A Time & Place for Every Laird (35 page)

“Who the hell are you?”

Hugh lifted his head to study the other agent standing behind the small desk that was the only furniture in the room besides a small chair in the cramped space.  “Are ye Jameson?”

“Agent Nichols,” the man corrected
with some justifiable wariness.  “INSCOM.  And who the hell are you?”

With a nod, Hugh stepped forward
, taking the agent’s measure.  There was none of the fanaticism in his eyes that had been so readily apparent in the other agent, even at a glance.  Hopefully here was a man who could be reasoned with.  “My name is Hugh Urquhart.  I am a friend of Claire and her brother.  I’ve come to ask ye tae leave them alone in this matter.”

“And how are you aware of the matter?” Nichols asked, clearly
trying to visibly dissect Hugh, to determine
exactly
who he really was.  Undoubtedly he was suspicious but Hugh bore almost no resemblance to the savage who had once been housed in a cell at the lab.

“I’ve done some light reading on yer project
wi’ Mark-Davis Laboratories,” Hugh said. 

Sorcha tensed by his side
, no doubt wondering at his words, but Hugh had been well drilled by Danny in the past hour.  He knew what he was about. “I’ve managed to unearth every last detail of Dr. Fielding’s project and the entirely unethical uses INCSOM has planned for his discovery.  Sneaking up on the enemy?  Planting evidence where none existed?  Espionage here?  A bomb dropped there?  The ability to assassinate anyone in their own bed and behind locked doors?” Hugh tsked with a shake of his head.  “I doubt even your allies or my government and those of all the other UN nations would like that, considering that there was no intention of sharing with your friends.  That’s one way to rule the world, is it not?”

“
I doubt the media would be able to keep quiet about it,” Sorcha chimed in.  “I doubt the president and the FBI would be too happy, either.  A little interdepartmental tantrum over who has the best toys.  Boy, that could get ugly for you.”

Nichols stiffened but his tone remained as pleasant as ever.
  “Are you threatening the federal government, Mrs. Manning?”

“No,
Agent Nichols, just you and Jameson.  Because I bet it would look really bad on your record to have something of this magnitude leak.”

“I could just take you out
… both of you.  That would solve the problem.”

There was no doubt in Claire’s mind that the implied threat of death wasn’t an idle one.  The tenacious Special Agent Jameson was clearly capable of doing anything to protect his interests, and she was beginning to think that Nichols was no different, though his methods were certainly gentler. “There are other people who know.”

Nichols waved
an unconcerned hand.  “A common threat.”

Hugh held up the keychain USB
.  “Given the reputation of certain people in Mrs. Manning’s family, I’m sure ye know it’s not an unfounded fail-safe.” 

Claire could tell by the look on his face that
Nichols was taking his words seriously, and she breathed an inward sigh of relief. Why hadn’t she thought to begin with the threat rather than trying to find humanity and reason in people where there was none?

“
There is a keystroke between ye and disaster, Agent Nichols,” Hugh continued.  “Astonishing really, tae hae such an… outbreak at a facility – that despite the nature of its top-secret projects – had never experienced a threat greater than an occasional chemical leak.  So many negative… side effects.  It would be a shame if it all got out.”

Eyes narrowed, Nichols refused comment
, but Claire wasn’t discouraged by his silence.  She could see his mind spinning, calculating just how bad it would be for him.   “If ye’ll take a moment tae look at a website called whistleblower.com?” Hugh suggested, nodding to the desktop monitor.

Nichols lifted a wary brow but moved to an open laptop and depressed a few keys.  His eyes widened only slightly but it was enough for Claire to know that whatever Hugh and her brother had planned, it was proving affective.

“That is just a teaser,” Hugh’s brogue wrapped awkwardly around the new word.  “A taste of what is tae come if ye continue tae pursue this path.  I’m nae asking for the whole thing tae be shut down—though God knows it should be.  I’m nae even asking for ye tae consider the morality of what ye hae done.”

“What do you want
, then?” 

“I want ye tae gi’
up this madness and leave Mrs. Manning alone.  She hae done nothing tae threaten yer project or its future.”

“And what about you?”

“What aboot me?”

“Don’t you want to go home?” Nichols said silkily.  “I can send you there.”

Hugh froze but only for a moment, saying decisively, “I can buy my own plane ticket.”

“No, to your real home,” the INSCOM agent baited the hook further.  “I was just explaining to Mrs. Manning that t
he problem has been fixed.  All
negative
side effects of the project can be remedied.  You can go back where you belong.”

Hugh did not even twitch at the offer.  Home.  Was it surprising that he did not miss it?  Or was it simply knowing that the Scotland he would reach was not truly his own?

“I am where I belong.  There is no place I would rather be,” he said firmly.  “If we were to come across any of your negative side effects, however, we will be sure to let them know about your generous offer.  Now is that all?”

A reluctant smile curved the corner of Nichols
’ lips.  “I had to try, you know?  I was never worried about this, not like Jameson was.  I figured that the escapees would simply walk in front of a car or something and the problem would solve itself.”

“It was probably a freight train,” Hugh said
, since he had felt rather decimated on occasion since his arrival.  “Either way, I would wager that yer problem is completely taken care of … except for the matter of the project information leaking tae the public.  Nasty business that.”

