by Dawn Kunda
She reluctantly released it. “I’m going to follow you to the edge of the trees.”
He didn’t say another word and strode away to the highway just as a car careened around the bend. The vehicle’s lights illuminated Vic at the edge of the forest.
* * * *
Borland turned into a gas station. “Eikem, fill ’er up while I check out the ’Easterners papers.”
Glad to get out of the vehicle, Eikem shoved his door open after they parked at a gas pump. As a superior officer, Borland had the tact of an unused piece of harsh grit sandpaper.
Small vehicles didn’t take long to fill up, and Eikem entered the station to pay and grab something to eat and drink. He returned to the car and offered a share of his food and a can of soda.
Borland didn’t say anything as he took the food and beverage.
Eikem stayed quiet until Borland finished flipping through the papers they’d absconded.
“I didn’t expect to get such a clear trail.” Borland always left his listener wondering at first. “We have a woman who travels for the government.” Eikem knew not to ask questions till Borland finished. “Looks like she’s on her way to Iraq. She’ll be late since she missed the plane.”
After a pause from Borland, Eikem assumed Borland didn’t have anything more. “What part of Iraq?”
“I was getting to that. We’re going to meet her and assumedly Grant in Baghdad.”
“You’re not sure Grant’s going with her?”
Borland sighed. “I never assume anything. We have a scribbled note here stating Alina Runesson and Victor Grant will be going to Baghdad. We’ll just get there a little ahead of them.”
Chapter 25
“There’s a car parked past the flag you put out.” Alina shivered. The cold had sunk through her clothes, clothes designed to keep you warm when traveling from car to building and not much more. Initially, the running, the hiding, and the fear made her forget the cold of the still black night. She stepped forward with shaky legs.
Vic threw his arm out, catching her across her waist. “Stop, stay here for a minute.”
Her anger had subsided. Weary from the long and unexpected night, she didn’t have energy left to put up a fight. “What if Reggie thinks he has the wrong place, or thinks we found another ride?”
“What if it’s not him?” She knew what he meant. It might be someone looking for them and intending to capture or kill.
“I want to call him, then we’ll know and he won’t leave. I don’t have any other relatives I’d dare to trust in this situation.”
He put the battery into his phone and gave it to her. “Ten seconds max.”
She immediately redialed Reggie’s number. Every call, few as they were, needed to be deleted from the call log immediately after use.
She handed the phone back to Vic. “That’s him. He said he’ll drive up to the next road and turn around. Then he’ll know if someone saw him and is following. He’ll pick us up in five minutes.” She looked up at him.
Vic nodded. “He sounds intelligent.” He watched the car leave. “He doesn’t know our true agenda, right?”
“No. No, I didn’t tell him who you are or what we’re doing.” Her teeth chattered.
He stepped against her and put his arms around her shoulders, rubbing heat into her chilled body. “Don’t worry, I won’t try anything.”
If she hadn’t been so worn out, she doubted she’d believe him, but she tucked her head against his chest. Vivid thoughts of him naked and in a similar position caused her to sigh. She felt the warmth of her breath rebound against her face.
Right now, she wished they’d woken up together in a warm room instead of a run for their lives in a dense and frigid crop of trees. She attributed the idea of a warm bed and him to human nature and lust. She knew she was wrong. When she regained her energy, she’d have to do something about her unwanted feelings. She had no right to consider Vic as anything more than a partner, a work partner. Anything more would only cause trouble.
The car slowed and pulled off to the side of the road, lights off.
Vic looked around, then said, “let’s go.” He released her, yet kept ahold of her arm.
They plunged through the snow without a glance back. If anyone followed them, it was too late to hide.
* * * *
Introductions happened as Reggie breezed north on the highway as another intervention to chasers. Reggie continued to tell how he spotted the flag. The enthusiasm in Reggie’s narrative gave Vic a reason to worry about the driver’s maturity in relation to keeping the whole trip a secret, from anybody.
“Ellie, it’s so good to see you.” Reggie glanced to the passenger seat with a wide-toothed grin.
Alina glanced to the backseat. “That’s what he always called me when we were kids.” She spoke softly with a nervous twitch to her mouth. Vic played dumb and ignored the obvious. The Swedish government would’ve never let her keep her name and be part of a victim’s program.
Reggie bounced in his seat like a child. “I wanted to bring Pete along, but you insisted I hurry. Besides, bringing a little brother along on a top secret mission might be a distraction and cause us not to be as stealthy as needed.”
Alina smiled sheepishly. “It’s nice to see you, too.”
Vic sank low in the backseat with his arms crossed over his chest. He dropped his fingertips to keep contact with his gun.
“Hey, Vic, where did Ellie pick you up?” He glanced in the rearview mirror as a naughty smirk twitched on his lips.”
“She wanted a ride to the bridge to Denmark, and I happened to be going that way. You can return to the south now.”
Reggie found a place to turn his vehicle back to the southbound lane. “Picked a wicked time of the night to travel.” Reggie had a comment for everything. “I bet you had a little fun before leaving wherever you met and found each other, and that’s why you didn’t check your gas tank.” Barely a moment of silence. “I could’ve brought you a tank of gas, if you’d told me.”
