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the look every woman had given him once they found out
who he was haunted him, until he expected to see it every time, with every
woman. He didn’t want Elizabeth to be one of those women—
    “Hey.” Her quiet voice jerked him out of his thoughts. He
met her eyes, noticed the smudges under them, how fragile she looked in the
oversized chair. “How do you feel?”
    “Better.” He used his left arm to push himself up, and
flinched when his right shoulder twitched. He thought he hid the reaction—until
Elizabeth scrambled off the chair and slid one arm around his waist to help him
sit. He didn’t need the assistance, but any excuse to have her close and he
would use it. “Thank you.”
    “I don’t think you should be sitting up at all. You still
look—”
    “Rakishly handsome?”
    Her smile set off warning bells in his mind. “Like you’re in
pain.” She sat back on the edge of the chair. Too far away, and not far enough.
“Carrie came by while you were asleep, wanted me to tell you that you’re
officially off rotation. At least until Guy is located. I’m guessing that means
you’re on vacation, so you should take advantage… what?”
    Kane realized he had been staring. He ran one hand through
his hair, and his gaze dropped to the notebook she left on the arm of the chair.
“What were you doing?”
    “Oh.” She stared at the notebook, her fingers toying with
the edge of the cover. “Just—scribbling. It helps me think, or keeps me from
thinking. Depends on the situation.”
    Kane used her distraction to keep her talking. He enjoyed
her quiet, low pitched voice. For a Yank, she had a pleasant accent. “And in
this particular situation?”
    A smile tugged at her mouth. “Keep from thinking. You must
be thirsty.” She turned to the nightstand, and he spotted the tray with a small
teapot and two cups. “Carrie left some tea, spiked with mint leaves. She said
you’re sensitive to the—healing machine, and the mint settles your stomach.
It’s probably on the cold side, but if you want some I can—”
    “Beth,” He touched her wrist, and she stilled. “You know you
are safe here. Dr. Kinimoto’s unfounded threats aside, this is the most secure
facility in my time. No one can harm you.”
    “What about Guy?”
    Kane focused on her, to keep the rage from overwhelming him.
“Guy would be a fool to return. He has a shoot on sight order on him, and he
would know that.”
    She eased away from him and poured tea. “Is this place
military?”
    “Not exactly.” He took the offered cup and forced himself to
take a sip. Herbal tea was not his favorite, and he barely tolerated it hot.
Cold, it tasted like medicine. He set the cup on the nightstand and patted the
mattress beside him. After staring at the spot long enough that he expected her
to refuse, she sat next to him, muscles tense, hands pressed between her knees.
“This is a government project, but it’s overseen by civilian scientists, like
Dr. Kinimoto. Regulations are strict because this facility holds the portal to
our past. Very few people outside a few MPs and the Prime Minister even know of
its existence.”
    “How?” Elizabeth faced him, more relaxed now, her eyes
bright with questions.
    “I can’t be answering all of the questions running through
your mind, but I can tell you that most of us here believe we are saving the
future with this project.”
    “By observing the past.”
    He smiled. “Exactly.”
    “How’s that going for you?”
    His smile faded. She didn’t sound enthusiastic. In fact, she
sounded angry. “We have had—complications.”
    “Like a maniac running free in the past? Those kind of
complications?”
    “Beth—you don’t have the complete picture—”
    “You were chasing Guy, wearing a BEF uniform from World War
II.” He stared at her. “Yes, I saw it, and yes, I recognized it.” She stood,
hands clenched at her sides. “You were heading into my past, affecting my future. That’s all the picture I