Handsome shrugged and started the engine. “Some kind of romantic notion, I suppose. Money to be made.” He eased the vehicle forward. The sound of crunching snow and the click of Tessa’s seat belt mingled with the soft snores of her children. “Things were not so good back then. I was not sure of my direction.”
“And here you are, shepherding us to safety.”
“Don’t give me any wings or a halo. I’m doing this to help myself. The folks of Enigma tried to recruit me because I have certain contacts and skills. They got me out of a hellhole prison in Tunisia.”
“What did you do?”
“Doesn’t matter. I will tell you I was framed by your boyfriend Captain Wise-Ass Hunter. All a setup so I’d come to work for Enigma.”
“For one, he’s not my boyfriend. Two; they don’t set people up to work for them.”
“Really?” He waited before pulling out onto the partially cleared road. “How did you come to work for them?”
“Totally different.” Tessa experienced a couple of flashbacks of their tumultuous beginnings.
“You keep telling yourself that. Pretend you have a choice. Try to leave them sometime and see what happens to you.”
“I have the ear of the president.”
He chuckled in a sinister tone. “Yeah. We all do.” He glanced over at her.
She realized her mouth had dropped open to speak but nothing came out.
“What? You think you’re the only one who the president strokes to get what he wants?”
“Let’s talk about you, not me. What did they do to you?”
“I’m done talking. Get some sleep. I’ll take you home, and life will be good.”
Tessa didn’t want to hear anything questionable about Chase or the rest of the team. She decided it might be better to take it up with him the next time they met. For all she knew, Handsome Jones was a liar or worse. She trusted the team. If they held back information from her, then it was for a good reason. With all they’d been through together, Enigma had earned the right to demand her loyalty and trust.
As her eyelids grew heavy, she considered Robert. How would she explain Sean Patrick’s call for help? Letting a strange man into her car, escaping into the night to some unknown cabin in the woods, a car chase ending with her stabbing car tires… How would she give all that a positive spin? Robert would listen to the children babble on about their skiing trip then move to the adventure that followed. She needed to be prepared for her husband’s reaction.
She didn’t deserve such a good man. He loved her. There were no surprises to come back to haunt him. If he knew all the chaos and mayhem she’d been involved in the last two years, he’d put his law degree to good use and divorce her. All he knew was President Buck Austin was extremely grateful she’d saved his life and ensured she got a plush job with the State Department while she worked on her Ph.D. in geopolitical conflict.
When work got crazy at the law firm, he bordered on being an absent father. The boys learned early on their father couldn’t be counted on to make every game or even practice some old-fashioned catch in the evenings because he was too tired. But he loved his children and often bragged on them. Heather managed to weave some kind of a spell over him, like little girls do. She pouted if he didn’t swing her up in his arms when he came home at night. Even when he tried to discipline her, it never worked out like he planned.
“I love my family,” Robert would say when he kissed her good night.
“And we love you,” she responded.
Their love had been tested in the last two years, with Enigma placing demands on her life that became difficult to handle even when nothing went wrong. Something took over her common sense when it came to doing their so-called “patriotic duty,” to make life safer for her children. The reality of her situation was she loved the adrenaline rush that resulted from being on the edge of chaos and danger. For the first time in her life, Tessa felt alive and cherished every single moment.
The relationship with Captain Chase Hunter remained complicated. Part of the time she considered him a bully with a god complex. Other times, he morphed into an action hero you might see pictured on a video game. She’d lost count of the times he’d pulled her from the fires of destruction. Strong, ethical, dangerous, and a military hero didn’t seem to cover how she really thought of him. Yes, she understood her hero worship was a slippery slope, especially when there were times he implied he’d like to explore other avenues of pleasure.
But the desire in his eyes faded after she returned from Afghanistan. With the horrible acts she’d committed to survive in such a godforsaken country, it had taken a great deal of therapy to regain some of her old self. Then there was the tribesman who’d stolen her heart when she thought all was lost. No matter the amount of therapy, she wasn’t likely to forget him anytime soon.
Chase had rescued her from a life of hardship and insisted she face her sins. He risked his own life so she could return to her Mayberry-type life in Grass Valley. Thankfully, Robert remained clueless as to the seriousness of her situation when abandoned in Afghanistan. He continued to think of her as the perfect wife and mother. Chase ensured her husband remained in the dark. With life getting back to normal, she still couldn’t prevent Chase from appearing in her dreams at night.
“Mrs. Scott?” Tessa jerked up straight in her seat and rubbed her eyes. “We’ve got company.”
Chapter 11
T essa fumbled for her phone in her purse and realized she had no service. She tried to access the same button in the glove box her son had used the day before.
“Mrs. Scott? How can I help you?” The voice was male, with a slight British accent.
“I’m being followed by someone impersonating Highway Patrolmen.”
“Okay. Our satellite is having trouble seeing you because of the dense cloud cover, but you are on our radar. Let me see if there is help nearby.” In a few seconds the voice returned. “If you can lose them, there is a side road on your right about a half mile ahead. There should be cover not too far in.”
