No One to Trust - Iris Johansen [20]
She stared at him defiantly but swallowed the pills and set the glass on the table.
He paused before going through the curtains. “You have seven hours to nap and get that fever down. You wouldn’t want me to have to carry you off the plane in San Francisco. Think how humiliating that would be.”
“I wouldn’t be humiliated. I’d take what I had to take from you.”
He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment. “You’d do anything for the boy, wouldn’t you?”
“Anything.”
“I could almost pity Forbes.” He didn’t wait for an answer before he went through the curtains.
Elena lay back down and took a deep breath. She felt exhausted and she wasn’t sure if it was from the fever or dealing with Galen. She had thought he was like the mercenaries she’d known in the past, but he was much more complicated. It was strange that he had tried to stop her from revealing too much about herself because he’d known she would be ashamed of the weakness later. She was ashamed. She should not have babbled. Fever, exhaustion, fear of what was to come, horror of the past … She should still have retained control.
She would be stronger after she rested. She would push the thought of Galen out of her mind so that she could nap and be strong for Barry when she woke. She closed her eyes and tried to relax.
Christ, she hoped she wouldn’t dream of Chavez.
“Is Elena all right?” Dominic asked as Galen dropped down in the seat beside him.
“Not exactly fighting fit.” Galen glanced at Barry, who was now tucked under a blanket and sound asleep on a seat across the aisle. “But she won’t admit it. I think she’s been through more than she can handle right now.”
“You’re wrong. She can handle it,” Dominic said. “I’ve never seen anything she couldn’t work her way through, and I’ve known her since she was ten years old.” He thought for a moment. “Well, once it was pretty close, but she found a way out.”
“What happened?”
He smiled. “You’ll have to ask her.”
“Not bloody likely. She was with the rebel army when she was ten?”
“She ran messages from one village to another when she was younger than that. Her father didn’t start training her until she was a little older.”
“Nice.”
“He wasn’t the best father in the world, but as I told you, he had a good deal of charisma and he was an excellent soldier. A good teacher too. Elena was remarkably skilled in the arts of war by the time she was twelve. Sad …”
“Couldn’t you stop it?”
He shook his head. “I was a guest in their camp. If I’d interfered, the rebels would have thrown me out. It was difficult for me, but I learned to compromise. I couldn’t do everything I wanted, but there were things I could do. I was able to teach, give comfort and understanding and, every now and then, more concrete help.”
“Like with Barry?”
A smile lit his face as he glanced at the sleeping child. “That was my joy and privilege. I couldn’t give Elena everything she needed as a child, but I got another chance with Barry. I believe God finds ways to help us find our true path. When Elena needed help with Barry, I knew I’d found mine.” His brows lifted. “You’re asking a lot of questions. Why?”
“I’m plagued with a curious mind.”
“And Elena is an intriguing woman.”
“Since she tried to kill me a minute after we first met, it’s difficult to think of her as a woman.”
“Then why are you so angry at the thought of the way her father raised her?”
“I just don’t like children being forced into grown-up games.”
“As you were?”
Galen was silent a moment. “Are you fishing?”
“It’s my nature. And my vocation.” Dominic tilted his head, studying Galen. “You’re an interesting man and probably better than you think you are.”
He chuckled. “I couldn’t be. Unless there’s something better than perfection.” His smile faded. “Dominic, I’m a cynical, selfish son of a bitch who’s dabbled in more sin than you could measure in a lifetime. But that doesn’t mean I’m all bad. I show up pretty