My Once in a Lifetime

by Nicole Vidal

  The farmhouse is picturesque, like Connor’s parents’ but more modern. It has a wraparound porch complete with Adirondack chairs. The entryway is flawless with wide plank flooring and a modern light fixture. The living room has a structured sectional bracketing a wood-burning fireplace. There’s a young woman in the kitchen.

  “You must be Gemma.” I extend my hand to her. She’s average height and thin with short hair. The ends are pink. It makes me wonder if she had a phase and she’s growing it out.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Norah. I set some clothes for you in the guest room across from Jacob’s. I purchased basic toiletries, including contact solution and a case. I just finished putting some groceries away.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ll be on my way. If you need something before the team returns, my number is near the phone in Jacob’s office.”

  I smile, and Gemma hurries out the door. I wonder what her story is.

  Ben speaks next. “I already fed Tank. He should be set until morning. The food is to the left of the sink. If Christoph gives you any grief, feel free to call me.”

  I laugh. Christoph folds his arms across his chest but says nothing.

  “Norah, I know things are unsettled right now. Jacob will be back as soon as he can with Maia.” Ben is as good at reading people as his son.

  I nod, and Ben leaves out the front door.

  “Let’s get that wine.”

  I lift an eyebrow but follow Christoph down the hall and into the basement. The lower level is set up like a cozy family room with a large TV and a few pinball machines along one wall. There are a few doors. One is ajar. Inside, a small powder room. Christoph stops at the middle door and opens it.

  Tank doesn’t enter the room. He sits by the door patiently. I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it. The room is a perfect wine cellar right down to the controlled temperature.

  “Did this come with the house?”

  “No, this property and the house were a mess when Jacob bought it. He refurbished the entire house himself, including building this cellar. What did you say you were looking for?”

  “Mayacamas 2014.”

  Clearly, he has been down here before. I glance to my right and see two bottles of cabernet sauvignon Abreu Madrona Ranch 1997. Jacob clearly knows wine. Just another thing to add to the too-good-to-be-true list. More like a perfect-for-me list. There’s no way Jacob knows my favorite wine. Christoph moves over to the wall to our left and scans a few rows before pulling out a bottle.

  “Thank you.”

  Christoph leads me back upstairs and sets a glass and a corkscrew on the granite island.

  “Just one?”

  “I can’t drink while I’m working.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s no problem. After the last few days, you deserve that glass. Hell, you deserve the whole bottle and then some.”

  I open the bottle and pour myself a glass. I settle onto a chair, looking out into presumably his backyard. The sky is dark now; I can only see shadows.

  “Are you allowed to tell me what’s going on with Maia?”

  “I don’t know anything more than you right now. Like you, Maia had a tracker. They will get to her. When I know something, I’ll share it with you.”

  I return my gaze to the blackness beyond the French doors.

  Chapter 28

  Jacob

  Norah is safe at home. My home. No woman has ever been in my home. I never wanted a woman there before her. I track Maia to a warehouse in the south end of Boston. Nolan and I are actively working on a plan to make entry. The warehouse has multiple points of ingress and egress. A few more team members would be helpful. Although generally, we’re attempting to rescue a client with no skills. Each team member has a unique set of skills. Maia is a combat veteran. After two tours, she shifted to intelligence. She’ll be ready.

  The clock is ticking. I’m working under the assumption that the Morettis hired Iris to make Norah talk and then kill her. That thought makes chills run down my spine. I was close to losing Norah today, and she doesn’t even know how I feel about her. With that in mind, I’m aware the Morettis know that Norah has martial arts training. Neither Norah nor Maia would go easily if attacked. I’m sure they drugged Maia like they did Norah.

  Connor: ETA thirty minutes.

  Me: Roger. 314

  I rehash our plan again with Nolan for the fifth or maybe the sixth time. Then I take a break and send Nolan for some food. Once Connor arrives, we’ll go over the plan again and retrieve Maia. I have coordinated vehicles on two egress routes.

