by Mary Alford
She smiled a little in return. “Yes, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. Since I was about six years old, I think.”
“That’s an awful long time,” he said, and his gravelly tone sent shivers up her spine.
Her smile widened and she felt some of the tension slip away. He was teasing her and she liked it. “It is. I used to operate on my dolls. When I got older, I roped my friends into it. Then Eddie and I were married and we went away to school together.”
“And he joined the CIA,” Jase concluded. “That must have been hard. We forget sometimes how difficult our career is on the people we love.”
She didn’t answer right away. It had been such an adjustment. She’d been so lonely coming home to an empty house. Making life decisions alone. “It was. Eddie was gone a lot. I worried about him all the time.”
He nodded and grew silent once more. She could tell something weighed heavily on his thoughts.
“What about you, Jase? What are your dreams?” she asked and regretted the question when a wintery chill entered his eyes.
Jase carried their plates over to the sink and began rinsing them without answering. After a second, she followed him, took the first dish from him and stacked it into the dishwasher. She’d been foolish to ask him about such personal things as dreams. To someone running for their life, it was hard to look beyond the moment.
They worked in silence for a while and she sensed the conversation ending, yet she wasn’t ready to break the connection just yet. Talking to him reminded her of normal things. Her life hadn’t been normal in a long time.
“You want to get some fresh air?” he said unexpectedly once they’d finished the dishes. “It should be safe out on the back deck.”
She smiled up at him. “I’d like that.”
Reyna grabbed her jacket and waited while he tucked the Glock in the pocket of his jacket, and then they stepped out on the back deck.
“Do you ever get tired of breathing in this air?” she asked in awe.
He chuckled, a deep rumbling low in his throat. “No. Although I’m sure I take it for granted a lot.”
“I can understand that. We all take the things we see all the time for granted. Do you know I lived near DC for years and I never saw the Washington Monument?”
He made an exaggerated shocked expression. “I can’t believe it! That’s like...mandatory.”
They turned to face each other and she drew in another lungful of air. Jase was inches away, an unreadable expression in his eyes. She’d give anything to know his thoughts. Reyna swept back a strand of hair from her cheek. “What about you? Did you live in DC when you were with the CIA?”
His attention shifted off to the distance and she wondered if he was thinking of the woman he’d lost.
After a moment he said, “Yes, I lived in DC for a while. I had an apartment in the city that I rarely used. Mostly I was overseas. When the rest of the team went home for a break, I signed up for another mission. I was obsessed with it. I think my life was just empty.”
“Why do you say that?”
He stared into her eyes and she saw the regret in his. “Because it’s true, Reyna. My parents died when I was away at college and I was sinking fast. I tried a lot of things to fill the void and ended up experimenting with every kind of adrenaline rush I could find. But nothing worked.” He glanced her way and she sensed he was trying to gauge her reaction.
“Believe it or not, I did great in school. I was in my final year at Virginia Tech when Kyle recruited me into the CIA. He’d seen something in me that he thought would work well with the Agency. He was right—I excelled. I worked side by side with Kyle’s wife, Agent Lena Jennings, in the beginning. I learned so much from her.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “When Lena was captured and killed and her death was later traced back to a terrorist regime operating in Afghanistan, well, Kyle was devastated. I was, too. Lena was like a sister to me.”
“Oh, Jase, I had no idea. So this is personal to you.”
He stared off into the distance again, his eyes as wintry as the world around them. “Yes, I guess it is. It was so hard watching Kyle grieve. Little did I know I’d be going through the same thing soon...” His voice trailed off and he swallowed hard. She watched as he struggled to cover up his own pain. It was a long time before he could speak again. “Kyle saw how volatile the war-torn area was becoming. He came to me and told me he wanted to form the Scorpion team to help fight the rising number of terrorist groups and to prevent massive amounts of weapons from falling into the wrong hands. He asked me to be lead. I was thrilled.”
His mouth twisted bitterly. “At least for a little bit. Soon, the old emptiness returned and the rush I got from the type of deadly missions we performed didn’t do it for me anymore.”
“What happened?” she asked.
“Kyle could see I was getting burned-out. He literally forced me to take a vacation. I had no idea what to do with myself.” He laughed to himself. “I hadn’t been on vacation in...well, I couldn’t remember. I ended up here in Colorado. Back to where I’d grown up.” She watched as he smiled at the memory. “The house was gone, but the land and the mountains were everything I remembered.
“I bought the property using the Davis alias because I knew at some point in the future I’d want to leave the CIA and come here to live. So I couldn’t let my real name be associated with the property...” Several seconds ticked by. “Anyway, for the rest of my time off, I camped on the land. Then, one Sunday, I ended up at the same church my family used to attend when I was a kid.”
“Did anyone recognize you?” Reyna asked, surprised.
“No—thankfully. I guess everyone from my youth had left town when the mine closed up. I can’t explain it, but I felt such a peace being there. After the service was over, I just sat there soaking in the quiet and I realized God hadn’t deserted me like I’d thought.” He turned to face her. “I was the one who left Him.”
Reyna could feel tears sting her eyes. His story moved her deeply. In a way, it matched hers. There was a time before Eddie’s death that she had left God, too.
