“I’ll do my best.” Eric offered his hand instead of a salute, and after a moment, the most decorated colonel at his age in the US military took it.
Hanes said, “Thank you. You’re checked in. Here’s the keycards. Kathy has my cell number but there’s every chance neither of us will be in a position to communicate very often. You have a suite, two queens and pullout couch. I don’t want them out of your sight.”
“Understood.” Eric took the offering and Jack almost laughed at the expression on his face. His friend was certainly more used to giving orders than receiving them, but probably most of that was via email or memos.
The colonel turned. His gaze was razor sharp as he looked at Jack. “Let’s go. You’re driving. I’ll brief you in the car.”
Jack turned to Nicole and pulled her close, inhaling the fragrance of her hair. He whispered, “I’m sorry about this. I love you.”
Her fingertips feathered along his jaw as he lifted his head. “Be careful.”
“Always,” he lied. Careful sometimes got you killed.
Then he climbed into the driver’s seat of the obviously rented sedan—he would have done the same thing—and buckled up. “Where to, Colonel?”
Hanes closed the door. “Just start driving and we’ll talk about the details. I want us away from them as soon as possible.”
“I’ve already gotten that impression.” Jack put the car in gear, negotiated the lot and pulled out onto the street. “What do we have going on?”
“Two suspected terrorists on the move, directly connected to our last mission and confirmed to be here in the Heartland.”
Jack had to admit he was startled. “In Indiana?”
“Landed in Chicago yesterday. Three and a half hours from here. We’ve had them on watch for months. They didn’t rent a car, so someone picked them up from the airport. I don’t like that they are so close, and neither does intelligence, which is why they contacted me. There have been rumblings that the rescue operation invoked a threat of retaliation.”
They had taken out some high-ranking individuals, but as someone who had been shot and broken his leg, Jack didn’t have a lot of sympathy for the other side. “With all due respect, they can kiss my ass.”
Colonel Hanes just looked amused. “I agree, but, Major, we are vulnerable in some ways, and the enemy doesn’t play nice. So, what we need to do is eliminate this problem as soon as possible.”
“How do you suggest we find them?”
“Leak information so they find us. Then they’re less likely to go after our families but instead come at us directly. I think I’m going to do that right now.” The colonel scrolled through his phone. “We’re monitoring an employee of the Justice Department who is collecting a paycheck from the US government but definitely not working for it. Let’s make sure this woman knows just where we are.”
“Woman?”
“We’ve discovered this particular organization is an equal opportunity employer when it comes to espionage.”
Jack had to laugh. “I see.”
“You will when they come after us. Chatter has it we’ll both be dead by tomorrow.”
That was interesting, but he’d been a target before.
“Are they going after the rest of the team?” Jack braked at a light, his chest tightening a little as he thought about Nicole…and even Eric, for that matter, left at some generic hotel. This was hardly their problem, nor were they trained to handle it.
“I’m sure. But us first. We happen to be from the same place.”
“The hometown advantage. Got it.”
“Two birds in the hand rather than the bush. Got to admire their logic, or at least their efficiency.” Hanes looked pragmatic. “I’m going to text in our location. She’ll report it and I suspect we’ll engage not very much after that. You got this, Major?”
“If there’s another choice, I’d love to hear it.” Jack was joking, of course. More seriously, he said, “I assume this is happening whether either of us wants it or not, so count me in feet-first.”
“I suppose if I had to be from the same place as any of the team, you’d be the one I’d prefer.”
“That’s quite a compliment, Colonel.”
“At the moment I’m not sure that’s a distinction you’d prefer.” Colonel Hanes took in a short breath. “We need to get them and get them fast, and resume our lives. This operation has already almost cost me my wife, and I wasn’t the one stuck in a foreign country like you were. Surely you agree. Let’s finish it.”
Jack had never been on board with anything more in his entire career. “So, let’s send them a real message,” he said, pulling onto I-70. “If they really want to follow us, and I’m guessing they will after what we did over there, let’s send them someplace that’s really our home turf. I heard once you were also a country boy, Colonel.”
Hanes nodded in resignation. “Born and raised right here. Corn and soybeans.”
Jack couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve fought all too often on someone else’s territory. This almost sounds like fun. Let’s lead them right to us and then let them discover what it is like to fight a war when the enemy owns the ground. I didn’t go looking for them, but if they came looking for me, here I am.”
“I suppose there is a certain validity to that logic.”
“With all due respect, I have swum through rivers that have creatures that made my skin crawl.”
“I get it. I’ve done the same. My vote for worst life experiences is South America, but Northern Africa gets a nod in there.”
“Agreed.” Jack grinned. “But hey, there are times when Indiana isn’t a picnic either.”
“I thought that was all we did during the summer here.” The colonel stretched out his long legs, but he was punching in a message. “You know, picnics and baseball games, and so forth.”
Jack said with conviction, “Not this summer.”
His CO said without missing a beat, “You’ve got that straight, Major.”
Chapter Thirteen
“When is your baby due?”
