Top Gun Guardian

by Carol Ericson

  Clay flicked the scorched wires with his fingers. “I was thinking maybe the mechanism that deploys the flap overheated, but I don’t get how that could happen with the bird stationary.”

  “Maybe the wires were loose and touched off a spark. Do you have any mechanics on duty?”

  “Not until after the Thanksgiving weekend, Buzz.” Clay smacked the side of the jet. “Are you in a hurry to get out of town?”

  “Not now.” A vague sense of unease had settled around Buzz like a cloud of noxious air. “Thanks for the heads-up, Clay. Give me a call when your mechanic comes in.”

  “Will do, Buzz. Good to see you again, Raven.”

  When they got back into the truck, Buzz leaned on the steering wheel and stared out the windshield. “How the hell did that happen?”

  Raven gasped. “You’re not suggesting the damage to the plane has anything to do with Malika, are you?”

  “I think I am.” He pounded the steering wheel. “Even if someone didn’t deliberately sabotage my plane, the effect is the same. We can’t just take off with Malika now, even if we wanted to.”

  “We could drive.”

  “How hard do you think it would be to track us in a car? We don’t even know who to look out for. Do you think these guys have signs pasted to their chests that read terrorist?”

  “I don’t know, Buzz. Maybe we’re jumping to conclusions. Think about it. Everything that has happened in White Cloud since we arrived has been peripheral to Malika. My near-miss and the rodeo clown had nothing to do with Malika. She wasn’t even with me.”

  “Go on.” He had to let her at least try to talk herself out of her fear.

  “Maybe it was that guy, Lance Cooper, who’s still so upset about his brother. I don’t mean he was trying to kill me, but maybe just giving me a scare to get back at you. And the whole thing with Wyatt could have been random.”

  “And the plane?”

  “An accident. Accidents happen all the time.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry.”

  Buzz closed his eyes and tilted back against the headrest. Did it still hurt? Yeah, but not so much since Josie stopped blaming him…and with Raven by his side. He cranked on the engine. “Since we’re here, do you want to drop by the bonfire?”

  “Okay, but we’d better not tell the kids.”

  “My lips are sealed.” The truck churned up gravel as he peeled out of the airport parking lot. On the way to the rodeo grounds, he pulled into a grocery store so they could pick up the items Josie had requested before they left.

  They walked out of the store, each holding a bag. As they stepped into the parking lot, Buzz nearly dropped his when he saw a man lounging against the hood of his truck. Buzz shoved his bag into Raven’s arms. “Stay here.”

  Feeling for his weapon in his pocket, Buzz stalked across the asphalt. “Get the hell away from my truck.”

  The man raised a pair of sandy eyebrows and shrugged off the hood. “Little tense, aren’t you, Richardson?”

  Buzz’s nostrils flared and he tucked his hand into his inside pocket. “You’d better start talking and talking fast or you’re going to have a .45 resting right between your eyes.”

  The man clicked his tongue. “The Agency said you were a hothead, had to be to take off with the little girl like that.”

  “You’re with the Agency?” Buzz’s fingers curled around the handle of his gun. “Prove it.”

  He held up his hands and then slipped a finger beneath the collar of his shirt and drew out a ribbon with a badge dangling from the end. The guy had to be CIA and probably a desk jockey to boot. They were the only ones who wore their badges around their necks.

  Buzz inched forward and yanked the badge toward him for a closer look. Jeb Russell. Yeah, it looked legitimate. So the Agency had tracked him down.

  “What do you want, Russell? You’re not getting the girl. President Okeke and I have an agreement.”

  The agent’s eyes narrowed. “Would that agreement include intel on Jack Coburn…the traitor?”

  Buzz lunged at Russell and grabbed the lapels of his cheap jacket. “That’s a lie and if you boys would do your jobs instead of kissing diplomatic butt, maybe Prospero wouldn’t have to color outside the lines to find Jack.”

  “Prospero? Really?” Russell pulled away from Buzz’s grip and shook out his jacket. “I heard you guys packed it in.”

  Buzz snorted. “Just like the CIA to have the wrong information.”

