The Fifth Profession by David Morrell

Author:David Morrell [MORRELL, DAVID]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780446553292
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2008-12-14T08:00:00+00:00

7

That night, as Savage slept fitfully, assaulted by nightmares, he woke abruptly from a hand that caressed his cheek. Startled, he grabbed the hand and lunged upright on the sofa, prepared to defend himself.

He restrained his impulse. In the soft light from a lamp in a corner, he saw Rachel's worried face beside him. She was kneeling.

“What?” Savage scanned the room. “Where's Akira?”

“In the hallway. I asked him to leave us alone.”

“Why would—?”

“Because I asked him,” she repeated, her blond hair silhouetted by the dim light in the corner.

“No, why did you ask him to leave?”

“Because I need to be with you.”

“That still doesn't answer my—”

“Hush.” Rachel touched his lips. “You think too much. You ask too many questions.”

“It's impossible to ask too many questions.”

“But sometimes it's wiser not to ask any.”

Savage smelled her perfume. “I can't imagine—”

“Yes,” she said, “I know you can't. You've been a protector so long you're automatically suspicious. Questions are precautions. Answers are safety. And safety's your absolute value.” She touched his cheek. “It's been too many years since I told this to anyone.”

“Told?”

“I love you.”

Savage squirmed and brushed her hand away. “Don't be absurd.”

“That's what Kierkegaard says in Fear and Trembling.‘Abraham believed in God by virtue of the absurd.’ Faith is absurd. So is love. Because neither faith nor love makes sense. God might not exist and the person you love might betray you.”

“Say what you mean.”

“Since you entered my bedroom on Mykonos, you've treated me as if I meant everything to you. It's a rare experience. I can't help loving you, though I realize we're together only because you were hired to protect me. I ought to be smarter. I shouldn't love you. But I do…. By virtue of the absurd.”

“Pay attention to what Weinberg said. People under stress tend to identify with those they depend on for their safety.”

“Yes, I depend on you,” Rachel said. “And I identify with you. But more than anything, I want to make love with you.”

“No, I—”

“Yes.”

“But—”

“Damn it, hold still.”

As she kissed him, she released his belt.

And to Savage's surprise, he let her.

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