Читать книгу High-Stakes Holiday Reunion - Christy Barritt - Страница 13

FOUR

Christopher approached the intruder from behind, veering off the main staircase at the last minute and taking a second set of stairs on the other end of the house. There was still one person in the house. Just one, best he could tell.

It was dark, void of any light. The air was hazy, evidence of a smoke bomb. And the smell of ammunition hung heavy in the atmosphere.

The sounds, the smells...they all reminded him of another time, another place.

A time and place he was trying to forget.

He rounded the corner and spotted someone crouching beneath the first staircase. Crouching, ready to attack?

He cocked his gun, drawing on all of his training. It was time to get some answers.

“Don’t move,” he commanded. “Or I’ll shoot.”

The figure twirled around, a stick in hand. Wide, familiar eyes met his. Fear stretched across their depths.

His muscles relaxed a moment, but the relief was quickly replaced with agitation. “Ashley? Are you crazy? I told you stay in the garage!”

“Christopher?” Ashley blinked, her stick still hoisted over her shoulder as if she might swing.

He lowered his gun and glared at the woman in front of him. Even in the dark, Christopher could tell that her face was void of any color or life. “Yes, it’s me. It’s a good thing I didn’t shoot you. I heard the glass crunching downstairs and thought the men were back to finish the job.”

“I saw the blood on the stairs. I thought you were...dead. I...”

He raised an eyebrow. “You were coming to defeat the bad guys with a dowel rod?”

She shrugged. “I had to do something. I couldn’t stay up there forever.”

He stepped closer so she would be sure to see the irritation in his gaze. “I told you I’d be back.”

She didn’t look away. She was still as stubborn as ever. “You’ve been gone for hours.”

“Twenty minutes.” He sliced his hand through the air. “Twenty minutes is all.”

She frowned and lowered her stick before jutting out her chin again. “It felt like hours.”

He scowled again and ran a hand over his face as he dragged in a ragged breath. Images of war continued to beat at him. They tried to transport him back in time. He wouldn’t let them. Still, Ashley coming up on him like that could have been ugly. Really ugly. That was the second time he’d pulled a gun on her in less than four hours. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, strain pulling at each of her features. “I’m fine. Are the men gone?”

“Best I can tell. They messed this place up, didn’t they?” His gaze roamed around them. It looked like a massacre, only thankfully, the only casualties were his furniture, belongings and the house itself.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I should have never come.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is just stuff. It can be fixed. Besides, you weren’t the one with the gun.”

Big, luminous eyes looked up to meet his. “Who was? Who were those men?”

He looked away before he got lost in the depths of those baby blues and shook his head. “I have no idea. But they mean serious business.”

“Why’d they leave?”

“That’s what I want to know, also. They didn’t do all of this damage just to send a message. They used a smoke bomb and everything. They came here to kill us. I want to know why they left before finishing the job.”

“And where did the blood come from by the garage?”

“Another great question.” He put his hand on her back. “I know one thing. We’re getting out of here before they decide to come back. I called Eyes and they’re sending some men out. They should be here any minute, but we’re not waiting around.”

“Where are we going?”

“I have an idea.” He led her toward the front door.

She reached back. “My phone. It was in the living room.”

“Forget about it. That’s probably how they traced you here. All those new-fangled phones have built-in GPSs. You’re better off without it.” He grabbed his jacket—surprisingly still intact—from the back of a chair.

“But what if Josh or David try to call?”

“If you’re dead, it will do no good.”

They stepped out of the front door—which had been ripped from its hinges—and onto the front porch. His truck had bullet holes in the window also, but the tires looked fine. “I’m glad you’re wearing a coat. It might be a cold ride.”

He opened the door and, using the thick sleeve of his jacket, he brushed broken glass shards from the seat. Then he ushered Ashley inside, instructing her to be careful. They didn’t have much time. Every minute counted.

He cranked the engine—and the heat—and turned around in the driveway. The cold wind hit his face as he took off down the road. Ashley sat beside him, seat belt strapped across her chest, and her arms wrapped over her. He wished he had a blanket to offer her. Instead, he pulled off his coat and draped it over her.

“You’re going to freeze,” she muttered.

“You’re always cold, even without thirty-degree wind hitting you in the face. I’ll be fine.”

He remembered that about her. He remembered a lot about her. Now wasn’t the time to think about those things. Now he had to think about staying alive.

This was not what he needed right now. No, right now he needed time to enjoy a quieter pace. He needed time to let his soul heal.

