by Leigh Bale
Mac’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “I think Eric and I can handle you two skinny girls.”
He stopped, his smile dropping away like stone. He turned away, the anguish in his eyes twisting her heart.
He’d forgotten again. So had she. Eric was gone and this wasn’t getting any easier.
Chapter Seven
“Breakfast is ready,” Inez called.
Grateful for the distraction, Toni scrambled for the table. They ate, then washed the dishes. Hank picked up his rifle and Toni’s eyes widened.
“Don’t worry,” Hank reassured her and patted the gun. “It’s just for protection. There’s plenty of dangerous creatures out there. Mostly bears and cougars.”
He left with Inez to go get Toni’s car. Mac braced his crutch under one arm and limped to a cupboard where he removed two fluffy towels.
“You ready to go down to the lake?” he asked.
“Yes, just give me a few minutes to run to the privy, first.” She hesitated at the door, hating the thought of going out alone. Her common sense told her the gunman was long gone, but she still felt squeamish.
Mac waved his arm at the dog. “Go with her, Grunt.”
The big Mastiff obeyed and Toni felt a sense of security as she hurried along the thin path leading into the trees. In spite of Grunt panting happily by her side, she couldn’t help peering into the brush, fearing her assailant might pop out at any time. When she returned to the cabin, she heard voices coming from the front deck. Grunt didn’t waver, but gave a low growl, then disappeared around the corner. Toni hung back, hidden from view, not wanting to intrude.
“You look like you’re getting around pretty well, Sergeant MacKenzie.” A pause, then— “Wow, that’s a big dog.”
The stranger’s voice caused Toni to hesitate beside the wood pile. He must have come to the cabin just after she’d left. She could imagine him backing up beside Mac as Grunt approached him on the deck.
“Yeah, this is Grunt.” Toni heard the jangle of the dog’s collar and imagined Mac rubbing the mutt’s ears. “What brings you all the way out here, Agent Hooper?”
Mac’s voice sounded friendly, yet she detected an edge of reservation in his tone. He wasn’t yet ready to face people.
“Well, you haven’t got a phone out here. I tried to reach you at your home in Vegas. It’s been almost a year since I was out here, but I remembered the way. After what you’ve been through, I figured I’d pay you a visit. To let you know you still have a friend.”
Friends? Toni didn’t know this man, but she’d lost track of Mac and who he spent time with after their breakup. And that made her feel a bit sad.
“Nothing much has changed, except the deck,” Hooper said. “I can see why you came to the mountains to recuperate. It’s a beautiful place.”
“Yeah, what do you want, Derek?”
“Nothing. Honest. This is just a routine follow-up after what happened. Don’t be so suspicious.”
Someone took a deep inhale of mountain air. Toni imagined Derek Hooper must be admiring the view. He’d obviously been here before.
“I already told you boys at the CIA everything I know,” Mac said.
“Yes, but when we have an ambush, we want to make sure we have all the facts.”
Ambush? Toni leaned nearer, pressing her cheek against the rough logs of the cabin, straining to catch every word.
“Last I heard, the FBI had taken lead on the investigation.”
“Yeah, we’re working with them and NCIS to find out what happened,” Hooper said. “Are your parents here, too?”
“Yeah, but they’re out on the mountain right now.”
“Ah, good. This won’t take long.”
She heard the rattle of a chair. “Have a seat, Derek.”
“No thanks.”
“Suit yourself. What do you want to know?” Mac’s voice sounded clipped and aloof.
Toni knew the special forces often worked with the CIA. But somehow, the FBI had become involved. Derek Hooper’s visit had to be about the skirmish that got Eric killed. Was this really just a friend checking up on Mac, or something more?
“Exactly when did you find out about your last mission?” Hooper asked Mac.
“Maybe three or four hours before our departure.”
“And did any of your team members disappear for any length of time before then?”
