The Way Home

by Glover, Nhys

  It was the older man who reached for what Hawk now knew was a mobile phone and made a call. His rapid-fire German was sometimes difficult to understand. It had been a long time since he’d heard and spoken the language. After the Nazis had taken power in Germany in ‘32, his mother had stopped speaking her native tongue. The rest of them had followed suit. It didn’t serve to remind their neighbours of their mixed heritage.

  Maybe being German had helped his mother and sister during the war. They were blonde enough to qualify as ‘Aryan’. He hoped so.

  He listened more intently to his end of the conversation. The man had quickly filled his boss in on what had happened at the farmhouse.

  For several long moments, he listened to the reply and then went on. ‘She should’ve been there. Reports say she hasn’t left the house since her last hospital stay over a week ago. We saw no one leave the premises all day… It is possible,’ he said after listening to the quick reply. ‘But the risk was greater infiltrating the other properties… Yes… We placed several bugs around the house. If she’s there… If she comes back, we’ll see and hear her on one of them.’

  Bugs? Why would they put insects in the farmhouse? Did they think they could kill Cassie with a poisonous bug?

  ‘No sir, the London flat was vacated over six months ago. Her possessions were in storage. Unless we know what we’re looking for… Yes, I understand that… As soon as possible.’

  The older man ended the call and swore under his breath.

  ‘Not happy?’ Muscleman said, his voice flat. Hawk recognised him from his voice as the one called Hans.

  ‘Could we expect anything else? The board meeting’s in less than a week. We have to secure the missing data before then. If the Intel that nerd stole falls into the wrong hands our employer will…’ He stopped short, aware he was thinking aloud. ‘Franz, get the link up. Let’s see what’s happening in there.’

  The young man at Hawk’s side moved across to sit at a chair in front of a bank of screens. He typed onto keys like Cassie’s and immediately the four screens came to life. There was a view of the full length of the downstairs hall and another of the upstairs hall. The other two screens showed the kitchen and parlour from high corner positions. How had they done this? Was a “bug” some kind of surveillance equipment?

  None of the cameras were placed in Cassie or Marnie’s rooms, so they were safe for the moment. But if Cassie were to walk down the hall to the bathroom, she would immediately be spotted and the team would move in again. This wasn’t good.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Cassie had managed to bring her breathing under control. For a few minutes there, she thought she would hyperventilate from anxiety. But this was no time to fall to pieces. Her life really was in danger. Up until she’d been dragged from sleep by the desperate Hawk, it had all seemed ridiculous. How could her life be in danger here in this house?

  But now it was all too real. Men had invaded Grange End and knocked Marnie out. And they’d come for her. But why?

  Should she go and check on Marnie? She edged toward the side of the bed and tried to drag her legs off the bed. They wouldn’t co-operate. In fact, they were now jolting like a surge of electricity was being passed through them intermittently. Adrenalin… this must be what too much adrenaline does to your system.

  She would have to trust Hawk when he said Marnie was fine. It was obvious that she wasn’t going anywhere for a while. God, she’d been so scared out there in the tree, clinging to the trunk for all she was worth. If Hawk hadn’t been there, what would have happened to her? She would never have risked climbing out onto the tree on her own. If he hadn’t caught her, held her, supported her as she crept along the bough to the trunk, she would have easily fallen.

  How could someone invisible be so solid and strong for her? If not for his insubstantial touch, she would have sworn he was as real as anyone else. How could she not feel him properly and yet he could hold her upright and take her weight like that?

  If she doubted he’d been waiting for her since 1944 then what they’d just been through in the last – however long it had been… fifteen minutes? No more than half an hour – was proof enough. He was her hero, her very own fighter-pilot hero who had stayed on earth to save her.

  That sounded so corny and she dismissed the thought immediately. Sure, they had a strange bond and she’d seen more of him than anyone else ever had. But how could he have known she would come to this house years into the future and need him now? Why not come to her when she was grieving the loss of her parents? Or when she’d gotten her cancer diagnosis? Or any of the hundred times she came here with Fran? How could he know that this was the time he was really needed?