It was a lame question, but there wasn’t much to do really but talk to when stuck in a hotel room with a perfect stranger.
And Eric, of course, which was a relief under the unusual circumstances, but he’d positioned himself at the window and stood watching the parking lot. The tension was visible in his broad shoulders, and truthfully, she couldn’t blame him. It was hardly like he was trained for this sort of thing. Jack and the colonel had seemed matter-of-fact, but it was their job to react that way.
Eric could manage a corporate merger involving millions of dollars effortlessly, but this was not his area of expertise.
Nicole couldn’t decide whether to be irritated or frightened, but the first seemed a better option.
Damn Jack for turning her life upside down again.
To make matters worse, they all had strict instructions to not use their cell phones except to answer direct calls from a certain number and absolutely to not access the Internet.
So…conversation would have to be it, unless they wished to watch television, and quite frankly, Nicole didn’t do that all too often to begin with and at the moment was much too wound up anyway.
“In seven weeks.” The colonel’s wife smoothed her stomach in what was probably an unconscious mannerism. She was stunning, with flawless skin and natural long lashes over her luminous eyes. She wore a flattering sundress in a pale yellow shade that set off her dark hair, and she carried the baby well, her form still willowy except for the significant curve indicating her condition.
The other woman’s mouth trembled. Just a fraction, but Nicole caught it, and sensed that under that serene exterior, the woman was extremely distraught.
“It will be fine,” she said reassuringly, and certainly hoped she was telling the truth. The colonel’s wife had chosen to drop down on one of the beds, and Nicole sat in a chair near a small table, glad at the moment she wasn’t expecting a child and in danger. “Tru
st your husband and trust Jack. They know what they are doing.”
“Good men get killed every day.”
“I realize that. When they told me about Jack…” She trailed off, the old horror flooding back. Maybe it was just the circumstances.
Kathy Hanes said to her in quiet tones, “The military doesn’t do that often or lightly.”
“I assume what is happening now has something to do with that decision.”
“Lesson one. Never assume anything.”
If she talked about it, she’d have to think about it, so Nicole deflected the subject back. “Boy or girl?”
“Boy.”
“Names?”
Kathy smiled faintly. “Peter and I haven’t discussed it yet. I only told him about the baby a week ago.”
That was hard to respond to in an appropriate way, if there even was one. Nicole’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry…but didn’t he notice? I mean, I’m kidding but—”
“We were in the middle of a divorce.”
“Oh.”
“His job.”
Oh again. “Were?”
“I’ve reconsidered but that might have been a mistake. Maybe at this moment in time you see why I’m thinking along those lines. Not that I’ve been in this particular situation before, but I’m going to guess you understand.”
Nicole glanced around the generic room, thought about the phone call and how Jack had woken clear-headed and ready to go, and nodded. “I do.”
But she had Eric also, and it really was all the difference in the world. Without him she would be…lost.
She got up and went over to sit next to the colonel’s wife. “This is hardly his fault.”
“Depending on your point of view. He chose to do this. He was gone all the time, still will be, and maybe I was just a fool to marry him in the first place. I didn’t realize how uncertain I would be, or how alone at times.”
“I think the job chose him.” Nicole reached over and squeezed her hand. “Trust me, I’ve been trying to understand Jack for quite some time, but when I thought I’d lost him—”
Her voice broke.
This was a repetition of how she’d reacted when he’d been called away and she had heard nothing—literally nothing—for months.
“At least I never received that call. Yet.” Mrs. Hanes shook her head. Her beautiful eyes filled with tears. “I sometimes think the problem is me. That I don’t know how to do this, that I’ve somehow failed him because I cannot reconcile myself to the inherent danger in his job.”
“We all go through that.”
“I believe I am supposed to be comforting you. I’m older.”
“I am not over seven months pregnant. You get a free pass.”
They both laughed, but nothing about the predicament they were in was funny and the strained sound definitely caught Eric’s attention, drawing him away from the window.
“Can I get you anything?” Eric asked it sincerely, because he was…well, Eric. “Either of you? This place has room service and though I won’t leave you alone, we could have food delivered from other places as well if you’re hungry.”
“I think I’ll just get ready for bed.” Mrs. Hanes got up, albeit a little awkwardly. “I’m going to apologize in advance for getting up pretty often in the middle of night. This far along it is inevitable. I hope I don’t disturb you too much.”
Nicole was personally exhausted, both from the strain of the afternoon at the cookout, and then the discussion and interlude afterward. Jack had given her five minutes tops to take a shower once he received that call and she’d only grabbed a change of clothes before he almost dragged her and Eric out the door.
“It won’t bother us,” Eric assured her. “I really don’t intend on sleeping anyway.”
Kathy Hanes murmured, “As I am a little bewildered over how I am ending up spending the night with two people I don’t know, I am sure you both are just as off balance. But I think I am glad not to be alone, so thank you for that.” Her smile was wan. “Do you mind if I take a quick bath?”
“Of course not.”
