by Tara Brown
I felt a sickening amount of hope my dad’s was a frame-up too.
Coop smiled, but I could see the authenticity wasn’t there, “This is the same, but I wanted to warn you. I didn’t want you to see the list and then freak out.”
I scowled, “I don’t overreact.”
He rolled his eyes, “You’re a chick.”
I slapped at him again but he caught my hand, “I let you get one in.”
“What are you gonna do, hit back?”
He nodded, licking his lips, “Yeah, but I get to choose the spot I hit.”
My stomach dropped, “Whatever. I need to go back and rejoin my troop.” I pushed away from him but he pulled me in closer. His hands spanned my whole back, “There’s something else I want to talk to you about.”
I bit my lip, “I don’t want to talk about him again.”
He cocked an eyebrow, “He contacted you.”
I frowned, “How do you know that?”
Coop shrugged.
“Are you admitting to having surveillance shit in my house still and now Luce's?”
His lips fought the good fight but the grin won over, spreading across his face, “I needed to make sure you were safe.”
“Did you put one in my bathroom?” My face flushed, thinking about the things I did in there that I definitely didn’t want recorded. I was about to rage on him but that would mean bringing up the fact he’d seen me doing my morning ablutions.
He laughed, “No. I put it in the hall outside your bedroom. It may or may not be able to see your bed if the door is open, just for safety’s sake. The cameras caught Steve in the act of entering your home with shoes and lipstick.”
I hated that it hadn’t been Servario who had come to my house. It wasn’t his handwriting I had swooned over. It had been Steve's? I moved past it, refocusing on Coop monitoring my bedroom. My eyes narrowed, “You’re a little bastard.”
His eyes matched mine, “Nothing little about me, Evie.” He got up from the bed and walked from the infirmary. "See ya in a couple days."
I watched him leaving. He stopped, of course, looking back and catching me watching his firm ass walk away, “Nice.”
I blinked, “What?”
He laughed, “You were looking at my ass.”
I shook my head, crossing my arms, “Don’t flatter yourself.”
He pointed, “I’m still senior officer, Evie. It’s don’t flatter yourself, sir.”
I laughed, “Yes, sir.”
“Report to the address I texted you; it’s where the car will pick you up for transport.”
“I don’t have a phone.”
He grinned and walked out, “Check your kit bag and don’t be late.”
I sighed and left the room too. A young guy in an officer’s uniform gave me a grin as I walked back to where my troop was.
I shook my head and made my way back to the torture.
The master chief was screaming at the group of them. I stood at the side, praying he didn’t look at me.
When he did, he shouted, “What’s your deal, Marshall?” I jumped when I realized my name was Angela Marshall and he was yelling at me. “Get your ass in that lineup, girl. You think you’re better than anyone else? Well everyone, Marshall just earned you all twenty push-ups, twenty mountain climbers, and twenty burpees. Thank you, Marshall.” I hated the last name they gave me.
Everyone screamed, “THANK YOU, MARSHALL!”
I jumped and ran to my spot. I dropped and pumped them out. I had nothing left, but I remembered that day I beat every guy in the troop. I remembered the pain in my wrist as it snapped. I still finished, climbing the rope with one hand and my legs, knowing my wrist was broken.
I finished and stood at attention. Master chief winked at me and turned and left, passing the control to the officer in charge. He was the only person who knew who I really was. The new officer led us through the marching square to the trail, where we ran wind sprints for five miles with twenty burpees at every mile.
I was near death by the time we were excused.
I hit the showers with the other four females. They were young and fit, in a way I could vaguely recall being.
I finished showering after them. They came in a group and left in a group. They never asked me to do anything. They never really welcomed me in. I didn’t get it. Had a senior citizen joined our ranks, we would have welcomed them. Wouldn’t we? Maybe not.
I argued with myself and headed for the mess.
“Hey, Evie, is it true you’re going back to CI?”
