“Come on, Ashley—”
She softened her voice. “I’m not the same person I used to be, Christopher. Life happens. You change. Things you used to like, you don’t like anymore.” Things like tough military men with soft hearts. Like you.
His expression sobered. “You’re right. People do change.”
And with people changing, relationships changed. Like us, for example. Why did I ever think we would work together? The idea was crazy.
At one time, she’d thought they were perfect together. But now she realized that she craved someone who’d be home every night, someone with a job that didn’t put his life on the line. Most of all, she craved being with someone who’d make her feel loved. All Christopher had done was make her realize that she hadn’t been worth it to him.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “So what now? Talking to Wally didn’t give us any more answers. I still have no idea why my brother and nephew would be snatched or where they might be or what to do next.”
“You’ve got to give it more time.”
“I don’t have more time! With every minute that passes, I feel like my brother and nephew are that much farther out of reach.” She hated that her voice rose with each word; she hated the despair that crept into her inflection.
Christopher’s gaze landed on her. “Maybe we should call the authorities in, Ashley. They are more well-equipped to handle these things. Besides, they’re probably looking for us after that debacle at the mall.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. They made it clear that they’d kill David and Josh if I reported what happened.”
“That doesn’t make sense. They’re keeping them alive for a reason. Otherwise, they would have just shot them on the spot. They’ve got to know the authorities are going to find out at some point. Josh won’t show up for work. His mail won’t be collected. David won’t be at school. Whether you tell them or not, eventually the police are going to figure out something is wrong.”
Ashley bit down on her lip. He was right. So why had they threatened her not to tell? Was it because she could describe them? Had they been trying to buy more time?
They did want her brother and nephew alive, she realized. That was the good news.
The bad news was that they wanted her dead. Or were they trying to abduct her also? Nothing made sense.
Was it possible that this nightmare had only taken place over two days’ time? It felt like weeks had passed since she saw Josh and David abducted.
He pulled into a parking lot. “Here’s the office.” He glanced at the address again. “It’s a bit smaller than I imagined. You ever been here before?”
Ashley shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I doubt anyone’s here. All the lights are off.”
“We might as well knock since we’re here.” He glanced at her. “You stay here in the SUV. Lock the doors behind me. And keep that gun handy. Got it?”
She nodded.
She watched as Christopher approached the dark glass door. She realized probably no one was here, but they had to try, anyway. At least it was something.
He knocked at the door, his gaze constantly roving the area. The darkness surrounding them made Ashley shiver. A lone light lit the parking lot and the blue letters from TechShare offered a slight glow. But regardless, she felt so isolated out here, like anyone could get to them.
Just like they’d done today at the mall.
She shivered again as she thought about it.
Christopher climbed back into the SUV. “No one’s there. We’ll have to try again on Monday. Maybe we can figure out something then.”
The long day was beginning to pull at her. She was tired, both physically and emotionally.
“I say we go back to Eyes and report to Jack and Denton everything that’s happened today.”
She nodded and put her head into the seat.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
That verse was going to be harder to implement than she’d like.
NINE
As soon as they arrived back at the Eyes headquarters, Christopher suggested they grab a bite to eat since food had been the last thing on either of their minds throughout the day. The cafeteria employees were gone, but he was able to pull together some leftovers from an earlier meal.
They sat across from each other in the cafeteria with stewed beef served in crusty bread bowls. Both ate silently for several minutes. Outside, darkness stared at them. It reminded him a bit of his past and his future. His past was filled with bad memories; the future was filled with uncertainties.
He watched Ashley a moment, wondering what was going through her mind. He wished he could reach out to her more, but he couldn’t. It wasn’t his place. He’d simply help her to work through this whole ordeal on her own time. What else could he do?
“What would you be doing now if I hadn’t shown up at your doorstep?” Ashley asked, tearing off a piece of bread.
“I’d be working around the house probably.” Trying to touch that ever-elusive thing called peace. He took another bite of his stew, savoring the warmth, as well as the quiet around him. “As you could probably tell by the boxes scattered around everywhere, it was a work in progress.”
She frowned. “I’ll pay you back for any damages there. I know it’s a mess.”
He waved her off. “I’m not worried about it.” He wiped his mouth. “How about you, Ashley? What would you be doing on an ordinary weekend?”
She looked off into the distance, as if entering a different world for a moment. “I would have probably stopped by to see if David wanted to play in the snow with me.” A faint smile brushed her lips. “He loves the snow, and we don’t always get a lot of it around here.”
“It sounds like you’re really close to him.” Every time she said his name, her voice became warmer and her eyes softer.
She nodded. “I am. Josh’s job consumes him sometimes, so I spend a lot of time with David. It’s especially nice because I work at home, so my schedule is flexible. I even have a bedroom set up for David at my condo.”
