by Julia Crane
Her eyes snapped open, her mind abruptly clear. He stood above her staring down at her. All she could see was his muscular chest. He was strong, and he could bring her pain. How did she go from walking down the street to being tied to a bed?
“Lift your head.”
She hesitated only for a second before obeying.
Her lips parted to scream, but he covered her mouth with duct tape. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, even though she knew she could breathe through her nose. Her heart hammered against her rib cage. She prayed for strength to make it through what she knew to be unavoidable.
“This could have been so much easier. If you would have just cooperated,” he said in a soothing voice that made her feel like she was the crazy one.
She trembled uncontrollably. Despite the tape, she still tried to scream through the gag.
“If you displease me, I will remove the tape, and your brother will hear you. You don’t want that now, do you?”
She shook her head violently.
“See, I can be nice when I want to be.” An evil smile spread across his face.
Terror gripped her.
And then came the pain.
CHAPTER 6
Kaitlyn had no idea why Harrington insisted on keeping their location a secret. Her internal GPS immediately notified her when they landed in Eastport, Maine. The computer side of her brain gave her a quick breakdown of their location.
Population: thirteen hundred and fifty.
Temperature: twenty-seven degrees.
Local time: twelve thirty-seven.
Eastport’s claim to fame: being the most eastern city in the United States. Images of the picturesque costal town flashed across her internal screen. Eastport appeared to be a beautiful location, but they were not there to sightsee.
A smile crossed her face, as Lucas glanced out the window of the plane. He swore under his breath, when he saw a foot of snow blanketed the ground. Kaitlyn’s gaze dropped to his mouth. Memories of his lips on hers made her want to wrap her arms around him, but this was not the time or place.
“Good thing I brought my Gortex jacket,” he mumbled. He stood up, pulled his bags from the overhead compartment, and slipped on his jacket.
He was so cute when he was annoyed.
Erik deplaned first. They had become accustomed to thinking of Harrington as their principal, meaning they always guarded his safety first. Kaitlyn went after Harrington, with Lucas and Adams following close behind.
A rush of excitement hit her as she stepped into the cold afternoon. Perfect snowflakes floated softly around them. The ground was slick with ice.
Slowly, she scanned the area. Kaitlyn counted three heat sources in the small airport. From the size and shape, plus heart rate, she deduced that they were humans.
Two large men stood waiting in front of a white van. They were dressed in khaki pants and black Arcteryx jackets commonly worn by Special Forces operators. Her sensors zeroed in. The targeting screen that was part of her internal weapon’s system placed a bull’s-eye on both of them, picking them up as potential threats.
Harrington held up his hand. “Relax, Kaitlyn. They are our escorts, not a threat.”
She acknowledged his comment with a curt nod, but her body remained on high alert. Outsiders made her nervous. And the two men were clearly powerful and without a doubt deadly. Knuckle draggers, as Erik liked to call men in their field.
Harrington should have had a car waiting so they could drive themselves to the undisclosed location. The five of them strode across the tarmac, black cases in hand. Lucas was on one side of her and Erik on the other. They were two men she trusted with her life and both of whom she would freely give her own life for.
Once they were a few feet away from the men at the van, Erik increased his pace. Kaitlyn felt everything kick into high gear. What was going on? Did Erik sense something she had missed? Not a possibility.
“Kaitlyn,” Harrington said with a trace of amusement. “It’s fine.”
Erik dropped his bag, reached his hand out to shake the other man’s hand and then pulled him into a tight embrace. Kaitlyn tried to make sense of the situation. She turned to Lucas with a questioning gaze, and he shrugged.
After pulling away, Erik turned towards them with a rare smile on his face. “My old teammate, Ace. He saved my ass on more than one occasion.”
It was strange to see Erik show such obvious affection. Kaitlyn was surprised to feel a twinge of jealousy. Erik was her partner.
Ace clapped his hand on Erik’s shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Erik returned the favor in kind. I believe we’re even now, but who’s counting.”
