She looked into his midnight-blue eyes and her chest grew tight. Their gazes tangled together. He swallowed visibly and she followed the movement.
He was so close. She could feel the warmth of his body near her. If she leaned in just a little bit she could be in his arms. Feeling the comfort of another human being assuring her she wasn’t alone. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more.
Jase was still seated as his hands encircled her waist, drawing her closer. Barely five-two, Reyna was now face-to-face with him.
He tipped her chin back so that he could look into her eyes. Her breath hung in her throat. They were inches apart, close enough to kiss. Jase stared into her eyes for a second more and then he gently pressed his forehead against hers. Reyna swallowed back her regret. After a long moment he pulled away and slowly got to his feet. She turned aside to hide her disappointment.
She heard him dragging in a sharp breath. “I should go move the truck. It wouldn’t do for the men following us to spot it from the air.”
SEVEN
“I’ll be right back...” He didn’t wait for her to answer. He needed space between them to clear his thoughts.
His heart slammed against his chest at an alarming rate, his breathing shallow. What was he thinking? Almost giving in to temptation and kissing her again would have been a foolish mistake.
On both their parts. Because the truth was, the memory of the woman he’d once loved was always close. Abby was a tough-as-nails seasoned operative by the time they’d met. They’d worked side by side through some of the worst conditions on the battlefield. Falling for each other came naturally, and it was hard to keep their romance secret from the rest of the team. When he’d learned of her death, it had crushed him. He’d thought his chance at love had died with Abby, but as he’d watched Reyna work on his shoulder, something unfamiliar had stirred inside of him.
Reyna was beautiful and smart and so different from Abby and yet there was no denying the spark of attraction between them. The soul-deep yearning. It was as if his heart had suddenly been awakened by the warmth of her gentle touch against his skin.
Get a grip, Bradford. She’s your best friend’s widow. Her life is in jeopardy. All the more reason to keep a level head.
Reyna was depending on him to keep her safe. To help her unravel the contents of the files and find out what happened to Eddie. He couldn’t let himself get caught up in messy emotions.
Jase dragged a hand over the back of his neck and took a second to examine his surroundings. After talking to Aaron one thing became crystal clear. The men chasing them were coming after them full force.
He’d need to change out Aaron’s license plates with his. That way if those men did find them, they couldn’t trace the plates back to his buddy’s home. He’d use some back roads that wouldn’t be on most GPS systems to meet Bryan. They’d be safe enough.
Jase walked a quarter of a mile into the woods behind the house and the layout did little to ease his mind. Ice covered most of the ground beneath his feet, the path overgrown with trees. It was an eye-opening experience.
If they were forced to go this way, it would be a dangerous ride. Not to mention the mountain behind the place would limit their escape routes.
Jase pulled the Land Cruiser into the garage next to Aaron’s Jeep and exchanged the plates. With nothing left to do, he headed back inside.
Guilt weighed heavy on his heart. They’d both just let their feelings get the better of them.
He found Reyna in the kitchen staring at the pantry.
She turned as he entered and held up a jar of spaghetti sauce. “I figured we could use a meal.” She avoided making eye contact with him. The awkwardness between them still fresh.
“That’s a great idea,” he said, and suddenly she smiled at him. He loved the way it lit up her face and how her eyes sparkled with newfound hope. She was infectious.
He went over to the fridge, took out vegetables for a salad and began chopping. While they worked, he snuck little glances her way. She wore her shoulder-length brown hair loose. When she moved, the light caught golden streaks. Her skin was tan. She was dressed simply in a white T-shirt and jeans that hugged her body in all the right places. He found himself wondering what she did in her spare time. Did she spend a lot of time outdoors?
“Jase?” He realized she’d asked him something and he had no idea what.
“I beg your pardon?”
She gave him a quizzical look. “I asked if you like garlic. I found some seasoning that should bring out the flavor of the sauce.”
“Oh...yeah, I love garlic.” Seriously, Bradford. Feeling the color creeping up his neck, Jase turned back to his chopping. He tried not to react when she stepped close and added the seasoning to the sauce, but he was acutely aware of every little thing she did.
Reyna worked with a skill that spoke of someone who loved to cook, and within no time, the kitchen filled with the aroma of spaghetti sauce. Once the food was ready, he carried the bowls heaping with spaghetti along with the salad over to the table and they sat down.
She bowed her head and closed her eyes, praying quietly. He reached for her hand and bowed his head, as well. Startled, she hesitated only a second, then said the blessing aloud.
“Lord, thank You for providing us with this wonderful food. For giving us shelter when we needed it most. For watching over us throughout this nightmare. Please help us find the answers we need to understand what we’re facing, but most of all, protect us as only You can. Amen.”
Jase cleared his throat and dug into the spaghetti. It was nice, sharing a prayer over a meal. It reminded him of simpler times when he was a kid. His parents said blessings over their meals. It stuck with him throughout his life. Now, for just a little while, life seemed normal again. He could almost imagine them being any couple enjoying a meal together. But they weren’t, and every minute they were standing still, the chances of the danger closing in on them was enormous.
