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She sed hard to ease her constricted vocal cords "What the hel do you want?" she asked hi

Caleb’s lance toward Stacie "Is there someplace private we can talk?"

"No," she said, not sure if she could keep her cool without Stacie there to back her up, and she did not want this man to see her lose that frail composure She detested the fact that he already knew just hoeak she could be

She could see so close to pity in his dark eyes, and she had to look away She didn’t want his pity She wanted nothing from him but his absence

"It’s important," he told her "I’ was the quickest way to get hi I’m a busy woman"

"Privately," he added

"Lana? Do you know this man?" asked Stacie in an uneasy tone

Stacie’s hand was on the phone, and Lana didn’t need two guesses to figure out she was ready to cal for help The last thing she needed was to have Stacie panic and cal the police It was best--fastest--if Lana sucked it up and got rid of Caleb quietly without any interference

Lana gave Caleb a hard stare "Stay right there," she ordered as she took Stacie by the arm and led her back to the storeroom at the back of the office

The smal room contained several shelves of office supplies and their photocopier It was stuffy and cramped, but Lana shut the door anyway

"Who is he?" asked Stacie

"He’s the soldier who puled me out of that cave in Armenia"

Stacie’s eyes lit with a bad case of hero worship "You didn’t telabout that at the ti in pain

Stacie’s mouth turned down in a pained frown "Sorry That was insensitive of me"

Lana waved the reet rid of hih"

"He saved your life and you act like you don’t want to see hiet it"

Lana hadn’t told anyone that he was also the man who had witnessed her torture and done little to stop it He’d been undercover, trying to figure out which ele to attack He couldn’t break cover to save her or any of the other Americans with her If he’d done that, hundreds of children could have died

She understood that his hands were tied, and if he’d been able to ask her if she iling to suffer to save those kids, she would have agreed without hesitation But that didn’t ain and relive that horror and pain

Her life was finaly getting better Not good, but tolerable She couldn’t handle any setbacks right now--couldn’t stand to be re those three days had cost her

"It’s co on the understatement

"Why is he here?"

"I have no idea, but I’ht was enough to row cold with apprehension She did not want to be alone with hi back in that hospital bed, drowning in pain and fear with hio back to that dark place Not ever

"He doesn’t look like he wants to be here," said Stacie

"That’s because he’s not an idiot"

"Do you want ht you could, I would let you, but I don’t think that’s going to work I’l let him have his say and then he’l leave"

"I have a couple of errands to run," offered Stacie "If you’re sure you want to be alone with hiuessed froo away until he’d had his say The sooner she got rid of hio ahead," she told Stacie "I’l be fine"

Lana led Stacie out of the storage rooht where she’d left him He looked at her with a solemn expression, and Lana had to turn away She didn’t kno she was going to get through the next five ht her that lesson over and over again

Stacie ht for so to be able to face this man without the support of caffeine She poured a cup and turned to go back to her desk, nearly running right into the wal of his chest "Da up on me like that"

"Sorry, ma’am" He backed away a step, but she stil felt overwheled at being caled ain That hat people caled herher like her mother "It’s Lana"