Agent Bateman sat at the glass-topped patio table, leaning on it with his elbows, being careful to avoid the water droplets that had fallen from the trees above. Rebecca looked tired, and for the first time, Jack saw shadows under her eyes. He took off the sweater he wore over his T-shirt and laid it across her shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled tensely. It was a smile that spoke a thousand words, and none of them were good.
“Mrs. Grey,” the agent said, “I don’t think it’s necessary for you to leave Florida, but when Darius Finch listens to that conversation, he’ll be thrown off your trail. If he does have any ideas about coming to look for you, he won’t know where to start. Protective custody can be arranged, but I’m guessing you’d rather avoid it.”
“I would,” she said. “It would feel like prison. I won’t let Darius take my freedom.”
“Having been informed of all the dangerous locations you’ve been to across the world, that’s what I had expected you to say.”
Rebecca pulled Jack’s sweatshirt tightly around her shoulders. “But you still think I should leave this house.”
Agent Bateman nodded. “I do. Just as a precaution. Is there an alternate location where you can stay awhile?”
Rebecca looked over at Jack. Her eyes had lost their sparkle, and he sensed that she was willing him to take the lead. So he stepped in. “Leave it to me,” Jack replied. “I have a place in mind.” He looked between Cole and Dillon. “You guys okay to stay another couple of days? We could do with the support.”
“Just try and stop us,” Cole said with a wink.
Jack rose from the table. “In that case,” he said, “I need to go make a call.”
*
Cole and Dillon helped Sarah put two large suitcases into the trunk of her car. The girls were dancing around with excitement like they were going on vacation.
“Sarah, you don’t have to do this, you know,” Rebecca said for the fifth time since they’d arrived. “We can go someplace else.”
Sarah turned and put her hands on her ample hips. “You will not go someplace else. You will stay here and let Jack take care of you.” She came closer and dropped her voice. “I guessed there was something wrong last time you visited, and Jack has told me a few details about what’s happened.” She held up her palms. “I don’t want to know all the facts because you know how I worry, but he tells me you need to be somewhere you feel safe.” She gathered her daughter-in-law into her arms and hugged her tight. “You look so tired, honey. Get some sleep.”
Rebecca looked over to Jack as he pulled their bags from Cole’s car with his good arm. He caught her eye, and she quickly averted her gaze back to Sarah. “I’m so sorry you have to leave because of me,” she said.
Sarah dismissed her with a flick of her wrist. “A visit to my sister is long overdue,” she said. She pointed to Charlotte and Emily running around the car, giggling. “And just look at the excitement on those two girls’ faces. They know that Aunt Pamela spoils them rotten.”
Rebecca smiled. “Thank you, Sarah.”
“No thanks required,” she said. “You and Jack are family, and we help each other through the hard times.”
Rebecca noticed the inflection in Sarah’s voice when including Jack’s name in that sentence. Jack was part of Sarah’s family, and she clearly wanted Rebecca to know it.
“It’s almost time to go,” Sarah said, eyeing her watch. “We should get going.” She faced Rebecca head-on and gripped her shoulders. “You can call me on my cell any time of the day or night. Trust in Jack, and he’ll keep you safe.”
Rebecca gave a high laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”
Sarah tilted her head. “It is. Jack hasn’t let you down yet, has he?”
“No,” Rebecca agreed. “You’re right. But I’m struggling to put all my trust in him.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes a little. “What kind of trust are we talking about here, Rebecca?”
Rebecca knew where this was heading, and she wanted to deflect it. “It doesn’t matter.”
Sarah wasn’t going to let it drop that easily. “Are you worried about trusting him with your life, or trusting him with your heart?”
Rebecca closed her eyes slowly, catching sight of Jack in her peripheral vision. He was settling the girls into their seats and fastening their belts as best he could with the use of only one hand. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’m not sure of anything anymore.”
“It’s because your mind is working overtime,” Sarah said. “It’s hard to think straight when you have no peace and quiet.” She smiled. “God can’t get through the fog.”