  Russell pointed his finger at Buzz. “You’re going to keep that girl in this Podunk backwater town until we release her to her father, and I’m going to make sure of it.”

  Buzz smacked the finger out of his face as Raven joined him, jostling the two bags. “Buzz? Is everything okay?”

  “The U.N. expand its job duties for translators, Ms. Pierre?” Russell smirked as he turned away and strolled to his car.

  Raven’s mouth dropped open. “Who was that?”

  “CIA.” Buzz took a bag from her arms and hit the remote for his truck. “And I think I know who sabotaged the plane.”

  “That man’s a CIA agent? Why would he damage your plane?”

  “The Agency wants us to stay here. He’s going to be keeping an eye on us to make sure we do.”

  “Did you tell him? Did you explain to him that Malika’s in danger here?”

  “I didn’t tell him anything, and I don’t want you to either, Raven.”

  She nodded, a stubborn line creeping along her jaw. “He’s not going anywhere near Malika.”

  When they pulled into a parking space near the carnival, Buzz scanned the crowd of people. Was there someone out there waiting for Malika to show up? Was Russell still on their tail?

  He couldn’t identify one of Farouk’s guys on sight. Profiling didn’t work for Farouk’s group. He’d pulled together a bunch of disgruntled miscreants from all four corners of the globe.

  That couple in Colorado who’d been racing former Prospero member Ian to the suitcase packed with a deadly virus had been Russian. Farouk had Germans, Italians and Spaniards working for him. He probably even had a few Americans.

  Any one of these people could be Malika’s enemy.

  Raven snapped down the mirror on the visor and rubbed her lips together to blend her lipstick. “Are we getting out or what?”

  Buzz pushed open the door of the truck and sniffed the acrid air. Bits of ash swirled in the wind before settling on the hood of his truck.

  Tilting her nose in the air, Raven breathed. “Smells good—like autumn and russet leaves and excitement. Too bad the kids had to miss out.”

  “Too bad, but—” he twined his fingers through hers “—kind of nice to be alone.”

  They swung hands as their feet crunched the leaves on the ground. Raven rested her head on his shoulder and he had never felt more right than at this moment in time. He should’ve married her three years ago and figured out the kid situation later.

  “Buzz.” Her fingers tightened on his. “You don’t really think I’m using Malika to get to you.”

  “Nah, not any more than I’m using her to get info on Jack. I just wanted to get you out of White Cloud. Still do.”

  “It’s funny when you think about it. You’d spent a long time trying to get me here, and now you’re trying to make me leave.”

  “Different circumstances.” They skirted the edge of the bonfire, its flames leaping into the air. The fire’s oranges and reds played across Raven’s face, lighting her dark hair with a mysterious glow.

  She placed her cool hands on either side of his face. “You look like a satyr with your face in shadow and the fire glowing behind you.”

  “I was thinking the same thing about you.” He turned his head and kissed her palm. When they got Malika back home, they’d have to figure out some way to be together, whether Raven decided to take the leap into parenthood or not.

  “Your hands are cold. Let’s warm up.” He pulled her closer to the bonfire, wedging between the press of
people toward the warmth.

  The organizers of the event continued to throw kindling into the fire, and some rowdy teenagers decided to add some fuel of their own. Buzz searched the crowd for a police presence. If Sheriff Tallant’s deputies were on hand, they weren’t visible.

  As the fire gobbled up the kindling, it rose to even greater heights, leaping and dancing in wild abandon. The people closest to its warmth began to step back, while the people on the outside of the circle pressed in. Both groups crushed the middle and Buzz clung to Raven’s hand.

  Buzz shouted. “I think we should get out of here.”

  She slipped her hand from his to cup her ear. “What? The noise is deafening.”

  At that moment, the crowd surged forward in one mass and Buzz made a desperate grasp for Raven. Several more people drawn like moths to the ever-burgeoning fire pushed between them. Being taller than everyone in his range, Buzz spotted the top of Raven’s head but he couldn’t reach her. She continued to bob, adrift in a sea of humanity, squeezing between frantic parents and giddy teens.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Buzz saw a hooded figure in dark sunglasses cut a swath through the crowd. Raven lay in the man’s direct path. A rush of adrenaline coursed through Buzz’s veins and he shouted at Raven. The man continued to make a bee-line for her.