Alina broke in. “Sorry about the inconvenience and this is strictly a business trip. By the time we figured out why the car stalled, you were most likely past any gas stations.”
“It’s better this way, don’t ya think? I can help you. Be glad to dodge the villains. Not too bad at giving chasers the slip.”
“No one’s chasing us.” Vic kept the comments short, and hadn’t told Reggie anything about Alina and his purpose for being together. “Alina, don’t you think it’s okay that your cousin knows about our relationship? We don’t have to spell out our first kiss for him, though.” He swore the edges of her ears darkened a shade of pink, edging on fuchsia. He rather enjoyed her reaction, and she couldn’t negate his comment if she wanted her cousin to unknowingly play along. It’s better for Reggie to think Alina and he were full of spontaneous fun.
“I knew it, I knew it.” Reggie elbowed her arm. “Ellie, you warned your stud muffin about what kind of work you do, right?”
“He knows.” She kept her chin tucked into the top of her shirt.
“He knows you do undercover work for Sweden? Did you tell about the countries you’re sent to and that you work with nuclear material?”
“Reggie! That’s enough.”
“Oops, you didn’t tell him everything, huh? Guess I let the mongoose out of the bag.”
Vic changed the direction of the discussion. “How long till we arrive at the bridge? We’ll get a rental from there.”
“Not too sure. Haven’t traveled to the bridge for a while, and we detoured right off the bat. Probably another hour and a half. Guess you two want to continue your date, or your undercover work.”
Vic could see the sides of Reggie’s cheeks pull back in another one of his foolish grins. “Nothing undercover about us right now.”
“Gotcha, man.” Reggie must’ve needed a breath as silence entombed the vehicle, for half a minute. “Really, I can be of help if you need it. I’ve got nothing planned for tomor
row. I have a few vacation days coming from work.”
“We appreciate the ride and your offer, Reggie, but I think Vic and I can handle the rest of our trip from the bridge.”
Reggie shrugged.
Vic tapped Alina on the shoulder. She hadn’t yet stressed to Reggie not to tell anyone he’s seen them.
She pushed herself up a fraction in the front seat. “Uh, Reggie, you do realize you can’t tell anyone about talking with us or seeing us?”
“I know you said so, but everyone, especially your mom and dad, is worried and upset that it’s been so long since you’ve called them. I’m not sure they won’t drag it out of me where I’ve been all night.”
“Tell them you had a bit of a wild night yourself with some filly from the local tavern. They’d probably quit asking questions if you say that.” Vic had the pretty one in the front seat on his mind. He didn’t have to try too hard to keep his mind off arriving at the bridge with Alina’s winter-woodsy scent blown back to him by the front car vents.
“They’d probably invite her over for dinner. Ha!”
Vic caught Reggie glancing in the rearview mirror. “You really don’t want to say a thing about this night.” Vic eased the handle of his gun into sight.
Reggie’s eyes expanded, looking like they might jump from their sockets. “Ellie, I knew your work had its secrets, but, yeah, this is great!”
“Not so great if you don’t make it home, or anywhere else.” Vic lowered his eyelids as their connection remained in the mirror.
Alina swung her head around and saw what Vic was doing. “Vic, you didn’t have to threaten him.”
Reggie sneezed and then said, “All this secrecy makes me think you’re on a mission.”
Chapter 26
The trip across the Øresund Bridge was almost a letdown after the hours in the car with Reggie, his constant exuberance, and endless accusations of undercover operations. Alina believed, or at least had a good indication, that Reggie wouldn’t tell the family about their night together.
When they left Sweden on the bridge, the border patrol didn’t ask for their papers. The papers weren’t frequently requested, and a “couple” starting early in the morning on vacation didn’t raise any inquires.
The last time she had crossed this bridge by car, the sun sparkled off the incredibly royal-blue waves of the Øresund strait. Now, the dark night with only a few stars finding gaps in the clouds and the thin moon gave countable dots of light on the always-moving water. The few minutes it took to cross the longest bridge in the world didn’t give the feature justice. Maybe it was because she had other things on her mind.
“Vic, when are we going to call your contacts?”
His wrist rested on the top of the rented car’s steering wheel. He kept his eyes trained on the highway. “I’ll call them when we get to the other side and before we change vehicles.”
“Again? Why can’t we keep this one? And when are you going to tell me who you need to call? Do they have names?”
“For your first two questions, yes, and the more often we change anything that can be tracked, such as a car, we avoid easier detection.” He gave her a quick glance. “As the last couple days have proved, there are a lot of people looking for both of us. No sense in taking unnecessary chances.”
“I suppose.”
“I probably won’t tell you who they are. It’d be better for you.”
She looked out the window, not seeing much.
He slowed the car as they reached the other end of the bridge. Growing accustomed to Vic’s surprises, she didn’t flinch as he gave a false name, their last name the same, as he paid for a different vehicle.
“We’ll find a place for breakfast, and I’ll make a call. Do you have a preference where we stop?”
