From the Heart

jacket. “It’s insane. You can’t just walk in there; you’re not trained for this sort of thing. And who’s to say he’ll let Wyatt go when you do? He’ll—he’ll have more bargaining power then. You must see that.”
    “He wants to talk,” Thorpe pointed out, and started to lead her away. “Wyatt can’t get him national coverage; I can.”
    “Oh God, Thorpe, he’s not stable.” She was weeping now and unaware of it. “He’ll kill you, and the senator too. You don’t have to go. They can’t make you.”
    “No one’s making me.” He signaled a member of his crew and spoke in undertones. “Call the desk. Tell them I’m going to do an interview with Morrow in exchange for the hostages. Get a camera on the building in about ten minutes; some of them should be coming out. I’ll need a tape recorder.”
    “ No! ” Liv’s voice rose now, in direct contrast to his. She clutched at him as if she could hold him from what he intended to do. “You can’t. Please, listen to me.”
    “Liv.” He brushed the hair back from her face. “You’d do the same thing. It’s part of the job.”
    “Your life isn’t worth a Pulitzer.”
    He lifted a brow. “Some might disagree with that.”
    “Damn it, Thorpe.” She had to think fast; she had to be rational or he’d never listen. “It’s probably just a trick. He can let the two aides go, and with you and Wyatt, he’ll have two important people. He must realize that the network would negotiate for your release. It’s just the sort of thing he’s looking for.”
    “Maybe. Maybe not.” He kissed her then to quiet her, and then because he needed to.
    “Oh, please, don’t go.” She clung to him, knowing she had already lost and unable to accept it. “I love you.” Slowly, he reached up to take her shoulders and draw her back far enough to see her face. It was tear-streaked and desperate. “I love you,” she repeated. “It’s tomorrow, Thorpe. Stay with me.”
    “God.” He rested his forehead on hers and let the feeling seepthrough him. He pulled her close again, bruisingly close. “Your timing, Carmichael, is incredible.” When he kissed her again, he felt her lips tremble under his. “We’re going to talk about this later. We’re going to talk about it for a long time.” He drew her away and smiled at her. “You’d better give your station the latest developments or you’re going to find yourself scooped.”
    “Why won’t you listen to me?” She was angry now as well as desperate. Even her love hadn’t swayed him. “You can’t go in there. I need you.” She didn’t care if the words were unfair, as long as they prevented him from crossing the street.
    “I need you too, Liv. That doesn’t have anything to do with me doing my job, or with you doing yours.”
    She didn’t want logic; she only wanted him. She clutched at him fiercely. “I’m going to marry you.”
    He smiled again and kissed her nose. “I’ve known that for months. You’re just a bit slow.” Glancing up, he noted the camera pointing in their direction. “And now several hundred thousand people know it too.”
    “I don’t care.” Her penchant for privacy seemed suddenly absurd. “Thorpe, you can’t ask me to face losing you.” She grabbed the lapels of his jacket in hands that were damp with fear. “Damn you, I can’t face it! I can’t face it all again. I won’t.”
    His grip was firmer now, and his eyes intense. “You listen to me. I love you, more than anything. Don’t you forget it. We live with risk every day; if we don’t, we’re already dead. It hurts to be alive, Liv.”
    Pale and calm, she faced him. “I’ll never forgive you if you do this. I never wanted to love you. Now that I do, you’re asking me to stand by and wait to lose you. I won’t forgive you for that.”
    He watched her steadily. He saw the pain and the panic. He didn’t want to hurt her. He would have done anything in this power to keep that look from her eyes, but he couldn’t alter who he was or what he was. “Maybe you should think about who you fell in love with, Olivia. I haven’t changed. I’m exactly as I was, and exactly as I’ll be tomorrow. Now I’ve got a job to do. So do you.”
    “Thorpe—”
    “Come on.” He cut her off and began to lead her back. “Daniels should have finished talking to his people by now.”
    Liv stood back and watched, helpless, as Thorpe, Daniels and Morrow made the final negotiations for the exchange. There