“It’s funny how it takes something horrible to bring us back to Him. For me, well, my work consumed me. Eddie and I had talked about having a child one day, but we never got around to it. Our work schedules always got in the way.” She stole a look his way. “Then Eddie died and my world collapsed. I couldn’t function. I’d gone to church all my life, but it took losing Eddie to really open my eyes to the truth. I wasn’t alone. God had been there with me through it all.”
Jase tugged her into the shelter of his arms and she leaned against him. “I know what you mean. I told God if He would help me survive what happened, I’d change my life. I’d do something to help others in need. It’s not much, but I work with a group of troubled kids in town. They come up to the house, learn how to do things like chop wood, hunt, survive out in the wilderness.”
She smiled up at him. “Jase, that’s wonderful.”
He nodded. “It’s a huge blessing. I love doing it, but I think I get more out of it than the kids do at times.”
She touched his cheek. She had been right about him all along. He was a knight in shining armor.
“It’s getting late,” she said regretfully. “I think I’ll try and get some sleep. You should, too.”
* * *
The morning sunshine finally broke free of the clouds when they arrived in Aspen Grove.
“That’s him.” Reyna watched as Jase pointed out a middle-aged man wearing a gray fedora pulled low on his head. The collar of his coat was turned up against the biting chill, and he had a laptop bag strapped over his shoulder.
Jase swung the Jeep into one of the few remaining parking spots across from the coffee shop.
There were a handful of people sitting outside the shop and probably just as many inside.
Jase glanced around. “So far it doesn’t look as if we’ve been followed.” He held her gaze. “Ready?” She nodded and he got out of t
he Jeep and came around to open her door. They crossed the road to the coffee shop and went inside.
The man in the hat had taken a seat at a booth in the far back corner.
As Jase and Reyna approached, he noticed them for the first time. For a moment, he seemed incapable of speaking, and then he was on his feet and he and Jase embraced warmly.
“I still can’t believe it is true, but I’m so happy that you’re alive.” He released Jase and smiled up at him. “And you have a friend.”
Jase turned to Reyna. “Yes. This is Reyna. Reyna...my good friend, Bryan Northcutt.”
Bryan stuck out his hand to Reyna. “It’s a pleasure.”
“Thank you. I just wish it were under different circumstances.”
The older gentleman nodded. “Perhaps one day it will be.”
The waitress spotted them and came to the table to take their orders. “Three regular coffees?” Jase glanced at his companions, who all nodded.
Once she was out of earshot, Bryan turned to Jase. “You have something for me?” he asked gruffly.
“Yes, I do,” Jase handed him the thumb drive he’d saved the encrypted file on. He’d told Reyna it was best not to take the laptop with them in case there was trouble. She understood what that meant. If caught with it, there would be no way out for them.
Bryan took out his laptop and inserted the drive into it, and then he sat back in his seat and stared at the screen in astonishment.
“Unbelievable,” Bryan breathed the word aloud. “I’ve worked with the CIA on many cases and I’ve only seen this type of sophisticated encryption software used by a handful of terrorist organizations. It’s extremely rare and very difficult to crack.”
Reyna glanced at Jase. She could see from the tense set of his jaw that this wasn’t the news he’d been hoping for. Everything, including their lives, depended on finding out what was in that file.
“But you can crack it, can’t you, Bryan?” Jase asked pointedly.
“I can,” his friend assured him. “I have every type of anti-encryption software available on my laptop, including this one. It will take some time to run the program, though. As I’ve said, this is very sophisticated.”
“Do what you have to do. We can’t leave here without it.”
Bryan nodded and opened the decryption program. “Jase told me the laptop belonged to your late husband?” he asked as it began the process.
Reyna wasn’t surprised that Jase had shared this information. It was obvious that he trusted his former professor.
“Yes, that’s right. Eddie was killed in Afghanistan six months ago.” She explained about the letter she had received from Eddie telling her about the laptop and the events that had led up to her coming to Colorado.
“Amazing,” Bryan said in disbelief. “Do you think the information on this file has something to do with the attack on your team, Jase?”
“It has to. It’s too big a coincidence otherwise. Something our team witnessed must have set this all in motion.”
Jase explained the type of missions the Scorpions performed back then.
More than an hour had passed. Bryan sipped his coffee and continued to watch the screen as the software ground through the process of decoding.
Reyna tried to relax, but her heart was drumming a fierce beat. Every minute of it was filled with tension. Even though Jase had taken all the necessary precautions to protect them, every second they were out in the open like this was dangerous.
She glanced out the window. From where they sat, she could see their Jeep, along with several other vehicles that had been there for a while. Parked a little ways in front of them, she spotted a blacked-out Suburban like the one near her home in Texas.
“What is it?” Jase asked when she let out a gasp.
“That Suburban wasn’t there earlier.”
He realized it, too. “You’re right. Bryan, can you speed the process up? We can’t afford to be caught and you can’t be seen with us.”
Bryan shook his head. “Afraid not. It will take however long it takes.”
Reyna said a silent prayer for a speedy conclusion.
