by Mayer, Dale
He nodded. “True enough.”
“And you – are you going back to wherever you came from?”
He smiled. “In a few days I will be.”
Of course he would be. She’d rather he stayed close, but that was more because she’d started to rely on him. He made her feel secure, protected. Getting over having him there for her would take time. Regardless of how she felt about it… She liked him. He was a nice guy. A hell of a protector.
“I think I recognized him,” she said abruptly.
He froze, then leaned across the table. “Who?”
“The guy that took off.” She considered what she’d seen.
“How could you?”
“His profile.”
“Did you actually get a chance to see anything? It had to have been a split second.”
She nodded. “I have a very good memory but never thought to say anything about it before this.” She shrugged. “I didn’t understand what the connection was at first. I think I saw him at the diner. With the other kidnappers.”
“Think?” he pounced.
She leaned back. There hadn’t been much time to consider it. “You’re right. It was more of an impression. And that isn’t reliable.”
“No, but instinct can’t be discounted. It’s just not enough to pin something on someone.”
She nodded. “Good point.” She chewed her bottom lip and wondered if she was completely bonkers.
“If you think you see him again, don’t approach him. Just point him out to me, got it?”
“Got it.” She cheered up at the idea of seeing Markus again. She’d really hoped it wouldn’t be a one-off. She liked him. Like really liked him. And life needed to be enjoyed. Because it was too damn short.
That meant nothing in terms of a relationship though. He was good looking and a good person. There would be someone in his life already. He might even have remarried. Then, he deserved to be happy. And he was the marrying kind.
“Do you understand?”
Holding her cup and blowing on it, she studied him over the rim. “I won’t do anything stupid.”
“Good.” He settled back into the seat, a calmer look on his face. “Just remember that. Call me if I’m not there beside you.”
She snorted. “How? I have no phone. And why would you be beside me? After breakfast, you’ll be dropping me off at the bed and breakfast and I’ll be alone.” She didn’t add the word again, but she thought it. She was starting to hate it too. Maybe it was time to make changes. She sipped her coffee.
Just then the waitress returned with large plates of food. She carefully put them on the table and returned with the coffee pot. She topped off the cups and said, “I’ll be back with your toast.”
Bree barely heard her. Her gaze locked on the food and she couldn’t believe how much there was. It was almost enough to make her want to cry. “I don’t know where to start,” she whispered. “I want it all.”
“Eat slowly,” he warned. “I don’t want you getting sick.”
She grinned. “What a way to go.” She tucked into her eggs first. Of all the things on her plate she couldn’t pack those up to eat later. And she’d take all the leftovers available. Who knew when her next meal would be? She had no idea if she had enough money to even get home, not to mention food. She paused as she picked up the rasher of bacon and took a bite. It was delicious. As she ate, she had to wonder, when had she started considering going home? Since this mess happened or earlier?
She worked her way through the full plate until her stomach stopped growling and her throat finally accepted it hadn’t been cut. She groaned in joy. “Now that was fantastic.”
“Are you going to eat your toast?” he asked, pointing to the plate beside her.
“I’ll have some coffee and relax first,” she said. “Maybe I’ll be able to eat more in a little bit.” She pushed her empty plate back slightly and pulled her cup toward her. “How are you enjoying your meal?”
He nodded and chewed another bite. “It’s good food.”
She yawned, the combined effects of being safe, being warm, and having a full belly. “I wish you weren’t leaving.”
“I won’t be just yet.” He paused with his fork in the air. “We came for training. And we’re not yet done.” He smiled as he took a sip of coffee. “Although it did take a different turn. One with more pleasant results.”
He motioned toward her.
She grinned. “Well, it was training in a way, wasn’t it?”
“It was.” He nodded. “We’ll be back out in the field in an hour.”
“Hour?” she exclaimed. “You’ve had no sleep.”
“No.” He grinned boyishly. “But I don’t need as much as you might expect.”
“Ha. You might not but I sure do.”
The waitress came back and filled their coffee cups again. When they half-finished those cups he asked for the bill. “If you’re ready, let’s go.”
She nodded. “I’m ready. Too tired to be of any use anyway.”
*
“Then off to bed with you.” He stood up and waited for her to stand. “Come on.” He led her to the front counter where he paid the bill and then walked outside with her.
Right across the yard was the bed and breakfast. With her standing beside him, he rang the doorbell, waited until the door opened. When it did he led her inside and took care of the paperwork booking her in a room. He wanted to make this as easy as he could on her.
“Is it for one person or two?” the chatty middle-aged woman asked.
“At least one.” Bree gasped quietly as Markus answered smoothly.
The other woman opened her mouth then snapped it shut with a twinkle. “Then I’ll give you the room with the double bed.” She rattled off the check-in information and the checkout times. But Markus rushed her through it and finally they were climbing the stairs to the second floor. Markus opened the door for her and nudged her inside the large bedroom with a beautiful double bed in the middle.
“Oh my God, it’s beautiful.”