  Then she slumped into the stranger’s arms.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A bug stung Raven’s neck and she reached up to flick it away. But it proved too much work to lift her hand. Her knees buckled and she teetered to the side. A pair of strong arms broke her fall and she collapsed into their embrace.

  Buzz? No. This man smelled of fuel and fire and danger.

  Raven jerked her head back, arching away from the man’s chest. A face swam before her hazy vision. Huge black eyes stared back at her. Bug eyes. The sting. A man with bug eyes. She giggled.

  The bug-man supported her wobbly frame and somehow maneuvered through the crowd of people, dragging her along with him. Again, a shot of fear lanced through Raven’s body. She bucked and struggled against the force pulling her away…away from Buzz.

  A disembodied voice murmured, “A little too much to drink. Overcome by the smoke.”

  Raven opened her mouth to give voice to the scream clogging her throat, but her jaw hung open uselessly. Her eyelids fluttered and then weights dragged them down and darkness enclosed her. She tried to pump her legs, but her muscles wouldn’t respond to her command.

  Then she smelled it. Gasoline. Her nostrils flared and she gagged on the fumes. Her wet hair clung to her cheek. Why was she wet? The dampness soaked through the leg of her jeans. Terror flooded her senses and she clawed at her abductor.

  The press of bodies around them suddenly disappeared and a cool breeze whipped her face. She mumbled a protest or a thanks. Her sluggish brain couldn’t tell the difference and her numb tongue couldn’t form the words.

  Her attacker dropped her. She struggled to her hands and knees, still blind, and began crawling in the dirt. Twigs and sharp rocks cut into her palms. Then a strong arm hooked beneath her waist, yanking her backward.

  A crackling noise, a flash of warmth on her cheek and the smell of burning wood assaulted her senses. She could tell they’d left the confines of the bonfire, but still hot orange flames danced behind her closed lids. Panic forced a cry from her throat and a burst of adrenaline gave her strength.

  She twisted away from the arm that imprisoned her and staggered away from the heat of the fire.

  Then out of the blackness came a voice. Buzz’s voice. “Raven!”

  She peeled open one heavy lid just in time to see Buzz fly through the air and tackle a hooded figure, clutching a flaming branch. She choked out a puny scream as the two fell to the ground. The man with the hood lurched to his knees and tossed the branch.

  The branch sailed through the air toward Raven as if in slow motion. The smell of the gasoline on her hair and clothing flooded her senses. She crawled an inch, maybe two before the stick of fire landed next to her foot. Encouraged by the fumes, the flame jumped to Raven’s pant leg. A searing pain brought a wail of agony to her lips.

  Then it was gone. Buzz swooped in and lifted her away from the fire. His heavy jacket covered her leg, smothering the flame.

  Raven whimpered while Buzz rocked her gently in his arms, whispering into her hair. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  Her nightmare had ended and she was safe in Buzz’s embrace. She could sleep now.

  COTTON FILLED RAVEN’S MOUTH and she smacked her lips against the dryness. Immediately a straw nudged her mouth and Buzz said, “Drink.”

  Raven sucked on the straw and cool relief flooded her mouth and coursed down her throat. She squeezed her eyes once and then blinked several times. Buzz’s face, lined with worry, appeared framed by white hospital walls.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Uhh, groggy.”

  “He drugged you. Then he was going to…” Buzz’s jaw clenched and he gripped her hands folded on top of the white hospital sheets.

  “Set me on fire.” She shivered and touched the bandage on her leg. “How’s my leg?”

  “Thank God, it’s not badly burned. The fire caught on to your jeans just above your boot. The boot didn’t burn very quickly.” He traced a finger along the edge of the bandage.

  “Thanks to you, Buzz. I couldn’t function, couldn’t get away from the fire.” She shook her head, passing a hand across her face. “At least we got him, at least one of them. There may be more.”

  Buzz jumped up from his chair by the bed and paced to the window. He drew down a slat of the blinds and peered outside. “That’s the thing, Raven. I didn’t get him. While I was helping you, he escaped.”