“I’m not overly familiar with Denmark, and I’m not hungry right now.”
“We’ll get something to go, but I do need a parking lot.” He pulled into a café loaded with vehicles even at the early hour. “Why don’t you get us something to eat? We might not have a chance for a while, so I suggest you get food for both of us.”
“Probably best if I don’t hear your conversation.” She couldn’t help the touch of sarcasm. She got out and slammed the door shut.
After mixing with the business people and vacationers in the café, her jets had cooled. She knew he had reasons for how he handled this trip. Thinking of the danger they already experienced, he only had their safety in mind.
“Here.” She handed him a bag containing rolls stuffed with eggs, cheese, and sausage. She held a steaming container of coffee till he reached for it. “Did you get a hold of them?”
“Fortunately, yes. We’ll meet in Vienna. It’ll be a neutral ground and away from where they’re staying.”
“Oh, they don’t live in Austria, they’re just staying for a while?”
“You could say that.”
“I shouldn’t have expected a real answer,” she mumbled.
“We’ll drive there, then fly to Cairo. We’ve wasted a lot of time already, but it’s better to take the safest route. Do you know how long it’ll take us?”
“I’m not MapQuest, but I’m guessing about thirteen hours without stopping.”
“My contact said we might want to stop in Munich for the night.”
“I don’t have to stop.”
“I’d hate to waste the time, if you don’t mind.” He dug into the bag of hot rolls.
“It’d be better to get to our destiny, I agree.” She accepted the breakfast sandwich he held in the air in front of her. The smell activated her stomach with a low growl of discontent.
They reached Vienna after hours of shifting in their seats to avoid pieces of their bodies from going numb. It was midevening, another nighttime adventure. She missed working during the day and doing not much of anything at night. Since when had her occupation called for undercover night work?
Vic parked among a large collection of vehicles in another restaurant parking lot.
She began to get out of the car. “Alina, you don’t have to leave this time.”
She stopped with her foot still inside the car. “I wasn’t leaving, just wanted to get out and stretch.” She reached her arms overhead. “Actually, I think you should let me hear this conversation.”
“Beginning not to trust me anymore?”
The long drive had made her cranky. “Who said I ever trusted you? And I do want to make sure you’re not telling me stories, so I’d like to at least hear your side of the discussion.”
He shrugged and pulled out the phone. After inserting the battery, he punched in a number. “We’re in Vienna. Where do you want us and when?” He listened for a half minute, then hung up.
Still outside, she leaned into the car. “Nothing like a one-sided conversation.”
“Best kept that way.” He got out, walked to a trash receptacle, threw the phone on the ground, and stepped on it. He collected the pieces and tossed it in the can.
“How are they going to get ahold of you, if plans change?”
“They won’t change, and they’ll bring me a couple more undetectable phones when they get here.”
“But what if—?”
“In this business, there can’t be any mistakes. If there is, we move on.”
“Okay, then.” She got back in the car when he did. The sky was clear, and she watched his body silhouetted against the bright sliver of moon. No matter how irritating and matter of fact he acted, she still wanted to lick her lips, then run them over the muscles flexing beneath his jeans. His job made him act this way, but when he put his tough-guy face away, she detected tenderness he’d rather keep hidden. Too bad she’d discovered his weakness, her body.
He had to be interested in more than physicality, until then she’d consider herself safe from falling in any kind of relationship even if he tried. She snickered at that thought.
“What’s caused you to laugh?” He swiveled his body toward her.
Damn the h
ardness of his jaw and the bulk of his shoulders. She should kick herself for thinking like this. We’re on a mission, a possibly deadly mission, and all I can think about is his damn hot body and what it can do to me. God, I need to clear my head. No, I have to get my act together. She looked straight ahead. “Nothing.” She quickly looked at him. “It’s funny how you act superior to me, that’s all.” She wasn’t sure where that came from, but it cooled the mood for her.
“We’ll meet her in thirty minutes, five buildings down.” She nodded. Still turned toward her, he said, “You sure turn hot to cold in a flash.”
“Me? I’m catching on from you.” He started it.
He bobbed his head up and down. He slid on the seat to face forward. “I deserved that.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. After a few moments of silence, she said, “Did she find a place for us to sleep tonight?”
He didn’t take the bite of jealousy she offered. “We aren’t staying the night. We have to keep moving.”
* * * *
Alina hesitated before opening her car door. The woman was beautiful. The first thing she noticed was the woman had long hair and was tall. Alina couldn’t compete with that. Her own height maxed at five-foot-four and her own body was normal, nothing exciting. The woman’s hair undoubtedly had a shimmer of highlights in its darkness and probably was as thick as a horse’s mane.
Alina cautiously stepped from the car and remained between the door and body of the vehicle. She didn’t want to impose on their reunion if she stepped closer.
Vic didn’t touch the other woman, but the smile he exhibited said nothing less than respect and admiration. Alina felt paltry and pathetic in comparison. Vic probably wished he’d not met Alina when he can have whatever woman he wants.
“Alina, Alina, come out here.”
Alina smiled halfheartedly and reluctantly walked over to where Vic and the woman met.
