“No thanks.”
“Nasty habit, but sometimes it helps me to think. Something about this is all wrong. I’m not sure what, but I’ll see what I can find out.”
Madison realized Sharon would be a terrific investigator. She fleetingly thought about asking her to look for her father, wondered what kind of rates she would charge. She had precious little of the money from her mother’s insurance policy left. She’d had no luck snooping around on her own though, not that she’d been able to give it much attention. What with moving, starting the job at Edgewood High, and Aiden Lewis, somehow searching for her father had been pushed to the background.
Sharon stubbed out the cigarette, then placed a hand on Madison’s arm. “It’s your choice if you want to see Aiden again or not. I don’t know what he’s involved in, but I’m sure he could use a friend. I know he cares about you. I also know you can trust him. Whatever this is about, it’s not about you.”
“I’ll think about it,” Madison said.
Sharon nodded, turned, and walked toward the parking lot. As the sound of her heels on pavement faded into the night, Madison leaned against the light pole.
She wasn’t any closer to finding her father than when she’d arrived, now this. Nothing like a little drama to spice things up.
Only Madison didn’t want drama.
She wanted peace and quiet.
She wanted family.
And she wanted Aiden.
THE PHONE RANG, AND Aiden nearly fell off the roof lunging for it.
“Lewis.”
“We have a possible tag of the final suspect. Transmitting pictures now. View, confirm, and call me back.” Martin clicked off.
The phone’s screen immediately filled with pictures of three men. Two of them Aiden had never seen before, but the third was a man he’d seen in the Waldhaus Pub. Aiden returned Martin’s call.
“Number three was at the Waldhaus.”
“Philip Hansard. He’s a nationalized European.”
“Connections to Coyote?”
“No, but we can place him in the general vicinity of Abu Yassin at least twice in the last twenty-four months.”
“How did we miss him?”
“He doesn’t fit the profile. Well educated, a visiting professor on the academic circuit in the states, fairly high profile for someone who is part of a sleeper cell.”
“Who’s watching him now?”
“Johnson has a team there. Dreiser’s part of it.”
“Current location?” Aiden had already begun gathering his tools and placing them in the toolbox.
“He’s at the Texas-Mexico border in a little town called Providencia and no, you’re not going.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Excuse me?”
“I was there at the beginning of this op, and I’ll be there at the end. I’m going to Mexico.”
“Last I checked I was still making assignments. When did you start telling me where you’re going? I suggest you stand down and wait for further orders.”
Aiden looked out across the pasture and somehow quelled the urge to pitch the phone into the field. Taking a deep breath, he sat down on the nearly finished roof of the barn.
“Sorry,” Aiden said. “It’s just that this has become personal. I’d like to see it through to the end, Sir.”
“Johnson is point man on this, Lewis. If I were to send you down there, and I’m not saying I would, you’d only be going as backup.”
“I’m good with that.”
Martin waited several seconds before mumbling directions to someone in the background.
“It’s been years since you’ve been to the Chihuahuan Desert.”
“I trained there in 1998, ran point on the Ramirez bioweapon op in 2000.”
“I know your record, Aiden. The situation has deteriorated since you’ve been that far south. Immigration issues have affected the economies on both sides of the border. The result is the Americans and the Mexicans are more trigger-happy than ever, and along the Rio Grande that’s saying a lot. They’ve never been known for their diplomacy.”
“I saw the final target list for Dambusters. Flathead is on there. It could be my town they flood.”
Martin uttered a few more oaths, then barked directions to someone in the field office. “Reserve Lewis a flight out of Kalispell. I want him on a military plane to Providencia in the next three hours.”
“Thank you, sir,” Aiden said.
“You owe me.”
“Right.”
“Be careful.” Martin’s voice sounded tired. “This is the last one. Then we can activate the net. We’re down to less than four weeks, and chatter has increased exponentially. We can’t lose Hansard.”
“We won’t.”
Aiden clicked off, gathered the rest of his tools, and was on the road back to his house in ten minutes. He’d been itching to do something, anything, all week. The manual labor of the last few days had eased some of his restlessness, but only some.
He’d seen Madison at school twice. Both times during golf practices. Both times she’d been polite but distant, and he didn’t blame her. She deserved more than he could offer her right now. All week he’d hammered boards while watching summer turn to autumn. With each blow of the hammer, he wished he could as easily beat the chaff out of his soul. He’d worked until it had been only her face he’d seen, her touch he’d needed.
Somewhere in the building of the roof, he’d made his decision.
A shower, another ten minutes to pack, and one stop in Edgewood.
AS MADISON WALKED ACROSS the school parking lot, a new Chevy truck pulled up alongside her. Coach Cole rolled down his window and offered his best I’m-a-good-old-boy-grin. He looked more like a lost pup, but Madison returned the smile anyway. The guy had tried his best all week. No doubt the kids had told him about her breakup with Aiden.
“Madison.”
“Coach.”
“Need a ride?”
“No, thank you. My car is right there.”