Tessa glanced over at Handsome, who nodded then sped up.
“There is a note on your account. Did Mr. Jones locate you earlier?”
Handsome seemed to be concentrating on the road.
“Yes. He was able to secure a safer location for us. He’s with me.”
There was a pause, some static, and a slight cough. “Very good, Mrs. Scott. And the children?”
Tessa glanced back at her sleeping angels. “Asleep. I want to get them home where it is safe.”
The voice deepened, and the British accent disappeared. “Then you probably shouldn’t be riding with Handsome Jones, Mrs. Scott.”
Handsome faced her for only a few seconds, revealing an angry frown and wide eyes. “Disconnect!”
Tessa obeyed and began a frantic back-and-forth twist in search of trouble.
“We may need to switch cars. We’re not following those directions. If they are tracking us, we need to hustle.”
“But we don’t have another car.”
“I have one not far from here.” Handsome took a sharp turn into a narrow dirt road.
“I thought you came to find us on a snowmobile.” It had all been a lie.
He shook his head. “I did, but… You’re a very trusting person.”
~~~
Vernon tapped his keyboard for the third time. “Sorry, Boss.” He closed the laptop. “Someone has blocked my signal. I can’t find them. I backtracked to the help-and-rescue line, and they haven’t heard from them, either.”
“Maybe it’s good if they haven’t asked for help.” Chase chewed on his bottom lip as the rest of his team came in from searching the area.
“You’re probably right. But they did say their system was down about five minutes with some unknown interference. They checked, and no distress calls came through during the span of time we needed. I asked if they could locate them.”
“And?” Chase growled his impatience.
Vernon avoided his narrowed gaze by packing up his equipment. “She said it appeared they were being followed. She tried to call Tessa, but the line went dead.”
“Dead? So, what you’re telling me is someone has hacked into our secure system and is about to intercept Tessa and her kids?”
“Guess so. And I think Handsome knows it.”
“Explain.”
“Dispatch inquired about Mrs. Scott because the first person they sent to help her ended up in a ditch after taking a sharp turn. Snowplow spotted him after seeing a light-colored late model sedan run up on him and give him a little nudge into a snowdrift. They were able to get him some help. He was unconscious when the ambulance took him away. If they hadn’t come along when they did…”
“I get the picture,” Chase snapped.
“That’s when Handsome got the call. He, and you’ll like this, was already in the neighborhood. Maybe he pushed the first guy off the road.”
“So, we have double trouble. We’re assuming our mystery trackers are after whoever hacked their system and Handsome is mixed up in this somehow.”
Sam and Carter packed up what little gear they’d brought in while Zoric returned to keep watch outside. Even though they didn’t comment, their sideways glances indicated a rising concern.
“We should never have left him in Tunisia.” Vernon pushed his glasses up on his nose before pulling on a sock cap over his mop of unruly red hair falling to the bottom of his neck. When he noticed Chase glaring at him, he gathered up his computer bag and backed toward the door. “I’m saying maybe we should have investigated the story about Handsome’s real identity.”
Chase stormed toward him, only to brush past so fast he fell back against the refrigerator. “Let’s go. Not waiting.”
This time, Chase got behind the wheel. Driving helped him focus. It didn’t matter if the weather sucked, the music blasted, or if conversation bordered on confrontation. The road gave him clarity. Nothing distracted him when the engine roared to life. He loved cars, especially old ones he could tinker with or restore. He’d realized years ago, engines could be controlled, manipulated, and improved—unlike the human elements he dealt with on a daily basis. With a vehicle, the unexpected could be evaluated or explained. Now he would think, plan, and anticipate the unknown enemy. What he refused to do was let Tessa Scott cloud his judgment.
~~~
Robert pulled into the garage and switched off the ignition. He sat there pondering his next move. What would he tell Tessa about the evening’s events or even why he was home so early from the conference? She would flip out over this with her little-Miss-Perfect attitude. He had to admit the decision to let a strange woman into his room to examine diamonds had disaster written all over it. Once again, he’d let the prospect of bringing in a big account to the firm, thus increasing his year-end bonus, overtake any hope of common sense. Why did he do these kinds of things? Because he was stupid and greedy. He banged his fists on the steering wheel and gritted his teeth.
His parents had been thrifty to a fault. Even so, there was never much money; his clothes came from end-of-season sales or discount stores. Money meant success to him, along with what you had to show for it. He invested religiously so the kids would be able to go to college. He’d paid off his own school loans only recently. Tessa had fallen in love with their urban country house with a touch of Victorian charm, and he’d managed to get it in a short sale for half its original price. Even so, with three kids, a mortgage, and a wife who wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, he seemed to be always paying bills.
When she took the job at the university in Sacramento with a very hefty salary, things got easier. Several times, he’d feared she’d quit, especially after returning from Afghanistan. Whatever happened over there, she avoided talking about it to him in spite of his encouragement to share. A therapist by the name of Dr. Wu, who worked at the university, brought her back to the cheerful, loving wife he’d married. There were still issues in the bedroom, but he didn’t want to rush her. He imagined some horrible things she may have witnessed or experienced in such a godless land.