I looked up to see Master Chief Pete, calling me over to him as I crossed the square.
I smiled, “Hello, Master Chief. It’s Angela now, sir. And yes and no. I am doing a little refresher with you all, and when the kids are older, I will be coming back. I’ll probably go contract though. Not regular military. You know no one is supposed to know who I am though, right? This is just refresher so that when I go back, I’m not completely out of the loop, though I feel out of the loop now.”
He nodded, “I’m the only one who recognizes you. Everyone else is retired or moved on and your files came in as a Canadian who was training with us. Come sit with us at the officer table.”
I stopped, “Oh… uhm… that’s ok thanks, Master Chief.”
He laughed, “It’s Pete, Evie, jeeze. Mellow out.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, “I was sorry to hear about your dad. I hadn’t realized he’d been deep cover all these years.” His voice was barely audible.
I nodded, “You and me both.”
He gave me a sideways glance, “And of course sorry to hear about James.”
I laughed, “You and me both.”
He laughed, steering me to the table.
“You know I look like your troop ho, right?”
He grinned, “That was my plan. I can’t wait to tell everyone from our basic, I banged the infamous Evie Anderson.”
I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, nothing quite like a mid-thirties mother of two and widow, to get the boys all cheering you on.”
He pulled out a chair for me, “Hey, you’re on the market again.”
I pointed at his finger, “You’re not.”
He laughed, “Sheila says hello, by the way.” I laughed, knowing his wife was the true goddess of his universe. His affections for me kept me out of reach of everyone else. The big-brother protection act made my heart warm.
He sat next to me. The rookies of the troop gave me sneers and gossiped about me.
Pete leaned in, “What’s the real story, Evie?”
I shook my head, “No real story, sir. It’s Angela.”
He scoffed, “Fine, keep your secrets. But I do think it’s weird that a retired agent gets a new name, rejoins basic for three weeks, and I am not allowed to talk about the fact I know you.”
My eyes sparkled, “It is weird.” I sighed, “Can I just say that James left me quite the pile of shit to clean up and leave it at that?”
His eyes hardened, “He always was a piece of shit. Your dad hated him; that should have been enough for you to know not to do it.”
I sighed, “I know. How are the kids?”
He nodded, “Good. Older and sassy. You know how it is. Twelve and ten this year. God help me.”
I laughed, “Yeah and both daughters—ouch.”
He speared his broccoli, “Yup. So you outta here before tomorrow then, for real?”
I nodded and my stomach cramped a bit with nerves.
He shook his head, “Wherever you end up, this number is secure and will bring the thunder down on whatever you are fighting.” He slipped a white card with a nine-digit number. I pocketed it, “Thanks, sir.”
“No prob, Angela.”
Chapter Four
Smallville
The car couldn’t drive fast enough. My insides were in a knot. When I saw the helicopter coming into view in the empty field, I got even more excited. The idea that my children were there had me dancing inside. My arms needed to hold them
and check every inch of them for injuries I had not had the chance to kiss. Happy tears hid in my throat as we got near. I jumped out and tried to run for the helicopter, but it was more like watching Quasimodo run, my body was bruised and battered. Inside was a face I didn’t expect. It wasn’t my mother or my children, but Jack. He smiled at me, “About time, Evie. Jeesh.”
The happy tears turned to angry ones, “Where are they, Jack?”
His face dropped, “Picking out their bedrooms. It’s okay. They’re waiting for us. Get in.”
I limped and pulled my exhausted body into the helicopter. He put a hand on my thigh as I strapped myself in, “It’s going to be okay.”
It was weird for us both. He was always the detached and funny one, not the comforting one. I smiled and wiped my face, “It just feels too long. Too much. I can't do it anymore. I need a house and my kids and routine.”
He nodded, regardless of having no idea of what I was talking about. He, Luce, and Coop lived the life of an agent. They didn’t do comfort and cozy. The pilot lifted the chopper into the air and took off. The ride was intense. I was on edge, feeling like I was constantly chasing my kids and never holding them. Servario was gone, as always, and my poor mother was saddled with everything else.