  Before she could think through this any further, Hawk suddenly materialised at the bedside and leaned over her. It was such a shock when he did that. And with her nerves already shredded because of what she’d been through, she couldn’t help jerking back and yelping in fright.

  ‘Sorry, sorry. I had to make sure you were still in bed. Do not go out into the hall. They have installed a camera there. And others throughout the downstairs areas. Do you know the term “bug”?’

  ‘Of course, it’s a term for hidden surveillance equipment. Cameras, microphones and such. They’ve bugged the house?’ She sat up suddenly, her body once more on high alert.

  Hawk placed a calming hand on her shoulder and she drew on his strength, allowing the touch to calm her.

  ‘You cannot do anything about it, Cassie. And even if I could dismantle the cameras they would come back in to see what was wrong.’

  ‘If Fran were here she could interrupt the feed, create a continuous loop, like in the movies. She once said it was easy to do when we were watching it done in a Bond movie.’

  ‘Bond movie?’

  ‘James Bond 007. Don’t worry about it. Just thinking out loud. So, if they’ll see me if I go into the corridor, what will I do? I can’t stay in here indefinitely. And if Marnie brought food up here, it would be obvious on the feed what she was doing. And I need the bathroom. In fact, now that I think about it, I really do need the bathroom.’

  ‘Do you or Marnie drive a vehicle?’

  ‘Yes, we both have licences. I haven’t driven since the first op but Marnie goes to town quite regularly. She’s not the best driver in the world these days… Her car is in the garage at the side of the house. Where the old chicken shed used to be in your day, I think. I wonder if the men checked in there?’

  ‘I am sure they did. Does the gate in the walled garden lead to the garage?’

  ‘Yes. There’s a back door into it from the lane at the back. Are you thinking I could just get in the car and drive away? They’d see me.’

  ‘Not if you went down the tree, out the back gate and into the garage. You could get in the back and hide under a blanket. Marnie could then leave. I would have to work out some way to stop them following her.’

  ‘Let down the tyres?’

  ‘That would work. Or cut the fuel line from underneath. One of the men said that they needed to find you before some meeting next week. So if we can keep you hidden until then…’

  ‘But I don’t get what they want me for. I’m nobody. Less than nobody.’

  ‘What is a nerd?’ Hawk sat down on the side of the bed and took her hand.

  ‘A computer geek. Ummm… someone who has computer skills of a high standard.’

  ‘Did Fran have these skills? Could she be called a nerd?’

  ‘Definitely. Why?’

  ‘Because I think she may have stolen something from her company. The men who came here are Germans. They said a “nerd” had stolen something they had to get back or their employer would be in much trouble. Intel?’

  ‘Information. But Fran was not a thief.’

  ‘What if it was evidence of some wrong doing?’

  Cassie clasped Hawk’s hand more tightly as the thought seemed to make sense. ‘If she was concerned about something at her work as she seemed to be. If she
considered it unethical… she might try to be a whistleblower. She was a lot braver than me.’

  ‘It took a great deal of courage to go out onto that tree in the darkness. Do not underestimate yourself.’

  ‘I didn’t have much choice. Baddies were going to kill me. For something Fran stole? But Fran didn’t give me anything to keep for her. She never breathed a word of any wrongdoing at her work. Why do they think I know something, especially after all this time?’

  ‘I have no idea. But we need to find out because your life is still at risk.’

  ‘It seems so impossible. Things like this don’t happen in real life. Well, they do I suppose, but not to people like me. But then, I wouldn’t have thought cancer could happen to me either. Or losing Fran like that. I don’t know. I feel so… overwhelmed.’

  Hawk’s gentle touch on her cheek soothed her and she leaned into it. Now that she was convinced of his solidity, it seemed a natural thing to give him her full weight, knowing he’d hold her up.

  ‘There is nothing to be done until morning. Until Marnie comes around. I will write her a note. I think I saw a book on her bedside table. There will be a pen there, too, I assume.’