George Strait sang about taking someone’s bar stool as Coach Cole continued to match her pace.
“Have you been to Dos Amigos yet?”
“I haven’t.”
“Great Mexican food. How about you and me go there tonight?”
Madison stopped and looked across at the sun beginning to set over the Big Mountain. Taking a deep breath she moved toward the truck, rested her hand against his door, and looked up into Cole’s brown eyes and tanned face. He reminded her of a Labrador, and he was a very nice man.
A nice man. That pretty much summed it up. Still, life only gave a girl so many chances.
“Tonight’s not good for me, Coach. But would you ask me again?”
A smile broke across his features.
“That’s the first time you haven’t turned me down.”
Madison smiled and looked away. “Next week then?”
“Absolutely. Unless you’d like to do something this weekend. There’s this little place—”
They both looked up as Aiden’s Avalanche entered the south side of the parking lot and pulled up on the other side of Madison.
Aiden cut his engine and stepped out of the Avalanche.
“Maddie. Cole. How’s it going?”
“Great, Aiden. Heard you’re redoing the old barn on your northeast pasture.”
“Finished it today.”
“Remember the time your daddy caught us out there with that keg?”
“I do. I remember the sting of his belt too.”
“I decided I’d hike home rather than risk being caught by Aiden’s dad. Tripped over my own two feet and went down in the mud.”
Madison watched the two as they were caught back in another time. She tried not to compare them, knew it wasn’t fair. Cole was a good man in his own right, and he’d tried his best to befriend her. He was also around on a regular basis. So why was it Aiden was the one who made her pulse quicken?
“Maddie, could I talk to you a minute?
”
Aiden reached out and touched her arm, sending a shock of electricity through her.
“Sure. I was headed home.”
“I’ll follow you there.”
Cole took in the exchange and apparently decided his friendship with Aiden didn’t extend to vying for the new girl in town. “Next week then, Madison.”
“All right, Coach.”
Cole grinned, tipped his hat, and pulled out of the parking lot.
“Next week?” Aiden scowled as he followed her to the car she’d finally purchased. He opened the door for her.
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ll bet.”
Aiden took her laptop bag and set it in the back seat. After she’d buckled up, he squatted beside the car, stared up at her with a look that was more vulnerable than any she’d ever seen. “I’ve missed you.”
She could barely hear him over the hammering of her heart. Not knowing what to say, she merely nodded.
“Can I come to your place? I know you asked me not to call, but I need to talk to you. It will only take a minute.”
She couldn’t have denied him if she’d wanted to, and she didn’t want to. She realized she should, but she’d momentarily lost her resolve. It had been a long five days since she’d seen him. She’d dreamed about him every night, and truth be told, part of her days as well.
She nodded, started her car, and drove out of the lot. He stayed close behind. The image of him squatting beside her car, the way he’d looked at her, melted her heart all the way home.
AIDEN FOLLOWED HER up the stairs. He tried to focus on what he would say, but all he could think about was tunneling his hands through her hair.
He resisted for a full minute, letting her shut the door and set her things on the table. Then he crossed the space between them and pulled her into his arms before she could tell him all the reasons he shouldn’t.
Madison was the first to pull away. “You wanted to talk to me about something?”
“Yeah, but maybe we should sit down.”
The kitten perched on the arm of the couch, swatting at his hand each time he combed his fingers through her hair.
“Cat’s grown.”
“Cat’s name is Kit.”
“Ah. Kit’s not a very good guard cat.”
“I didn’t realize I’d need one.”
Madison reached up to touch his face and he took her hand, studied it, and kissed her palm.
A small clock chimed the hour, and he knew he needed to go. Running his hands through his hair he took a deep breath, stood and walked to the kitchen. He rummaged through the cabinet, found a glass and filled it with ice and water. He drank it slowly, giving his pulse time to return to normal, reminding himself why he was there.
Filling another with water, he walked back into the living room. Madison was holding Kit.
“Drink?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
Aiden sat on the other side of the L-shaped couch, then moved to the ottoman, where he could hold her hand and look directly into her eyes.
“Maddie, I have to leave.” He saw the disappointment surge into her eyes, and his heart tore a little more. “Wait. It’s different this time.”
She pulled her hand away, crossed her arms, and stared at Kit.
He pulled her hand back. “It’s different this time. I’ve decided this is my last trip.”
She pulled the angel pendant out, began fidgeting with it, and he knew she longed to believe him.
“I know you want to know where I go, and I’d like to tell you. But I can’t. I can tell you I’ve decided this is the last time. I can see how it’s hurting you, and I can’t do that anymore.”
Her eyes had grown impossibly large, and he realized she was trying not to cry.
“Sweetheart.” He moved beside her on the couch, pulled her into the cradle of his arms, and held her there.
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know what you’re giving up for me,” she said.
“For us. I’m giving it up for us. I’ve never cared for anyone this way, Madison. I have to give us a chance. I’ve done what I can for them. I realize now I have to put us first.”