But instead, God had brought Ashley Wilson back into his life.

As if that wasn’t more of an emotional storm than he could handle, throw in the fact that someone was trying to kill her and, in effect, him also.

This was not the relaxing, healing time he’d anticipated when he’d come home and taken this new job.

When he’d last spoken to Ashley, she’d been finishing up her degree at a local college. She’d been working two jobs, trying to make ends meet. He’d always said that she was one of the hardest workers he’d ever met. She’d been focused, at the top of her class in academics and determined to do things on her own. Her dad had retired on disability after an injury at work, and money had been tight with her family. She’d even had the opportunity to play volleyball on a partial scholarship for a college down in North Carolina, but she’d turned it down to be close to her mom, dad and brother.

Guilt plagued him about that decision. He knew part of the reason she’d said no to that scholarship was because of him. They’d been planning their future together. She’d wanted to stick close by both for her family and because she felt it was important to give their relationship the time and effort it required.

Was she angry still? He couldn’t blame her if she was. He’d broken her heart.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Ashley muttered.

“It feels surreal to me, too, if it makes you feel better.”

She shook her head. “I just want to wake up and discover this is all a bad dream.”

He wondered if by all she included him? Probably.

His eyes watered from the wind. Thankfully, he didn’t see anyone behind him. A glance at his watch told him it was past midnight now. There wasn’t usually much traffic out on these back roads, especially not at this time of night.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Ashley shivering in the seat beside him. If he’d had another vehicle, he would have driven it. But desperate times called for desperate measures. Wasn’t that how the saying went?

He took back roads, all the way from Isle of Wight where he lived, through the neighboring Suffolk into Chesapeake and finally to Virginia Beach. Nearly an hour after he left, he pulled up to a guardhouse, showed his ID, had his truck searched as standard procedure and pulled through the gates.

“Where are we?” Ashley asked.

“We’re at Iron, Incorporated’s headquarters. You’ll be safe here for the night. I promise.”

* * *

Ashley stared at the huge, lodgelike building in front of her. So this was the prestigious paramilitary contracting firm she’d heard hints about. They were secretive in what they did, but people around town always whispered about them with pride. Rumors had it that they’d guarded ambassadors in the Middle East and developed cutting-edge technology that was soon to be released to help keep soldiers safer. They were said to be the best of the best.

She didn’t feel like soaking in the awe of the Eyes’ campus, though. She couldn’t even feel her skin anymore, not after the brutal wind had frozen it on the way here. All she wanted was to get off this roller-coaster ride for a moment and clear her head.

When they pulled to a stop, she didn’t wait for Christopher to get her door. Instead, she opened it, watching as some leftover glass rained to the ground below. She slid out, landing with a bounce on the asphalt.

They started walking toward the door when Christopher called her name and stopped her. He reached for her hair. Just the feeling of his fingers tangled in her tresses caused a shiver to race down her spine. It was like her body was betraying her. It should know better than to get warm fuzzies about Christopher, especially after all that had happened.

He held up a shiny speck. “Just some glass.”

She nodded, stuffed her hands in her pockets and kept walking. Christopher hurried ahead to the door and pulled it open for her. She gladly stepped inside the quiet and warm space. Her gaze swept the area—the ceiling stretched more than two stories high. Fireplaces flanked either side of the large lobby, which was also filled with leather couches and plush rugs. A majestic Christmas tree stretched high in the corner, filled with ornaments that looked like they’d been made by schoolchildren. She didn’t have time to dwell on that now. She walked over to the fireplace and knelt in front of it, letting the heat melt her frozen limbs.

“I’m going to get coffee,” Christopher called. “You still like yours black?”

She nodded, holding her hands up to the flames. He remembered. What did she expect? That he’d totally forgotten about their time together? That he’d erased it from his memory?

He returned a moment later with a steaming mug. She remained in front of the fire and took a sip. The liquid burned her mouth, but she didn’t care. Warmth was more important now. Maybe it would cause her shivers to finally stop.

“I’ve got to make a phone call, Ashley. Are you going to be okay here for a moment?”

She nodded again, wishing he wasn’t acting so concerned. It was easier not to like him if he acted mean and nasty. But when had he ever been mean and nasty?—unless you counted when he broke up with her. But even then, he’d been compassionate. His eyes had even welled with tears at one point.

The day flashed back into her memory. She could tell that something was wrong when he’d called her by phone. His voice had sounded too serious, too strained.

