saw his own role in this, not the greater picture. 209 Once in Paris World War in could easily start over such a misguided attempt to protect a small, poor nation. He wasn't considering any other country except his own. Perhaps he had good intentions, but they were being lost in his mania. Presumably the elderly sheikh who ruled this country was being kept in the dark about Philippe's plans. Poor old man. Perhaps he was being held captive, just as she was. She heard a sound at the window. It came again. The room was viciously hot as the sun came up and spilled down, making shadowy bar patterns on the tiled floor. There was no glass at the window, only those iron bars. Suddenly a small projectile whizzed down and landed at her feet. She bent over the paper-wrapped stone and opened what appeared to be part of an envelope. "Distract them" was printed in block letters, in English. She crumpled the paper in her hand and stood up, pursing her lips as she considered the meaning of the note and the intent behind the words. Her eyes began to twinkle. Well, well, rescue was at hand and needed a helping hand, hmmm? She took a deep breath, started worrying her 270 Diana Palmer hair and looking as if she couldn't get her breath at all. She grabbed her throat, contracting it a little to make her face look very red. "Oh...!" she cried out hoarsely. "Oh...I can't...breathe...my heart!" She clutched her chest and fell to the floor, giving a very good impression of someone having a heart attack. At her age it would have been unusual, to say the least, but the guard had been told specifically by Monsieur Sabon himself to keep her safe. So when he heard her he went running down the hall to her room, key in hand. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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