“Still no idea as to who the mole passing them through immigration is?”
“We’re narrowing it down with each crossing. But no, we don’t have a confirmed identity yet.”
Martin rubbed his bald head. It was something he did whenever he was frustrated.
“And you’re sure these ten will be at the Fairmont?” Aiden asked.
“Not all ten, but at least three. We know Yassin has operatives in place on staff there as well as a few other hotels in Jasper and even Waterton. Agents will be in place at all three resorts. Banff is the largest facility though. It’s easier for them to check in and out undetected.”
Martin signaled to Jacob, who pulled into a near empty parking lot on the outskirts of Edgewood. Aiden hadn’t even noticed they’d passed through Kalispell and into his town.
“We have fifty-seven days to stop this,” Martin said. “If we tip them off to the fact that we know their plans, they’ll either do it earlier or go to Plan B.”
“Which is?”
“You’re not authorized to know.”
Martin’s expression convinced Aiden he was better off not knowing.
“Be careful, my friend.” Martin placed his phone into his shirt pocket. “We have no indication Yassin is on to you, but it’s always a possibility.”
Aiden shook hands with the older man. Martin left the limo without another word, entered a black suburban parked beside the Jack in the Box, and drove off in the direction they had come. As Aiden watched, Jacob lowered the window separating the front seat from the back.
“Next stop Alberta, Canada.” Jacob said. “Six hours if we travel straight through. You might want to catch some sleep since you have a 3:00 p.m. tee time.”
“Martin is trying to kill me.” Aiden didn’t quite manage to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
“Everyone knows millionaire playboys love to play golf.”
Aiden studied Jacob’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re enjoying this.”
“I enjoy any chance to stop Yassin and his kind.”
Aiden remembered his driver had lost more than one partner to Yassin’s network.
“Yassin isn’t stupid. He’ll know USCIS is on to him. The only question is can his men spot us before we move to intercept.”
“Guess I need to catch some rest then, since I didn’t get much last night.” Aiden tried to keep the smile off his face, but he wasn’t quite successful.
“Was she worth it?”
Aiden didn’t bother to answer Jacob’s teasing. He pulled the pillow out from the bin under his seat and was asleep within minutes. The last reminder he tucked away as he was drifting off wasn’t about Yassin’s men, it was to call the Edgewood School District office as soon as possible.
MADISON LOOKED AROUND her classroom. It had taken all week, but she’d managed to make it presentable.
Textbooks were stacked neatly by grade level on the shelves of three of the large bookcases. She’d created a reading cove in the corner with a garage sale coffee table and three director’s chairs ($9.99 at the local Walmart). What she hoped was an appealing display of current titles ($1 each from Half Price Books) dotted the coffee table and moving crates which sat beside each chair.
When she’d seen her classroom, she’d wondered what she would do with it. For thirty years it had served as the Edgewood High School choir room until it had been deemed too outdated. Last year a new state-of-the-art choir room was built. The cavernous room that should have been demolished or at least remodeled had been bequeathed to the new teacher. No one had wanted this room. It was hard enough to corral teenagers in a small place, let alone a room this size.
On Tuesday, still reeling from her nightmarish trip, Madison had reported to work only to meet the vice principal from the underworld—Ms. Simone Joseph. Madison had hoped Ms. Joseph was joking when she showed her the room. She soon learned levity wasn’t Ms. Joseph’s personal strength.
Setting up her classroom, in addition to bringing some sort of order to her new apartment, had exhausted her. At least it had kept her mind off the cowboy who hadn’t called, or so she told herself. All week she had snapped to attention every time someone in a black Stetson walked by, which in the town of Edgewood was about one out of every three men.
It was hard to admit she’d let him raise her hopes of a relationship. Not that Aiden had promised her anything, but he had said he’d call. Why was she surprised he hadn’t? After all, she barely knew the man. Still there had been something in his eyes, the way he touched her, that had made her think—
“You need to go home and get ready.”
