Gaige

by Alaska Angelini

  “Food’s burning,” I said, lowly.

  Elle jerked back, cursing as she turned off the burner. “Dammit. I was only turned away for a minute.”

  “That’s all it takes.” I cupped her face. “Maybe you should stick to delivery or microwavable foods while I’m gone,” I laughed and her mouth twisted, but she didn’t seem to find humor in my remark. “Or you can let my mother cook. She’d probably love to stay here with you.”

  A light seemed to flash behind her eyes and she perked up. “I think I’d like that. Can she?”

  I stepped back, nodding my head toward the living room. “Why don’t you go call her while I make the plates.”

  As Elle rounded the bar, I went through the routine, but was far from being in the kitchen. I knew Marco’s men had scouts. Being watched was usually my last concern. I’d been so good with getting in and out without a flag on me from the locals, I’d had nothing to worry about. But now I was in a different ball game. And it wasn’t like I blended into crowds. I was too tall and wide for that.

  The sound of Elle’s soft voice grew louder as I carried our dinner to the table. I glanced over, noticing she was sitting on the sofa, her head lowered as she talked. I’d never felt so torn on what I should do. I didn’t want to leave her. Couldn’t bear the thought.

  “I’ll see you soon.” She stood, hanging up the phone. As she walked over to me, it rang in her hand. Slowly, she looked down, her eyes rising with sadness. “It’s Mr. Viceroy.” Trembling made the phone shake as she held it out. I grabbed it, pulling her to me.

  “Sullivan.” My fingers pushed into her arm, more out of nervousness than anything.

  “Your flight leaves in three hours. David is on his way to drop off your orders and your new phone. There will be a rental car waiting for you.”

  The line went dead and I hung up, bringing Elle in even closer.

  “What did he say?”

  I couldn’t look down to see the fear I knew she harbored. “David is on his way. My flight takes off in three hours.”

  Pain pushed into my side from her nails and I wouldn’t let it end like this. Not with her upset. The phone slid on the counter at my toss and I pulled her into my arms to straddle me as I headed for our room. The door slammed into the wall at my push, but nothing mattered except us getting our fix of each other before I left.

  “You’re going to be safe here.” Elle was already pulling off her clothes and I didn’t waste time tearing at mine. “If you go into town, my mom is to be with you at all times. Trust no one. There are guns in the truck—”

  “I know all of this, Gaige.” She fell back to the bed, reaching for me. The feel of her soft skin as I lowered sent signals off in my brain. I had to remember exactly the way she felt. The smell of her skin. My tongue plunged past her lips…yes, and her taste.

  Knocking had my heart falling to the floor. “That can’t be him already.” I didn’t want to believe it, but I knew it was. I didn’t doubt that my boss had phoned him as soon as I’d made the call. That had been hours ago. Why had I waited so long to tell her?

  “Gaige.” Her arms flew around my neck, gripping so tight that I couldn’t bear to pull back. More knocking sounded and I waited until she finally loosened her hold and let go.

  “David’s waiting. I’ll get your bags out,” she said, softly

  All I could do was nod and reach down for my shirt. As I walked to the front, I wanted to phone my boss and call it off. I couldn’t, though, no matter how much I wished. This was what was for the best. After all, people in love couldn’t spend all of their time together. It didn’t work that way. Most couples held fulltime jobs and worked overtime. Hell, I’d never had so much respect for people who’d spent their lives supporting their significant other while they took multiple tours overseas. The military life wasn’t much different than mine. Just because I was leaving now didn’t mean I’d come back and Elle and I would pick up where we left off, living happily ever after. I’d have to disappear again, into a dangerous situations in some other remote location. My heart used to be in it. The only reason it was now was so I could put an end to Marco. After I managed to do that, I’d have to start thinking about maybe changing my profession.

  David’s eyebrow were raised as I swung the door open. The dark glasses were already sitting on his head and he appeared to be wearing the same suit he always dressed in. “Didn’t interrupt anything, I hope.”

  It was no secret that Elle and I were in a serious relationship so I wasn’t worried about him knowing we were together. “Actually, you were, but it’s fine.” I gestured for him to come inside and I headed to the back. The orders could come later. Right now, Elle needed me just as much as I needed her. Every minute counted and I wouldn’t waste a single one.

  The large black duffle bag I used was already on the bed and she was pulling clothes out from the dresser as I walked in. The fact that she didn’t look up spoke volumes. Sniffling nearly brought me to my knees.

  “Elle, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. If I would have known it would have gone this fast—”

  Her hand came up, silencing me. “You should have discussed this with me when you decided you were going back. I could have adjusted, gotten used to the idea, maybe prepared myself better.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  She looked up. “Probably that you didn’t want to hurt or scare me. I’m not as weak as you think, Gaige.”

  I walked over, making her turn around completely to face me. “You’re far from weak, baby. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known. I mean that. When I think you can’t possibly take anymore, you pull through like it’s nothing. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m going back. I know how strong you are, that you’ll be okay without me. But the fact is, Marco is still free, and we can’t have that. As long as he still has free roam, you’re never going to be safe. And that goes for Diaz, too. I want them to fall. I want you free of them for good.”