Mac gave a harsh laugh. “Not unless you count going to the john. I suppose any one of our men could have made a quick detour for a phone call to their wife or girlfriend and no one would’ve known about it. Why?”
“Did you actually see one of the men make a phone call or mail any letters out?”
A long pause followed and Toni thought about Eric’s letter in the cabin, folded neatly inside her handbag. It had been mailed to her the day of his last mission, possibly within hours of his departure.
“No, nothing,” Mac responded.
As Toni gripped the side of the cabin, a sliver pierced her finger and she jerked her hand back. She gave silent thanks Mac kept Eric’s letter a secret. Eric had warned them not to trust anyone and she took that counsel seriously, whether Mac was friends with Derek Hooper or not.
“So, as far as you knew, this mission appeared to be routine? You had no reason to suspect an ambush?” Hooper pressed.
“No. Do you think one of the team members disclosed our mission objective to the Taliban?”
Toni chewed her bottom lip. They were talking about treason.
“Sorry, Mac, but you know I’m not at liberty to answer that.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“You noticed nothing else unique about this mission?” Hooper asked.
“Nope. Except for Andrus, everything went like clockwork.”
Paper rustled. “Ah, that would be Second Lieutenant Ryan Andrus?”
“Yes, he joined the team at the very last minute. Andrus worked with Eric Hamilton, but I never met him until just before departure.”
“Hmm…interesting.”
“Eric was the only man on the team who knew Andrus well. If you intercepted communications between the Taliban and someone on the inside, there’s a multitude of possible suspects,” Mac observed.
“Who said we intercepted any communications from the inside?”
“Come on, Derek. I’m not stupid. Even you knew about our mission. The CIA set it all up. Several contacts outside the special forces could have betrayed our landing zone. Even our pilot should be a suspect.”
“You’re right, but you’re the only member of the team that survived the ambush.”
Toni bristled. What was Hooper implying? That Mac was a traitor? That he’d purposefully gotten his own team members killed, including Eric? Absurd! Mac had been selfish when he’d broken off their engagement, but he wasn’t a coward. She didn’t believe for one moment that he was a traitor either.
She gritted her teeth and peeked around the side of the cabin. Both men had their heads turned away so they didn’t notice her. From her hiding place, she got a good look at Hooper, his short, blond hair and long hawkish nose. Dressed in a navy suit and tie, he looked the part of a CIA agent. Dust marred his shiny black shoes and the cuffs of his creased dress slacks. He held a file of papers in his hands, shuffling them, looking very businesslike.
Mac locked his jaw. He clutched the armrests of his wicker chair, his knuckles white as he bore a hole in Hooper with his piercing eyes.
Hooper shifted his weight and turned just as Toni ducked back around the corner.
“Well, that’s all I have for you right now, Mac. If I’ve got any further questions, I know where to find you.”
“Why don’t you just send me a letter next time?” Mac’s crutch clattered as he reached for it to stand.
Hooper grunted. “Maybe once this is all resolved, you’ll invite me up here again as friends.”
Mac didn’t respond.
“You take care of that leg,” Hooper said. “Wouldn’t want you to get an infection
and have to amputate it.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Mac said.
Toni caught their blunt animosity and wasn’t surprised. Eric had told her the CIA often stepped on the toes of the special forces. If the CIA intercepted communications giving the Taliban the landing zone of Mac’s special ops team and he was the only survivor, she understood why he might be under suspicion.
The sounds of muffled footsteps signaled the CIA agent was walking down the trail leading to the narrow road where he’d probably parked his car. She thought of making her presence known, but something held her back. Though they’d once been friends, Mac obviously disliked Hooper now.
She hesitated. She’d known Mac all her life. Eric had trusted him, and now Eric was dead. Obviously the CIA suspected someone on the inside of being a traitor. Maybe someone involved in espionage had planned an ambush on the MARSOC team. Mac had two million dollars in his savings account. Was it possible that Mac was a traitor and had been paid off by the Taliban?
