by SJ McCoy
He shook his head. He’d been trying not to think about that. He already hated the thought of having to leave her. They both knew it would happen. He spent a lot of time here at the lake, but his job could take him anywhere at any time. “I think we should plan to get ahead of ourselves.”
She gave him a puzzled look.
“Well, if we can only just manage to go eight hours before I have to make love to you again, then we should figure out how many multiples of hours we’re going to be apart and try to get all our loving in before I go.”
She laughed. “I like that idea, and we’d definitely be talking about multiples.”
He landed a kiss on her soft sweet lips. “I think we should talk about those after dinner. I have a few ideas.”
“Ooh. I’d love to hear about them.”
He winked at her. “I’ll be happy to show you.”
~ ~ ~
Maria looked out the window when she heard a truck pull up outside. It wasn’t Zack; it must be someone going to the neighbor’s. She sighed and went back to the ironing board. It was Sunday afternoon. She’d spent the last few nights with Zack at his place, but this afternoon she’d told him that she needed to get her things ready for the week ahead. Sunday afternoon was ironing time, and as much as she’d rather spend it with him, she knew he had things to catch up on too. He had to talk to Luke and do their flight planning for their trip back to Nashville. And she hoped he’d call his father as well. He hadn’t mentioned it again since the other night, but she was hoping that maybe if he talked to him, his dad might be able to help him.
She smiled as she picked up the iron again. She loved that his dad had known since the beginning that Zack cared about her. He must have known that his son’s heart was involved for him to say that he should keep it hidden. She started ironing. She just hoped his dad would approve of her when he met her. She also hoped that her family would approve of Zack. But she didn’t need to worry about that yet. She knew they wouldn’t approve of them hiding their relationship. But they wouldn’t even know about it until they didn’t have to hide any more.
She jumped when she heard a crash in the back yard and went running to see what it was. She had to laugh when she got to the backdoor and realized that she’d unconsciously unplugged the iron and brought it with her. What did she plan to do, she wondered? Beat a burglar about the head with it? She set the iron down and opened the door.
The trash can was lying on its side but there was no one out there. She stood it back up and put a rock on the lid. She hoped there wasn’t a rabid raccoon around—it was unusual for them to be out before dark.
Chapter Eleven
“What’s your plan for this week?” asked Luke.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, last week Maria’s car was supposedly broken down, so you gave her a ride to work and back. I’m assuming her car is miraculously fixed today and she’s driving herself while we’re here.”
Zack nodded. “Yeah. I’m just going to have to wave her off in the morning and wait for her to get home. I liked driving her. It gave me an excuse to be outside her house twice a day. Now, I’ll just have to be more careful.”
“I understand a whole lot better now that you’ve explained it to me. I even understand why you didn’t want to tell me. The fewer people who know the better, right? The less risk there is of someone inadvertently giving you away.”
“Yup.” They were sitting at the general aviation building at the airport in Nashville, waiting for Autumn who had some last-minute emergency and was running late.
Luke shook his head. “I can see why you’d want to turn the tables and hunt him down. Put an end to it on your terms before he finds you.”
“Thanks. I’m hoping my dad will see it that way, too. In the beginning we had faith that they’d find him and put him behind bars, but since they haven’t been able to …” He shrugged. “It’s time for me to be able to get on with my life without constantly looking over my shoulder.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help … you know I’m in.”
“Thanks, bro. I don’t know what I can do myself yet, but if something comes up, it’s good to know I’ve got you in my corner.”
Luke smiled. “Always.”
Zack’s phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. “I need to take this. It’s my dad. I’m going to take a walk around the parking lot. Come find me if Autumn shows up?”
“Sure thing.”
Zack swiped to answer as he headed for the door. “Hey, Papá. What’s up?”
“The FBI have a lead on him.”
“They do? Where?”
“He was seen in Sacramento last week. It makes me nervous, Zack. That’s too close. I think it’s time for you to move on.”
“No. I’m not moving on. I’m staying put this time.”
The line was quiet for a long time. “The girl?”
“Yes. I did my best, but just a couple of weeks ago, I caved. We’re together.”
“You really want to put her in danger?”
“You know I don’t. But I want to be with her. I was going to call you. I’m not going to run anymore, and I’m not going to hide. I couldn’t hide my heart like you told me to.”
He could hear the smile in his dad’s voice. “I’m surprised you lasted as long as you did. When I told you that, I thought you’d find that either you couldn’t do it or you’d lose interest.”
“I did it for as long as I could, but I never lost interest. I’m being careful; we’re hiding our relationship, but that can’t last. I can’t just wait for him to find me. I think it’s time for me to find him.”
“It’s too dangerous, Zack.”
“I have to do it. I can’t live my life like this anymore. I want to be with Maria. I want the world to know that we’re together. I want you to be able to come visit us. I want to bring her to meet you. I can’t do any of that until this is over.”
“And what do you plan to do?”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet. The first thing I need to do is find him. That’s going to be a whole lot easier now that I know he’s in the country.”
“If you’re sure I can’t talk you out of this, then I’d say it’d be easier to let him find you.”