  ‘Yes. She keeps a dream journal. The pen’s in the binding. Maybe if you tore a page out and left it on the top?’

  ‘Will she mind?’

  ‘No, I’m sure she wouldn’t. Not in these circumstances. Are you sure you can write?’

  ‘Yes, I practised writing notes to Marnie earlier in the day. It is quite simple, although my written English is not good.’

  ‘What will you say?’ She reached up to cup the hand that still held her cheek. Did he seem more substantial now or was it just that she was getting used to him?

  ‘Something like: “Men came in the night for Cassie. There are cameras in the halls and downstairs. Act as if you cannot find her and then go out in the car. We will meet you in the garage.” Does that cover it?’

  ‘So we’re making out that Marnie knew nothing about my disappearance and is looking for me?’

  ‘Yes. If they thought she was in on it, they might torture her for the truth. It is better if she seems worried and… maybe she should go to the other houses to ask after you before she gets in the car?’

  ‘Possibly… I don’t know…’

  The sense of overwhelm was threatening to drown her now. Hawk’s arm came around her shoulder and he pulled her in against his chest. He felt… solid… real.

  Hawk stiffened. Then his fingers ran the length of her arm, the touch sending goose bumps of pleasure through her.

  ‘Cassie…’ he started cautiously. ‘I think I can feel you…’

  She turned in his arms and looked up into his eyes. His body was warm and solid against hers. The scent of the starch in his crisp shirt was now much stronger, as was his clean, male fragrance. But the smell of tobacco was gone. Fingering the shirt that still looked as if he’d just put it on, she marvelled at it cool, crisp smoothness.

  ‘I can feel you, too. Properly.’

  He took her chin between gentle fingers and tipped her head up so that he had access to her mouth. Then, with infinite tenderness, he lowered his head and stroked his lips over hers. For Cassie, it was like electricity surged across from his mouth to hers. She was suddenly vital and alive.

  How could this be? How had he come to feel so real to her? But the questions were unimportant in this moment. All that mattered was the taste and feel of Hawk’s mouth on hers.

  Suddenly, Hawk drew back, his eyes wide, his breath coming in harsh jerky gasps. He looked a question and she smiled the answer. But instead of taking it further, Hawk stood up.

  ‘I must get the note written. There are still many hours before morning but I cannot afford to forget this.’

  Before she had a chance to reply, Hawk disappeared. Cassie stared at the place where he’d been. For a moment there, she’d forgotten what he was. Now, with his sudden disappearance, the reality was brought home.

  How could she feel him like he was as real and solid as she was? It was how he’d felt in the dream. And thoughts of where that dream had gone filled her with excitement, even though the threat to her life was still very much present. She ran her fingers down her front. What would he think of her this way, having seen her as she was in the dream? The idea that he would be revolted by her scarred chest, or even worse, felt pity for her, was too much.

  When he came back she wouldn’t let things go the way she knew they both wanted. If he reacted badly to her hairless body, her breastless chest, she didn’t think she’d be able to handle it with everything else that was going on. Better to keep it romantic rather than sexual. It couldn’t be as good as the dream and that would disappoint them both.

  While she worried over the possibilities, Hawk flashed back to her side. At the sight of her, his eyes became soft. He smiled. Despite her nerves, Cassie could only smile back.

  He reached out and stroked her head. ‘I cannot believe I can feel you like this…’

  She turned into his arm and kissed the soft flesh of his wrist. He tasted of salt and man and she wanted more. Letting her tongue slide along his skin, she heard him draw in a gasp. Looking up, she checked that his reaction was one of pleasure. The fire in his dark eyes told her it was.

  ‘I want you, Cassie. It is bad timing… but there is not much to be done for now… I…’ He stuttered to a stop like a nervous schoolboy. It seemed so at odds with the confident, serious man she had come to know that she found it endearing. And her confidence grew.