  Connor arrives soon after Nolan leaves. He gets right down to business.

  “What’s the plan?” Connor asks, plopping down in the chair beside me.

  “Food and then scoop up Maia.”

  Nolan reenters the room with enough food for a small army. As we dig into the burgers and fries, the guys and I review the plan a few more times. The tracker hasn’t moved since she arrived at the warehouse.

  Near ten, we load up and trek over to get Maia back.

  “Radio check,” I say.

  “Two,” Connor replies.

  “Three,” Nolan chimes in.

  “Let’s go get our girl.”

  Connor and Nolan will enter from the east side of the warehouse. I’m taking the south entrance. As I approach, the guard turns away from me. Subduing him, I move him out of sight before entering the building. I clear a path down the hallway to where the tracker is pinging. Crouching, I glide past the door. As I get closer, Connor and Nolan approach. Testing the knob, I find it unlocked. I feel a tap on my shoulder.

  I throw the door open and fan to the right, clearing around the room. Maia is lying in the middle of the room. As I circle her, she doesn’t appear to be significantly injured. A few small abrasions on her arms, and she’s barefoot. Nolan checks her pulse before handing a folded piece of paper up to me.

  Mr. Blackthorne,

  Surrender the ledger or Norah Cavallaro dies.

  Iris

  The note is on thin cream paper with the Moretti Family Brands logo emblazoned across the top.

  Fuck! This isn’t over yet. “Status?”

  “She appears to be drugged. There is an injection site on the side of her neck,” Nolan states.

  “Let’s move out. She needs a doctor. Connor, call—”

  “Dialing.”

  Nolan lifts Maia, cradling her in his arms. An unmistakable expression crosses Nolan’s face as he looks down at her. He cares about her more than a teammate. I’ll address it later.

  With Nolan sandwiched between me and Connor, we move to the south entrance. After another sweep of the grounds, we rush to our vehicle. Nolan sets Maia on the back seat before climbing in after her.

  “Smith will meet us at the hotel. He needs an idea of what they gave her.”

  “They injected Norah with ketamine earlier this week.”

  I drive as quickly as possible back to our hotel. Connor uses the main entrance while I wait with Nolan at the side of the building.

  “Nolan, lock down whatever feelings you have for her until this over. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” he grits out.

  Once inside the room, Nolan gently lays Maia on the scratchy floral bedspread. Smith joins us and sets to working on Maia. Nolan paces the floor beside the bed. I get where his head is; I was just there with Norah.

  “I gave her naloxone. Hopefully, it was ketamine. If you’re correct she should wake within the next hour or so. When she does, small amounts of water for an hour. Then she should be fine. You should expect her to be dizzy and unsteady on her feet. She may even have numbness in her hands or feet. It’s temporary. She shouldn’t be alone for the next eight to ten hours.”

  “Can she fly?”

  “Yes, once she wakes. If she experiences significant changes, give me another call. It’s good to see you despite the circumstances.”

  “You too.”

  Smith serv
ed with Connor and me during our first tour and the third. He dug the bullet out of my arm, stitched me up, and fixed up Connor’s shoulder.

  “If you ever decide to move on from emergency medicine, give me a call.”

  “Will do,” Smith replies before leaving.

  Connor pulls up a chair. Nolan is sitting on the edge of the bed holding Maia’s hand.

  “We need to check her for a tracker. Nolan, roll her toward you. I’m going to check the same spot they inserted Norah’s.”

  With precision, I guide my hand along Maia’s neck, but find nothing. I glide my fingers along the tops of her shoulders, coming up empty.

  “My name isn’t Norah. It’s M….” Maia’s eyes flutter open, and she strikes out with her hand, hitting Nolan on the side of his face.

  “Maia, you’re safe. We’ve got you.”

  “Norah, they still want Norah.”