  She covered her hand with her mouth, and then dropped it and smoothed out the covers. “That’s all right, Buzz. You saved me. With that gasoline soaking my clothes I would’ve gone up in flames if you hadn’t acted when you did.”

  “I didn’t even get a good look at him. His sunglasses never came off during the struggle. I grabbed his hood, but only managed to twist it over his face. Then when he threw that branch…” He turned away from the window and straddled the chair. “I couldn’t lose you, Raven.”

  She extended her hand and he took it, chaffing it between his two big, warm palms. “I don’t understand, Buzz. Malika wasn’t even with us. Why is he after me?”

  “Maybe just to remove one more layer between him and his target. Maybe to punish you for thwarting his plans. Maybe…” He stopped and his blue eyes gazed at something in the past.

  “What? What are you thinking?”

  “I didn’t tell you this before, Raven, but when I came in to help Ian lift that suitcase from the Rocky Mountains, I shot someone.”

  “Yeah, well, that happens in your line of work—I mean, in your previous line of work.”

  “I shot a woman and I heard later she was Farouk’s girlfriend.”

  “So you think…?”

  “Farouk obviously knows I’m involved in Malika’s protection. Hell, he may even know about my connection to White Cloud. Maybe that’s how they found us. He’s after you because I killed Katrina, his girlfriend. Revenge.”

  “Really?” Raven’s voice took on an uncharacteristic squeak and she cleared her throat. “Some terrorist looking to take over Burumanda is going to get personal?”

  “Farouk’s a special case. He and Prospero had almost a cat and mouse game going. He used a lot of intelligence to find out who we were. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s behind Jack’s disappearance. In fact, I’d bet on it.”

  “And he wants to kill me to avenge Katrina’s death?” Raven’s burn, which hadn’t been bothering her before, now throbbed beneath the bandage.

  “It makes sense. Why else go after you when you don’t have Malika?” He smoothed the back of his hand down her cheek. “We need to leave White Cloud and damn the consequences and the CIA.”

  “Can you get another plane at the airpor
t?”

  “Not likely.”

  She grabbed his wrist. “Buzz, do you think Farouk had someone sabotage your plane? I know you thought it might’ve been that agent, Russell. But the guy who drugged me smelled like fuel, oil, and I don’t think it was from the bonfire.”

  His eyes narrowed and glittered dangerously from the slits. “Sabotaged the plane?”

  The stoniness of his face frightened her and she flinched. Had she suggested something ridiculous? “Y-yes, the plane, so we couldn’t get away quickly with Malika.”

  “Sabotage?” He jerked away from her and buried his face in his hands.

  “Buzz? Are you all right? What’s the matter?”

  He lifted his head and stared at her, his face caged behind his fingers. “My parents. It was Farouk. He saw an opportunity, maybe to kill me, and he damaged my plane that day. Only it wasn’t me flying. It was Josh…and my parents.”

  “No. Buzz, you’re jumping to conclusions.” Was he going to find another way to blame himself for his parents’ deaths?

  “I don’t think so.” He balanced his chin on bunched fists. “I always suspected Farouk had a hand in the blast that killed my Prospero teammate Riley’s wife. Who knows what he attempted with Ian? Maybe he’s already killed Jack.”

  She dabbled her fingers along the hard line of his jaw. “The only way you’re going to find out for sure is to capture him.”

  They both jumped when a doctor swung through the door, tapping his clipboard. “I’m Dr. Abbott. How are you doing, Mrs. Richardson?”

  She was becoming way too accustomed to that name. “I’m fine, Doctor. How bad is the burn?”

  “It’s not too bad. We kept you over mostly for the drugs in your system. Have the police spoken to you yet?” The young doctor adjusted his glasses and threw a nervous glance at Buzz, who still vibrated with pent-up fury.

  “Not yet. Have you talked to them, Buzz?” Raven didn’t have a clue what story Buzz wanted to put out there.

  “I spoke with Sheriff Tallant.” Buzz crossed his arms over his impressive chest, almost daring the doctor to probe any further.