She looked up and smiled at her new friend. Pam was identical to Madison in height and weight, a good ten years older, and everything a new teacher could hope for in a mentor. She had smooth chocolate skin and a smile that never quit.
“I really don’t want to go. Can’t we tell them I’m exhausted? You’re my mentor. Help me out here.”
Pam shook her head and walked around the room, turning off lamps. “Nope. The Welcome Back Banquet is required for all district employees, and it’s fun. Plus everyone is dying to meet the new teacher from Texas.”
Madison put her head down on her desk in mock despair. “No. Please, no. Don’t make me do it. You’d think Texas was on a different planet the way people go on about my accent.”
Pam smiled, retrieved Madison’s laptop bag from the closet, and set it on her desk.
“Wait. I know why I can’t go,” Madison said, hope brightening her face. “I still don’t have anything to wear. I know I told you I’d go shopping, but I’ve been busy scouring garage sales for furniture for this gym you gave me to teach in. I totally forgot about shopping for a dress.”
Pam unzipped the laptop bag and gave her the motherly look that was becoming all too familiar. “Now how did I know you’d say that? I have three dresses in my car that are exactly your size. I’ll let you take them all home.”
Madison realized arguing was hopeless. In the end she would still lose, and she could be spending the next hour in a hot tub instead of sitting here creating excuses. With a sigh that came from the deepest part of her soul, she slipped the laptop into the bag, shouldered her purse, and followed Pam to the parking lot.
She might have to attend the dance, but she didn’t have to stay. She’d go home, enjoy a hot bath to the sounds of Nora Jones, make an appearance, and be in bed by nine.
AIDEN SLAMMED THE DOOR, tossed his keys on the entry table and collapsed on the couch. He’d had the worst five days in his entire intel career. Too much golf, too many women, and not a single terrorist.
Martin hadn’t phoned him again, but he didn’t need to. The warning he’d given still rang in Aiden’s ears, even in his sleep. They had fifty-four days to find Yassin’s men and stop them or several major towns in America would be flooded. The newest projections for loss of life were even higher, considering the panic that was sure to occur. Emergency evacuation plans were being made, but with no idea where the terrorists would strike, they couldn’t evacuate every town with a dam.
Aiden knew Martin had the bulk of the department working on it, so he had no excuse for feeling personally responsible. He’d been trained well though, and he did. Never assume the next man will lead in an op—especially an op as critical as Dambusters. Assume it’s totally up to you.
The pressure was exhausting.
Add to the mix a six-hour drive both ways and the fact he hadn’t slept in his own bed in two weeks and you had a man fit to be tied.
His agitation wasn’t helped by the fact that he still hadn’t been able to contact Madison. He’d tried every elementary school in Edgewood. They all insisted no Madison Hart was teaching there. He’d even tried the schools in Kalispell, but again came up empty.
Maybe he was remembering her last name wrong.
Maybe he had dreamed up the entire thing.
When he heard his brother’s voice in the front hall,
it was all he could do not to scream. Instead he sat up and tried to look better than he felt.
“I’m in here, bro.”
Nate started shooting questions before he even stepped into the room.
“Where have you been? Did you ever think to call? Do you realize you have obligations to this family and you can’t go off on a golfing spree when you feel like a weeklong vacation?”
Aiden’s older brother flopped down in the leather armchair, the scowl on his face nearly comical in its intensity.
“Hey, big brother. It’s nice to see you too.”
“Nice to see me? That’s it? That’s all you have to say for yourself?”
Aiden raised his hand to stop the barrage. “I could use a drink. Anything for you?”
“I’ll take some water. And find yourself something to eat. You look like death warmed over.”
The growl remained, and Aiden found himself wishing for the hundredth time he could tell his brother the truth. If nothing else, it might keep him off his backside for a few minutes.
