by Debra
Will glanced at the paperwork and then raised his gaze back to her. “No problem,” he said easily. “We’ll make up for it when you’re back.”
His smile looked sincere, but she wondered if she’d shown enough regret about canceling. She stopped before the analysis paralyzed her and turned her into a babbling dork. If she wanted something different with Will, she’d have to behave differently than she had with other guys. “Maybe you should practice your bank shots while I’m away,” she said. Did that come out as a challenge or as the flirtation she’d meant it to be?
He rested his forearms on his side of the counter, bringing himself closer to eye level with her. “Maybe I threw the game last time we played.”
She licked her lips, watched his eyes follow the move. “Maybe I don’t believe you.”
“Would you believe I was distracted by the view?”
Oh, my. Her throat went dry. She desperately wanted that to be true. Just as she wanted to believe she could take some time to play a couple games of pool with him tonight and still get things ready on time, but she knew better. “I really hate that we’ll have to wait to find out,” she said at last, uncertain of the next step in the game.
He stood tall and gifted her with a smile guaranteed to keep her warm over the next three nights sleeping in a tent near the cold summit of the mountain. In that instant, she was determined to give him good reason to aim that sexy smile her way more often.
“I’ll get back to my route and leave you to it.”
“Okay.” She did a mental eye roll at that profound comeback. “I’ll see you as soon as I get home,” she added as he reached the door.
“Can’t wait.” He pushed the door open and paused. “Be safe, Charly.”
The gravity of his tone, the concern in his eyes, turned her mute. She stared as he left and passed the window. He looked back, caught her watching, and waved.
She managed to return the gesture before his long stride propelled him down the street.
“Whoa,” Tammy said from behind her. “I thought the store might catch on fire from the sparks flying.”
Not likely. But the comment made Charly feel better. She couldn’t quite believe the attraction and chemistry went both ways. “I thought you were out on errands,” she muttered, flipping through the stack of envelopes Will delivered.
“And miss that? No way.”
Charly had to laugh it off, resisting the urge to ask Tammy for how-to advice on men. “We both need to get busy,” she said and turned for her office. “We barely have enough time as it is.” It would take a concentrated effort to keep her mind on the details. She promised herself the reward for her focus now meant she could daydream about Will on the hike tomorrow.
Chapter Four
Will had spent the early-morning hours before his shift reviewing the full intel and reports from Director Casey. The capabilities of the Blackout Key Casey had outlined in the brief phone call were the tip of the iceberg.
The more he’d read and uncovered about Reed Lancaster, created a different kind of chill. If Lancaster had somehow pulled off this theft, if he had the key, this situation would get ugly in a hurry.
The man had an ax to grind with the top-level players in the technology and software development food chain. For years Lancaster had been outspoken, the proverbial squeaky wheel demanding justice from the companies he claimed had stolen his cutting-edge work and tossed him out without so much as a severance package. According to the file, Lancaster didn’t just want the Blackout Key, the damned thing was his brainchild. Though it had gone through several development stages and was most recently funded by a government research group, the technology was his creation. While nothing proved he had it, a fully developed, working version of the key could help Lancaster strike back at his perceived enemies. If he did that—and succeeded—the security protocols that protected the nation would fall like dominoes.
As Will studied the file, Lancaster’s outspoken threats didn’t bother him nearly as much as the recent silence. Men didn’t preach vengeance with such intense venom, only to walk away from it without any logical explanation. Not without a settlement or gag order. Will had combed the internet and the files and found no sign of either scenario involving Lancaster.
He’d had all of that rattling around in the back of his mind as he’d started his mail route, wondering what might bring a man like that to Durango. Nothing in the file suggested Lancaster could satisfy his revenge here, which made it more surprising when he’d spotted Lancaster’s face on a picture attached to a Binali Backcountry liability waiver as he’d delivered Charly’s mail.
The man hadn’t bothered with an alias. Bold. In Will’s experience that kind of bold meant all kinds of trouble. As he continued along his route, he prioritized the next steps: notify Casey, get a net over Lancaster. Good thing he knew where to find him. As long as Lancaster didn’t get spooked before meeting Charly for the hike in the morning.
Hard to believe Lancaster suddenly wanted to commune with nature. It didn’t make any sense. What was he after in the mountains? Nothing good, Will decided.
He stalked up the street, his nice-guy postman smile on his face, all the while knowing he couldn’t let Charly just walk out into the wilderness with Lancaster. The man and the—missing—Blackout Key he’d envisioned were wanted by nearly every federal agency in the nation. He laughed at the irony. It was possible the postal service was the only agency that hadn’t been alerted to the problem.
He spent the rest of his route brainstorming ideas to close in on the target. It would’ve been weird if he’d asked to go along. Charly would never let her new pal, the friendly mailman, tag along as an extra on what promised to be a tough three-day exercise. She had no way of knowing he could handle things as well as anyone on her staff. He needed more information about the client, the tour and who was going along, but she’d canceled their dinner and now he didn’t have easy access.
