Alex (In the Company of Snipers)

by Winters, Irish

Kelsey put the envelope in his hand and looked away. She did have tears in her eyes. He was sure of it. Alex looked at the return address. It was an attorney’s office. With one arm still around her, he pulled the papers out and smoothed them on his knee to read.

  “Kelsey.” He pulled her close, a huge knot caught in his throat. For a moment he had thought she might be leaving him. Instead, it was her divorce decree. “You scared me.”

  A tear slipped out of her eye. “I don’t know why, but it was hard to do.”

  “I know.” He tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “But I’m glad you did it.”

  “I couldn’t stand being married to him anymore.”

  Alex didn’t want her to dwell on it. If he’d had his way, he would have put the child-killer in the ground. “I have to go to Seattle next week. I know you’re busy, but—”

  He didn’t get another word out of his mouth.

  Eighteen

  Alex

  “I brought the boys up here once. I was going to run away.”

  Kelsey pointed to the Washington State ferry dock where passengers and vehicles flooded off one of the huge ferries. “But I didn’t have enough money. I was too scared to go through with it.”

  “You never stood a chance.” Alex put an arm around her shoulder. This was part of her life he didn’t know yet.

  “That was a bad night.” She shivered in his arms. “I used all the gas in my car.”

  He cringed at what probably happened next. “Sit with me awhile?”

  She turned to him, the light back in her eyes as they made themselves comfortable on the wooden bench on the pier. As usual she was snug against him. “This is a better feeling.”

  “Look at this.” He pulled a couple of photos from his inside coat pocket. “We need a new front door. Tell me what you think.”

  He waited while she looked at the pictures. The door was pretty enough and elegantly carved oak. Unlike the aged and weathered door they had now, this one had a floor length oval insert of clear glass surrounded with a border of two-by-two inch amber squares set in a stained glass motif. The second photo was a close up of the clear glass insert, and yes, it was a beautiful addition to the entryway. Kelsey was about to hand the photos back when she did a double take. He watched intently. Yes. She had seen what he intended her to see.

  “How did you … when did you …?”

  The cool breeze blowing off the sound made his eyes water. “What do you think?”

  She turned into his arms with tears in her eyes. That’s just the way she was, and it touched him. She cried when she was happy, sad, and anytime in between. Since he had met her, sometimes, he did, too.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered hoarsely. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Alex held her tight and wiped his own face.

  “I remember now,” she said softly. “That day in my apartment, you had a black paint brush and some kind of powder.”

  “Finger print kit,” he said. “It’s a small thing.”

  “No,” she cried, wiping her face on her coat sleeve. “It’s not a small thing. It’s them. It’s my boy’s fingerprints. It’s—them.”

  He blinked rapidly.

  “You’ve given me pieces of my boys back,” she sobbed, the photos pressed to her chest. “My baby boys left these for me.”

  The anguish in her voice stabbed him. For a moment he thought he had ruined their evening.

  “Thank you,” she whispered tearfully. “It’s the most perfect door I’ve ever seen.”

  “I hoped you’d like it,” he said humbly.

  He pulled her coat tightly around her and just held her. In the breadth of a heartbeat, he had done what he set out to do. He had changed her memory of this gray Seattle pier. The slate was wiped clean. Now she would recall this place by the two little boy’s fingerprints on her front door.

  A chilling drizzle settled in for the evening. The rest of the world hurried on in its normal, every day busyness that was downtown Seattle. Watercraft of all sizes lumbered across the gray waters of Elliot Bay, foamy wakes dissolving behind them as fast as they were made. Rush hour traffic on hectic Alaskan Way roared behind them while gulls overhead squawked in the fading evening light. He sat with his arms wrapped around the graceful woman at his side. One had only to look close to see the expression of utter love on her face.

  For that single moment, the world revolved around Alex and Kelsey.