No, she couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t.
“You can come out, now.” Mac’s voice reached her behind the woodpile and she stepped around the cabin.
“You knew I was here?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, when Grunt showed up, I figured you must be around, eavesdropping. Eric told me he caught you listening in on your parent’s conversations on more than one occasion.”
She stiffened. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“You’re forgiven.” He flashed her a smile, but his stiff posture told her that Hooper’s visit still bothered him. It bothered her, too.
After she picked up the beach towels sitting on the table, she stepped away, speaking in a rigid tone. “Let’s get going.”
He looked at her. “You don’t want to ask any questions about what you just overheard?”
She stared, a myriad of questions racing through her mind. She’d planned to ask a few things, but hadn’t planned on being so blunt. “Yes, but I figured you’d tell me when you were good and ready.”
“You were never this patient when we were going together.”
Oh, that hurt. “Look, let’s not pretend. You broke our engagement, not me. And I’m not about to…to….”
About to what? Fall back in love with him again? As if she’d ever stopped loving him in the first place. But that didn’t keep feelings of embarrassment, anger and hurt from washing over her now.
“I remember and regret it every day of my life,” he confessed.
His contrite response staggered her. He’d been through a lot, but she couldn’t lay her heart out on the chopping block again. No doubt his words stemmed from his near fatal encounter in Afghanistan, not because he was ready to settle down and be a husband to her. “Mac, let me make this perfectly clear. The only reason I came to see you is because Eric asked me to. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here now.”
He took a shuddering breath and nodded his head. “I understand.”
No, he didn’t. Not really. But she didn’t trust herself to explain any more. She might end up begging him to reconsider. Begging him to love her. Instead, she tried to focus on her reason for coming here. “Do you know Agent Hooper very well?”
“Yeah, he’s all right most of the time. We’ve been on a few missions together and were friendly acquaintances.”
“But not anymore?”
He shrugged. “I invited him up here last summer for a few days, along with a group of several other men in my unit. Derek always wants things done his way, but he’s good at his job. Sometimes the CIA steps over the boundaries, but Eric and I tried to play well with the other children.”
Okay, she could accept that. Eric had briefly referred to his work with the CIA, though he was always careful not to mention any names or details. “You think Hooper can be trusted?”
Mac’s brow furrowed. “Right now, I don’t trust anyone but you and my parents.”
For some reason, Mac’s vote of confidence pleased Toni enormously. She just prayed she could trust him in return. Relying on the wrong man could get her killed.
Chapter Eight
“Why didn’t you tell Hooper about Eric’s letter?” Toni asked Mac as they headed toward the lake.
He took an unsteady step, his crutch scraping against the redwood deck. “I think that’s obvious. Until we find Eric’s file and know what we’re dealing with, I’m not about to mention it to anyone.”
That sounded smart and she agreed.
“Especially not the CIA,” Mac continued. “They’re called ‘spooks’ with good reason. They usually keep to themselves and come and go without anyone knowing it. And frankly, I don’t trust Hooper.”
“Why didn’t you tell me your last mission was an ambush?” she asked.
He tightened his jaw and wouldn’t meet her eyes. “You know I can’t talk about it, Toni. It’s top secret. I don’t want to end up in the brig. NCIS is in the middle of an investigation right now.”
“NCIS?”
“Naval Criminal Investigative Service. They investigate criminal, terrorist and foreign intelligence threats.”
“Why would NCIS be investigating the ambush?”
He looked away. “To find out who set us up. After they’ve got all the facts and done some lab work, they’ll reveal what really happened the night Eric died.”
She understood, but she didn’t like it one bit. All this cloak and dagger stuff had taken the life of someone she loved. She didn’t want to lose anyone else. “Do you think someone betrayed your team to the Taliban?”
His expression darkened. “Yes. They knew we were coming, that’s for certain.”
A shiver of apprehension chilled her heart. This was a serious accusation. “Mac, you’re talking about treason.”
