“Oh, I’ve got that.” The muscles of his face were tight, his eyes glittering and intense, and Kendra could almost see the volatility and displeasure behind that expression.
“Stop glaring. I’m not going to get killed. Neither are you. Neither is Jessie. Because we’re going to take care of each other. That’s how it should be. None of us are going to be alone. You’re not leaving me back here to worry about you. And if you worry about me, then stay close enough to me to take care of it on the spot.” She turned toward the door. “Now I realize I can’t leave tonight. I’ll probably have to get shots tomorrow and see that my practice is taken care of after I leave. It will be better if I catch that flight with Jessie in a couple days.”
“Wait.” He was next to her, his hand on her arm. “I have a few words to say.”
She tensed. “You’re not going to change my mind, Lynch.”
He muttered a curse. “I know that.” He turned her around. “I’m still working out how I’m going to handle this. There has to be an advantage or weapon for me somewhere in this. Maybe I’ll start like this.” He kissed her: long, hard. He whispered, “Listen, I know that country. I know what you’ll have to face. This is driving me crazy. Stay here, dammit.”
She drew a long, shaky breath. “Sex is good, but it’s not all-powerful. You’ll have to do better than that.”
“Not much better.” His mischievous smile was suddenly lighting his face. “You definitely thought that it was worth the effort in spite of being pissed off at me.”
“Arrogance, thy name is Lynch.” She broke away from him. “Reconcile yourself to the idea that you’re stuck with me in Afghanistan until we’re on the way to bringing Brock down and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She started down the steps. “I’ll see you in a few days in Kabul.”
“That’s not the reconciliation I have in mind. But it might be acceptable until I figure something else out.” He added softly, “Because you know I can’t give in, don’t you? It means too much to me. You mean too much.”
She glanced back over her shoulder and then she couldn’t look away. He was standing there, smiling faintly, but there was nothing mocking or mischievous in his smile now. It was full of warmth and tenderness and the intimate knowledge of who and what she was. Who else would ever be able to smile at her quite like that?
She had to make sure that she was there to make certain he was still around to do it, didn’t she? That was what this was all about, whether or not she said the words, whether or not he understood.
She smiled back at him. “Take your best shot at it, Lynch.” She turned and kept on going down the steps. “This time you’ll lose.”
ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN AND ROY JOHANSEN
Look Behind You
Night Watch
The Naked Eye
Sight Unseen
Close Your Eyes
Shadow Zone
Storm Cycle
Silent Thunder
ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN
Shattered Mirror
Mind Game
No Easy Target
Night and Day
Hide Away
Shadow Play
Your Next Breath
The Perfect Witness
Live to See Tomorrow
Silencing Eve
Hunting Eve
Taking Eve
Sleep No More
What Doesn’t Kill You
Bonnie
Quinn
Eve
Chasing The Night
Eight Days To Live
Deadlock
Dark Summer
Quicksand
Pandora’s Daughter
Stalemate
An Unexpected Song
Killer Dreams
On The Run
Countdown
Blind Alley
ALSO BY ROY JOHANSEN
Deadly Visions
Beyond Belief
The Answer Man
IRIS JOHANSEN is the New York Times bestselling author of Shattered Mirror, Mind Game, No Easy Target, Night and Day, Hide Away, Shadow Play, Your Next Breath, The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn’t Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing the Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora’s Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On the Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, No One to Trust, and more. You can sign up for email updates here.
ROY JOHANSEN is an Edgar Award–winning author and the son of Iris Johansen. He has written many acclaimed mysteries, including Deadly Visions, Beyond Belief, and The Answer Man. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Also by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen
About the Authors
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DOUBLE BLIND. Copyright © 2018 by IJ Development, Inc. and Roy Johansen. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover photograph © Daniel Dash/Shutterstock.com
Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Johansen, Iris, author. | Johansen, Roy, author.
Title: Double blind / Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen.
Description: First edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018010684 | ISBN 9781250075994 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781466887350 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Murder—Investigation—Fiction. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction. | Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3560.O275 D68 2018 | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018010684
e-ISBN 9781466887350
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: July 2018