  Tuesday arrived bright and clear. After a boring day with the realtor on Monday, Alex was ready to get out of town. He rented a truck just like the one he owned in Virginia so he could haul supplies and an ATV. This time, he planned a quicker trip into his cabin instead of a couple hours walk. They stopped at a home improvement store where he purchased a bundle of cedar shake shingles, paneling for the walls and linoleum flooring. They would only be there a week, but with Kelsey’s help, he planned to transform the cabin into a fit place for a woman. He also bought a real toilet instead of the one he had improvised. The septic tank had been installed years ago. Now it was time to get civil.

  They paid a somber visit to the cemetery before they left town. She laid two-dozen red roses on Tommy and Jackie’s grave and stood there remembering.

  “The headstone is nice.” She leaned her back into Alex. They were both in jeans and Seattle Mariner matching T-shirts today. Kelsey sported a pink baseball cap, her hair corralled for now through the back hole of it.

  “You chose well.” He kissed the side of her head as he held her tight.

  Alex glanced around the cemetery. He had bought the headstone. It was what Kelsey wanted. If her sister, Louise had her way, there would have been two little teddy bears and a flowery poem about snips and snails and puppy dog tails. Now the etched faces of Tommy and Jackie smiled up from the ground. The date of their birth and death was inscribed beneath a line from the Book of Isaiah.

  “I hate leaving them. If there was any way possible, I’d take them home with us.” Her tears started.

  “Me, too.” If only it were that simple.

  A string of Canada geese strolled the edge of the road, pecking at the gravel pathway as they went. Three fuzzy goslings followed the two adult geese, honking in quiet conversation with each other.

  “You’ve changed a lot.” He rocked with his arms around her and his chin in her neck.

  “It’s been a long year.”

  “Yes, and you’re ready to teach next year. I’d say you’re healthier, too.”

  “I’m certainly fatter.” She wiped her eyes.

  “I like a woman I can get my hands on.”

  “I’m not the same person at all.”

  “You’re everything I thought you were, sweetheart.”

  “You mean that nut case running around the forest?” She blinked hard, but the tears spilled over anyway.

  “But a pretty nut case.” He kissed her neck gently. “My nut case.”

  “I miss them. They’re with me every single day.”

  “I know.” Without thinking he patted his pocket that held a diamond ring. He had plans for Tommy and Jackie’s pretty mother. Honorable plans. “Anymore I feel like I have all three of them with me. Abby, Tommy, and Jackie, too.”

  “Are they happy when you think of them?”

  “Yes,” he answered quickly. “I can see my little Abby talking your boys into tea parties and doll houses. She would be bossing them around, you know, being the typical big sister. Of course, I can also see them giving her a run for her money, teasing, maybe pulling her hair like brothers would do.”

  “That’s a nice picture.”

  A cool Pacific breeze wafted across the shady lawn. Abby would have loved two little brothers. He could envision them playing together, a bossy little blond chasing two brown-headed brothers as they played tag beneath the pines. It was a soothing thought that lingered in the back of his mind. He was lost in that reverie when Kelsey interrupted him with a tug at his arm.

  “Guess we better get going.”


  “Yes.” Alex pulled her into a hug so she wouldn’t see the moisture in his eyes. The thought of those three children playing together was more than he could bear, especially on the day he was going to propose to Tommy and Jackie’s pretty little mother. He couldn’t help but think that if he had met her sooner, they would still be alive.

  Alex and Kelsey climbed back into the truck and headed east. The beauty of spring abounded in the Northwest. Rhododendrons and azaleas blossomed everywhere, while yellow daffodils and all colors of tulips blossomed like weeds along the roadside. Blackberry bushes strangled hillsides and ditches with burgeoning mounds of white blossoms while wild pink and white foxglove spiked everywhere. Even the great trees of the forest glowed with the lime green of new growth.

  He smiled at the carefree feeling between them. They looked like a couple of kids, and the country music filling the truck cab enhanced the moment. He tugged on the brim of her hat. She responded with her usual bright-eyed smile.