Rebecca opened her eyes. “Jack says he loves me.”
Sarah was unfazed. “Of course he does. He’s loved you for quite a while now.”
“You knew?”
“Yes, I knew.”
Rebecca ran a hand through her hair. “I told him that we can’t be together.”
Sarah gripped Rebecca’s elbow and led her a couple of steps away from the car. “Can I ask why?”
“It’s…” Rebecca struggled to put her feelings into words. “It’s not right.”
“Not right for who?” Sarah asked.
Rebecca folded her arms. “For anyone.”
Sarah took a deep breath. “When Ian brought you home to meet me, I knew straightaway that you would marry him. You two seemed so good together.”
Rebecca remembered the day well. “We were.”
“Some people never get to experience that feeling even once in their lives. How blessed would a person be if it happened twice?” Sarah touched Rebecca’s cheek with her hand. “It’s not wrong to accept a double blessing.”
Rebecca blinked away the moisture in her eyes. “You should leave,” she said quickly. “We’ll talk another time.”
Sarah gave Rebecca a tight hug. “Call me every day until this is over, okay? I’ll pray constantly for you.”
Rebecca smiled in gratitude and then leaned into the car and kissed the girls, taking a few moments to revel in their happy chatter. They were totally oblivious to any danger around them, and that was the way she intended it to stay. Until Darius Finch and Robert Greaves were found, Emily and Charlotte could not return home, and the pain of that knowledge was sitting heavily on her chest.
Jack put his arm around Rebecca’s shoulders as they watched Sarah drive out onto the freeway and disappear from sight. Cole and Dillon were keeping watch on the roadside to ensure that nobody had managed to follow them to Sarah’s home and place her in jeopardy. Cole gave the signal to let them know that all was safe, and Rebecca let out a long breath of relief.
“They’ll be fine,” Jack said, gently leading her toward the house. “It’s best the children go out of town for a while, anyway.”
“Do you think we’re safe here?” she asked. “Darius may not believe we’ve gone out of state.”
He took his arm from around her shoulders and stood face-to-face with her. “We can never be totally sure of anything, but I feel guided here for a reason,” he said firmly. “Have faith that God knows what He’s doing.”
There it was again: a self-confessed belief in God and His plan. “I’m pleased that your faith is growing stronger,” she said.
He smiled. “I think I always had it,” he said. “But you helped me unlock it.”
“I did?”
“Yeah.” He looked off into the distance. “Just talking to you helped me see things clearly. I realized that every time I’ve needed something, it’s been provided for me. I can’t deny the fact that somebody is looking out for me, and it’s time I acknowledged Him properly.”
“I’m so glad to hear you say that, Jack. God really does answer prayers.”
Jack fixed her with a stare. “It depends on what you pray for,” he said. “We don’t always get what we want, but we get what we need instead.”
“Jack…” she started to say.
He held up his hand. “You don’t need to say anything,” he said. “Let�
��s go inside and get settled.” As he walked toward the house, he added, “I’m done talking.”
She followed in his footsteps, sensing that this time he meant it. He was done talking. He was done with her. And she had no right to be sad. After all, he was only giving her what she had asked for.
*
Jack paced the darkness of the house, triple-checking all the things he’d just checked moments ago. Everywhere he went in the house, he was greeted by Ian’s face beaming from the walls and cabinets. It made him feel comforted and secure being surrounded by his best friend’s presence.
He picked up one of the photographs as he passed by and said, “I did what you asked, buddy, but it’s time to call it a day. She’s doing fine without me.”
“Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness. You know that, right?”
The voice in the dark caused him to spin around and reach for his weapon. He shook his head and smiled at seeing Cole’s tall frame walking from the shadows into the living room, dressed in flannel pajama pants and a T-shirt.
“And you know you shouldn’t creep up on people, right?” Jack said jokingly, carefully replacing the photo on the shelf.
“Sorry,” Cole replied. “It’s a SEAL habit, I guess.”