  “And you’ll do it,” she said, matter of fact. “I know you will.”

  My lips pressed against hers as I cradled her face and slipped my tongue inside, experiencing her once again. It was time to get in the game. Time to focus on my mission. Marco and his men were going down, and I wasn’t leaving until they did.

  ****

  The sun baked into my skin as I walked to my rental car. My disguise so far had worked. My closely buzzed head and fake goatee altered my appearance. Coupled with the brown contact lenses and loud shirt, I hid in plain sight. Elle mentioned falcons watching for people at the airport. If there were any keeping their eye out for me, I sure as hell didn’t see them. That made me even more nervous as I got in and headed for Crux’s.

  My eyes stayed peeled while I made my way from Mexico City to the outskirts. The road leading up the mountain lay ahead and I passed it, only to pull off onto another a mile ahead. A sharp turn led to a small inlet and I put the car in park as I waited. Nothing.

  Breathing became easier after a ten minutes and I knew by some grace of a higher power I’d slipped into the country undetected. Now, to keep it that way.

  Crux was waiting at the door as I pulled up in front of the house. The sun was beginning to go down and I’d have to spend the next few hours going over details of everything they’d learned since I’d been gone. Although updated, I wasn’t naïve that a lot was withheld from the conversations I’d had with my boss. Excitement surged through me in a rush of adrenaline as I grabbed my bag and got out of the car.

  “Long time no see.” A thin beard now covered the tall agent’s face and his dark hair looked lighter as it now reached down past his eyes.

  “It has been.” My hand came out and he shook it with enthusiasm. “Things been good?” I followed him inside, resting my bags down on the living room floor as he motioned me to the dining area. The man had perfecting timing. Or perfect surveillance. Food was already resting on the table, steam still pouring from the fajitas
, rice, and beans.

  “Eat and then we’ll go over everything. In the meantime, tell me about your Elle. I hear the two of you are dating.” There was more curiosity than accusation. Most agents wouldn’t favor another falling for a victim or witness. We were meant to walk away and not look back. Elle was an exception.

  I pulled the chair out, sat, and Crux followed suit at the opposite end of the table.

  “Yes, we’ve come a long way. She’s perfect for me, but more than I deserve.”

  A smile edged on his face and he looked down at his plate, reaching for his fork. “You love her. Any fool would be able to see that. Your face looks different. Lighter, if that makes sense. I have to tell you the though, Sullivan. I didn’t think you’d be coming back. Especially after I heard about the false alarm at the ski resort. Hell, I figured you would be giving this up and working some government contracting job so you’d be closer to her.”

  Hadn’t I thought about doing the same thing? I lowered my head, pushing around the rice. Food wasn’t appealing when all I wanted to do was go to the room and call Elle so I could hear her voice. “Not until I see this finished. I want her completely safe. To have that, Los Banditos Del Sur has to be taken out. At least, the main players.”

  “You know what you’re saying is impossible. This has been going on for years. Evidence is…nonexistent. If it were that easy, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

  It was true, but I couldn’t just stay at home and pretend that the woman I loved wasn’t in danger. “If I can speed up the process, I will. There has to be something we’re missing. If not the trafficking or terrorism, then we have to be able to nail him on the drugs. He has them in his home for crying out loud. Drugged both me and Elle. You can’t tell me he isn’t a part of the distribution to the States. He has to be connected somewhere.”

  “Or not,” Crux said, taking a bite. I looked up to see him swallow and continue. “Who’s to say he’s a part of anything anymore. He’s rich now. Done his time. Maybe he got out. Handed the power of his position over to someone else.”

  “Bullshit,” I burst out. “You know better than that. You have to kill to get in, and the only way out is to be killed or die. He’s still a player and heavy within the ranks. I plan to prove that.”

  Crux rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath. “Good luck. What the hell do you think all of us have been doing?”

  “You are a sleeper. You’re not supposed to be doing anything unless you get activated again.” I grabbed my glass, knowing how stupid that sounded. Once an agent, always an agent. “But I know what you mean. I don’t expect to come in and play the hero, making this look like an easy job. I’m just saying that I’m determined to cross the line to find the evidence, that way this can be over with.”

  “If you’re willing to go that far, I might be able to help. Activated or not, I’ve had my own little investigation going on here and you might be surprised at what I’ve found.”

  My interest was piqued and I took a bite, the hunger starting to register. “Oh, yeah? Tell me.”

  A picture slid in my direction.

  “What you’re going to hear is between you and me only, and it might just give you the perfect direction you need to go in. That is, if you’re willing to risk it all to discover the truth.” His eyes rose to mine, narrowing slightly from what looked to be a veil of some sort of pain. “I’ve been where you are before. Do you really think this is worth it?”

  Chapter 14

  Elle

  “On your knees.”

  Dust blew around the deserted field, brown clouds of dirt swirling through the air as I pushed to break the invisible hold they had on me. So clearly I could see Gaige obey. Lowering before Marco, his hands tied behind his back, just like all the other traitors’ had been.

  Beads of sweat ran down his temples and the traces of mud were stained on his clothes. The hair I watched him shave off was already growing back, the facial hair he’d applied now replaced with the real thing.