The worst part was that we were no closer to finding a solution for protecting the Burrow, and yet, giving the military something to make them stop looking. It was a giant pile of crap, all placed at my feet, and it felt like it just kept getting bigger.
We landed at an airfield. I sighed and followed Jack off the helicopter and walked to the small plane. We climbed aboard to discover we were the only people there. The helicopter left us.
He walked to the pilot seat and strapped himself in. I frowned, “You can fly this?”
He gave me a sarcastic look, “You can't?”
My right eye started to twitch as he closed the hatch and started the plane. He took off, turning us to the right and flying low to the ground.
“This is creepy.”
He nodded, grinning like a kid playing a video game, “It’s awesome.” He flew us around mountains, over fields, and past rivers until suddenly he landed in another field. I clung to my seat for dear life as he stopped the plane, still grinning. He unbuckled and dashed to the back, “Hurry, Evie.”
We left through the hatch. When we were across the field, crunching our feet along the dry grass, he pulled something from his pocket and pressed the button. I leapt to the ground as an explosion filled the air. He laughed, “Sorry, should have warned you.”
I looked down at the dirt and grass, “I am going to kill you, not now ‘cause I’m tired, but it is going to happen.”
He smiled sweetly at me, “Okay, Evie.” He continued walking. I got up and followed him into the woods. He walked until we got to a random spot. He stopped and looked around for a second, and then like a light bulb was coming on, he smiled and turned. He walked through a small grove of trees to a street. There, on the side of the road, was a minivan with Luce at the wheel. My heart leapt seeing her. Not only was she easier to be around than Jack, but she meant I was close to seeing my kids. I nudged Jack, “How hard was it to tell me this was what we were doing? You’ve had me peeing my pants this last couple hours.”
He shrugged, “Plane might have been bugged and the helicopter definitely was. Never know.” He gave me his patronizing smile, “I knew what we were doing, Evie. I got this.”
I could have choked him. Instead, I climbed into the front seat, beaming at Luce.
She grinned, “Who had fun at basic?”
I shook my head, “So bad. Worse than I remember.”
She hit me in the arm, “You need to toughen up, marshmallow.”
I pointed, “Drive.”
She chuckled, “Don’t get too excited. We are a ten-hour drive from the house. Get comfy.”
I gave her a desperate look, “What?”
She nodded, “Gotta make sure we don’t leave a trail. It was this or Canada.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose the way Coop always did, “I don’t want to talk about it, just drive.”
Ten hours in a car with Jack and Luce was like driving with my kids. Annoying music, drive-thru food, bickering about who was in what movie, and Jack kicked my seat an awful lot. I did my turn driving, tuning them both out. Finally, just as I was about to bitch for the hundredth time, Luce pointed, “Right here.”
I looked at the sign for the town and frowned, “Jamesville? Where are we?”
Luce shrugged, “Montana.”
I shook my head, taking the right and trying not to lose my mind. The town was tiny. Larger than a village but way smaller than a city. I couldn’t stop staring at the quaint little houses and small shops. “How many people live here?”
“Eight thousand.” Jack answered nonchalantly.
“What the hell are we going to do here?”
Luce laughed, “You are a stay-at-home mom. Coop, your brother, owns the new horse tack hut, and me and Jack are a married couple who own the computer store.”
“Where are my kids?”
Luce glanced at me, “They’re at the house you just bought. Your mom picked it out.”
I sighed, “Which way?”
“Go left at the end of this road. We all live on the same street.”
The landscape was beautiful—trees, mountains, rolling hills, and God knew what else. It was stunning. I turned left and headed into what seemed like farm country. The hills were not mountains but they were nice and big. They made you feel safe and enclosed, maybe. The trees weren't big but they were beautiful. The sky was as far as you could look in every direction, not like Boston where the horizon was the ocean or small hills, trees, and buildings.