Aiden returned with the drinks, handed the vitamin water to his brother, and collapsed back on the couch. He picked up his glass of tap water and studied his brother. “Didn’t Jacob call?”
“Yes, Jacob called. Who is he anyway?”
“Jacob—”
“I know,” Nate snapped. “Jacob is your chauffeur. He told me. What do you need a chauffeur for? Last time I checked you were still able to drive yourself, and what was so important in Banff?”
Aiden sighed and held the glass to his head. Since he couldn’t tell Nate the truth, he tried for the next best thing—a good lie.
“So if you were single, and a nice-looking blonde invited you up to The Fairmont for a few rounds of golf, you would turn her down?”
Nate set down his bottle, walked to the kitchen, and returned with a can of peanuts.
“I should have known a woman was involved. Good grief, Aiden. When are you going to grow up? And what about Sharon?”
“You sound jealous, big brother.”
“You’re thirty-two, Aiden. It’s time to honor your commitments.” Nate’s disgust was evident, but instead of continuing the lecture he reached for the remote of the large flat screen TV and turned on ESPN.
Aiden was beginning to doze on the couch when the doorbell rang. He opened one eye but made no attempt to move.
Nate threw him an impatient look and muttered, ”Next you’ll be hiring a butler.” Muting the TV, he walked to the front door.
Aiden had actually dropped back into never-never land when he opened his eyes to find a well-manicured hand shaking his shoulder.
“Aiden. Wake up, Aiden. We’re supposed to be at the banquet in forty minutes.”
He rubbed his eyes, recognizing the voice, but not quite comprehending what she was saying. “Banquet?”
Sitting up, he took another drink of the ice water, and finally turned to look at Sharon. She was dressed to the nines, her size-six figure tastefully poured into an ivory cashmere dress, stiletto heels adding a good two inches to her five-foot-eight-inch frame. Her blonde hair was pulled back severely to reveal intricate pearl earrings, a perfect match to the pearl necklace adorning her lovely neck.
Nate picked up his bottle, returned both it and the peanuts to the kitchen. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
He kissed the air beside Sharon’s cheek, she murmured something in return, and then he was gone.
“Obviously you’ve forgotten,” Sharon said. She perched on the chair across from Aiden, studying him with real concern in her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” Aiden ran his hands through his hair and wondered if this day would ever end. “Do we have to?”
“Yes, Aiden. You’re the one who insisted we attend the school banquet, the newspapers will be expecting it, and I’m already dressed. We have to, even if you do look completely hung over.”
Aiden gave her his best boyish smile. “You still love me though.”
“Yes, I still love you. Now please, shower and dress.”
MADISON TRIED TO ACT like she was listening to the two-hundred-and-fifty-pound cowboy who was describing the calf he’d pulled that morning. In reality, she was looking for Pam, determined to find a way out of this party. She’d spotted her near the mayor and was about to excuse herself from Bubba’s presence when a hush fell over the room. Turning to see what the commotion—or rather the lack of commotion—was all about, she found herself looking across the expanse of the giant lodge room at the elusive Aiden Lewis.
In a tuxedo and with an even deeper tan than he’d had a week ago, he was much better looking than she remembered. Without the Stetson, Madison could see he’d tried to tame his curly hair but without much success. The exquisite blonde hanging on to his arm completed the picture several photographers were eagerly taking.
Aiden’s eyes scanned the room, finding hers so quickly it startled Madison right out of her shock. Even across the expanse of the room, she could feel the intensity of those gray eyes. She wanted to turn away, but couldn’t. He held her there with his gaze, leaned toward the blonde and whispered something, but never broke eye contact. It was as if he was afraid she’d disappear.
The blonde touched his arm with a familiarity that spoke volumes and nodded her agreement to whatever he had said. Then he was walking toward her, stopping every few steps to shake hands with someone, but his eyes always quickly returned to hers.