Jack laughed. “I know what you mean. It’s like old times, huh? This is the first time you, me and Dillon have been together since…”
“Since Dark Skies,” Cole concluded. “Since we lost Ian.”
Jack extended his hand around the room. “It’s almost like he’s here. His face is everywhere.”
“Does it bother you?” Cole asked.
“No,” Jack said without hesitating.
“Good,” Cole said, sitting down on the couch.
Jack took a deep breath, willing his emotions to stay deep inside. “I’m thinking of selling the dealership and going back to the SEALs. Rebecca doesn’t need me anymore, and I’d like to give myself a new focus.”
“Running away won’t solve anything,” Cole said quietly. “You’ll just carry the hurt with you.”
“I’m not running away,” Jack said, trying to sound convincing. “I’m taking a new direction in my life.”
“No,” Cole said strongly. “Rejoining the SEALs is not a new direction. It’s an old one. When we’re faced with challenges, it’s tempting to run back to a familiar life, but it’s not always the right choice.” He stopped for a moment. “The path to happiness is often the hardest one to tread.”
Jack looked out the window, noticing the willow tree swaying in the yard outside. “The other alternative is staying in a town where I can only watch the woman I love from afar and never hold her in my arms.” He shook his head. “I can’t do that.”
Cole rose to stand with Jack. “Sleep on it.”
“I don’t need to sleep on it.”
Cole made a small sound of exasperation. “You’ll be here for a few days, so you may as well give it a little more thought.” He stopped dead. “Did something just move outside?”
“I’m already tracking it,” Jack said. “It might be a dog or cat, but something is crawling under the trees out back.” He peered into the darkness. “I’ll check it out.”
“I’ll go wake Dillon to guard Rebecca,” Cole said. “We’ll go outside together.”
Jack nodded an affirmative. The exchange between them felt so natural, like slipping back into their familiar routine in the SEALs. Returning to that life would be easy. He knew the job like the back of his hand. He could sell everything and move back up north without so much as a backward glance.
Keep telling yourself that, Jack, he said to himself, and one day it might be true.
He pulled up the hood on his black sweatshirt. Combined with his black sweatpants, he would be perfectly obscured in the darkness of the yard. When Cole returned wearing a similar black sweat suit, Jack was reminded of their kit for the Dark Skies mission. They were well used to working under the cover of darkness. Jack removed the sling from his left arm and rolled his shoulder, wincing with the discomfort. He wanted the use of both arms, despite the pain.
“Rebecca’s asleep,” Cole said. “I didn’t wake her, but Dillon is standing guard.”
“Good,” Jack answered, placing a box of ammunition into his pocket and handing another to Cole. “Let her sleep. She needs the rest.”
Cole checked his weapon and pulled the hood up on his sweatshirt just like Jack. Together, they looked like ninjas ready to evaporate into the shadowy night.
And that’s exactly what they did.
*
The night air was colder than Jack had anticipated, and dew had already begun to form on the grass. A thick cloud moved in front of the moon, blocking the light he needed to guide his vision. He had to rely on his sense of hearing to track the object moving under the thick cover of a tree at the back of the yard. Sarah’s house stood at least a half mile from the nearest neighbor, so the sounds of life were minimal, especially at this late hour. With Cole at his side, Jack inched his way around the yard, keeping close to the boundary fence. He passed a small table and chairs where the children’s coloring books had been left out. One of the chairs had been upended, and the books were strewn across the grass, pages fluttering in the frigid air.
Jack stopped for a moment and looked at Cole. Could Darius have possibly found them already? Cole read his mind. “Let’s do a pincer movement,” he whispered, pointing to the opposite fence. “I’ll approach from that side. Whatever or whoever is under that tree is gonna get a nasty shock when we come at it from both angles.”
Jack nodded his head, and Cole disappeared from his sight, moving across the yard in an instant. The shadow beneath the tree shuffled forward. The branches of the weeping willow hung in a melancholy stance, providing a perfect curtain of leaves to cloak any menacing presence. Jack narrowed his eyes, trying to focus his vision, and the large shape suddenly became clear—it was a man curled up into a ball, his torso bent over legs, in a tight kneeling position.