“This is delicious,” Jase told her.
She smiled. “Thank you. It is good and I don’t think it has anything to do with my cooking. It’s just that it’s been a while since we’ve had anything substantial.”
“Whatever the reason, I’m one happy camper.” Jase dug into the meal with gusto. He tried to remember the last time he’d enjoyed a sit-down meal with someone. Sadly, longer than he could remember, and that disturbed him. Because he could get used to this, and that was dangerous on many levels, not the least being that one or both of them might not make it out of this thing alive.
* * *
“Did you always want to be a doctor?” he asked curiously.
“I beg your pardon?” She put her fork down, mostly because she hadn’t been expecting the question.
“Sorry, it’s just that it occurred to me I don’t know anything about you beyond the fact that you were married to Eddie and you’re a physician.” He flashed a smile and her heart did a little chaotic beat. Why did he have to be so handsome?
“Yes,” she finally said.
“Yes?” Again, that dangerously disarming smile had her thinking of things like a future.
She smiled a little in return. “Yes, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. Since I was about six years old, I think.”
“That’s an awful long time,” he said, and his gravelly tone sent shivers up her spine.
Her smile widened and she felt some of the tension slip away. He was teasing her and she liked it. “It is. I used to operate on my dolls. When I got older, I roped my friends into it. Then Eddie and I were married and we went away to school together.”
“And he joined the CIA,” Jase concluded. “That must have been hard. We forget sometimes how difficult our career is on the people we love.”
She didn’t answer right away. It had been such an adjustment. She’d been so lonely coming home to an empty house. Making li
fe decisions alone. “It was. Eddie was gone a lot. I worried about him all the time.”
He nodded and grew silent once more. She could tell something weighed heavily on his thoughts.
“What about you, Jase? What are your dreams?” she asked and regretted the question when a wintery chill entered his eyes.
Jase carried their plates over to the sink and began rinsing them without answering. After a second, she followed him, took the first dish from him and stacked it into the dishwasher. She’d been foolish to ask him about such personal things as dreams. To someone running for their life, it was hard to look beyond the moment.
They worked in silence for a while and she sensed the conversation ending, yet she wasn’t ready to break the connection just yet. Talking to him reminded her of normal things. Her life hadn’t been normal in a long time.
“You want to get some fresh air?” he said unexpectedly once they’d finished the dishes. “It should be safe out on the back deck.”
She smiled up at him. “I’d like that.”
Reyna grabbed her jacket and waited while he tucked the Glock in the pocket of his jacket, and then they stepped out on the back deck.
“Do you ever get tired of breathing in this air?” she asked in awe.
He chuckled, a deep rumbling low in his throat. “No. Although I’m sure I take it for granted a lot.”
“I can understand that. We all take the things we see all the time for granted. Do you know I lived near DC for years and I never saw the Washington Monument?”
He made an exaggerated shocked expression. “I can’t believe it! That’s like...mandatory.”
They turned to face each other and she drew in another lungful of air. Jase was inches away, an unreadable expression in his eyes. She’d give anything to know his thoughts. Reyna swept back a strand of hair from her cheek. “What about you? Did you live in DC when you were with the CIA?”
His attention shifted off to the distance and she wondered if he was thinking of the woman he’d lost.
After a moment he said, “Yes, I lived in DC for a while. I had an apartment in the city that I rarely used. Mostly I was overseas. When the rest of the team went home for a break, I signed up for another mission. I was obsessed with it. I think my life was just empty.”
“Why do you say that?”
He stared into her eyes and she saw the regret in his. “Because it’s true, Reyna. My parents died when I was away at college and I was sinking fast. I tried a lot of things to fill the void and ended up experimenting with every kind of adrenaline rush I could find. But nothing worked.” He glanced her way and she sensed he was trying to gauge her reaction.
“Believe it or not, I did great in school. I was in my final year at Virginia Tech when Kyle recruited me into the CIA. He’d seen something in me that he thought would work well with the Agency. He was right—I excelled. I worked side by side with Kyle’s wife, Agent Lena Jennings, in the beginning. I learned so much from her.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “When Lena was captured and killed and her death was later traced back to a terrorist regime operating in Afghanistan, well, Kyle was devastated. I was, too. Lena was like a sister to me.”
“Oh, Jase, I had no idea. So this is personal to you.”
He stared off into the distance again, his eyes as wintry as the world around them. “Yes, I guess it is. It was so hard watching Kyle grieve. Little did I know I’d be going through the same thing soon...” His voice trailed off and he swallowed hard. She watched as he struggled to cover up his own pain. It was a long time before he could speak again. “Kyle saw how volatile the war-torn area was becoming. He came to me and told me he wanted to form the Scorpion team to help fight the rising number of terrorist groups and to prevent massive amounts of weapons from falling into the wrong hands. He asked me to be lead. I was thrilled.”
His mouth twisted bitterly. “At least for a little bit. Soon, the old emptiness returned and the rush I got from the type of deadly missions we performed didn’t do it for me anymore.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“Kyle could see I was getting burned-out. He literally forced me to take a vacation. I had no idea what to do with myself.” He laughed to himself. “I hadn’t been on vacation in...well, I couldn’t remember. I ended up here in Colorado. Back to where I’d grown up.” She watched as he smiled at the memory. “The house was gone, but the land and the mountains were everything I remembered.