He’s going to tell me he’s going to the Middle East again, she’d thought.

She’d braced herself for the conversation, fluctuating between wanting to be supportive and wanting to beg him to stay.

Be a good fiancée. Accept that this is his job. Let him go, even if it means postponing the wedding.

He’d asked if they could meet down at the Virginia Beach boardwalk—one of their favorite places. She’d bundled up—it was cold outside—and waited for him on their favorite bench. Die-hard joggers had paced past, seagulls had complained overhead, salty air had filled her nostrils.

As soon as she’d seen Christopher walking toward her, she could tell something was wrong.

Her spine had stiffened. This is about more than Afghanistan, isn’t it? But what? In their two years together, they’d never even had a major fight. That’s how easy and natural their relationship had been.

Those expressive green eyes had held torn emotions as he sat beside her. His shoulders even looked burdened. “I can’t be with you, Ashley,” he’d told her.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve realized that I can’t be a good SEAL and a good husband.”

“What are you talking about?” She’d blinked back her confusion, certain that she hadn’t heard him correctly. What he said didn’t make sense.

He’d grabbed her hand. “You’re the only person I want to be with, Ashley. But that’s not fair to my country. I promised them I would protect our freedoms. I’m not doing that when I’m thinking about you. Being a SEAL...it’s almost like being married. And I’ve already made that commitment.”

“You’re breaking up with me?” Her voice had cracked in disbelief. How had things gone from perfect to this?

Water had filled his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ashley. I’ve been pretending I could do both, but it’s become clear that I can’t.”

She snapped back to the present and the blazing fire in front of her. Funny, she hadn’t thought about Christopher’s tear-filled eyes in a long time. Oh, she’d thought about the breakup, but somehow she’d blocked out memories of how anguished he’d looked during their conversation. Christopher was the last person she wanted to be thinking about right now.

She dragged her mind from one bad thought to another—David. Where was he right now? Was he warm? Comfortable? Had they fed him?

She took another sip of coffee, her hands still trembling as her heart ached.

Please, Lord, don’t let him be scared.

As anxiety squeezed her, she nearly dropped her coffee when a hand reached out and grabbed it. She looked up and saw Christopher there. Just in the nick of time. Again. Like always.

Except when he’d left her.

She had to stop thinking about that and start concentrating solely on the matters at hand. Her heart was just in such a fragile state right now that it kept going other places. Christopher helped her into a plush chair. She set her coffee on the table, unsure if her hands could hold it any longer.

“Two of the guys from Eyes are coming down. Jack and Denton. They’re still here, working on a big project for the Department of Defense. They’re the best. They’ll be able to help.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled. After a few minutes of silence stretched between them, she asked, “How’d you end up here, Christopher? I never thought you’d leave the military. I thought you’d be a career guy.”

A new somberness seemed to come over him. “So did I. But life changes sometimes. It was time.”

“How long have you been back?”

“Three months.” He changed the subject. “How about you? You still a web designer?”

She nodded. “Started my own business about five years ago.”

“You’re a business owner now?”

“I was working for a corporation, but I was miserable. Great benefits, great pay, but no fulfillment, you know what I mean? So I took a leap of faith and started my own company. I design websites for some major companies, all while working in the luxury of my own home. I’ve been really blessed.”

A smile spread over his face. “I know that’s what you always wanted to do. I’m glad you were able to.”

“Yeah, at least some things worked out according to plan.” She clamped her mouth shut. Now why had she gone and said that? It wasn’t very mature of her. She glanced at her hands. “I’m sorry.”

“I deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“All of this is a lot to handle. I think you’re doing just fine.”

Her gaze connected with his. “It’s only by God’s grace we’re alive, isn’t it?”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

She stared at him. He meant those words, didn’t he? When they’d known each other before, neither had been Christians. She must have stared at him long enough that he felt obligated to give an explanation.

“When you’ve seen some of the things that I saw over in the Middle East, you start believing there’s a God pretty quickly.”

“I’d imagine.” When you have to give your child up for adoption, you start believing pretty quickly, too. She kept that part to herself.

Just then, two men tromped down the stairs. She drew in a deep breath, ready to formulate a plan to get her brother and son back.

* * *

Jack Sergeant, the CEO of Eyes, and Mark Denton, his second in command, came to a stop in front of them. Both looked like they’d been working long hours. They’d abandoned their ties and coats. The top button of Denton’s white shirt was open and the shadow of a beard had already formed on his cheeks.

