God,” Maddie groaned.
“I know. Saying the word abduction in Roswell is like saying you saw something strange swimming around in Loch Ness.”
“But why didn’t you explain what you meant, Mary Beth?”
“I tried to explain,” Mary Beth insisted. “But think about the answers I had to give them. A weird-looking aircraft? Out near the old Air Force base? Everyone got so excited, I decided if I just went along with the hysteria, those goons who grabbed you would forget all about your trespassing and send you straight back to Roswell to clear things up.”
Wishful thinking, Maddie thought. “And what about Mom and Pop, Mary Beth? Have you at least had the decency to call and tell them the truth?”
“They’re up at the cabin for the next two weeks. Didn’t they tell you? And you know Pop’s rules when they go up there. No radio. No TV. No phone. No outside communication, period.”
Maddie breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, at least that’s one thing in our favor. Hopefully this will all be over once you make a statement to the press in the morning.”
“Statement?”
“Yes, Mary Beth, you have to tell them you were mistaken,” Maddie stuttered. “Tell them you’ve heard from me and that I’m okay.”
“And are you okay? You still haven’t told me exactly where you are. Why haven’t they let you go, Maddie? Tell me what’s really going on.”
Maddie hesitated. “It doesn’t matter, Mary Beth. Just call off the media.”
“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter?” Mary Beth yelled so loudly Maddie held the phone out from her ear.
“Of course, it matters. Tell me where you are and I’ll come and get you. Then we can both talk to the press. Don’t you realize we’re celebrities now, Maddie? There’s no telling where we could go with this. Think about it. Identical twin sisters? The media will love us. You could get a book deal. Maybe I could even get a picture out of this.”
“Have you gone crazy?” Maddie said through clenched teeth. “You have to call off the media, Mary Beth! Do it first thing tomorrow.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Just do it, Mary Beth.”
“Why? What’s really going on, Maddie? Tell me.”
“I can’t,” Maddie admitted, sending an anxious look in Hawk’s direction.
“What do you mean, you can’t tell me? You mean you’re being held against your will? By our own damn government?”
Maddie took a deep breath. “Something like that,” she said, but a warning look from Hawk told her she was already skating on thin ice.
“Then you can tell those camouflage-wearing morons for me that I’ll call off the media when I get my sister back!”
Maddie saw red. “Dammit, Mary Beth. My entire career is on the line here!”
“It’s always about your precious career, isn’t it?” Mary Beth accused.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What about my career? Have you stopped to consider the exposure I’m getting right now?”
“Exposure?”
“Yes, exposure. This is finally the big time for me. I’ve had calls from Larry King. From Letter-man. Even Oprah’s people have been ringing my agent’s phone off the hook.”
Maddie didn’t answer.
“Don’t you see what this can mean to me? When all of this is over, you’ll still be Dr. Madeline Morgan and you’ll still have that impressive Ph.D. flowing behind your name. But what about me? If I don’t make the most of this opportunity right now, I’ll slip back into obscurity and spend the rest of my life scrambling around for occasional two-bit commercials.”
When Maddie still didn’t answer, Mary Beth said softly, “Don’t hate me for putting my career first, just this once. I’ve never hated you for always doing the same thing.”
“You know I could never hate you, Mary Beth.” Maddie let out a long sigh. “No matter what you did.”
“Then tell me the truth, Maddie. Are you really safe? Are you really going to be okay?”
Maddie took another look at the man who made her pulse race every time he looked in her direction. “I’ll be fine,” she lied. “I should be back at the hotel by the end of the week. Wait for me there. I’ll explain everything then.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be here. My agent wants me here in Roswell where I’ll draw the most attention. He’s even working out details for satellite interviews he plans to sell to the highest bidder. Can you believe this, Maddie? Me? Being interviewed by…”
Mary Beth was still rambling when Brad reached out and took the phone, then disconnected the call. He then promptly removed the battery and slipped it into his pants pocket before he placed the now useless cell phone on top of the bookcase. Maddie watched every move he made, but she never said a word.
He leveled a look in her direction. “What about your parents?”
Maddie shrugged a shoulder. “They’re up at our family cabin in the mountains. My father insists on total solitude when they’re up there. But since Mary Beth won’t call off the search, it’s only a matter of time until someone from Morgan City heads up to the cabin to find them.”
“Any connection between the name of your hometown and your family?”
“Afraid so,” Maddie said with a sigh. “My ancestors founded Morgan City. My father’s the mayor. Of course, in a town the size of Morgan City, being mayor is more of an honorary title than anything else.”
His look was sympathetic. “And this sister of yours? She would really jeopardize your career and never give it a second thought?”
Maddie walked back to the love seat and flopped down with her head in her hands, the events of the day finally catching up with her. “I’m too exhausted to even think about that right now,” she told him truthfully. “But thanks for letting me at least try to talk some sense into her.”
She could tell he had hoped she could convince Mary Beth to call off the media. Without the media figuring into the situation, his helicopter would have been safe and his commander would have had less reason to keep her there. And he had to be just as eager to get rid of her as she was to leave. They couldn’t get along for more than five minutes at a time, mainly Maddie suspected, because they both liked being in control.
Well, I’m not giving in, Maddie vowed as she massaged her throbbing temples. But now that she had attempted to escape and he knew Mary Beth wasn’t calling off the bogus search, what would he do?
“How do you usually sleep? On your back? Or on your side?”
Maddie’s head came up to look at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“Do you sleep on your back? Or do you sleep on your side?” he repeated.
“Why on earth would you want to know that?” Maddie’s mouth dropped open when he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the handcuffs. “Don’t even think about it,” she warned, but he quickly cut her off.
“I’ve already thought about it,” he said with a frown. “After that stunt you pulled with Baker, I’m not taking any chances. And now that you know your sister isn’t going to cooperate, you have even a bigger reason to run. But I’m worn-out, and so are you. We’re both two mature adults, so let’s simply walk calmly into the bedroom and try to get a little sleep.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious.” And the expression on his