Logistically, he couldn’t tag along even if he wanted to. It wasn’t an option to take time off from the day job. He hadn’t accrued any personal days yet and maintaining cover and operation security protocol was essential to his long-term success here.
Instinct and responsibility battled inside his head as he chatted with people on his route. This new development had popped up sooner than he’d expected out of this current assignment. To be effective he had to do more than protect Charly from Lancaster. He had to approach this with a big-picture perspective. But she was leading a man wanted for questioning into the mountains and giving Lancaster too many options to avoid the authorities.
Casey would expect details, and Will wanted to give them to him. In between the stops on his route, Will sent a short text message up the line. The response was no surprise: he was tasked with observing Lancaster, but ordered not to interfere until he knew why the man was in Colorado.
Fine. Will understood how to follow orders during compartmentalized operations. It didn’t take three guesses to know what the boss was thinking: Lancaster had come to Durango for the key. So why hire Charly? An exchange of some sort had to be involved. He slowed his pace and tried to look tired. Anything to make it more believable when his boss got the call tomorrow that Will was down with a late-season case of the flu.
* * *
HOURS LATER, AS the first evening stars lit the sky over the mountains, Will’s new Jeep managed the rugged drive between the highway and the Binali property with no problem. When he’d bought the car, he’d told himself it was an investment, part of the cover for the job. And he’d been right, but soon discovered he enjoyed the rugged capability of this vehicle as much as he’d enjoyed the sleek, sexy speed of the Corvette he’d left in storage in DC.
She came around the far corner of her house as he parked next to her truck, stopping with her hands on her hips and her head tilted in a silent question.
“Hey,” he called out, pushing open his door. “Am I intruding?”
“Not really.” Her brow furrowed. “
I thought we postponed.”
“We did,” he agreed with a smile. But he needed information and thought he could do something nice for her in the process. Two birds, one stone. “You have to eat, right?”
“Yeah. I can throw something together, I guess.”
She didn’t have to say it. He could see he’d made a mistake, thrown her off by showing up unannounced this way. Nothing to do but go big before she sent him home. “I brought burgers, fries and shakes.”
Her face brightened with interest. “Chocolate?”
“Or strawberry. Your choice.”
“Hedging your bets?”
“A little,” he admitted. “I didn’t even eat all the fries on the way over. Do you have time for a break?”
“Sure.” She smiled and waved him closer. “Bring it on back.”
He grabbed the takeout bags and drinks and followed her around to what appeared to be a small workshop set back from the house.
She cleared space on one end of a table loaded with all kinds of camping gear and then pulled over another stool for him.
Taking a seat, he placed a hot burger and scoop of fries in front of her and scattered a handful of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise packets between them. “They’re both loaded with everything.”
“Sounds good. I didn’t want to postpone tonight,” she said after she’d unwrapped the burger and prepped it her way. “I was looking forward to beating you at pool again.”
He laughed as he dragged a fry through the ketchup he’d puddled on a corner of the foil wrapper. “You said it’s an early start tomorrow?”
“We’re meeting at six thirty to load up. This guy’s serious about getting the most of each and every day.”
“Hope you charged him extra.”
“Better believe it.” She shot him a wink. “My family drummed business sense into me right along with camping and tracking.”
He bit off more of the juicy burger, chewing as he looked around the workshop and up toward the mountain peaks before meeting her gaze again. “You’ve got a nice place out here.”
Her lips curved with pride. “I’ve always thought so.”
Stars came to light, more with each passing minute. He hadn’t seen a night sky so full since those long nights alone in Afghanistan. “You don’t mind being tied so closely to your family?”
“Tied?” She chuckled, brushing salt from her fingers. “It’s an honor to carry on what my elders started. Is that why you went into the navy? To get untied?”
Untied. He’d never thought of it like that. “Maybe so.” It hadn’t started that way. His parents had been proud of him...before things fell apart.
“Hmm. You really should think before you gush on and on like that,” she said with a wink.
The urge to explain his decisions surprised him. This was hardly the best time to confess his parents didn’t speak to him because his brother had died while following in his military footsteps. There was never a good time for that story as far as Will was concerned. Besides, he had a job to do here, even if the company was beautiful and friendly. “Are you meeting this guy and his team at the main park entrance?”
She nodded. “Clint’s meeting me at the shop, then we’ll meet the clients at the parking lot.” She balled up her burger wrapper and tossed it into the bag. “Clint’s so excited about the extra team challenge stuff he probably won’t sleep at all tonight.”
Will knew the type. He only had to look in the mirror. “I competed in a few challenge course events during my navy days.” He’d developed more than a few as a SEAL. He liked the way it felt when her dark eyes skated over his body. “Don’t believe me?”
“I believe you,” she said, her voice a little breathless. She cleared her throat and slid off the stool to consider the gear spread out on the other end of the long table. “We won’t be doing static courses out there.”