Jack gestured to Cole, giving their familiar signal for danger, and Cole acted immediately, clicking the safety catch on his gun. Both men crept around the fence, moving toward the tree. The wind began to pick up as if sensing the dangerous company that had come to visit.
When he came to within a few feet of their target, Jack knew it was time to act. He gave a sharp nod of the head to Cole to let him know he was going in. Then he ran swiftly and silently toward the blanket of leaves and launched himself into the space beneath the tree. The man sheltering there was taken totally by surprise and sprang up, his eyes wide beneath his ski mask.
“Don’t move an inch,” Jack said, pointing his gun. “I won’t hesitate to shoot.”
The man froze instantly and raised his hands. It was a submissive gesture that gave Jack a sense of relief. He saw Cole push aside the leaves to enter the enclave beneath the willow, and Jack jerked his head toward the black-clad man.
“Check this guy for weapons,” Jack said. “He’s got a bag on the ground that looks like it contains some pretty serious surveillance equipment.” He looked at the suspect. “You look like you got yourself comfortable here. Been spying on us awhile, huh?”
The man hung his head and slumped his shoulders. “I hoped you wouldn’t see me.”
Jack’s jaw dropped, recognizing the voice behind the mask. “Simon?” he exclaimed. “Simon Orwell? You again?”
Simon nodded. “Yeah, it’s me. I was hoping to get some pictures for my follow-up story about the stolen Iraqi art.” He shrugged. “Maybe even find out a few details about what’s happening with the FBI investigation.”
Cole finished patting Simon down and pulled the mask off his head, revealing Simon’s thinning blond hair, wispy and tousled. “What’s with the mask?” Cole asked. “And what’s in the bag?”
“I was trying to go incognito,” Simon replied. “The bag contains a camera and long-range lenses.” He looked at Jack. “I promise I just wanted to find out more details for the story. I
never wanted to hurt Rebecca.”
Jack rubbed his forehead. “Simon, you’re an idiot. By exposing more details of the story, you are hurting Rebecca. We need to keep her protected until the FBI catches Darius and a journalist you hired to work for your newspaper.”
“You mean Peter? He quit already.”
Jack shook his head. “That’s an alias. His real name is Robert Greaves, and he’s part of the gang who stole the art from Iraq.”
Simon’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh, this story just keeps getting better,” he said. “My phone hasn’t stopped ringing all day. I even got a call from The New York Times.”
Cole went to stand next to Jack. “Is this guy for real?”
“I’m afraid so. I already caught him sniffing around Rebecca’s house once before.” A thought then occurred to him. He turned to Simon. “How did you find us?”
“I went to Rebecca’s house, but it was clear no one was home, so I called Sarah and asked her if she knew where Rebecca was. It was obvious she was trying to hide something, so I figured I’d come check out the house to see if you were holed up here.”
Jack and Cole exchanged glances. “Were you followed?” Jack asked.
Simon shook his head. “No…at least I don’t think so.” He looked a little panicked. “I didn’t really check.” He darted his eyes between Cole and Jack. “Why would anyone be following me?”
Jack skirted around while talking, scanning the yard. “You’re somebody who’s linked with Rebecca. If Darius can’t find Rebecca, he’ll focus on someone who might be stupid enough to lead him to her.” He turned to face Simon. “And that person could be you.”
Cole shifted uneasily. “I think we should go call Agent Bateman and ask for a guard. We’ve been compromised.”
“Agreed,” said Jack. “Let’s move quickly. We need—”
A shot ricocheted off the trunk of the tree, sending all three men diving onto their bellies. Jack grabbed hold of Simon’s collar and yanked him toward the tree’s thick trunk, hoping it would give him some protection.
“Where’s the shooter?” Jack yelled as another bullet bounced off the bark above his head.
Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of EvidenceGone MissingLethal Exposure Page 56
