by Mary Alford
Linda squeezed her husband’s arm. “It’s hard. But look at us prattling on and you two are ready to drop from exhaustion. When we built the ranch, we set the place up to be a series of small cabins, including ours. Don and I put you two in our most secluded cabin.”
Don took his wife’s hint. “That’s right and I have a truck that we use to do work around the ranch. You two take it. You’ll need a way out of here come morning. Linda and I have some food boxed up for you to take along with extra clothing. It’s not anything fashionable, but it’ll do. You both look as if you’re traveling pretty light. Let’s get you settled into the cabin so you can get some rest.”
* * *
“Thanks for the truck...and the hospitality,” Jase told Don as he clasped his hand warmly.
“You’re very welcome. If you need anything at all, or if something comes up during the night, just call. I’m still a pretty good shot.” Don gave him another one of his rugged mountain man stares.
Jase chuckled at the older man’s directness. “We will.”
They waved goodbye to the Warrens and went into the cabin. “This will do,” Jase said as he closed the door and glanced around. The rustic cabin consisted of a large open kitchen, a great room, the bedroom and a small bathroom. “I’ll take the sofa,” he volunteered when he correctly read Reyna’s hesitation.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“No... I insist. In all honesty, I’m too keyed up to think about sleeping.”
She sighed wearily. “Same here. I’m ready to drop from exhaustion, but I’m wide-awake. I need something to do. I think I’ll carry in the food and put it away.”
“I’ll help you. I need to bring in the backpack.”
Once they’d toted in their things, Jase set the backpack on the table, took out one of the covered dishes from the box Linda had packed, and placed it in the fridge. He watched as Reyna grabbed some bread and put it in the pantry. Even worn-out and disheveled from their treacherous climb, she was beautiful. Her silky golden-brown hair fell across her face as she worked. He remembered the feel of it against his fingers. The way her eyes shone when he kissed her. He gave himself a mental shake. Best not to go there right now.
Once they’d finished putting the food away, they sat down together on the worn leather sofa. He could see something troubled her. It didn’t take long to find out what.
“Jase, what happened in Abudah? What went wrong? Eddie didn’t like to talk about it but I know it tormented him.” He could feel his expression turn stone hard. It happened every time he thought about those days. He had finally gotten to where the nightmares were seldom. In his book, that was a good thing.
She watched as he fought back his troubled memories. “I’m sorry. Forget I asked,” she said in a barely audible voice, then got to her feet to leave. He caught her hand.
“No, don’t go. It’s okay,” he said huskily, drawing her back down beside him. “It’s just hard talking about it at times. I haven’t spoken about it since I came back to Defiance.” His gaze met hers. “But I want to with you.”
* * *
Her heart beat an unsteady rhythm. I want to with you. She hadn’t expected those words to thrill her so much.
She sat perfectly still, riveted by the dark, enigmatic expression on his face.
“It was a setup right from the start. We went into that building to extract an asset. A woman, the wife of a high-level enemy leader operating in the area. She had information about the Fox. She agreed to talk in exchange for immunity. Only there was no one there. And we were ambushed.” A muscle clenched in his jaw.
“You think someone tipped the enemy off?” She asked incredulously.
“Without a doubt. Reyna, these people are ruthless. They were determined to take out the remaining members of the Scorpions and they didn’t care who they had to kill in the process. Eddie was just collateral damage,” he added slowly. “The only question is who tipped them off. Until all of this started I never would have considered that someone from the CIA might be dirty. Now...” Jase blew out a breath. “That night in Abudah, well, I’ve gone over every part of it a dozen times in my head. As I said, the mission was off from the start. Something about it didn’t feel right.”
He had her full attention. “Like what?”
“For starters, normally when we went out on a mission, we were backed up by a team of marines. I can count on one hand the number of times that didn’t happen, and those were always highly classified and critical missions. Then there’s the fact that usually we had several hours at the very least to prepare. Not this time. We got the word we were heading out fifteen minutes before we left.”
Reyna shivered at the implication and he continued, “At the time, I never questioned the order, even though it hadn’t come through Kyle. I was told the mission couldn’t wait. We’d gone radio silent, which was routine. I later learned from Kyle that he’d found out the mission was a setup and tried to call it off, only it was too late.”
Jase drew in a breath. Let it go. “Somehow, we got separated. Abby and I were together, but it felt like we were being cut off deliberately from the rest of the team.”
Reyna could see the fear he’d experienced reflected on his face.
“I was shot in the chest first. When the bullet hit my leg, I dropped to the ground. I lost visual on Abby. I could see the enemy descending...” He stopped, dragged in another breath. “They were armed to the teeth with US weapons.”
“You think the weapons were part of the ones that had gone missing?” she asked.
“Probably. Anyway, before they reached me, your husband showed up, took out several of the enemy in the process, and pulled me out of there. Eddie found a safe location to leave me and then went back for Abby. She was injured, as well. He had just managed to get her out when the place exploded.” Jase stared straight ahead, his voice a hoarse whisper. “No one else walked out of there alive. Brady and Douglas, our two newest members, died instantly. I guess they were collateral damage, too.”