“That’s right, but I don’t know if the ambush had anything to do with Eric. I think we need to find his missing file before making any conjectures.”
As they walked down the rocky terrain, he stumbled and she took hold of his arm, wrapping her fingers around solid muscle. She braced her weight to help him negotiate the steep path. When he regained his footing, he extracted his arm and stepped away. Putting more barriers between them.
She couldn’t figure him out. One minute he seemed warm and caring. The next minute, he pushed her away as though he couldn’t stand to be near her. She suspected his mood swings had something to do with his PTSD.
She supposed it was for the best. She tried to tell herself she didn’t want to be near him, either. Truthfully, she felt a mixture of joy and sorrow every time she looked at him. She loved him still, but she couldn’t help mourning the life together they had lost.
Twenty minutes later, they reached the pebbled beach. Normally, it would have taken only five minutes to walk this distance. But Mac insisted on doing it without help. Stubborn, prideful man.
While he hobbled into the water, she picked up a heavy stick and held it with both hands as she sat on a tree stump. She looked about and watched Grunt for any signs that he detected an intruder. After being chased through the forest last night, she doubted she’d feel completely safe here for a very long time.
When the icy waves lapped at Mac’s legs, he gasped and clenched his teeth. “Wow, it’s cold today.”
“Move around,” she advised. “You’ll warm up soon enough.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not in this freezing water,” he quipped.
When the water reached his waist, Mac dove in and swam laps between two buoys bobbing on the water. Grunt bounded into the water, paddling beside his master. Mac’s deep laughter echoed across the lake, sending a flock of sparrows to flitter high overhead. The deep, resonant sound caused Toni’s pulse to beat a rapid tattoo. She admitted to herself that she’d missed him more than she realized.
The forest surrounding the lake blazed vivid green, the mountains a lovely backdrop for the deep blue water. Toni felt God’s presence here. Memories swamped her, of Eric swimming beside Mac, playing a game of keep-a-way. When Eric had tried t
o douse her with water or dunk her under, Mac had always shielded her. She smiled at the thought, almost forgetting the reason she’d come here to see Mac.
Almost.
After his swim, Toni watched Mac hop onto the shore, dripping wet.
“My toes are frozen,” he admitted.
He accepted the towel she handed him along with his crutch. He dried off, then pulled a dry T-shirt over his head.
While he tugged his shoe onto his good foot, Toni lifted her face, enjoying the feel of the warm sun. “I’d almost forgotten how lovely it is here.”
“Yeah, it’s beautiful.” Mac looked at her and she felt the heat of pleasure spread over her face.
Mac’s wide chest expanded as he breathed deeply. With his short, damp hair and sculpted chin, she thought him more than handsome.
Grunt scampered from the lake and walked along the shore, shaking a shower of water from his large body. Then, the dog took off up the mountain side.
Alarm shot up Toni’s spine. “Where’s he going?”
Mac shook his head. “Who knows? But he’d bark if he sensed someone nearby. We’re safe, Toni. And I’m glad you came to see me.”
In spite of their breakup, she felt the same. “Even a city girl can appreciate the beauty of God’s creations out here.”
“You’re right. If there’s a real heaven, it must be here at Crystal Lake.”
“If?”
He wiped a drop of water from his nose. “After all that’s happened, I don’t know if I believe in God anymore.”
Her insides clenched. “Mac, don’t say that. I have no doubt God was with you when he helped pull you out of that ambush.”
“Where was He for the rest of my men? Where was He for Eric?”
She had no response. If only the Lord had helped get Eric home safe. She wished she could understand God’s ways, but that didn’t dim her faith that He did what was best for all His children.
A deep sigh trembled from Mac’s chest. “I’m sorry you overheard Hooper talking about the ambush. I didn’t intend for you to find out.”
He took things way too seriously. “Don’t worry. I’m not a spy, so I doubt I’ll ever divulge that info to anyone.”
