“Take a look,” Gabe urged, pointing toward the living room, liking the surprise in her expression. Her hair was in a loose ponytail, and he wondered just how silky it would feel if he threaded his fingers through that dark red mass that had been recently dyed. She looked great with red hair, he decided, watching her walk into the living room, staring appreciatively at the crackling, popping fire. Finding himself wanting to please Anna, he forced himself to finish off getting dinner on the table for them. When he looked a moment later, Anna was standing in front of it, palms of her hands open toward the heat. There was a pleasurable look on her face, her eyes half closed, as she stood there like a sponge, absorbing the heat into herself.
“Hungry?” he called.
“Am I ever!” She reluctantly left the fireplace and headed to the kitchen, shucking out of her winter gear, hanging them on wooden pegs near the door. “And it all smells so good! Is there anything I can do to help, Gabe?”
“No, just come and sit down. Ace already got his kibble. I’m sure there will be leftovers and we can drop them in his bowl after we eat.”
She went to the sink, which was spotless and a gleaming white. “Gotta wash my hands first.”
He stood patiently beside the pulled-out chair. He’d found cushions, washed and dried them in the new washer and dryer that had been installed. “Take your time.”
There was even a clean towel nearby to dry her hands. Turning, she hurried over. “You’re treating me like a queen, Whitcomb. I’m going to feel spoiled.” She sat down and thanked him in Spanish.
Going over to the oven, he drew out lightly browned homemade biscuits and slid them into an awaiting wooden basket. Handing them to her, he asked, “I would imagine in your job you didn’t have much time for a relationship?”
“You’re right. I never got serious about a guy because I would see him maybe once every three months when I’d come in for a rest before going back out into the jungle.” She sniffed the biscuits. “Mmmmm, Maud makes the best!”
“Put two on my plate?” He set the heated-up prime rib between them. He’d seated Anna at the head of the table and he took the chair on the right side of where she sat. Ace politely lay down next to Anna’s chair, chin on his paws, eyes half opened, his ears moving as they spoke to each other.
“Roger that. I’m taking two, also,” she said, and she pulled a dish with bright yellow butter over, setting it between their plates.
Sitting down, Gabe got serious about eating and so did Anna. For long minutes, only the clink of silverware against the flowery plates could be heard. Anna gazed over at the living room. “This house is surprisingly warm. It feels so good.”
Cutting into his prime rib that steamed as he did so, Gabe said, “I’ve got the electric heaters set up in each of our rooms. Our goose down sleeping bags are spread out on the beds. I think it will be warm enough to sleep without us putting on headgear and sleeping with it.”
“That’s great,” she said, voraciously hungry. Slathering lots of butter, salt, pepper, and then a huge dollop of sour cream on her baked potato, she enjoyed every scent, the delicious heat surrounding them from the fireplace.
After they were done with their meal, Gabe cleared the table, poured coffee, and brought out brownies that Sally had made them. “Let’s go sit on that couch in front of the fire,” he suggested. He first went over and gave Ace, who was waiting at his bowl watching him, the scraps from their meal.
“Sounds exactly what this jungle person needs,” she admitted, rising. Anna took the two mugs of coffee, and he brought two small plates with brownies on them. The couch was a light tan leather, and even though it was quite old, it was still serviceable after being dusted off. There was a rectangular coffee table in front of it and she set their mugs on it. Sitting down, she slid Gabe’s mug toward him and he handed her the plate with the brownies.
“I could get used to this,” she admitted, biting into the dessert. Ace came in and made himself comfortable in front of the couch, watching his two favorite people.
“Me too.” He sat on one end of the couch and she on the other end. There were about four feet between them. “I’m so used to sleeping on the floor, wrapped in my sleeping bag, in rat hole apartments with four or five other drug soldiers.”
“And I’m used to a lot better circumstances thanks to your DEA. I had a nice apartment in La Mesa. No cockroaches or rats in it, either.”
“Yeah, but according to your service record, you spent a lot of years in the jungle.” He slid her a glance. “There weren’t no brownies out there, I bet?”
She smiled a little, savoring the chocolate blooming in her mouth. “No . . . nothing like what we just ate, thanks to your mom and Sally.”
He settled back into the corner and studied her silhouette. There was no other light on except the light of the fire, and it danced and shadowed her face in interesting ways. “I can’t wrap my head around a young woman like yourself spending her twenties hunting down drug lords in a jungle.”
Her brow rose and she lifted her chin, taking the cup of coffee in her hands. “My father was murdered by a hit put on him by a drug lord. Isn’t that explanation enough?”
Shrugging, Gabe said, “A woman of your intelligence, your education, and in the upper crust of Guatemalan society, you could have done anything you chose, Anna. Your family was from a very old, rich lineage of ranch and farm people in your country. And stop me if I’m being too nosy or curious about you. Okay?”
She sipped her coffee. “There’s something about you, Gabe, that doesn’t rile me or make me feel like you’re an intruder into my private life. I’d like to think you are sincere in asking me, not nosy just to be nosy.”
“You’re one of a kind, that’s for sure, and yes, I am sincere about it. What I’m asking is really personal, though. You haven’t known me that long.”
“I have the same curiosity about you,” she said, and she drilled him with a direct look, seeing his lips curve faintly.