Madison snuggled even closer, and Aiden thought he could stay there forever. Except he had a flight to catch. A terrorist to apprehend. A catastrophe to stop. Then he’d be back with her, and he wasn’t letting her out of his sight again.
He tried to memorize the smell and feel of her. Struggled to think of how to tell her what she meant to him. He had to settle for the same three words men had been using since time immortal.
“I love you,” he said.
She looked up, touched his face, and kissed him softly. “I love you too.”
They sat there basking in the knowledge of it. Then the clock chimed again, and he knew he had to leave. Disentangling himself from her, he drew a deep breath, finished the water, and returned both glasses to the kitchen.
When he turned back, Madison stood by the door, the cat sitting on the back of the couch. He wanted to reach out and touch her one more time, but instead, he settled for scratching Kit behind the ear.
“Take care of her, Kit.”
The cat began chasing its tail, easing their tension a bit.
“I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
She nodded and kissed him one last time.
He knew she watched him as he walked down the stairs, unlocked the truck, started it up, and pulled out of the parking lot. When he finally looked in the rearview mirror, she was still standing there at the top of the stairs, holding the scraggly cat in one arm, waving to him with the other.
Iceman.
When he reached Providencia, he’d find a way to don the mask one last time, but as he drove toward Kalispell, he knew the ice had finally melted for good. He would replace it on the outside to survive this mission, but the inside had finally thawed.
MADISON COULDN’T HELP grinning at Sharon’s obvious discomfort.
As usual she was dressed to the nines, this time in a navy suit and matching heels. Did the woman ever wear flats? Maybe some beat-up tennis shoes? Her hair was pulled back in her signature, oversimplified fashion that on Madison would look like she’d thrown it together in five seconds. On Sharon it looked as if she’d paid someone to exquisitely style her hair. Perfectly manicured nails tapped impatiently as Madison finished conferencing with Lucy regarding her essay.
“Do you understand now what you need to do?” Madison asked.
“Sure, Ms. Hart. Thanks. I don’t know why I didn’t write it that way in the first place. I wasn’t thinking I guess.”
They both knew the reason Lucy had failed her essay over The Crucible was because she’d broken up with Tommy Drake the night before the exam. Although she’d shown up the morning of the essay, she wasn’t good for much except using up Madison’s box of Kleenex for her supposed cold. That had been a week ago.
Lucy slipped the paper with the “D” across the top into her backpack and offered a weak smile. Madison walked her across the room, closing the zipper on the pack she had left undone.
“Thanks again, Ms. Hart.”
“Are you doing all right? Getting over Tommy?”
“I can’t believe I ever thought that dork was special.”
Madison recognized the bravado for what it was, a way to hide a broken heart. Madison knew all about heartache, especially the high-school variety.
“You’re a smart, attractive young lady. There will be other young men. Now rewrite your paper and have it to me next class period.”
“Sure thing, Miss.” The girl took a couple of steps toward the door, then as an afterthought she turned back and hugged Madison. Without another word she slipped out the door and down the hall.
Madison walked back to her desk, collapsed in the chair, and looked over at Sharon. “Let me guess. High school wasn’t a great experience for you.”
Sharon pulled herself up straighter, if that was even possible. “Why would you say th
at? I made wonderful grades in high school.”
“I wasn’t talking about grades. You seem a little nervous.”
Sharon glanced around the room, stared at the reading center, and then looked back to Madison. “I didn’t have an English room with a tiki reading lounge, if that’s what you mean.”
Madison grinned. “Whatever it takes to convince teens reading can be fun rather than a chore.”
The silence stretched between them as Madison waited for Sharon to explain the reason for their meeting. She was new at the waiting game though. She gave in first. “I’m guessing you didn’t find anything out about Aiden.”
“How did you know?”
“When you have something to say, you usually come right out with it.”
Sharon pulled a folder from her satchel, shuffled through some papers, and slowly shook her head.
“Something isn’t right. Here’s a list of his recent charges. See these gaps?”
Madison moved to the desk beside Sharon and looked at the detailed credit-card statement. She didn’t want to know how Sharon had managed to access it.
“I’m not really comfortable looking at this. It feels like an invasion of privacy,” Madison said.
“Normally I would agree with you, but I’m worried. The dates you gave me when Aiden disappeared show no credit transactions.”
“Maybe he used cash.”
“Maybe, but I know his accountant. Edward likes for everything to be via credit so there’s a paper trail. As you can see, Aiden generally does this. Which makes the gaps very odd.”
Madison moved back to her desk, shut down her computer, and shoved it and some papers she needed to grade into her laptop bag.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Sharon asked.
Madison smiled and shouldered her bag. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
They were in the parking lot before Madison decided how much she wanted to tell Sharon. “Aiden left two days ago. He came to see me and told me he had to leave—again. He promised this was the last time.”
“And you believed him?”
Madison remembered the way he’d held her, the promise in his eyes. “Yes, I did.”
Coyote's Revenge Page 18