Kaitlyn took in Erik’s old teammate. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled features, six foot three, two hundred and twenty-three pounds. Heart rate a steady sixty-three beats per minute. With his relaxed posture, he no longer came across as a threat on her internal screen. But Kaitlyn wasn’t sure she liked the man.
The other hulk of a man silently slipped around and slid open the side door. Moving with the grace of an athlete, he was almost the same height and weight as Ace. He appeared older. His dark hair was graying at the temples, but he was no less formidable. His posture was ramrod straight, head on a swivel, eyes alert. He was on guard. She wasn’t sure she could say the same about Erik and Ace.
The older stranger’s face did not reveal any thoughts or emotions. His eyes were calm and alert, his manor professional. He did not bother to inform them of his name, which met with Kaitlyn’s approval, as she did not think it was necessary to do so.
“It’s cold as hell. Can we get moving?” Lucas shifted on his feet, and his breath misted in the air.
Kaitlyn gave Lucas a weary look. Cold as hell was one of those sayings that made absolutely no literal sense, but now was not the time to bring up that fact.
They piled into the van, the three of them getting in the back while Harrington and Adams sat in the middle row. Kaitlyn looked at Erik, seeking to understand his sudden transformation. She didn’t care for the way Erik’s face had softened after seeing his old friend. It made her uneasy.
As if hearing her unstated question, Erik spoke. “We go way back. I had no idea Ace had been contracted out for the security detail.”
“Thick as thieves.” Ace turned and grinned.
A quick scan told her thick as thieves meant they were loyal and as close knit as a family. Kaitlyn briefly wondered if there was anyone in her life with whom the saying would apply. Of course there was Lucas. He knew her better than anyone, and perhaps Quess. But maybe not. The saying seemed to indicate something deeper then friendship, but not quite the same thing as love. Language could be very complex.
Harrington glanced over his shoulder at Erik, arching an eyebrow. “He came highly recommended. When I noticed his background was very similar to yours, I did some cross-references. As a trusted teammate of yours, I felt secure in hiring him for this detail. It’s as simple as that.”
Erik seemed to accept the explanation. His relaxed posture was quickly replaced with the serious demeanor Kaitlyn had grown accustomed to. Hopefully, there would be no more lapses once the mission went live. It suddenly occurred to Kaitlyn that she also changed when in Lucas’s company. She would have to be aware of that and not make the same mistake Erik had made. Letting her guard down was not an option. The mission and her job meant too much to her. For the first time, she wondered if it was wise to have Lucas so closely involved.
With a quick glance at his strong profile, she pushed the thought out of her mind. At the end of the day, no one knew her programming better than Lucas and in truth, no one else was capable of the job. Not even Adams. Much of her coding was specially designed by Lucas’s incredible mind. Adams was more an overseer.
Their tires spun on the ice as they took off down the narrow unpaved driveway, and Kaitlyn wondered where their next destination would be. More importantly, she wanted to know when they would be heading to Croatia. But she wasn’t about to discuss details with the two
unknown entities in the van.
Kaitlyn gazed out the window. They turned down a freshly plowed, rural road. Snow banks nearly four feet high lined the roads, and the van’s tires crunched on the packed snow. Several buildings were scattered around, including a small general store and pizza shop. The snow-filled trees were quite breathtaking.
She could feel the heat from both Erik’s and Lucas’ muscular thighs pressed against hers. She found herself distracted by the unique bond she had to each of the men.
What in the world was wrong with her? She needed to focus; her total concentration was needed. She could not allow anyone—or anything—to distract her from the most important job of her life. Her entire reputation, and that of IFICS, could be built or destroyed during this mission.
Her attention went back to the scenery blurring past her. Small picturesque homes littered the landscape. A few children played outside, making snowmen. It wasn’t long before they were in the middle of nowhere. The only things surrounding them were snow, trees and the occasional animal. Regardless of the cold, the sun shone brightly, glaring off the snow, but the tinted windows, along with polarized lenses that slid across her irises, caused her to be unaffected. Lucas squinted his eyes, and Erik pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his bag.