For some unknown reason, the President of the United States opened doors for her Robert thought impossible to open. His chief of staff called several days after she’d returned from Afghanistan to check on her condition on behalf of the president. Robert sometimes felt like he walked in his wife’s shadow. All he wanted was for his wife to be happy and love him, in spite of his faults. The last year had helped him realize how precious and special others saw her. Yet, there remained something elusive and secretive about her that only managed to make him love her more. Maybe she realized, after working occasionally for the State Department, she could do better than him.
He needed to step up and do more as a husband and father. Truth be told, he wasn’t very good at it. Tessa never tired of playing with the kids, preparing lunches, planning meals, and managing the household responsibilities besides working on her Ph.D. in geopolitical conflict. When he got home from work, all he wanted was to veg out in front of the TV and watch the news or his favorite show.
Even though he adored his kids and dreamed of bright futures for them, he struggled with communicating his feelings. He’d grown up in a home where his father never expressed love toward him, although his actions proved otherwise. Sometimes he wished he was still alive to talk to him about it. His mother, kind and loving, reminded him of Tessa.
Something had changed between them. What had he done to make her act so independent? Not so long ago, she’d needed his advice and reassurance on almost everything. Perhaps he’d taken advantage of her insecurities. She’d been a country girl from Tennessee when he’d married her. He had been her first real love and certainly her first sexual experience. Nothing prepared him for the love she showered on him at every opportunity. The feeling of devotion waned between them, like an old married couple, more friends than lovers.
He was scared he was losing her.
As the garage door lowered, he pulled out his cell phone and noticed a missed call hours earlier from Tessa. His eyes darted to the empty space in the garage where her SUV should be parked. Where was she? He retrieved the message, but it was too garbled to understand. The text message indicated they’d decided to stay one more day.
“What a relief,” he groaned out loud. “I can pull myself together.”
Maybe he’d surprise Tessa and have dinner ready when she got home, or do a load of laundry. She’d be thrilled to have one less thing to do. First, he wanted to take a shower and maybe a nap. The long night of unexpected terror had left him exhausted. A yawn took over as he exited the car and stumbled toward the back door. He had time to get things in order.
~~~
Tessa stared in horror at her driver. “Handsome? What was the guy talking about?”
“No idea. But as I said, we’re not taking his directions.”
“That wasn’t Enigma I was talking to, was it?”
“Not likely. Could be the center has been breached.”
A gulp escaped into the icy air as Handsome glanced over at her, anger playing at the corner creases of his eyes. “Who are you?” she whispered.
“Nobody.” The car slowed and pulled into the driveway of a large log cabin. He managed to maneuver the car around as he pulled off into a stand of trees behind a large boulder. “I’m nobody,” he sighed again.
Tessa reached in her purse for her phone, only to have him snatch it away.
“I want to call Chase immediately. Give me the phone or—”
“What? You going to try and take it from me?” He released his seat belt and faced her. “I mean you no harm.”
She couldn’t keep her voice from quivering. “My kids—I need to know you won’t hurt them.”
“They are safe with me.” His voice held the emotional depth of a slice of cheese.
She closed her eyes to say a quick prayer only to have the image of Captain Hunter loom up in her memory. Something warm and wonderful sprang
up between them for mere seconds when they’d left the cabin.
“It’s going to be okay, babe,” he’d whispered as he slipped his rough hand around the back of her neck and squeezed.
A gentle rub to her shoulder blade followed as he let his palm come up to touch her cheek. His eyes had mellowed, as if he wanted to share something more personal. He hadn’t called her “babe” for a long time. He used the endearment when they found themselves alone and he let the mask of superhero expose his more human side.
The boys had called to her from the back seat or she would have laid her hand on his, to show him a hint of the affection welling up inside her. He stepped back so not to be spotted. Handsome had tapped on the roof of the car, drawing their attention then tilted his head for her to get in the car. She opened the door and shifted her gaze to Chase and mouthed the words, “Be careful.” He nodded as the others came up to stand beside him. They would take care of the threat headed their way. They never failed. Never.
A tear squeezed from her eye as she wondered if they’d been misled as to where the danger really intended on going.
“Stay here.” Handsome opened the car door.
“What? Where are you going?”
He continued to push himself out of the vehicle then bent down to glare at her. “Lock the doors. I’ll do what I can if they come. Get behind the wheel and run over anyone who gets in the way. Can you do it?” She opened her mouth but nothing came out. “Can. You. Do. It?”
She nodded and threw her leg over into the driver’s side, attempting an awkward transition. As she righted herself, he quietly shut the door and waited for her to secure the locks. Tessa moved the key in the ignition before stealing a glance at Handsome who continued to watch her, his nose nearly pressed against the window. Then he jerked upright to stare out into the darkness from which they’d come. She couldn’t see because of the boulder and stretched to the passenger side in hopes of getting a glimpse of whatever spooked him.
The Enigma Series Boxed Set Page 110