He swallowed visibly. “I was hurt bad. They didn’t know if I would survive the flight to the States, but I did. I found out after I’d returned home that Abby never made it out of Afghanistan. Her injuries were too severe. She died that same night.”
“Oh, Jase.” She touched his arm gently.
He struggled to regain his composure. “I wouldn’t have survived if it hadn’t been for Eddie getting me safely out of there. I’ll never forget what he did. Eddie was one of the good guys. Truly good. I’m just sorry the CIA changed him for the worse.”
The raw hurt she saw in him sliced through to her heart. She looked up and found him watching her. He brushed a strand of her hair from her eyes, his fingers resting on her cheek. She could feel the solid warmth of him close to her. Smell the fresh mountain air that clung to his skin.
Jase stared into her eyes as he brought her slowly into his arms and kissed her long and slow. He wasn’t Eddie. He didn’t feel like Eddie, didn’t kiss like Eddie, and yet she wanted to be near him. Wanted him to keep on kissing her. Wanted...
“I’m sorry...” He started to pull away. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“No, Jase.” When he would have moved away, she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and kept him close. They both had loved Eddie. She just needed to be close to someone else who grieved for him, too, she told herself. Still, the possibility for the future hadn’t seemed this bright in a long time.
Jase froze for a second and then held her tight, and everything was right with the world for just a little while.
She looked to him for reassurances and his eyes softened as they settled over her face. He kissed the top of her head and let her go.
Jase got to his feet and stepped away. “You want to use the shower first?” he said without looking at her.
The moment may have passed, but the way she felt about him hadn’t. “Thanks. After what we’ve been through tonight, a shower sounds wonderful.”
He smiled at her. “Take your time. I’ll check around outside and I’ll be back in a minute.”
ELEVEN
Jase stepped out onto the porch and his hands shook. He was definitely losing his edge. He’d known Reyna only a matter of days, yet he could feel a little bit of his resistance slipping away with every smile. Every sweet, disarming look she gave him. Something he never thought possible was happening, and it terrified him.
He was falling in love with Reyna.
Jase sighed heavily. She had only been a widow for six months. She might not be ready to love again. He wasn’t even sure he was. Trying to solve the secrets contained on the laptop had brought a lot of old feelings to the surface. It reminded him of how deep his love for Abby still ran. You didn’t just stop loving someone because they weren’t with you any longer.
He circled around behind the place, then glanced back at the mountain they’d crossed. No lights showed. Hopefully, they’d be long gone from here by the time those goons discovered they’d been had.
When he went inside, he found Reyna freshly showered and setting on the sofa. She’d changed into a pink T-shirt Linda had lent her and a pair of jeans.
Jase noticed the way she favored her arm. She had taken the bandage off when she showered.
“How’s the wrist?” he asked.
“It still hurts, but it’s better, I think.”
“It probably needs to be rewrapped after our adventure of trekking across the mountain. It will help if you keep the wrap tight...” He stopped and grinned at her. It was getting easier to find reasons to smile when he was with her in spite of the ordeal they were going through. “Listen to me. Trying to tell a doctor how to do her job.”
She laughed and he loved the sound of it. “It’s okay and I get it. You’re used to taking care of yourself.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll see if I can find something to wrap it with.” He went over to the kitchen and found a dish towel. Reyna was right. He’d gotten good at taking care of himself, but having her care about him was something he could get used to.
* * *
She held out her wrist for him to examine. While he worked, Reyna found herself drawn to him. Something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. His hands were rough from working outdoors. His skin tanned. Tiny lines fanned across his eyes when he smiled. She had never seen such piercing blue eyes before. They seemed to hold his secrets close. She’d give anything to know what he was thinking, but just like Eddie, he hid behind a fortress of pain.
He scraped back a lock of sun-streaked hair that fell over his forehead and looked up. Their eyes met. Held. The liquid heat in his gaze slipped over her face, melting the chill within her that had nothing to do with the temperature. These past six months, well, she’d felt as if she’d been drowning in grief. Fear. Hopelessness. She didn’t feel that way any longer.
Embarrassed, she glanced away and focused on Eddie’s watch on her left wrist. Even though it didn’t keep time anymore she wore it for sentimental reasons. Having it close was like keeping a piece of Eddie with her constantly. It served as a reminder of the sacrifice her husband had given for his country, and for her. Eddie had loved her with all his heart and here she was having feelings for another man. A part of her felt as if she was betraying her husband’s love.
Reyna looked more closely at the watch. She realized something she hadn’t before. The crystal was cracked.
“Oh no,” she exclaimed. She couldn’t believe it had broken.
Jase saw what she did. “It must have happened during the explosion.”
“I guess so. With everything going on, I never noticed it before.” She took it off and squinted a little closer. “Jase, it looks like there’s something behind the face.”
She shook the watch and she could hear something rattling inside.
Jase held it up to the light and gingerly removed first the crystal then the face. The inside workings of the watch were missing. “That looks like the tiniest thumb drive I’ve ever seen. This has CIA technology written all over it.”
“How do you think Eddie ended up with it?”