“That’s true.”
“But I don’t think your Maria should be anywhere near you when he does.”
“She doesn’t know the whole story.”
“Then maybe it’s time you tell her and ask her if she wants to come here. She can stay with Carmen and me.”
“I don’t think she’d go for that. Her life is here, and her family is in Texas.”
“I think she’d be safest here. So would you, if you’d come.”
“Papá, I would have been safest with you for the last ten years. But you know I couldn’t do that. I’d rather he found me and killed me. At least that way I’d die living. Staying with you might keep me alive longer, but I’d be dead inside, living a half-life.”
“I know, mi hijo. But as your father, you know that a part of me would rather see you live a safe half-life, than worry every morning when I wake up whether today will be the day that I get the call that he found you.”
“I know it’s hard for you, and I love you for all the help you’ve given me. But it’s time to end it, one way or another.”
“Well, if you’re going to do this, you should talk to Manny Alvarado, he’s the special agent in charge of the Sacramento field office now. Whether you plan to track Morales down or use yourself as bait, he’ll want to know what you’re doing—and he should be able to help.”
“Thanks. I’ll give him a call when I get back to the lake.”
“Where are you now?”
“In Nashville, but it’s only a quick turnaround. I’ll be home tonight.”
“This scares me, Zack. But hearing you say that reassures me that it’s time.”
“Say what?”
“You said when you’re home tonight. You haven’t called an
y place home since Medellín.”
Zack’s heart raced. He hadn’t noticed it, but now his dad mentioned it, he knew it was true. “If this all works out, home will be wherever she is.”
“I gathered that much. I look forward to meeting her.”
~ ~ ~
Maria finally gave in and made herself some dinner. She’d wanted to wait for Zack to get back, but he’d texted her a little while ago to say that they still weren’t back in the air and he didn’t know what time he’d be home. They’d taken off later than expected and then had to make a stop they hadn’t been planning on when Autumn had offered to drop Shawnee Reynolds off in Phoenix.
She poured herself a soda and took her sad looking little dinner through to the living room. She knew she’d have to get used to this. And really, she was lucky he was coming back at all. They’d originally thought that when he went back to Nashville today, he’d be there for a couple of weeks.
Her phone rang just as she was finishing her sandwich and she grabbed for it. It wasn’t Zack; it was Angel.
“Hey, girlfriend. How are you?”
“I’m good. I just got home from work and it turns out I could have stayed later. Luke just called to say that it’s going to be at least another hour before they can take off again.”
Maria sighed. She’d wished Zack could call her, but that was one of the downsides of them being a secret.
“Anyway, I’m trying to take a leaf out of your book and make the best of the time I now have free. So, I thought I’d call you and catch up. Do you want to have a girls’ dinner on Thursday night? Roxy’s off, so she can join us, and I’m sure Kenzie will be up for it. I thought we might invite Lenny’s granddaughters—or at least one of them if one has to stay home with her. It sounds as though they plan to stay now that they’re here, so I thought we should try to make them welcome.”
“Yeah. That’s a lovely idea.”
“But what? You don’t sound too enthused.”
“Sorry. I am. We haven’t had one of our dinners for a while, and it’d be nice to get to know Amber and Jade and make them feel welcome.”
“But you’d rather stay in with Zack?”
Maria pursed her lips. She deliberately hadn’t called Angel last week—since she knew she wouldn’t be able to lie to her. “That’s supposed to be a secret.”
“Oh! I see. What, is it part of Zack’s whole mystery man deal?”
“Yeah.”
And you’re not supposed to tell anyone that you’re seeing each other?”
“No.”
“Not even me?”
“I’m going to have a word with him about that. It’s driving me nuts. I miss you. We talk all the time—about everything.”
“I know. I’ve missed you, too. I guessed that you and Zack had gotten it together, and I was a bit surprised that you hadn’t said anything, but I figured you would when you were ready.”
“I’ve been dying to talk to you. But … well, to be fair. We’ve been spending all our time together anyway.”
Angel chuckled. “I’m glad. Glad for the two of you, and glad that now you know how it is. You and Roxy tease me about spending all my time at work or with Luke, and now you know what it’s like. It doesn’t mean you don’t want to see your friends … it’s just that it all gets so busy and the time goes by before you know it.”
“Yep. I apologize for ever giving you a hard time. I totally get it now.”
“Well, how about we tell the girls we’ll meet them for dinner at seven on Thursday and you and I can get together straight after work—that’ll give us an hour to ourselves.”
“Thanks, Angel. I’d like that.”
Angel laughed. “And I’ll suggest that Luke should take Zack out for dinner. I love having him back, but I didn’t expect him to be here at all this week. One night apart won’t kill us.”
~ ~ ~
It was late when Zack brought the plane in to land at Summer Lake. Autumn apologized again for delaying them so much as they walked across the tarmac.
“It’s not a problem,” said Zack. “It’s part of the job. We don’t mind.”
Autumn gave him a wry smile. “I know it’s not a problem for you, but he,” she jerked her head at Luke, “is no doubt in a hurry to get back to Angel.”