“Yes,” Nichols nodded thoughtfully.  “I would hate to see that happen.”

“Sir!”  Jackson appeared at the door, panting for breath, as he looked frantically between Hugh and Nichols and down to Jameson, still unconscious on the floor.

“No need to worry, Jackson,” Nichols held up a hand.  “These two were just leaving.”

“But sir!”

“Let them pass, Jackson.”

“Do we hae an accord then, Agent Nichols?” Hugh asked, taking Sorcha by the hand.

“I would say we do,” the agent nodded.  “I am retiring soon
, but I will see that the case is closed and all other … impediments”—he glanced down at Jameson with a grin—“to your continued freedom are taken care of before I go.”

“I would appreciate that.”

“And I would appreciate retiring without a flaw on my record.”

              “What were you thinking?” Claire asked as soon as they were clear of the van and the rousing agents.  “You were supposed to be going to Canada this morning.”

“And ye were supposed tae be going
wi’ me,” Hugh answered sternly as he towed her away.

“I was trying to save you
.”

“And I had tae save ye as well.”

Hugh tugged her around the corner and behind a tree.  “Ye foolish, foolish thing.  I’ve ne’er been so angry as I was when I woke and found you gone.  Promise me ye’ll never do anything so imprudent again.”

“But Hugh
…”

Raking his fingers through her hair, he tilted her head back until Claire was able to look into his bright blue eyes fully and read the warmth and caring there.  “I could nae
lose ye when I hae lost all else,” he whispered in his husky brogue, stroking his calloused thumb against her cheek.

“I’m sorry I
couldn’t go with you.”

“I dinnae mean tae pressure ye
,” Hugh told her.  “I only wanted tae share my new life wi’ ye.”

“Oh
, Hugh … but what if Nichols’s offer was genuine?” she asked, her heart racing.  “What if he could have sent you home?”

“Did ye believe him?” Hugh wondered.  “I dinnae.”

“So you would go home, if you could?”

“
Nay, Sorcha lass, my place is wi’ ye now,” he whispered earnestly.  “If ye’ll have me.”

“But I want you to have what you really want,” Claire protested.  “I want you to be happy.”

“Remain by my side, my love, and I will be.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“Lass, look at me,” Hugh commanded.  Claire met his eyes and read the sincerity there.  It echoed everything that burned in her heart, everything she had refused to voice.  Everything she had feared feeling once more.  “Ye are what I want, my love.  Wi’ ye I hae found everything I need.”

“Mé gráigh tú?” she asked, stumbling over the foreign words that had lingered in her thoughts.

“I adore ye,” he translated softly.

Claire’s heart skipped a beat.  “Mé adhradh tú?”

Hugh lifted her hands, pressing a tender kiss against her knuckles.  “I worship ye.”

“Mé gr-gray…
”  She started with a mispronunciation. 

“Mé grá tú, mo Sorcha.  I gcónaí,” he corrected and finish for her.  “
Can ye nae guess?”

“I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, Hugh,” she whispered, her throat tight with tears.  “Anywhere you go, anything you need, I will be there for you.  I love you
.  So much.”

“And I love ye,
my Sorcha,” he whispered, bending his head to hers.  “Always.”

Darth Vader’s Imperial March blasted from Danny’s phone
, and he looked down in surprise at the image of the iconic Rolling Stones emblem of a red tongue sticking out at him that served as his avatar for Claire’s incoming calls. 
What the hell?

“What are you doing?” he asked by way of answer.  “Calling me from your
own GD phone?”

“Where are you?” she asked by way of an answer.

Danny growled with some frustration and hung up the phone.  There couldn’t be two people in the world that could be so freaking foolish as first Hugh and now Claire were being!  God help him if he ever became such a fool for some …

Darth Vader began marching again and Danny bit back a primal scream and snarled into the phone
as he pressed it to his ear, “You know if they can track you on that damned thing, they can track whom you’re talking to, too.”

“
Would you just come and pick us up?” was all she said.

D
anny blinked at that, any thoughts of the NSA tracking her signal having fled his mind.  “You mean it worked?”

“Of co
urse it worked.  Did you think it wouldn’t?”

“Of course not,” Danny lied blithely.  “I was so sure it would that I figured you could just take your own car.”

Claire laughed, and he heard her repeat the words to Hugh before his laughter joined hers.  “Sorry, I forgot it was here.  Thanks, Danny.  For everything.”

“Anything for you,
Sis.”

“Really?  In that case
, can you book me two tickets to Edinburgh?” she asked merrily. 

“Sure,” he said
, just as flippantly.  “Window or aisle?”

“Oh, aisle
, I guess,” she said.  “I doubt Hugh will be too anxious to see what’s coming.  And make sure you get us in first class.  I would hate to tarnish the entire experience for him the first time ’round.”

Claire said something else to Hugh and they both laughed once more
, and Danny rolled his eyes in disgust.  If love could turn two of the most intelligent people he had ever known into raving lunatics, he would be content to restrict his affections to a lifetime love affair with his laptop.

Much can be excused if it’s done for the right reasons
, Danny thought with a wicked grin after they said good-bye.  If he was actually going to go to the trouble of booking their flight for them, he was going to give them the longest red-eye available because a little sibling revenge was always the best reason for everything.