Markus stared at her surprise, then looked around the spacious room as if he hadn’t really noticed. “It is nice, isn’t it?”
“I need a shower then I’m collapsing right there.” She pointed to the bed.
“And I’m leaving. I’ll be back in a few hours. Make sure you’re here.” He closed the door behind him.
He walked down the stairs, smiling inside. Yeah, he’d be back. He was going to take her out shopping for new clothes and a pair of shoes.
And that was just to start.
She was a hell of a trooper and one he’d like to spend a lot of time with.
If she let him. But Alaska was a long way to visit given his schedule. She hadn’t planned to stay, she said, but was she going to return to California?
He walked out the door as Shadow drove up in a truck, Evan and Dane in the backseat. He hopped out and walked over to where Markus waited for him.
“What’s up?” Markus asked.
“Apparently there’s a ruckus going on back at the cabin where the women were held yesterday. A group of end of the world enthusiasts have gathered together and tempers blew up.”
“Is that what the women were kidnapped for? If so, why wasn’t this mentioned yesterday?”
Shadow shook his head. “No. The women overheard the men talking about stockpiling weapons, but that’s all. There is an element of rabble-rousers here as well looking to start an anti-government protest. They aren’t the same men as the kidnappers, though.”
Markus stared at Shadow. “And that makes sense how?”
“You mean any of this makes sense?” Shadow snorted. “They are jumping on the arrests as an excuse to protest. That’s all.”
“Are we staying or leaving?”
“Ha, we’re treating this as another training exercise.”
Markus rolled his eyes. “Our new commander is all too ready to make everyday life situations a training situation.”
�
�He could be right in this case. We took out the kidnappers but in reality if this other group of ten or even twenty hunker down back there then it could be a bad scenario.”
“Why? Leave them to it. As long as they are allowed to be on that property and not hurting anyone, it’s all good. They can play survivalist all they want.”
Only it wasn’t that easy and he knew it. One or two men together was one thing but the bigger the numbers the more problems developed. Even for him ten men running around, carrying guns, and screaming at the world was going to make him cringe. For those who lived here it would be that much worse. The global unrest was hard on the common man. When it was brought home by a group of individual’s intent on causing trouble…it was way worse.
“Why here and why now?” he asked abruptly.
“Apparently the government is looking to allow oil exploration on a large section of the land slated as park lands. So with all the soldiers here, along with the arrests, it’s ripe for trouble.”
“And these guys don’t want the oil exploration to happen?”
“Right.”
He frowned. “That’s hardly enough reason for this level of warfare. I’m sure the locals aren’t against it.”
“No, they are split 50/50 on the issue according to the authorities, but there’s no doubt the town needs the money the industry would bring.”
“But there are always a few dissidents and when it comes to having a stockpile there are always people looking for an excuse to use them.”
Markus nodded. Shadow started walking back to the truck. “We’re meeting back at the field at 0700 hours.”
“Got it.”
Chapter 15
She woke up midafternoon exhausted – and sore.
Like what the hell. There should be some kind of grace for having been good the whole time. Instead, her body felt like someone had taken a two by four to it. And now the bruises had set in – in a big way. She stared at herself in the small bathroom mirror and winced. Holy crap. Being sick contributed to her colorful look but this was ridiculous. Then again she was sleeping alone – more’s the shame – so no one would be seeing the rainbow effect on her skin. Still, everything ached.
She walked back to the bed and collapsed back down. She’d love to sleep away the rest of the day, but her body didn’t seem to think that was an option.
Which sucked.
She rolled over and tried a different position but nothing worked. Finally she propped herself up on the headboard and looked around. From the sun shining outside she figured it was close to three o’clock and that meant she had to get moving if she planned on getting her financial situation fixed today. She sat up and looked at her grimy clothes on the floor. Damn it. She was going to look like a homeless person in that outfit. Still, she had no choice.
She brushed out her clothes as well as she could and dressed. Walking downstairs, she smiled at the owner of the place as she headed out the front door. The bank was a couple of blocks away. With any luck it would still be open. It was. She walked in and took out cash from her meager account and then ordered new cards. It had taken a bit to prove her identity, but as she had all her numbers in her head, she managed to make it happen. It helped that the bank teller recognized her. She held off on ordering new credit cards as they’d have to be mailed to her, and she was no longer sure she’d be staying that long. Feeling better, she walked back outside and considered her options. She needed clothes first.
And shoes. She looked down at her scuffed up toes and wondered at how fast the shoes had developed holes in them. They hadn’t been cheap either. Then again they hadn’t been made for ten mile treks in the bush.
After a moment of indecision, she walked to the corner store where she managed to get two t-shirts, boy’s sizes, for cheap. Now with new underclothes and jeans she’d be all set. And a jacket. She was still feeling the chill in the air.
Only there were none her size there.
She found a cheap wallet at the checkout counter. She bought that as well.