Once the door shut and the water began to run, Eric sat down on the bed next to Nicole and his arm slipped around her waist. “I can honestly tell you I echo the colonel’s wife’s sentiment. I’m finding it a little hard to believe we’re here.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “This might just be the strangest day of my life in more ways than one.”
He laughed ruefully. “I can see why that might be the case.”
“I’m glad you’re with me.”
“If there is any danger to you, I refuse to be anywhere else.”
She believed him. One hundred percent, which made everything better, and yet no less strange. “I’m worried about Jack.”
“I’m worried about Jack too. Will you marry me?”
Eric wasn’t at all sure his timing was spot-on, but the spontaneous proposal just happened. Her head was on his shoulder and fit there perfectly, and it wasn’t as if he’d never thought about asking before. He’d bought the ring, braced himself for the moment, but this was not quite the romantic scenario he’d imagined.
Hotel room instead of an intimate setting. Check. Sharing it with someone they didn’t know. Check again. The ring he should slide on her finger still at his condo. Check.
Not exactly according to plan, but then again he was guarding two women when his expertise more involved spreadsheets and boardrooms.
He was an idiot.
No roses. No champagne. Actually he was carrying a weapon he did not know to use particularly well and it was starting to get pretty late and they were all tired.
Nicole stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What?”
He took a moment and shut his eyes, and then opened them. “I want to marry you. I know you love Jack and I’ve known that since the moment I met you. You love me too…I also know that. Jack will slide in and out of your daily life, but I won’t. I’m fine with an unconventional arrangement if you are. Keep it in mind.”
Could be the most unusual proposal ever.
Or at least a contender.
But this night had brought home how much loved her.
“Please tell me you don’t need me to answer now—”
“I don’t.” Eric lightly touched her mouth as he interrupted. “I don’t. But think about it. Tonight has opened my eyes in a million ways.”
“Such as? I could use a little insight.”
“We squander too much time in this life.” He wanted to kiss her, but they were hardly alone, and he’d seen how she’d parted with Jack, and moreover, so had Colonel Hanes’s wife. “It’s the only one we have. You make me happy.”
“That’s so nice.”
Story of his life. He was the nice one. “Hardly the persona I was going for.”
“Compared to Jack?”
Now that was a point that needed attention. “I don’t actually compare myself to him very often. He’s the dangerous one, I guess.”
“Don’t fool yourself, Janssen, you’re dangerous in your own way.”
“I am?” He nuzzled her throat. To hell with what anyone thinks.
“I can’t possibly see how it would work.”
He had to admit she felt fragile against him. Slender and feminine, and he could only imagine the faith it had taken for the colonel to walk away from his pregnant wife and leave her with a virtual stranger. Recklessly, he urged, “Let’s have babies. If I haven’t mentioned this before, I really want a family.”
“Eric!”
He stifled the protest with that kiss he wanted so badly. Her lips were soft and sweet and he’d actually just shocked himself but was sincere anyway. “Nikki.”
“We…no. I can’t agree to marry you.”
“Why?” The more he thought about it, the more he was sure this would work.
“What about Jack?”
“He will be with us. Next time we see him, let’s ask him. He can be the dad who shows up now and th
en and teaches them to shoot a rifle, or something like that. I’ll be the one who makes sure they don’t ride their tricycle into the street, the lawn is mowed and enough money is saved for college. I’m the boring one. He and I have a somewhat different skill set.”
“You are hardly boring.” Her arms slid around his neck. She looked into his eyes. “I feel so selfish.”
Uhm, me too.” He kissed her again and lowered her to the bed, running his hands through her silky hair. “I’d show you how selfish, but I’ve been appointed to guard duty and intend to fulfill that responsibility. Just think about my suggestion and get some sleep.”
A half an hour later both women were in bed and he was at the window again, watching the well-lit lot when his phone vibrated. He answered it swiftly, “Yes?”
“Everything good?”
“So far.”
Jack said, “We don’t know how sophisticated their tech skills are, so this call will be brief and don’t say where you are, got it? How’s Nikki?”
“Fine. Worried but finally asleep. They both are. So how does this work? A little heads-up wouldn’t hurt.”
“They’ll never find us.”
That sounded unlike Jack, and from Eric’s impression of the colonel, probably him too. “So that means what?”
“We don’t know quite yet how many or how they’ll handle it so we’re in hiding until we get more information.”
That was an outright lie, and he had to wonder why. Jack wasn’t going to hide, and Eric doubted the colonel was the type to do so either.
“How many who and handle what?”
“You know I won’t tell you.”
“How the hell you guys handle this talking-in-circles crap—”
“Eric, you’re an expert in this very crap. How often in financial circles do you ever say anything flat-out?”
Okay, a point he had to concede. “I’ll be watching,” he said with a reluctant laugh. “The door is locked and I ordered room service for seven thirty. Otherwise, I suppose I’ll stay at my post. You’ve told me often enough sleep is a luxury I have not appreciated enough in my adult life.”
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