Mark—who went by Denton—had helped to train Christopher as a SEAL before going to work for the CIA. He’d been Christopher’s contact in getting a job here and, for that, Christopher was grateful.

Christopher trusted Jack and Denton more than if they’d been brothers. Both had been SEALs and had earned reputations as being trustworthy and loyal, as well as innovative and at the top of their game in the paramilitary contracting world. He’d jumped at the chance to come work for them.

They introduced themselves to Ashley. Jack put his hands on his hips, his brow furrowed with concern. “What’s going on?”

Ashley glanced at Christopher before sucking in a deep breath and telling her story. Even though she had to be exhausted and scared, she maintained a calm demeanor that he could appreciate. Except for her voice cracking a few times, she stuck to the facts.

Denton stepped forward. “Is there anything you can remember about the car?”

She nodded. “The license plate number.”

Christopher raised his eyebrows. “You can?”

She nodded again. “I thought the police were the only ones who could do something with that information, though. I figured it would do us no good.”

Jack shook his head. “We’ll look into it. You have no idea who these men are?”

Ashley shook her head. “No, I have no idea. We’re just simple, everyday people. Things like this don’t happen to us.”

Jack grunted. Christopher knew that he understood what it was like when simple, everyday people got mixed up in things bigger than they seemed equipped to handle. That was how Jack had met the woman who was now his wife, for that matter. At least that reminded Christopher of how good things could come from bad situations, similar to the flower garden he’d stumbled upon in the middle of a military base. Some soldiers had decided to make the place feel like home and planted roses and hollyhocks and other varieties he couldn’t identify. How they’d made those flowers grow in that soil, he’d never know. But they had, and they’d proven to him that from the dust something beautiful could grow.

“You’re both welcome to stay here for as long as you need to,” Jack started. “Christopher, the men are at your place now, checking things out and boarding up your windows. You did the right thing by leaving immediately. In the meantime, we’ll look into that license plate number and see what we can find out.” He glanced at Ashley. “Why don’t you give us your address and a house key? We’ll search your place also, just to make sure there’s nothing we’re missing.”

“I appreciate it.” Her gaze met each person’s in the circle while her hand clutched the necklace at her throat. “I appreciate all of your help. I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Jack patted her arm. “We’re glad you’re here. Let us know if you need anything else.” He offered a curt wave before he headed back up the stairs.

Denton lingered, his gaze meeting Christopher’s. “Christopher, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Christopher nodded and followed him to a corner. He glanced back at Ashley and saw that she’d already gravitated back toward the fire again. By the set of her shoulders, she looked like she was carrying a weight far heavier than she should bear.

He turned back to Denton. “What is it?”

Denton lowered his voice. “Are you sure you can handle this?” His eyes showed that he was dead serious.

“Of course.” Christopher wasn’t sure what his superior was getting at.

Denton crossed his arms and shifted, his voice still low and conspirative. “You took this job to recover from war. You’re being thrown right back into a battle, though.”

Christopher straightened. “I can handle it.”

“I know you think you’re tough. You are tough. But even the toughest soldiers have to step away from the battle sometimes.”

“Sometimes a soldier has no choice but to go back into the fight. They have to reach down inside and find strength, even when they don’t think they have it. That’s what one of the men who once trained me said, at least.” He kept his chin raised and stood at full attention, though he knew Denton would tell him to be at ease.

Denton stared at him a moment before nodding. A smile stretched across his face and he gripped his arm. Denton had been that man who said those words. “I’m here for you if you need me.”

“You always have been. I appreciate that, sir.”

Denton leaned closer. “Listen, I don’t know what your past relationship is with Ashley, but I get the feeling you two were more than friends.”

“Yes, we were. We were engaged, to be exact.”

His eyes widened a moment. “This was the girl you were crazy about while you were in training, huh? I remember the way you talked about her like she was the best thing to ever happen to you.”

“She was the best thing to ever happen to me.” His heart squeezed as he said the words. They were true. Walking away from Ashley had felt like walking away from his heart.

“Don’t let your past get in the way of doing what you have to do.”

“Yes, sir.” He glanced back over at Ashley. Those words would be the hardest to follow through on. Remembering their time together was so bittersweet.

Somehow, he had to ignore the fact that she hated him and realize that God had brought her back into his life for some reason...maybe even just forgiveness and closure? He didn’t know.

But he did know that, in Christ, all things worked together for His good.

Somehow, someway, something good was going to come out of all of this.

The question was...what?