She had yet to be approached by a police officer to answer questions. Should she walk into the station and ask if they needed to speak with her? She felt like it was her duty to do so. She stopped to orient herself in the small town and realized the station was two streets over. Which meant it was seriously on the other side of town. Back home in San Diego, she’d be a half hour getting anywhere. An hour to the downtown core. This was much nicer. If only it wasn’t so far from everything else. She liked the lifestyle but not the remoteness.
The simple life suited her. And the pace. It was easy to handle, stress free. How could she find something similar back home? Close to her family. Surely there was some way to make a decent living out of the rat race?
And she might have to wait until she was feeling better to make too many changes. Her legs were already shaking.
After just this much of a walk. Scary. A park bench sat in front of a small rose garden. She walked several steps over and sat down. She’d just rest here for a moment or two. It was quiet, peaceful. And she needed that. She tilted her head back and let the afternoon sun fall on her face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.
It felt good to be alive.
At a lilting song beside her she opened her eyes to see songbirds flit about the bushes. They were so happy and carefree. She smiled watching their antics. Her gaze followed them as they traveled from bush to bush. Maybe it was the light. Maybe it was the shadows, but her gaze flickered past the robins to the few passersby walking on the other side of the park. A mother pushed a stroller with a second child walking beside her. An older woman walked with a cane. There were two young people, arms linked and smiling into each other’s eyes. An older man walked by slowly. A younger man walked by faster. Her gaze zipped past him to the songbirds…and froze… She shifted her view back to the younger man. There was something about the pace he walked. As if he were in a hurry. He carried a bag in his hand…that body, the stride, the bag… Bingo. She recognized his silhouette. It was the man they’d seen racing away from the fire this morning. He was the man who’d torched the diner.
Her feet were already moving behind him as if to cut him off. Moving faster than she thought her legs could take her, she raced to the other side of the small park. For all her short burst of energy he quickly outpaced her and turned the corner ahead of her. At least she could keep out sight this way.
She wasn’t sure what she was to do if she did find out where this guy was going. She didn’t want to speak to him. She’d never been able to lie and would likely blurt out that she’d seen him at the diner. Like that was going to help. And she was tiring quickly. Sad. She walked around the corner and stopped.
There was no sign of him. Damn. Oh well, it was a good idea but a short lived one. Besides she had no way to let Markus know what she’d seen. She wasn’t capable of running around looking for him. She turned to reorient herself in the neighborhood. It wasn’t one she’d been in before. She had no idea where she was. Frowning, she realized she’d gone a couple of blocks in the wrong direction and turned back. Determining the rest of her shopping would have to wait because of her flagging energy, she slowly returned to the bed and breakfast.
The owner was in the main room as she walked in.
“Hey, you don’t look so good.”
Bree gave her a wan smile. “Did too much and for too long.”
“Bed or food. The meal is on me.”
Bree stopped and had to consider. “How about food and then bed.”
“Come on to the kitchen and I’ll make you up a plate of spaghetti, it’s hot and ready.”
“Lovely.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had homemade spaghetti. A few moments later she was sitting down to a huge plate. Oh God, it was delicious. “This is really lovely.”
“I’m glad you like it.” The owner, whose name was Doris, chatted easily, bringing a cup of coffee over to her.
“Here.” Doris sat down beside
her with her own cup. “What happened to you?”
Bree looked up. “Well, I was kidnapped, escaped, got lost in the bush and had to be rescued.”
There was a gratifying gasp of shock, and Bree was coaxed to tell the whole story. By the time she wound down, she’d finished her plate of pasta and was nursing the coffee. “When I was walking today, I actually thought I might have seen the guy who’d torched the diner. But I couldn’t see him clear enough to identify him.”
“You didn’t try to approach him, did you?” Doris cried.
Bree shook her head. “No, not really.”
“Not really?” Doris stared at her. “What does that mean? What did you do?”
Bree shrugged. “Not much. I followed him to try and confirm it was him. But of course I couldn’t. He was moving fast, and I have so little energy that the chance of keeping up was almost impossible.”
“So you never did see where he went?”
She shook her head.
Doris slumped back. “Wow. Nothing ever happens in this town. You’re here only a few weeks and look at the events.”
“I’d have been happy to miss out. I want to enjoy peace and quiet. Rest.”
Doris laughed. “Well, you’re here now, and you can eat and rest as much as you like.”
“I wonder if I will sleep. Chances are this guy will fill my nightmares too.”
“Maybe, but you’ve got a happy tummy now, so I don’t think you’ll need to worry much about him and your nightmares.” Doris patted her hand in a grandmotherly fashion as she collected Bree’s empty plate.
Bree smiled. “Speaking of which, I think I’ll head up to the room for a nap. Thanks for the meal.”
“Get some rest,” Doris called.
With a smile of thanks, Bree grabbed up her purchases from the front hallway where she’d left them and slowly climbed the stairs to her room. She was tempted to try the t-shirts on but was too tired. She dropped the bag on the floor and opened up the window as wide as it would go, then walked over to the bed, wondering if she could sleep through the night considering it was only just after seven. She didn’t think so. Chances were she’d nap for a little while.