  Yes. This was the perfect day to propose to the woman he loved.

  Kelsey

  The night air was full of music to Kelsey’s ears, as crickets and frogs chirped in one continual chorus. After the drizzle of the night before, the insects and amphibians of the forest were in rare form. She couldn’t imagine feeling any happier as she gazed across the crackling fire at Alex, his tan face awash with the orange glow. But he had a worried look tonight. He was like that a lot, always bringing work home from his office. She imagined he was still trying to figure out what happened to one of his best agents, Harley Mortimer. She knew it bothered Alex that the man had been missing over a year. Harley sounded like a nice person. She hoped she would get the chance to meet him some day.

  But for now she studied Alex. He was an amazing man in her life, and yet, there was still so much to learn. When she stopped daydreaming, she saw that he watched her, too. He patted the ground next to him, and she was at his side in a second.

  “Whatcha thinking?” he asked.

  “Ha. I was just going to ask you the same thing. You look so serious.”

  Without another word, he placed a ring box in her palm. She gasped and with trembling fingers, pried the lid off. A diamond solitaire sparkled in the light of the crackling fire.

  His voice choked as he took her hand. She noticed his hands shook. “Will you do me the honor of marrying me, Kelsey? Will you become Mrs. Alexander Stewart?”

  She couldn’t speak. Marriage was not something she wanted to repeat. The very word struck terror into her heart that only a moment ago had been carefree and full of joy. She knew she had a foolish deer in the headlights look, but so many bad memories accompanied his simple question. Will you marry me? And then what? Will you hurt me?

  Her fear screamed loud and clear. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. No way.

  Just as quickly, courage spoke up with its usual too quiet voice. Look at him. See him.

  She looked at Alex. He sat holding his breath, her hand still snug in his. This intense man who could turn from hard and rugged to soft and gentle in a flash, sat staring back at her with hope in his eyes. He looked like a little boy, completely vulnerable with that big question asked but not yet answered. With her next words, she could break his heart or make him smile. She held her breath. Her heart pounded with indecision. She wanted to make him smile, but—marriage?

  Logic intervened. This is Alex.

  She took a deep breath and looked skyward, her heart lodged in her throat. A million stars shimmered high beyond the giant pines. Drawing in a deep breath and closing her eyes, all her confidence plummeted. The future frightened her, but …. This is Alex. He’s always taken care of me. And loved me. She reached her hands to his face to caress his cheek. Blue eyes claimed her with their intensity. She smoothed the wrinkles at the corners of that piercing blue. Oh yes. This is Alex.

  “You’re killing me here,” he said hoarsely.

  She gulped. “Yes. I’ll marry you. There isn’t anything I want more.”

  With a relieved smile and a very big sigh, he pulled her into his lap and kissed her extra long and hard. He slid the ring over her knuckle, his eyes as misty as hers.

  “I do love you.” He kissed her again.

  She snuggled under his chin as he stroked her hair. Yes, this was where she belonged, snug against him where she could hear his heart and listen to him breathe. This was all she needed. She huffed a big sigh of relief, shrugging the specter of her ex-husband off her shoulders and out of her life forever. Soon she wouldn’t even share his name.

  “Next question. Where do you want to live?”

  “Ahh, with you?” Glancing up at him, she chuckled at what sounded like a very silly question. He looked so serious, like a man with a plan.

  “I know that.” He chuckled along with her, and she was happy. “Guess I didn’t ask the right question. What I meant is that I’d like to build a house for you. Where would you like me to build it?”

  She traced her fingers along the edge of his jaw. The one thing she knew for sure about Alex was that he always had to be busy. Even sitting around the campfire, he was planning something as huge as building a new home. Silly man. “Why do you want to move?”

  “Because I know a woman wants her own things in her own house.”

  “But your home is a very nice little house and I like it.”

  “Come on. You’d like something new, wouldn’t you?” He twirled a handful of her hair in his fingers as he looked down at her. She could not help the smile that covered her face. He was determined. She had to give him that much.

