“No Canidy said, “because we need you, and because I decided that was the way to get you to help.”
“That sounds honest enough,” Fulmar said. J “I’ll raise the question of a commission as soon as I can,” Canidy said. “No promises.”
“Good enough,” Fulmar said. “My father knows you’re safe in this country,” Canidy said. “How does he know?”
“I told him. He was worried about you.”
“That’s all you told him?”
“That’s enough to get me locked up for the duration if anybody hears about it, so keep it under your hat.”
“I had diarrhea of the mouth a while back,” Fulmar said.
“Keep that under your hat.” Canidy got out of bed.
“I’m going to call the sentry,” he said.
“And he will escort you back to the house.”
“if you do that, the sailor sitting outside my door to keep me in the house will have his ass in a crack.”
THE SECRET WARRIORS 0 goo What did you do, make a rope from your blankets and climb out the window?”
“I didn’t need a rope,” Fulmar said. “You could get back without one?”
“Watch me,” Fulmar said. “No,” Canidy said.
“You’re too valuable to have your balls blown off by a nervous sentry ” “I don’t want that kid to get in trouble because of me,” Fulmar said.
“I’m going to let him worry a little for the rest of the night about your getting away from him,” Canidy said.
“But I’m not going to squeal on him.” Then he did something which surprised Ann and brought tears to her eyes. He put his arms around Eric Fulmar and hugged him.
“Besides, asshole, if the sentry blew you away, I would miss you.
You’re the only thing close to a little brother I have. They went out of sight, and Canidy called for the sentry and asked him to “escort Mr. Fulmar back to the house. When Canidy walked into the bedroom end of the room, she was leaning on the wall beside the closet. “Oh, Jesus H.
Christ! he groaned. 4(Hi!
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, “That’s my intention,” Ann heard herself say, “but I’m not sure I like the tone of voice.”
“How much did you hear?” he asked.
“I got here a couple of minutes before Eric did,” Ann said.
“I hid in there. I heard everything.”
“Wonderful!” he said.
“I’m not going to tell anybody,” she said.
“I’ll have to tell Donovan,” he said.
“You understand what that means? You’ll be hauled away for psychiatric examination. It will take years.
“Not necessarily,” she said.
He turned away from her and headed for the whiskey on the sink. She took a couple of steps after him. Now he spun around and angrily demanded, “What do you mean, not necessarily?”
“Bill Donovan called me in this morning and asked how he could be sure I wouldn’t write anything I shouldn’t. I gave him an answer that satisfied him. And it covers this situation, too.” He opened his mouth to say something, stopped as if something shocked him, then moved his eyes to hers. His face was flushed. What did he see that caused that? And then in her reflected image in a dresser mirror, she saw what had shocked him. What he was looking at again now. Her leg, all the way up to her crotch, had escaped her bathrobe. That happened when he startled me by spinning around like that. She covered herself in a reflex action, then looked at his face. It was now red, and she saw him swallow. “I’d love to hear what you told him,’ Canidy said, his voice strained. In for a penny, in for a pound, Ann decided. She took a step toward him. In the process, her leg ‘escaped” her bathrobe again. Is that what you want to see? Have a good look! He looked, then looked quickly away. “I told him that I love you,” Ann said softly, “and that I was consequently incapable of doing anything that would hurt you,” Now his eyes met hers.
“What’s the matter with you?” he flared. “Are you crazy? Saying something like that? And what you said before-” “That’s a distinct possibility,’ she said.