“I always knew you’d be a great mom.”
Her face lost its color. “What?”
He shrugged. “You know, you’re great with kids. I know you don’t have any of your own, but you’d probably get the award for being Super Aunt or something.”
She laughed weakly and muttered, “Thanks.”
“You live in Virginia Beach?”
She shook her head. “Portsmouth. Only a block from the Elizabeth River, close to the downtown area. It’s kind of fun to be able to walk places.”
She’d always been idealistic, wanting to live in a small town where everyone knew everyone. They’d talked about moving out to the mountains one day, out toward where there was a slower pace of life. “And your dad?”
“He’s down in South Carolina now, living in one of those retirement communities. He plays golf every day. He loves it. I even think he might be dating a widow he met there.”
“I heard about your mom’s passing. I’m sorry about that.” A mutual friend had shared the news, but he hadn’t wanted to complicate anything by calling Ashley to offer his sympathy. They’d only been broken up a few months at the time.
“It was a shock to all of us. It’s amazing how life can change in the blink of an eye. First it was my mom from a heart attack. Six years later, Lena died of cancer. Now Josh and David have been abducted. It seems surreal.” She shook her head in disbelief before clearing her throat. “How about you? How’s your family?”
“My granddad passed away three years ago. You probably figured that out when we were at his house.” He’d left the place to Christopher, but it wasn’t the same without his granddad there. Still, he’d hold those memories close, and being at the house was the easiest place t
o do that.
“He was a good man.”
“He was,” Christopher agreed. “My mom got remarried and moved to Maine. She seems really happy. I haven’t talked to my dad in years. I think I was ten the last time he popped into my life. Then there’s me.”
“You’ve been back for three months you said?”
He nodded. “That’s right. I’m still trying to adjust to life back here in the commonwealth.” He was trying to adjust to life, period. Everything about his psyche felt so rocky right now. Would he ever be in a place where he was ready for a relationship, where he felt capable of opening himself up? Sometimes—most of the time—he felt like the answer was clearly a “no.” Some of his friends had returned from war without an arm or a leg. Christopher had returned with what felt like part of his soul missing, forever lost on those deadly battlegrounds and amidst the horror of war.
“I thought for sure that you’d be career military. I just can’t get over the fact that you’re back here.”
“As someone told me earlier today, people change.”
Her eyes quickly lit with amusement before fading into a dull shimmer. “Yes, they do.”
He leaned toward her, hungry to find out what she was concealing behind those beautiful eyes of hers. “But the core of a person stays the same, don’t you think?”
She shrugged, her gaze fluttering up to meet his. “Maybe.”
“Take you, for example. You’re still Ashley Wilson. You still have a great smile. You’re still smart and athletic and you care about others. Maybe your experiences have changed. Maybe your views have changed. But you’re still Ashley.”
“Life is always a process, isn’t it? If I stayed the same and stayed sheltered from all the storms, I wouldn’t appreciate life nearly as much as I do today.” She leaned closer. “How about you? You’re obviously still tough and protective. What’s changed about you?”
Himself. Now that was a topic he wasn’t ready to talk about. He leaned back as memories began to crowd in again. “War’s changed me, Ashley. I’ve seen too many things. Too much death. Too much hurt.”
War had damaged him too much, so much that he knew he’d been broken beyond repair. His future seemed bleak, like any possibility of a healthy relationship was gone. He’d seen and experienced a great deal of tragedy.
She leaned back and bit her lip for a moment, sweet compassion staining her gaze. “I can’t imagine being in your shoes.”
“I’m glad you’ve never been in my shoes. They haven’t always been fun shoes to wear.” His footsteps included dragging the lifeless body of his best friend back to the Humvee, rushing him back to camp in the hope the medics there could save him.
They couldn’t.
There had been too much death. Too much pain. Too much loss.
She cleared her throat and whispered, “For what it’s worth, I appreciate everyone who’s served the country like you have.”
Her words did warm his heart for a moment. It had taken her a lot of strength to say that, especially since his service to the country had led him away from her. “Thank you.”
She nodded. “No, thank you.” She stared at her half-eaten food for a moment before letting out a long sigh. “If it’s okay, I’m going to turn in for the night.”
“There’s a church service here on the campus tomorrow morning at nine. You interested?”
“Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll meet you in the hallway at 8:45? Does that work?”
“Sounds great. See you then.” He watched her walk away.
Maybe they were making some progress in mending the divides in their relationship. Sometimes, out of the most devastating circumstances, the most beautiful things could grow. He remembered that flower garden on the base in Afghanistan again.
He hoped forgiveness might bloom out of the horrific circumstances surrounding them now.
Good memories, he reminded himself. Out of all the bad, he was going to walk away from this with something good.