Both Reyna and Jase kept a close eye on the Suburban. So far, no one had emerged from the vehicle. Were they waiting for them to come out to grab them?
After another half hour, Bryan blew out a shaky sigh. “I have it. I’ll copy the translation onto the thumb drive. Do you think you’ll need the encryption software again? I can copy it onto the drive for you. It’s pretty self-explanatory.”
“That’s a good idea. I don’t think we can risk meeting again. It won’t be safe for either of us. Can you do it quickly?” Jase asked when he saw four men exiting the Suburban.
“Done.” Bryan removed the drive and handed it to Jase, who slipped it back into his jacket as he and Reyna got to their feet.
“Jase, they’re coming this way,” Reyna whispered frantically.
Bryan rose quickly and briefly hugged Jase. “Hurry. Please be careful.”
Jase didn’t move right away. “You should come with us, Bryan. They might have seen us together.”
“I’ll be fine. This booth is pretty secluded,” Bryan tried to reassure him. “Besides, they’re looking for you, not me.”
“Still, I’d feel better if you disappeared for a while, just in case they traced the call I made to you. Do you have some place you can go for a few days?”
Bryan smiled grimly. “I do. You and Reyna get out of here before it’s too late. Don’t worry about me. Call me the minute you can talk freely.”
Through the storefront window, Reyna could see the four men dressed in dark clothing, sunglasses hiding their eyes, striding quickly toward the entrance.
“Let’s hope there’s a back exit.” Jase grabbed her hand and they headed for the back of the coffee shop.
They slipped through curtains separating what appeared to be the kitchen and storage area from the rest of the coffee shop just as the four men entered the building.
A single employee, a young woman, was working dough on a floured counter. She was obviously surprised by their sudden appearance.
“We need a way out of here quickly. We’re being followed. Is there a back entrance?” Jase asked her.
She hesitated for a second as if trying to decide if he were telling the truth or just some kook. Then she nodded. “Yes, follow me.” She wiped her hands on her apron and led them past stacks of coffee cups to the back door. “If you go down the alley behind the building and make a left, it will take you back to the main street.”
Jase stepped outside and looked around. “It’s clear,” he told Reyna, and she followed him. Jase turned back to the woman. “Thanks for your help. If anyone should ask about us—”
“Ask about who?” She smiled and winked at him before closing the door.
He and Reyna headed quickly in the direction the young woman indicated.
“We need to hurry. It won’t take them long to realize we’ve slipped out the back even with our helper in there,” Jase said as they raced through the alley.
Behind them, Reyna could hear the sound of someone opening a door with such force that it slammed against the outer wall.
“They had to have come this way. Are you sure you didn’t see anyone leave the building?” An angry-sounding man spoke to someone.
Another voice, the young woman, answered, but Reyna couldn’t make out what she said.
“You’d better be telling the truth—otherwise, we’ll be back. Everyone fan out. They can’t be far. Find them.”
Jase and Reyna slipped around the corner and headed for the street where they’d parked the Jeep.
Once the reached it, Jase stopped and peeked around the edge of the building. “The Suburban is still there. I think there may be more people inside. We need to stay in the shadows as much as possible. Let’s hope they won’t see us before we reach the Jeep.” A noise behind them had him glancing that way. Footsteps. The men were coming after them.
“Over
there.” Jase pointed to a streetlight that was out. “Let’s cross here and then keep close to the parked cars until we reach the Jeep.”
Reyna looked over her shoulder as someone yelled, “There they are! They’re getting away! Stop them!”
Reyna and Jase raced across the road, their cover blown. Up ahead two more men exited the other side of the building.
“It’s not much farther. Keep behind me. We know they’re armed,” Jase called as they ran for their vehicle.
Ten more feet. Almost there, Reyna thought to herself.
Jase hit the unlock button. Three cars ahead, the passenger-side door of the Suburban opened and another man wearing a jacket with something bulging from underneath headed straight toward them.
Jase lifted Reyna and all but carried her the rest of the way to their vehicle. She slid into the driver’s seat and he followed. He started the Jeep and threw it into Drive, then hit the lock buttons as two of the men chasing them reached for the door handles and tried to jerk them open. Jase peeled out of the parking spot barely missing the man who had just left the Suburban.
“Get in the vehicle. Don’t let them get away again,” one of the thugs bellowed to his partners.
Jase floored the gas pedal and sped down the street until they reached the edge of the small town.
Reyna glanced behind them. The men had gotten into the Suburban and were giving chase. “They’re coming after us, Jase! We can’t go back the way we came.”
Through his rearview mirror, he watched the Suburban rapidly advancing on them. “I know another way to Aaron’s place, but first we have to lose them. Hang on.” He jerked the wheel hard to the right and they sped onto a smaller side street and headed out of town.
The Suburban somehow managed to make the turn and was within a few feet of their bumper.
“They’re going to pass us,” Reyna gasped.
“They’re trying to get in front of us so that they can stop us. Hold on tight.”
The Suburban swerved to the left of them and tried to pass, but Jase jerked the wheel and the Jeep blocked it from succeeding.
The passenger in the Suburban rolled the window down and pointed something at them.