  ‘I want you, too… but it won’t be like the dream…’

  He was sitting beside her in a moment, drawing her into his arms, kissing her lips as if he couldn’t do else. ‘Damn the dream…’ he managed to get out as his lips left her mouth and began forging a scorching path down her neck.

  Everywhere his tongue trailed, he left a tingle of pure pleasure. Cassie whimpered and lifted her chin higher to give him better access to her throat. When he grazed her shoulder with his teeth, she literally bucked beneath him, gripping his shoulders with her clawed fingers.

  ‘Take off your clothes,’ she mumbled against his silky hair. And before the words were out of her mouth, Hawk was tearing the shirt from his back, taking the braces with it. The white singlet he wore beneath it clung tightly to his slim, muscular form.

  Then he was unbuttoning his trousers and pulling them off along with whatever he wore as underwear. By the time he was back lying at her side, naked but for the singlet, Cassie’s blood was boiling. She leaned in and began to kiss her way down his neck, letting her hands go lower until they found the hard, heavy length of him.

  The groan her touch elicited was the sweetest she’d ever heard. Power surged through her. This man, this glorious man, was putty in her hands. He wanted her as desperately as she wanted him. And she knew that what she was feeling was more intense, more intimate than anything she had ever experienced before. Only the dream compared. But even that seemed surreal, now that she was experiencing what it was like to be with Hawk in the here and now.

  ‘Cassie, god… this is madness…’ he said on a groan, as he arched back to give her better access to his arousal. His arms held up his body on the bed, their muscles drawn tight, as he tensed from the pleasure he was experiencing.

  After several minutes of her caresses, Hawk drew her hands away. ‘Enough… you are going to push me over the edge and I am not nearly ready to go there yet. How are we feeling this…? Your touch is…’ He let out another deep groan as she leaned in to kiss his chest.

  In a fast about-turn, Hawk took back control. He laid her gently on the bed and began to kiss his way down her body, touching and tasting her through her pyjamas. When he got to her waist, he began to lower the bottoms so he could get at her lower belly.

  For a moment, she felt uncomfortable. He was going to see her naked down there. And although many of her contemporaries had that hair waxed or shaved, she didn’t. She couldn’t imagine what Hawk was used to.r />
  But there was no time for second thoughts. Hawk was gliding the PJ bottoms down her legs and off. Then he pressed his cheek against the hairless slit at the crux of her legs.

  ‘French women do this,’ he said in a gravelly voice she barely recognised as his. He let his mouth lap at the smooth bare flesh. It felt so amazing she couldn’t help but moan in pleasure.

  ‘You have been with French women who were bare down there…’ she asked, even though she didn’t want to know about his sexual history. It made her too insecure. How could she compete with a sexy French woman?

  ‘A couple. But I never found it as arousing as I find you,’ he said with a growl as his tongue slid out to taste along her slit. The wet invasion had her crying out from the delicious sensation.

  ‘Shhh… Cassie. The door is closed but the bugs might pick up sound…’

  She clamped her arm over her mouth to smother her cries. The idea that strange, dangerous men might hear her was oddly tantalizing at the same time as being fearful.

  Then there was no time for thoughts as Hawk’s mouth and tongue went to work on her. She writhed under the growing excitement as she felt a powerful orgasm cresting. When he sunk two fingers deep inside her, she let herself fly. The shock waves that overcame her were more exquisite than any she’d ever experienced.

  When she came back down, still panting hard, all she wanted was her man inside her. She fisted his hair and pulled him up to her. When she saw his pleased grin, she couldn’t help grinning back, even if she could barely think straight.

  ‘Don’t look so smug, you aren’t finished yet. I need you…’

  She didn’t need to finish. Hawk had himself in hand and was pressed against her waiting centre in seconds. When he thrust inside her she moaned, arching her back to feel all of his hot length as it sank deeper and deeper. When he was as deep as it was possible to go, she looked up into his passion-glazed eyes. That look was enough to send her over again and she clawed his shoulders with her short nails, as her body gave itself over to the white-hot pleasure surging through her, this time deeper, more intensely.