* * *
The church service the next morning had been held in a small chapel located on the lower level of the Eyes’ main building or “The Lodge” as Ashley had heard it called. According to Christopher, they’d hired a chaplain and began services there a few months ago. Some of their trainees stayed at the facilities for a couple of weeks at a time. They’d found the chapel to be an optimal place of comfort and spiritual “training.”
The service had been nice and brought back some of Ashley’s focus. She could always tell when her faith began to waver because her life felt scattered, her worries felt greater and regrets haunted her. But when she read God’s word and focused on trusting Him, all the little stuff in life seemed to fall into place. Even if it didn’t, she felt like she had the strength to handle it.
And her brother and David’s abduction was no small thing, but she was still praying for wisdom.
After the service, she and Christopher had lunch in the cafeteria with Jack and his wife, as well as several other people who worked at Eyes. The cook had whipped up spaghetti and meatballs, and the savory scent filled her with a yearning for home. Instead, she tried to enjoy the people around her.
Jack’s wife, Rachel, ran a nonprofit called 26 Letters, which set up volunteers to write letters to members of the military stationed overseas. She had a son named Aidan who looked around seven years old and the bump on her abdomen hinted that a new baby might be coming in a few months.
Every time Ashley looked at the boy, she was reminded of David, and sadness pressed on her heart.
She wished she could enjoy the conversation, that she could forget about the problems at hand and simply focus on being social.
But she couldn’t do it.
First her thoughts drifted to how nice it would be to be a part of such a group. Then she thought about how nice it would be just to be a part of a couple. What would it be like to have someone to share her secrets with? Someone to help her carry her burdens? Someone to tell her everything would be okay?
But all those thoughts weren’t getting her any closer to finding two of the people she loved the most in this world.
Finally, she leaned over and whispered to Christopher, “Do you think it would be okay if I used a computer?”
He wiped his mouth before nodding. “I can arrange that. We have secure lines up in my office. Even your brother couldn’t hack into their systems.”
“You don’t think so? He’s brilliant.”
He stood and placed his napkin in his seat. “Didn’t he get in trouble in high school for that?”
Her cheeks reddened as she also stood. “Yeah, he got bored and hacked into the school system’s servers and changed some grades,” she whispered, hoping no one else heard. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
He raised his hands. “I wasn’t accusing anyone. I’m just trying to put the pieces together.”
She forced a smile at the crowd of people at the table now staring at them. She offered a small wave. “Nice to meet all of you. Thanks for letting me eat with you.”
They all called out their goodbyes. They really were a nice group. What would it be like to chat with them outside of this situation? It didn’t matter because that was never going to happen.
Christopher led her upstairs to his office, a plain space with no decorations or personal touches. The room could have been anyone’s office. She shook her head for a moment. “You need to put up a few pictures or something in here. It looks depressing.”
He grinned at her. “Decorating isn’t exactly my first priority, but I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yes, he could use a woman’s touch. But not her touch. Someone else’s. Maybe one of those nice women downstairs had a friend they could set him up with.
Despite how Ashley tried to be nonchalant with her thoughts, her heart still tugged with
...something. What was that? Longing? Attraction?
Those were emotions she needed to shove way, way down until they disappeared, never to be found again.
He glanced up at her, his eyes twinkling for a moment, as he pulled up the computer screen. Perhaps she’d overstepped her boundaries and been too personal with him. She should have kept things simple and professional.
He stepped back. “The computer’s all yours.”
She settled in the chair and typed in the web address for her email server. She wanted to make sure her brother hadn’t tried to contact her. Christopher continued to stand beside her, his arms crossed as if he was on guard against her doing something stupid.
She glanced up at him. “I just want to check my email.”
“Do you really think your brother emailed you?”
She shook her head. “No, but if anyone’s trying to contact me, this is how they’ll do it. I’m constantly on my computer emailing people, both for personal and professional purposes. I have some design jobs I’m working on.”
“Who hires you?”
She shrugged. “It varies. But my brother helped me develop this security system for my websites. Because of that system, some big companies have hired me instead of doing their websites in house. I’ve had credit unions, stores, even a pharmaceutical company hire me to do their sites.”
“So you’re pretty good at this computer stuff yourself.”
She shrugged again. “To an extent. Not like my brother. I really like the creative side of it. He likes the technical side.”
She glanced up and saw Christopher’s eyes were shining with...what was that? Admiration?
Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. She had to concentrate on the task at hand. Why was she tempted, just for a moment, to concentrate on Christopher, instead?
Because concentrating on Christopher was a bad, bad idea.
* * *
Christopher couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect for Ashley. She’d risen above some challenging circumstances and been able to achieve her dreams. She’d always been a whiz at graphic design. Not only had she found a career in the field, but she’d excelled. Who wouldn’t admire that?
High-Stakes Holiday Reunion Page 9