I drove until I saw her face. She was standing on the porch of a beautiful country home, looking as anxious as I was. I parked and jumped from the van. My mom ran to me, wrapping her arms around me. I trembled until I felt the small fingers of Jules’ hand creeping into the embrace. I spun, wrapping around my children. Jules pointed, “The house has an attic upstairs, Mom. It’s kind of creepy but I like it.” I held back my tears, not wanting to scare them. Mitch clung to me, “You were gone so long.”
I nodded, “I know. I’m so sorry. I thought that it would go faster.”
His fingers dug in. My mother pointed, “Just like you asked, a beautiful home where the kids can grow up with horses, bunnies, and dogs.”
I gave her a look. Mitch looked bummed, “Mom, I don’t want to live in Montana. This is the middle of nowhere.”
I rubbed his head, seeing his father on his face, “Sweetie, this is better for us. I promise.”
I dropped to my knee, “How was your birthday?”
Jules shook her head, “It wasn’t the same without you, but Grandma gave the girls Monster High dolls and Madison Mitchell was so jealous. She said at her birthday she was going to give them out too and her mother said that it was excessive.”
I laughed, “I’m sure she did.” I looked at my kids and smiled earnestly, “Guys, our little family needs this. Uncle Coop, Aunty Luce, Uncle Jack, and us, and grandma—we need this. A new start, where we don’t have to think about how sad we are about Daddy and how sad we are about everything else. This is our fresh start. Okay? Can you try for me?”
They both gave me a hesitant look and then nodded. I pulled them in and hugged them again, kissing each cheek. I looked up at the huge white farmhouse and nodded, “How old is it?”
Mom gave me an annoyed look, “New. I know what you’re like about old houses. It’s three years old and built to look old fashioned.” I noticed the way it looked like a fairytale house and nodded, “They succeeded.”
She sighed, “Come inside and see the place before you judge it. You are so like your father.”
It made me smile. I wrapped my arms around Mitch as Jules ran to catch up to my mom, bursting through the door. “Mom, come and see my room! I got all new stuff ‘cause of the fire.”
I
could feel my heartbeat lessening with every step we took. This house could be a safe place for my mom and my kids. It wasn’t fancy like my house, my pile of ashes, but it was nice. The counters were granite and the cabinets were white country but modern still. The floors were maple and the trim was all wide crown molding. It was a nice home.
I glanced at my mom, “Did I buy it? Do I own it?”
She nodded, “You do.”
I could feel it settling inside of me, the idea that I was okay. I still felt like maybe a bomb would just be dropped and we would all be dead, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop the attack. It was an impotent feeling. I hated it.
Mom reached for my free hand, “Darling, you will get used to this. This house will become a home. We have state of the art security.”
I could have almost cried. Mitch looked up at me, “I can’t believe we have nothing from our old house. I can’t believe it burned up."
I didn’t have anything for him but a hug, "I know, baby. I can’t either. Seems like it's been such bad luck lately."
He looked into my eyes skeptically but said nothing.
I finished looking at the immaculate first floor and climbed the stairs. It had four bedrooms up, and the one with Jules in it, jumping up and down, was adorable. The room was pink with white lace curtains, very girlie. The bed was actually built into the closet to make it like a tree house, with the closet below for extra storage. There was a second closet on the other side of the room. She climbed the wall ladder, “See, Mom. Look, it’s a tree house bed.” Her face was split wide with joy. I almost cried, but I knew where I needed to cry and her bedroom wasn’t it. I nodded, “This is amazing. I am so excited you love it. Grandma did such a good job picking out a house for us.”
Jules giggled, “I helped.”
“You did amazing too. Want to show me the way to my room?”
She climbed down quickly and raced down the hallway to the master suite. It was huge and, no doubt, already bugged. I looked around for the spots he would put them. Damned Coop.