They drove over the man-made causeway, and her sensors alerted her they had left the city limits of Eastport. They were traveling through an Indian reservation, and soon would cross into Perry, Maine.
“We’re about to pass the only store for miles. Do you need me to pull over?” Ace asked.
“No. The house is fully stocked,” Harrington replied.
“Roger.” Ace flicked on the blinker.
They traveled another seventeen minutes down a narrow winding side road before turning into a hidden gravel driveway, which had been recently plowed.
Tree branches scraped across the van. Enormous trees in a mile deep forest provided adequate coverage. A huge colonial with a wraparound porch sat off in the distance. She thought it was an unusual location, but what did she know? Harrington was the brains behind the planning, while she just followed orders.
Ace and his sidekick went in first to make sure the building was secure. When they came out, they walked the perimeter. Kaitlyn could have told them the place was empty, but she knew not to draw attention to her extra abilities. Once they had the all clear, they grabbed their gear and climbed up the stairs, kicking the snow off their shoes before taking them off in the mudroom. The screen door opened quietly, only to bang loudly behind them.
Kaitlyn took in her surrounding, instantly loving the large, open floor plan. Dark hardwood floors glowed softly, reflecting the midday light. A huge stone fireplace took up almost the whole side of one wall. A gun rack hung above the fireplace. She was surprised to find the rack empty. The furniture was sparse. An old worn couch draped with a red plaid blanket, two rocking chairs, and an oval, braided rug covered the floor in front of the fireplace. The house gave off a peaceful vibe.
The idea fascinated her. How could inanimate objects give off a vibe?
Harrington tore off his jacket, draped it on the coat rack and loosened his tie. “Kaitlyn, I would like to give you a quick tour of the place.”
She nodded and went to his side. Without being told, she knew what he really wanted her to do—sweep for listening devices. It was one of the many protocols they had set in place on the rare occasions they left the compound. She was a virtual bug detector and would be able to detect any unauthorized radio frequencies as low as 15 kilohertz. Transmitters could use AC power lines or even telephone lines to carry signals. Technology was quite incredible, she had to admit. Thankfully, because of her, IFICS was head and shoulders above the rest, even in the clandestine world. Where others had to use special devices, Kaitlyn’s sensors were all programmed inside of her.
Quickly, they went through each of the rooms. As she suspected, the place was clean.
“Is this your place?” Kaitlyn asked. There was nothing that gave away the fact that Harrington had ever lived there before, but he seemed at ease as they moved through the rooms. A calmness came over him and he appeared nostalgic in certain areas of the old house. She noticed the way he ran his hand over the woodwork. More than once, she caught a strange look of longing in his eye.
“Very astute of you. I used to come here as a boy. I’ve added a few additions to make it more user-friendly. Outside you’ll find a gymnasium with everything you will need for training. There is also a shooting range indoors and out.”
“Sounds promising,” Kaitlyn replied.
“Hopefully, it meets with your approval.”
She wasn’t sure why it had to meet with her approval. “We shouldn’t be here very long, should we?”
Harrington didn’t say anything. Kaitlyn mulled over his silence. She was eager to get the mission off the ground. She didn’t like even a hint of delay. However, Erik had told her time and time again that patience was the biggest asset of an operator.
“After you,” Harrington said, nodding his head towards the staircase.
Kaitlyn descended the steps, taking in the scene below. The older guard was busy making a fire, while Ace and Erik walked towards the back of the house, talking in hushed voices. Kaitlyn could listen in if she wanted to, but after Dr. Chambers’ reminder of invading privacy, she decided against it, even though she was more than a little curious.
The room soon filled with the scent of burning wood and the sounds of crackling flames. The familiar smell tugged at a lost memory. Once in a while she got quick flashes, but this one seemed just out of her reach. Even though Lucas had returned her memories, she could not always access them. Lucas told her it was the same for most humans. Life continued, but the past was often forgotten. For some reason the idea of lost memories saddened her.