“I bought the property using the Davis alias because I knew at some point in the future I’d want to leave the CIA and come here to live. So I couldn’t let my real name be associated with the property...” Several seconds ticked by. “Anyway, for the rest of my time off, I camped on the land. Then, one Sunday, I ended up at the same church my family used to attend when I was a kid.”
“Did anyone recognize you?” Reyna asked, surprised.
“No—thankfully. I guess everyone from my youth had left town when the mine closed up. I can’t explain it, but I felt such a peace being there. After the service was over, I just sat there soaking in the quiet and I realized God hadn’t deserted me like I’d thought.” He turned to face her. “I was the one who left Him.”
Reyna could feel tears sting her eyes. His story moved her deeply. In a way, it matched hers. There was a time before Eddie’s death that she had left God, too.
“It’s funny how it takes something horrible to bring us back to Him. For me, well, my work consumed me. Eddie and I had talked about having a child one day, but we never got around to it. Our work schedules always got in the way.” She stole a look his way. “Then Eddie died and my world collapsed. I couldn’t function. I’d gone to church all my life, but it took losing Eddie to really open my eyes to the truth. I wasn’t alone. God had been there with me through it all.”
Jase tugged her into the shelter of his arms and she leaned against him. “I know what you mean. I told God if He would help me survive what happened, I’d change my life. I’d do something to help others in need. It’s not much, but I work with a group of troubled kids in town. They come up to the house, learn how to do things like chop wood, hunt, survive out in the wilderness.”
She smiled up at him. “Jase, that’s wonderful.”
He nodded. “It’s a huge blessing. I love doing it, but I think I get more out of it than the kids do at times.”
She touched his cheek. She had been right about him all along. He was a knight in shining armor.
“It’s getting late,” she said regretfully. “I think I’ll try and get some sleep. You should, too.”
* * *
The morning sunshine finally broke free of the clouds when they arrived in Aspen Grove.
“That’s him.” Reyna watched as Jase pointed out a middle-aged man wearing a gray fedora pulled low on his head. The collar of his coat was turned up against the biting chill, and he had a laptop bag strapped over his shoulder.
Jase swung the Jeep into one of the few remaining parking spots across from the coffee shop.
There were a handful of people sitting outside the shop and probably just as many inside.
Jase glanced around. “So far it doesn’t look as if we’ve been followed.” He held her gaze. “Ready?” She nodded and he got out of the Jeep and came around to open her door. They crossed the road to the coffee shop and went inside.
The man in the hat had taken a seat at a booth in the far back corner.
As Jase and Reyna approached, he noticed them for the first time. For a moment, he seemed incapable of speaking, and then he was on his feet and he and Jase embraced warmly.
“I still can’t believe it is true, but I’m so happy that you’re alive.” He released Jase and smiled up at him. “And you have a friend.”
Jase turned to Reyna. “Yes. This is Reyna. Reyna...my good friend, Bryan Northcutt.”
Bryan stuck out his hand to Reyna. �
��It’s a pleasure.”
“Thank you. I just wish it were under different circumstances.”
The older gentleman nodded. “Perhaps one day it will be.”
The waitress spotted them and came to the table to take their orders. “Three regular coffees?” Jase glanced at his companions, who all nodded.
Once she was out of earshot, Bryan turned to Jase. “You have something for me?” he asked gruffly.
“Yes, I do,” Jase handed him the thumb drive he’d saved the encrypted file on. He’d told Reyna it was best not to take the laptop with them in case there was trouble. She understood what that meant. If caught with it, there would be no way out for them.
Bryan took out his laptop and inserted the drive into it, and then he sat back in his seat and stared at the screen in astonishment.
“Unbelievable,” Bryan breathed the word aloud. “I’ve worked with the CIA on many cases and I’ve only seen this type of sophisticated encryption software used by a handful of terrorist organizations. It’s extremely rare and very difficult to crack.”
Reyna glanced at Jase. She could see from the tense set of his jaw that this wasn’t the news he’d been hoping for. Everything, including their lives, depended on finding out what was in that file.
“But you can crack it, can’t you, Bryan?” Jase asked pointedly.
“I can,” his friend assured him. “I have every type of anti-encryption software available on my laptop, including this one. It will take some time to run the program, though. As I’ve said, this is very sophisticated.”
“Do what you have to do. We can’t leave here without it.”
Bryan nodded and opened the decryption program. “Jase told me the laptop belonged to your late husband?” he asked as it began the process.
Reyna wasn’t surprised that Jase had shared this information. It was obvious that he trusted his former professor.
“Yes, that’s right. Eddie was killed in Afghanistan six months ago.” She explained about the letter she had received from Eddie telling her about the laptop and the events that had led up to her coming to Colorado.
Rocky Mountain Secrets: Rocky Mountain Sabotage ; Rocky Mountain Pursuit Page 26