“I don’t know.” Jase took out the drive and examined it. “Eddie must have hidden it there before he died.”
Their eyes met. The information on the drive had been important enough for Eddie not to want it to fall into the enemy’s hands.
* * *
Jase sat down at the kitchen table and inserted the drive into the laptop. “Let’s see what’s on here. I have a feeling it may be our missing piece of the puzzle,” he said as Reyna took the chair beside him. He could feel her warm breath against his face. Kept remembering the way she felt in his arms, the sweet touch of her lips against his, and it was impossible to shove her out of his head.
When the contents of the drive came up, it was both simple and shocking. A single photo that was different from the previous ones in content and quality. Jase could only guess that the grainy photo had been taken with Eddie’s phone. The photo was of some type of compound. A prison maybe?
There were people in the photo. A woman dressed in the garb of the nomad tribes of the desert so all that showed was her eyes. Something about them seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t be sure why. Had he met her in the past during his time with the CIA? There was a man standing near the woman. Jase couldn’t see the man’s face—he was staring at the woman. Still, he appeared to wield a whole lot of power. Others close by with weapons appeared to be guarding her along with the man. Who was he? Who was she? Did the presence of guards lend credence to the theory of a prison?
“Do you recognize either of these people?” Jase asked.
Reyna studied the photo, then shook her head. “Not really, but it’s hard to say. The photo quality is poor. Who do you think they are?”
He glanced at the woman in the photo again. “I’m not sure.” Why did she look so familiar...?
Jase remembered what Reyna had told him Eddie had said. Tell him I’m sorry I wasn’t able to prove what happened.
“Do you think this photo is part of the proof Eddie was talking about when he spoke to you last? Was your husband trying to figure out what happened to our team?”
She nodded. “Possibly. It certainly makes sense.”
He studied the photo closely and saw something he hadn’t noticed before. The woman was armed. She wasn’t a prisoner at all. The man next to her appeared to be Arab. He was smiling at the woman as if they knew each other. The woman’s skin appeared tanned from her time in the desert. She could be Arab but Jase wasn’t so sure.
Still, she reminded him of...
“I don’t get the connection, but it’s late and we’re both exhausted. Let’s try and get some rest. Hopefully, things will look different in the morning. I’ll just take a quick shower and then the room’s all yours.”
* * *
From the bedroom, Jase heard the bed squeak followed by silence. Once Reyna had fallen asleep, the quietness of the cabin settled around him and still he wasn’t able to relax.
As a distraction, he grabbed his phone and checked to see if there was service yet. The weather had played mayhem with it for hours. He barely had one bar but it was more than he’d seen all night.
He dialed Aaron’s number and through the crackling of the bad reception, his friend picked up.
“Jase, I glad to hear from you. I’ve been so worried. I’ve tried to reach you for hours and wasn’t sure you and Reyna made it out safely. I spoke with Tim.”
Jase breathed a silent prayer of thanks. “We did but just barely. I received Tim’s call a few minutes before men in a chopper opened fire on us. We made it out, but they destroyed your garage and barn along with the workshop. I think it was deliberate.”
“They want you alive for now. They can’t kill you until they get what they came for, and they need to find out who else you’ve told about the files. They’ll keep coming after you, Jase. And when they get what they want...”
Aaron didn
’t need to finish. He didn’t need to. Jase understood. Once they had the laptop, he and Reyna would be expendable.
The phone lost service again and he had to redial.
“Were you able to reach Kyle?” The words rushed out. He needed to make the most of the service they had.
It took Aaron so long to answer that Jase wondered if perhaps the call had been dropped again. “No. I sent your message to the secure email address you gave me. There’s been no answer. I’m not sure how much longer we should wait for the Agency’s help.”
The lack of contact from Kyle wasn’t a good sign. And that, coupled with the length of time it had been since he’d last heard from his friend, caused Jase’s bad feeling to double. He didn’t want to think about Kyle being dead, but there was a very real chance it could be true.
“You’re right, we can’t hold off much longer. We’ll need to find another way out of here.”
“And I can help with that,” Aaron assured him. “I spoke to my former commander. He knows what’s going on and he’s agreed to send in a team of Special Ops to extract you and Reyna. And guess who gets to lead them?” Through the static on the line, Jase could just make out Aaron’s chuckle and he was happy to join in.
“I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have on my team.”
“Happy to hear it. We just have to figure out where and when. Our window of opportunity is limited. There’s another winter storm on the way and it looks like it’s going to be worse than the last. It’s supposed to hit sometime midday. When it does, we won’t be able to get a chopper airborne to get you out.” Which meant he and Reyna would be in this alone.
Jase pulled out his map and scanned it for possible locations. “There’s an old military base north of Steamboat Springs. If I remember correctly, it’s been deserted for years now. We’ll meet you at the landing strip.”
“That’ll work.” Aaron paused a second and Jase could hear him talking to someone. “We’re looking to meet at ten-hundred hours. That work for you and Reyna?”
He checked his watch. It was just past four in the morning. The base was two hours away. If they left early to take in the possibility of bad weather, that left them with several hours to survive before leaving for the meet. “We’ll be there.”