At least now, she would no longer have to worry about that. For any memories made since her transformation, she had total recall, much like rewinding a movie and hitting play. Sometimes when she was alone, she replayed special moments she’d shared with Lucas.
“All right. Well let’s get settled in and then meet back here in an hour. Kaitlyn and Lucas, your room is at the end of the hallway on the right. Erik’s is across the hall from you two. Adams, you’re upstairs with me,” Harrington said.
Adams grumbled about making an old man climb another flight of stairs. The older guard stood up and wiped the knees of his pants before grabbing Adams’ bags and carrying them up the stairs.
When he came back down there was a hint of a smile on his otherwise stoic face. “Glorified valet.”
Lucas laughed, and Kaitlyn studied the man. He caught her watching him, and he simply smiled.
“I’m Nick by the way.”
Kaitlyn hesitated before saying, “Okay.”
Lucas gave her a look before he took a step forward. “Lucas, and this is my girlfriend, Kaitlyn. We appreciate your services.”
Kaitlyn forced a smile. She really thought the informal pleasantries were unnecessary, but she could tell by the look Lucas gave her that she was not integrating properly. She tried to think of something trivial to say. Why was this so hard for her?
Lucas came to the rescue. “Harrington said there was food?”
“Right this way.” Nick led them down the short hallway to a spacious kitchen that was set off to the left. A rough granite tabletop was the focal point of the room. Kaitlyn ran her fingers along the uneven texture. Everything in the kitchen was dark grey. The only splash of color came from the yellow curtains above the sink where light filtered through. Even the refrigerator was an unusual brushed metal. Whoever designed the house had great taste. Somehow, they managed to bring the feel of the outdoors inside the home.
“Hot chocolate?” Nick asked.
Kaitlyn perked up despite herself; chocolate had a way of doing that to her. “Marshmallows?”
Nick grinned. “You’re in luck.”
Lucas placed his arm around her waist, but Kaitlyn pulled a
way. It was obvious by the way his eyes clouded over she had hurt his feelings. Once they were alone, she would have to explain being here was no different than when they were at work. He should know better.
Kaitlyn pulled out a stool, while Nick heated up the milk, cocoa, salt and sugar in a pan. Lucas sat down next to her, but kept more distance than usual between them. Maybe she wouldn’t have to broach the subject.
A few moments later, Nick set the mug down and Kaitlyn cradled the cup in her hands before closing her eyes to take the first sip of the warm liquid. When the sugar hit her tongue, a soft moan of pleasure escaped her lips. Even better than she had expected. So many simple pleasures in the world. She looked up and gave Nick a curt nod.He grinned crookedly.
Lucas nudged her arm while wiping the napkin across his face. “You gotta little something on your lip.”
A chocolate mustache, as Quess would call it. Kaitlyn smiled and took another sip before wiping her face. She would have to ask Nick to tell her his recipe, because his hot chocolate was quite possibly the best she’d ever tasted.
Erik and Ace strolled into the kitchen laughing. Kaitlyn studied them and found she envied their bond. Erik appeared so at ease and happy. In all the time she had known him, this was the first time she’d heard him laugh.
Kaitlyn stiffened and gave him an impatient look. He looked at her a little puzzled, but didn’t acknowledge it. She tore her gaze from his face.
“Catching up?” Lucas asked.
“Ah, the stories I could tell about this one.” Ace pushed Erik’s shoulder back.
Erik flashed him a look as if telling him to keep his mouth shut.
Kaitlyn took a sip of the hot chocolate, watching the exchange with interest. She wondered what sort of stories he was talking about. She debated asking, but Ace spoke up first.
“Kaitlyn, Erik tells me you’ve been working closely together?”
Kate glanced at Erik and then back at Ace. “That’s true.”
The room lapsed into an awkward silence.
Kaitlyn finished her drink, stood up and placed it in the sink.