"And you might as well go back upstairs because I've decided that since you don't respond well to good treatment, I'll try a different tactic. From now on, no breakfast. As a matter of fact, no food at all—not until you cooperate fully."
That was his cue to start a ruckus to distract these two goons so Mariah could doctor the coffee. But first he wanted her to explain what Burgess had meant when he'd said, "She told him about his brother."
"You heard the doc. Get going." Burgess gave Jake a none-too-gentle shove.
"If you aren't a good boy and jump whenever Doc tells you to, there's no telling what will happen to your brother,"
Lester said. "Ain't it just a kick in the pants to find out that you risked your life to keep Gideon Faulkner safe and now the Coalition's got both of you?"
For a couple of seconds all that registered in Jake's mind was Lester's cackling, maniacal laughter, but then realization dawned—the Coalition had captured Gideon. And Mariah knew about it. But she hadn't told him.
Jake stared at her and saw the truth plainly in her guilty expression. "You knew, damn you, you knew!"
"Shut up! I don't want to listen to your meaningless tirade," Mariah told him.
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial v ersion, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
"He acts like he didn't know," Lester said, then turned to Marian. "Didn't you tell him? We were told that you were instructed to inform Ingram that Gideon Faulkner had been captured and that if In-gram didn't follow orders, his brother would pay with his life."
"How could you have lied to me?" Jake demanded, thinking of nothing but the sense of betrayal he felt knowing Marian hadn't been honest with him. He'd been a fool to think she was different—from Tara and all the other women he'd known. Mariah had her own personal agenda and what he wanted or needed was secondary to her assignment.
"You damn bitch, you used me. You were going to—"
Before Jake realized her intention, Mariah crossed the room in a flash and crashed her fist into the side of his face, sending him reeling. For a couple of seconds, he saw stars. Literally. The lady certainly had a powerful punch.
Seven
After doing what she'd needed to do in order to silence Jake immediately, Mariah issued an order. "Take him back upstairs and cuff him to the bed. But gag him first. Once we've had breakfast, I'll start a new hypnosis session with him. And this time, I'm sure Mr. Ingram will cooperate fully."
Burgess grabbed Jake's arm, jerked him up from where he'd landed on his knees, and herded him toward the door.
After saying a silent prayer of thanks that Jake hadn't continued his tirade, Mariah turned her attention to Lester.
"Go with them and—"
"No need," Burgess replied. "I can handle Ingram without any help."
Damn! Not only did she have to deal with Jake's reaction to finding out that Gideon had been captured by the Coalition and she hadn't shared that information with him, but now her plan to drug the coffee wasn't going to work, not with Lester remaining in the kitchen. So be it. She'd prepare the damn pancakes and undoctored coffee for Burgess and Lester, since she'd promised to fix breakfast for them this morning. But as soon as she'd wolfed down a few bites, she'd go upstairs and try her best to do some damage control. She had to find a way to make Jake understand why she hadn't been totally honest with him.
And just how do you propose to do that, Marian? she asked herself. You've lied to him, albeit by omission. He's not going to trust you. There's a good chance that no matter what you tell him, he's not going to believe you. Dammit, she had to find some way to make him believe that she was on his side. One hundred percent. And there was only one way to do that—stand by him no matter what, and that included going with him to save Gideon!
How quickly this mission had changed for her, how quickly she'd gone from being an FBI agent doing her job to being a woman standing by her man.
That was his cue to start a ruckus to distract these two goons so Mariah could doctor the coffee. But first he wanted her to explain what Burgess had meant when he'd said, "She told him about his brother."
"You heard the doc. Get going." Burgess gave Jake a none-too-gentle shove.
"If you aren't a good boy and jump whenever Doc tells you to, there's no telling what will happen to your brother,"
Lester said. "Ain't it just a kick in the pants to find out that you risked your life to keep Gideon Faulkner safe and now the Coalition's got both of you?"
For a couple of seconds all that registered in Jake's mind was Lester's cackling, maniacal laughter, but then realization dawned—the Coalition had captured Gideon. And Mariah knew about it. But she hadn't told him.
Jake stared at her and saw the truth plainly in her guilty expression. "You knew, damn you, you knew!"
"Shut up! I don't want to listen to your meaningless tirade," Mariah told him.
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial v ersion, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
"He acts like he didn't know," Lester said, then turned to Marian. "Didn't you tell him? We were told that you were instructed to inform Ingram that Gideon Faulkner had been captured and that if In-gram didn't follow orders, his brother would pay with his life."
"How could you have lied to me?" Jake demanded, thinking of nothing but the sense of betrayal he felt knowing Marian hadn't been honest with him. He'd been a fool to think she was different—from Tara and all the other women he'd known. Mariah had her own personal agenda and what he wanted or needed was secondary to her assignment.
"You damn bitch, you used me. You were going to—"
Before Jake realized her intention, Mariah crossed the room in a flash and crashed her fist into the side of his face, sending him reeling. For a couple of seconds, he saw stars. Literally. The lady certainly had a powerful punch.
Seven
After doing what she'd needed to do in order to silence Jake immediately, Mariah issued an order. "Take him back upstairs and cuff him to the bed. But gag him first. Once we've had breakfast, I'll start a new hypnosis session with him. And this time, I'm sure Mr. Ingram will cooperate fully."
Burgess grabbed Jake's arm, jerked him up from where he'd landed on his knees, and herded him toward the door.
After saying a silent prayer of thanks that Jake hadn't continued his tirade, Mariah turned her attention to Lester.
"Go with them and—"
"No need," Burgess replied. "I can handle Ingram without any help."
Damn! Not only did she have to deal with Jake's reaction to finding out that Gideon had been captured by the Coalition and she hadn't shared that information with him, but now her plan to drug the coffee wasn't going to work, not with Lester remaining in the kitchen. So be it. She'd prepare the damn pancakes and undoctored coffee for Burgess and Lester, since she'd promised to fix breakfast for them this morning. But as soon as she'd wolfed down a few bites, she'd go upstairs and try her best to do some damage control. She had to find a way to make Jake understand why she hadn't been totally honest with him.
And just how do you propose to do that, Marian? she asked herself. You've lied to him, albeit by omission. He's not going to trust you. There's a good chance that no matter what you tell him, he's not going to believe you. Dammit, she had to find some way to make him believe that she was on his side. One hundred percent. And there was only one way to do that—stand by him no matter what, and that included going with him to save Gideon!
How quickly this mission had changed for her, how quickly she'd gone from being an FBI agent doing her job to being a woman standing by her man.
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