  “It’s okay. She’s safe,” Nolan offers to calm her down.

  “I hit you. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m fine,” Nolan replies. The tension in his voice is unmistakable.

  “How are you feeling? Do you recall anything that Iris said?” I ask to move this along. We need to get out of here.

  “Dizzy and hungry but otherwise okay. The woman with the purple hair didn’t say much. The only thing she said was to someone named Morris on the phone.”

  Morse. Iris is working with Morse.

  “What did she say to Morse?”

  “That Norah was at the meeting and I was a decoy.”

  “Make sure there are no traces of Blackthorne. Think you can handle getting to the car on your own?” I instruct them to make sure the room is clear of all evidence we were here.

  “Yes, let’s go.”

  I step into the hallway, Maia directly behind me and Connor and Nolan close behind her. We exit out the side door directly into our car.

  “Please call Wilkerson and get us a ride home,” I say, handing my phone to Connor. This part is complete, but this assignment isn’t over. Not even close. She’s still not safe. Where is the ledger? I have no doubt Norah is being truthful. Where else could it be? Who else could have it? As I drive along the interstate, even more questions float through my mind.

  Upon landing at the farm, we settle Maia in at the bunkhouse with Nolan promising to stay with her. I’ll address his feelings for Maia after this assignment is complete.

  “I’ll be back at ten tomorrow to plan,” Connor says before walking to his truck.

  “Let’s make it noon. We all need some rest.”

  “See you then.”

  I wave backward while opening my front door. I whistle softly for Tank, who runs straight to me. Christoph follows him from the hallway.

  “How is Maia?”

  “She’ll be fine. She’s resting in the bunkhouse.”

  “Good.”

  “Any issues?” I don’t expect any, but still need to ask.

  “No, she went to sleep about three hours ago.”

  “Thank you. We’re reconvening tomorrow at noon. Get some sleep.”

  Christoph nods and walks back down the hall. He moves the chair he was using back into the office and leaves through the front door.

  After setting the alarm, I peek in on Norah. She’s curled up in my guest room. She’s stunning even in sleep. I have seen her dressed for a wedding; even then she doesn’t cake makeup on her flawless skin. She doesn’t need it. Separating myself from her today was the right call. It was personally painful but professionally necessary. It’s seems clear to me that Moretti’s men don’t know what she looks like. They were tracking me. I set Tank outside her door and shower off the day. Less than an hour later, I slide into the bed behind her.

  “Hi,” she murmurs softly, pressing her curves closer to me.

  “Hi.”

  “Is Maia okay?”

  “She’ll be fine.”

  “Your home is beyond words. Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “You’re welcome. Sleep, gorgeous. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” I tug her even closer and press my lips to her bare shoulder.

  Chapter 29

  Norah

  Bright rays of sunshine filter into the room. I didn’t close the curtains last night. Trying to stay awake was futile, especially after the glass of wine. I’m still wondering how I never learned that Jacob is a wine aficionado. Deep down, I know the answer. We didn’t really share about our lives when we were together. Turning slowly in Jacob’s arms, I study his face. In sleep, he is completely relaxed. His dimple isn’t visible right now, neither is the crinkle around his eyes. The sexy cleft and a day’s worth of stubble make for a gorgeous view first thing in the morning. The few times he has slept beside me since sharing about his flashbacks, he hasn’t had any.

  “Go back to sleep, beautiful. I’m not ready to let you out of my arms just yet.”

  Seriously, does he need to keep saying things like that? “I just wanted a better look at you. I’m not moving.”

  “What time is it?” he asks without opening his steely blue eyes—eyes that melt me into a puddle as easily as his touch. I have forced myself to avoid speculating on why he refuses to be in a relationship.

  I crane my neck to read the clock. “It’s near eight.”

  “Good, the team isn’t returning until noon.”