“Is that some sort of insult?”
“What?” She whipped around, color flooding her cheeks. “No. I would never—”
“Relax.” He came to his feet, hands out, palms open. “I was just messing with you. What kind of things does Clint have planned for the group?”
“Probably too many.” She rubbed her arms through the thick fabric of the company sweatshirt she wore and sighed. “I didn’t mean static courses were any less of a challenge than what we set up during an excursion.”
“It’s okay,” he said, rubbing her shoulder. He was flattered by her concern about offending him. It made him think he had something to look forward to with her after the Lancaster operation was complete.
The powers that be wanted Will to report Lancaster’s position, whom he met with and what items or information were exchanged. Apparently, those curious people at the top of the food chain didn’t share Will’s concern that in order for a man like Lancaster to feel safe about whatever he was up to, anyone who knew about his plans would have to be eliminated.
“I like you, Charly.” He blurted it out, immediately wishing he could reel it back in. “I’m sure you’ve got this under control, but it all sounds sudden and risky.”
She shrugged that off, clearly more comfortable with the camping prep than looking at him. “It’s sudden, but not risky.”
He listened, thinking it was too easy when she explained the route and the typical places where Clint set up various challenges and teamwork opportunities. “We’re not even doing much of the heavy lifting.”
“What does that mean?”
She rubbed at her temples, a frown marring her brow. “My client assured me his team is fit and up for anything.”
“Is there some reason to doubt him?”
She spread her hands wide and then reached for a hiking pack, stuffing supplies into pockets with an efficiency he admired. “I hope not. For their sake. The route Clint and I are taking isn’t for amateurs.”
“I’m looking forward to getting out and doing some exploring myself soon.” Right now he wished he’d done more than admire the mountains from the convenience of his route. Didn’t matter. He’d always found his assigned quarry and survived no matter the odds or terrain.
“David does river hikes a couple of times a week,” she said with a wince.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Two things.” She balled up wool socks and tucked them into open spaces. “It’s water, which you claim to be done with.”
“And?” he prompted when she busied herself with the precise attachment of a canteen.
“Tammy is slated to go out on the next tour. She’d be ogling you the whole time, and I want her to pay attention to the tour.”
He laughed. “She ogles me every day.”
Charly giggled, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “You know?”
“I’m a mailman, not an idiot.”
“Well, you’d be an idiot to invest so much time in your body and not expect some ogling.”
“That’s a fair point.” He sent her a sideways look.
“You think I’m insulting you again.”
“No.” He stepped closer. “I say what I mean. You don’t have to put words in my mouth.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Do.” He kept looking for an opportunity to hide a GPS transmitter on her pack. Based on the route she’d described, she’d be out of cell range before noon tomorrow. “What can I do to help?”
“Dinner was plenty,” she said with a shy smile.
He wanted to warn her, but if he said anything, she might telegraph her concerns to Lancaster. While she packed, he made a mental list of things to be aware of on the mountain. He was more than a little relieved when she unlocked a cabinet and pulled out a hefty .38 Special revolver along with ammunition and a flare gun. Not just because it gave him time to put the transmitter on her pack—he felt a little better that she was armed. “Expecting trouble?”
“Expecting is a strong word.” Her wry smile told him she’d seen her share of the unexpected. “I was raised to be prepared for any emergenc
y. I carry the revolver as a last resort in the case of a wildlife issue.”
“Got a snakebite kit?”
“Already packed,” she replied, distracted.
He’d been kidding about that. “Isn’t it too cold for snakes to be a problem?”
She nodded. “But even when it’s cold, snakes can wake up looking for water, so I take it anyway, every time.” Her nearly black eyes met his with stark candor. “People do dumb things despite our best advice as guides.”
He’d seen the same thing throughout his military career, in every part of the world. “Stupidity is a frequent problem with humans.”
“Tell me about it,” she said. She looked around the table, but everything was already in her pack. “Mr. Lancaster assures me his team is smart, but there’s a big difference between being smart in the office and being smart in the wilderness.”
“What’s this?” He pointed to the knife she’d set apart from the other items. The dark, hand-tooled leather sheath was a work of art, and the hilt was inlaid with a stunning turquoise mosaic in the shape of a long, elegant feather. His fingers itched to pull it out, to confirm the blade matched the hilt and sheath.
Her face went soft. “A gift from my grandmother. She gave it to me before my first solo hike on Silver Mountain. I don’t go anywhere without it.” She slid it into her sleeping bag.
“You don’t wear it?”
“Sometimes.”
He considered pushing her but decided changing the subject was safer. There was more to the knife, more to her history, but she didn’t seem inclined to share more right now. “How often do you need the revolver or the flare gun?”
Her sly grin, loaded with self-confidence, brought to mind too many inappropriate, off-topic images. Later, he reminded himself. There would be plenty of time to get to know Charly on a more intimate level later.
“I’ve only used the flare gun to signal rescuers,” she said.