  “You have something that belongs to me and I want it back.” Marco took a machete from one of his men that were standing behind him and I tried to force myself closer. Tried to scream that I was right here. He could have me. He could do whatever he wanted as long as he let Gaige go. But I didn’t move. My voice was gone, replaced with words that were swept away with the gusts I was powerless to escape from.

  “I’ll never give you Elle. Never.” Gaige didn’t look up at him. Never broke his focus, stared straight ahead. I doubted he saw Marco standing in front of him. Or the men behind. He appeared already gone. Zoned out and as lifeless as his response.

  “You don’t want to give her to me, then I’ll take her. I don’t need you alive to do that.” He stepped forward, light reflecting from the large blade as he did. My shoulders thrashed back and forth, desperate to make myself get within distance. If he could just hear me, see that I was right here, maybe he’d let Gaige go. Maybe I could make him forget about the man I’d fallen in love with. Gaige would be alive. He’d be saved from Marco’s wrath, unlike Carson.

  “Kill me, but you’ll never get her back. You’ll never find her.”

  A smile stretched his lips back and the evil couldn’t be mistaken. Neither could the knowledge he appeared to have. “That’s where you’re wrong. I already have.”

  The blade reared back and the sound of the phone broke through my silent screams, ripping me from cloud of dust, right into my dimly lit room. Visions of the murder in Marco’s eyes left me shaking and all I could see was how much he was enjoying being on the verge of killing Gaige.

  Light crept from under the cracked bathroom door and I reached over as another ring broke though the silence of the room. My breaths were heavy, but I tried to slow them down as I hit the button to accept the call.

  “Hello?”

  “There’s my girl.” Gaige’s voice had me sighing in relief as I settled back against the pillows and curled into myself. The pounding of my heart left me trembling. Was that just a dream? An invention of my anxieties of Gaige leaving…or more? “How are you?” he continued. “You don’t sound too good from what I hear in your voice. Another nightmare?”

  He knew me too well. There was no point lying about it. “Yeah. It doesn’t matter though. I feel better now that you’ve called.”

  “It matters to me. I wish I was there to hold you right now.”

  God, how I wished he was too. If he were here, he wouldn’t be there. Wouldn’t be within Marco’s grasp if he happened to locate him.

  I looked at the clock, noticing it was almost six in the morning. Had he been up all night, or was he just waking up? “I wish you were too. Tell me how everything is going. Do you think anyone saw you?”

  “No. I was safe and made sure no one followed me to where I’m staying. I would have called earlier, but I’ve been going over all the details that we know so far. I think I can bring him down, baby. I’m going to try like hell, anyway.”

  Nausea had me sitting up. “You’re going to be safe though, right? I mean, you’re not going to do anything too risky, are you?” It was a stupid question.

  There was hesitation and I couldn’t stop the aching that left my chest feeling as though it was caving in. My dream was starting to carry too much weight and it made the sweat covering me turn into an eerie chill.

  “Gaige?”

  A long breath followed. “I’m going to be safe. There’s always risk, but I’m going to stay low key. You have nothing to worry about.”

  I wasn’t so sure. “Stay away from fields.” Not that I knew of there being any places like that around the estate, but I hadn’t venture around the area. Although…it did sort of remind me of the first place we lived.

  “Fields? What do you mean?”

  It was too dark, even with the illumination from the bathroom. I got up, flipping on the bedroom light. “Marco had you in a field. One that a person might plant crops in, I think. But it looked dead. Like…it hadn’t been used in a
while.”

  He got quiet and the creaking in the background told me he might be in bed. “I don’t think I’ll be anywhere near any fields. It was just a dream, Elle.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “You’re upset because of this dream. I promise you, I’ll be safe.”

  Going any further wouldn’t do either of us any good. I didn’t want him to be too worried about me when he was in such a dangerous situation. I needed to change the topic. “I start new classes tomorrow. The biology one should be interesting. We’re going over people, places, and plagues.”

  Gaige laughed and the sound made me smile. “I think you’re going to enjoy that one a little too much. You’re very…into things like that.”

  “Things? Babe, that’s history. This class happens to cover a very fascinating topic. I’m sure we’ll learn all about the periods when plagues took over different countries and how it affected them. Can you imagine living in that day in age?”

  “No,” he laughed even harder. “But I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it.” A softening of his voice had me picturing his face perfectly. I knew how he looked when he got in that dreamy sort of state. Those dark blue eyes would stare at me, so intense and full of love. I could talk about school or books for hours—about anything really—and he’d listen to every word. Never interrupting. Never wavering his attention from what I carried on about. Most of the time, I continued so I could see how happy he was, just spending time with me.

  The laughter died out and I pulled his pillow over so I could be closer to his scent. “Your mom made it in late last night. I have her staying in the very back bedroom. I locked up our special one so she wouldn’t happen to go in there by accident. I don’t think the cuffs hanging from the wall or the St. Andrew’s cross would have been something she’d take lightly.”

  “Oh, shit. I didn’t even think about that. I’m glad you did. It didn’t even cross my mind. I’ve been so focused on this job.”