Luke smiled. “I am, but then no matter how late we are tonight, I’m still coming back to her a couple of weeks earlier than I thought I’d be.”
“That’s true. I think I need to get used to the fact that I’m going to be spending more time here. Clay doesn’t want to leave, and neither do you.”
Zack wanted to add that he didn’t want to leave either, but Autumn didn’t need to know that, and neither did anyone else.
The flight school building stood in darkness, but headlights illuminated the parking lot. “That’ll be Davin,” said Autumn. “Clay said he’d be waiting for me.”
Zack’s heart raced, hoping she was right. Knowing that Morales was not only in the country but had been as close as Sacramento recently, had him on edge. He peered at the SUV as it pulled up to the gate, and relaxed a little when he saw Clay’s second security guy, Davin, roll down the window.
“Evening guys.”
“Hi Davin.” Autumn opened the passenger door and turned back to smile at Zack and Luke. “Would you do me a favor and let me know if people are getting together to go out this week? I’m not thrilled at the thought of being cooped up in a cabin the whole time I’m here.”
“Of course,” said Luke. “I don’t know what’s happening in the week, but we usually all get together on the weekend, at least.”
“Well, let me know.”
Davin grinned at them over her shoulder. “I’d lay on a social life for her, if I were you guys. She’s used to big city life. If you want to encourage her to keep coming here instead of making Clay go back to Nashville, you should find stuff for her to do.”
Autumn laughed. “You know me too well, Davin. But I do like it here, and to be honest, I don’t mind getting away from Nashville.”
Davin gave her a stern look. “You know Matt can come out here just as easily as you can.”
Autumn scowled at him. “Shut up, would you? Let’s get going. You can buy me a drink at the bar before you drop me off.”
Davin grinned at them before Autumn slammed the passenger door shut.
“Are you going to go to Maria’s?” Luke asked as they walked to Zack’s truck.
“Yeah. I’ll drop you off, then I’ll take the truck home and walk over to her place.”
“Next time we fly, we should come in my truck, then I can drop you off at her place. We said we were going to take turns.”
“Thanks. That’s a good idea.”
~ ~ ~
Maria turned the volume down on the TV when she heard a noise out back. It was most likely Zack, but she grabbed the rolling pin from the drawer on her way through the kitchen to investigate.
She instinctively started to raise it when the door handle turned, then tried to hide it behind her back when she saw Zack. He grinned at her and came in, locking the door behind him.
“Hey, beautiful. Sorry it got so late.”
She went to him with a smile, setting the rolling pin down on the counter before she slipped her arms around his waist. “That’s okay. I’m just glad you’re back tonight.”
He glanced at the rolling pin and gave her a puzzled look. “For a minute there I thought you were going to beat me for being so late.”
She laughed. “No. I was going to beat anyone who wasn’t you.”
He frowned. “Are you edgy about something?”
She shrugged. “There was a raccoon out back this afternoon.”
“There was?”
She pursed her lips. “At least. I assumed it was a raccoon. I heard a noise out there and came to investigate. The trash can had been knocked over and … oh … you don’t think it was …” She shuddered at the thought that it might not have been a raccoon at all.
Za
ck looked worried. “Maybe it was, but I don’t think we should be taking any chances.”
“Why? Has something happened?”
He blew out a sigh. “Maybe not. But it’s going to.”
“What do you mean?”
“I talked to my dad. He told me that the guy—his names is Morales—was seen in Sacramento last week. That’s too close for comfort.”
A shiver ran down Maria’s spine. She hadn’t been able to take this mysterious threat too seriously. Up until now, it had been more like a story. Now, with the thought that someone might have been in her back yard this afternoon, it seemed a lot more real. “What do you think we should do?”
“I think I need to call the FBI field office in Sacramento. And I think we should spend the night at my place. At least I have an alarm system. Do you want to get some things together while I make the call?”
“Okay.”
He held her close to his chest. “I’m sorry. I never wanted to put you in harm’s way.”
She looked up into his eyes. “I’m fine. What about you? If he’s here, he’s here for you.”
“He is. And I’m ready for him. It’s time to put an end to this.”
“What does that mean, Zack? I don’t even know who he is or why he’s after you.”
He pursed his lips. “You go get ready. I’ll call Manny. I’ll tell you more once we get out of here.”
~ ~ ~
“Manny Alvarado.”
“Manny. It’s Zack Aguila.”
“Has he showed up there?”
Zack blew out a sigh. “I don’t know. Maybe not, but there was someone in my girlfriend’s back yard this afternoon.” He shook his head. “To be honest, that someone may have been a raccoon. But I spoke to my dad earlier and he said you had a lead on Morales there in Sacramento.”
“We did. I’m glad you called.”
“Let me guess. You were waiting to see if he was coming here?”
“We were. I didn’t want to alert you. I wanted to see if we could catch up with him.”
“Well, it looks like he’s caught up with me.”
“I’ll have guys up there by morning. And I’ll be with them.”
“You don’t know that it wasn’t a raccoon yet.”