  “But, it’s your home.” She straightened in his lap.

  “And that’s why I want to build. Then we’d live in our home.”

  “Yes, but I’m getting a new door and I’m really happy there.” And it’s the first place I’ve felt safe in years, she thought. I don’t want to move. I just got here.

  He sighed. “I guess we stay put then.”

  She saw the unwilling resignation in his eyes, and it made her smile. This man was too used to getting his own way.

  “But think about it, okay?” His brow arched. “There is no need for you to live in another woman’s house.”

  “I’ve always thought I was living in your house.”

  He pulled her close for another quick kiss. “You’re something else, Kelsey Stewart.”

  “Mmm. Kelsey Stewart. I like the way that sounds.” She smiled up at him, but Alex didn’t respond as she had expected. His eyes were fixed at something behind her.

  She turned around to peer into the dark. “What’s going on?

  This time he pulled her up off the ground and into his side, the magic of the moment gone.

  “Let’s go inside. Now.”

  Alex

  Something or someone was out there watching. He was sure of it.

  Once in the cabin, Alex went straight to his satellite phone. There hadn’t been a signal since they had arrived. Kelsey stood at the bedroom door waiting. He had felt her eyes on him earlier. As much as he had tried to conceal his worry, his gut was screaming. Something was not right in the forest tonight. He pulled his backpack off the floor, and removed his pistol, the same make as Kelsey now used.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered.

  “Did you bring my SIG like I asked?”

  She nodded.

  “Get it.”

  She pulled her gun case out of her backpack, unzipped it, and took hold of the gun. Automatically, she jammed one of the three magazines into place, flipped the safety off, and racked the slide. Pride flashed through him. She had changed so much. Good girl.

  “Remember what I taught you? If you’re ever forced to pull your weapon, always shoot to kill, right?” Alex looked deeply into her eyes. “I don’t want to scare you, honey, but someone’s been watching us tonight. I’m going back out front to talk with them. They might just be hunters or hikers.”

  “Or they might be lost,” she whispered breathlessly. “Like I w
as.”

  He peered out the glass window on his front door. Shadows moved just beyond the light of the camp, the two-legged animal kind of shadows. Someone was definitely lurking too close for comfort. They were not lost. He spotted another. And another. They didn’t move like hunters either. More like trouble.

  “Listen. There’s a trap door in the back room. It’s at the bottom of the bed. You shouldn’t have to use it, but you need to know it’s there.” He blew out a small breath through pursed lips. They had guns. Rifles. Bags slung over their shoulders.

  “Listen.” He turned to Kelsey. “There are several people out there. I don’t know what they think they’re doing, but I’m going to put a stop to it. If anything goes wrong, you hightail it back to the gas station. It’s dark so you won’t get far, but you get far enough away from this cabin. You lay down, and stay out of sight until this is over. Got it?”

  “But I don’t want to leave you.”

  A jolt of déjà vu gripped him. Those were the exact words she had uttered a year ago, just before he had gotten shot. He pulled her close, his words hurried and edgy. “Promise me. I need to know you’ll be safe.”

  “Yes,” she answered so quietly he still didn’t believe her.

  “Listen. You must follow orders. Please? For me?”

  She never got a chance to reply. A tear gas canister crashed through the side window, filling the small room with fumes in seconds. Alex pushed her into the back room and slammed the door behind them. Gunshots peppered the front of the cabin, sending shards of glass and splintered wood across the small room. Within seconds, they were both out the trap door, crouched beneath the cabin. Concealed by the dense underbrush, they listened.

  He cocked his head to listen. The howling and shrieks from the front of the cabin sounded like a pack of deranged animals set loose in the forest. Damn. What the hell is going on?

  Alex pushed her out from under the cabin and into the dark. He pointed into the dark as he shouldered his rifle and rounded the cover of the huge blackberry brush.

  “Go now. Do it, Kelsey. Go!”

  Nineteen

  Kelsey