  He slides his arms around my waist, pulling me against him. My head tucks under his chin. Fresh, clean bodywash teases my nose. His impressive arousal rests against my hip. I attempt to stifle a sigh but fail. Pushing away his effect on me is impossible while in his arms. However, I need to hear him out first. Even this is skirting the line I drew in my mind. Then again, so was that kiss on the plane. It’s times like right now, I wish my mother were still here. I need to talk to someone who had a strong, lasting relationship. While my mother died young, they were married for a long time beforehand.

  Settling my thoughts, I decide to enjoy being with Jacob and fall asleep again.

  Tank barking wakes me out of a deep sleep. Jacob is on his feet and already tugging a shirt over his head before I even register what’s happening. A quick glance at the clock indicates it’s almost ten. Either someone is early or has arrived unannounced.

  “Please stay here. No one shows up unannounced.” Jacob leaves the room.

  Sitting up, I lean against the headboard. I hear talking but can’t make out the words. Then I hear the alarm reengage.

  “That was Gemma. She wanted to check on you,” Jacob says, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

  “That was nice of her. She’s super cute and thoughtful.”

  “She’s a great kid. Her father was my commanding officer. He said her teen years were tough. I hired her when I opened Blackthorne. The structure works for her.”

  “How are you?” I ask, sliding my hand along his jaw. I resist drawing my thumb across his lips. He looks tired, but I know he hasn’t slept enough in the last week.

  “I’ll be fine when you’re safe. How are you?”

  “I’m handling it. The chaos is a bit much for me, but I’m doing my best to keep my need for order in check.”

  “Honestly, you’re handling this better than most clients.”

  “Thanks. What do I need to know?” I’m afraid to ask, but I need to know what I’m up against. I assume they took Maia thinking she was me. If so, this isn’t over yet.

  “They took Maia because they thought she was you. Thanks to Blaine, they didn’t have a photo of you. Moretti’s men were tracking me to get to you. Either they believe I don’t trust my team, or they think we’re together.”

  “Your instinct was right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have they been watching me that long?” That thought makes me angry. I didn’t notice anything. Although, I suppose if he or she were doing their job, I wouldn’t see them.

  “It’s likely. There’s no other way for them to know about us.”

  A look or something must have crossed my face because Jacob stand
s, scoops me into his arms, and resettles us on the bed with his arms holding me snug against his chest.

  “That’s terrifying. I didn’t have any idea someone was watching me.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “What else?”

  “How do you know there’s more?”

  “You paused too long.”

  He inhales before speaking again. “The Morettis, through Iris, the woman who took Maia, left a note. They threatened your life if they don’t get the ledger.”

  A chill runs through me. Turning my head slowly, I look into his eyes. He’s concerned.

  “I don’t have it! I’ve never seen it!” Bringing the errors to Mr. Sterling’s attention was the right thing, even if it caused this.

  “Breathe, Norah. I believe you. Either way, we must find it. Later, when the team arrives, we’ll figure out a starting point. I’ll have Blaine start looking as well.”

  “Can I call my family at some point today?”

  “Yes, you can call later. Why did you choose this room?”

  “I didn’t. Gemma did.”

  Seemingly satisfied with that answer, he continues. “Your bag is in my room. If you need anything let me know. We can send Gemma, or you can order it and have it shipped.”

  “I don’t have access to my money. Plus, I owe you a bottle of Mayacamas 2014.”

  “I’ll give you mine. Christoph shared my secret room, huh?”

  “Is it a secret if Christoph knows about it?”

  “I suppose not. Why that bottle? There are plenty of excellent choices.”

  “When we were on the plane, Christoph asked what I wanted and that was my reply. Had I known you have stellar taste in wine, including my favorite, I would have chosen that one. I was just joking around. Then he led me downstairs.”

  “What is your favorite?”

  “My favorite cab is—”

  “Let me guess. I have it downstairs, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Abreu Madrona Ranch 1997.”

  “How on earth? I never told you that’s my favorite.”