Madison turned her back on him, hoping to disappear into the crowd. The noise level in the room quickly returned to normal, and Bubba was once again talking about his calf. Maybe she could hide behind Bubba. If she could turn him, maybe Aiden wouldn’t see her.
She should have known he had a girlfriend. It would explain why he’d never called. Nothing shocking there. He was a nice man who’d helped her through a difficult night and then forgotten about her. It wasn’t like he owed her anything. It wasn’t like he’d promised to call. Okay, so he had promised. Men made promises and then they broke them.
She’d learned that lesson in Texas. Several guys had promised to be there for her when Mama got sick, but they all had excuses when she’d needed someone to talk to, or a dinner out, or simply a friend to see a movie with. Promises were easily made but rarely kept. She knew that. Why would she expect things to be different in Montana?
She tried to think of a question she could ask Bubba about the calf, but her mind had gone blank.
“Aiden and Sharon make quite a pair,” Bubba said.
Madison did her best to look confused. “Who?”
Bubba might be big, but he wasn’t stupid. He laughed and took a drink of his beer. “Don’t worry about it, little lady. All the women look at Aiden Lewis, but looking is all you want to do.”
Madison wanted to run away. She had no desire to hear what Bubba was about to say, but something held her there. Was it mere curiosity? Or the need to drive the knife a little deeper and permanently end the dream that had sprung to life during one very long plane flight to Montana?
“Don’t take me wrong,” Bubba said. “Aiden’s a good guy, and he does a lot for our town. That one isn’t ready to settle down though. Most people think he never will. He’s been a wild one since he was a teenager, since the accident with his dad.”
Madison was about to inquire more when Pam appeared at her side.
“Bubba, are you hogging Madison? She needs to meet the rest of the school board.”
“You can’t blame me for that, Pam. She’s the prettiest thing around here since the southern belle you all hired from Georgia.”
“And we’d like Madison to stay a little longer than Stella did, so quit boring her to death with stories about your calves.”
Bubba had the good grace to blush.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Madison. If there’s anything you need at all, you have my business card.” And with that the big man was gone.
“Come on,” Pam said. “I want you to meet Aiden. Did you see him come in with Sharon? They’
re a picture-perfect couple. We’re all expecting a wedding announcement any time.”
While Pam talked she’d taken Madison’s hand and was pulling her across the room. Madison tried to protest, tried to think of something she could say to interrupt her friend. The week had been too long, she was too tired, and she could not face Mr. Aiden Lewis tonight. Unable to articulate the feelings overwhelming her, she simply stopped moving.
“Are you okay, honey? You don’t look so good.”
Madison shook her head, still unable to find her voice.
“It is kind of warm in here. Maybe we should go outside. That crazy Bubba had you pinned in the corner for at least twenty minutes. I should have rescued you sooner.”
Madison tried again to answer, but she couldn’t. All she could do was stare at Aiden, watch him cover the ground between the two of them. Mesmerized by the look on his face, the recognition and surprise in his eyes, she tried to look away. Before she could offer a word of explanation to Pam, he was at their side.
“Madison,” Aiden sighed her name more than he said it. “How are you?”
His eyes seemed to cut through hers and settle on her soul. He reached out, touched the side of her arm, let his hand drop when she still didn’t say anything.
“Aiden. I didn’t know you’d met Madison.” Pam looked from one to the other, obviously confused by what was going on.
“I tried to find you,” Aiden explained, his words coming faster now. “I called all the elementary schools. They didn’t have a Madison Hart.”
Madison remained silent, trying to think of what to say, wanting to say a thousand things, saying nothing.
“Madison is our new high school English teacher, Aiden.” Pam continued to look bewildered. “Bubba had Madison cornered for the last twenty minutes, and I think he wore her out.”
She offered a little laugh, trying to lighten the mood but failing.
For the first time, Aiden seemed to notice Pam was there. “If Bubba cornered her she probably could use some fresh air. I’ll show her the patio.”
Coyote's Revenge Page 10