“Okay, then, can we play twenty questions with each other?”
“Sure. And if I get too personal, just tell me.”
“Same here. Do you want to go first?”
Anna took another sip and settled into the crook of the couch, watching the shadows move along his face. “Do you know your Hispanic origins? I know you are adopted. I was just wondering . . . I see Indian blood in you with your high cheekbones and a broad brow. My family was Castilian, coming from Castile, Spain.”
“All the nobles and royalty came from the Castile area, if my history serves me. Right?”
“Yes. My family line was not royalty, although they had a lot of money in shipping concerns. And what about your family roots? Do you know what country you hail from?”
“No, I don’t know.”
“Did you ever want to know?”
He made a face. “Yes and no. It ebbs and flows in me. What good would it do to know? My mother abandoned me. Knowing that, why do I want to stir up the past and try to find her? I would rather look forward than back.”
“Hmmm, that’s a good argument. I was trying to put myself in your place, and in the place of your adopted brother and sisters. I guess my curiosity would push me to find out, but that’s me.”
“Maud and Steve left it up to us kids to do what we wanted with that information. They would pay to do the investigation. None of us have really pursued it.”
“You are loved, and to me, that’s more important than anything else.”
“We are,” he said, his voice growing softer as he stared into the flames of the fireplace. “There was never a day that went by that we didn’t know that, Anna. And for me, maybe that’s why I never pursued my past. As a kid, I didn’t realize how lucky we were to have been adopted by them, but as an adult, I sure know the difference in family dynamics. And I’ve always been grateful to them for their unselfishness toward us. It just doesn’t get any better than that: being wanted and being loved.”
“That’s the bottom line,�
�� Anna agreed gently.
“My turn?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you so different from other women?” And then he amended, “Not that you aren’t a woman in the first place.” He opened his hands. “It’s just that most women don’t become a sniper.”
She gave him a wry look. “Even in history books, especially in World War Two, there were Russian women snipers who helped turn back the tide of the Nazi invasion into Russia. I’m sure there are more, but history is written by men, not women. And women, even if they can do the job and do it well, tend to not be written about by the patriarchy of male domination.”
“That’s changing today,” he said, “and I’m glad. Is your mother a feminist?”
“I guess you could say that. My parents didn’t see me as a girl. They saw me as an independent human being. My mother, especially, because she fought so much male divisiveness at Yale to get into law, swore that when they had me, I would be raised differently.” She opened her hands. “For example? Instead of getting a doll when I was young? My parents laid out four different career toys for me. One was a doll with a wardrobe, one was a LEGO set, another was a doctor’s bag and stethoscope, and the last was a microscope and other science-oriented toys. I went for the LEGO building-block set. I liked building things. The other part of this is my father would take me to the motor pool at the Marine base, and the guys there taught me everything a boy is usually taught, such as changing a tire, draining and putting fresh oil in the truck, and working on the engine. That, I loved. I excelled at it.”
“So, you had a brain that was interested in how things worked. My sisters, Andy and Sky, are super mechanically minded and they ended up in the military as pilots.”
“My father took me to the shooting range when I was ten years old, and I fell in love with weapons and shooting handguns and, eventually, hunting rifles, at targets. It just came naturally. It wasn’t that I wanted to kills things, rather, the challenge of winning shooting competitions. By the time I was seventeen I’d won Central America weapons contests in rifles. I liked the military because it was organized and efficient. And I liked my life that way.”
“After your father was killed, that all changed?”
“Yes,” she admitted heavily. “Something wonderful died inside of me when he died. In its place was this white-hot rage and wanting to track down and kill the man who had put a price on my father’s head. I wanted him dead.” She chewed on her lip, gazing into the fire for a moment, and then slowly turned her head, meeting his shadowed gaze. “I had never wanted to kill anything, Gabe. Not until that moment.”
“That had to be hard on you emotionally.”
“It was. I realized there was evil in the world that wasn’t going to be dealt with in any other way except an equal power from another source to deal with it. I sleep well at night, Gabe. I don’t have any guilt over taking the lives I’ve taken. All I have to do is know how many more innocent lives would be taken if they were still alive, and I’m at peace with my decision.”
“You said you were done with being a sniper. Right?”
“Yes. I’m changing. I can feel it. To tell you the truth, getting this assignment was like breathing fresh air. I had taken out the bad guys in Guatemala who were part of the Gonzalez cartel that murdered my father. I caused disruption and cost him millions of dollars. I feel I have vindicated my father’s death and that’s enough for me.”
“And who knows what will happen with this mission? I was grateful you didn’t let Maud know how dangerous this could become. She’s a worrywart.”
“I don’t think any parent wants their child, no matter their age, in the line of fire.”
“That’s why I kept ninety-nine percent of my undercover away from my parents. They’ll never know. I especially want Maud to think this is a low-level, very safe mission.”
“I’m with you on that,” she said, sitting up. “But the Elsons have a bad record. I’ve got the video and other equipment online and working up in the horse barn. I’ll be reviewing it twice daily: once in the morning and once in the evening. It is all simultaneously going to the DEA cloud where they can view it.”
“Good,” he praised. “Tomorrow I’m going to be outside a lot. My first priority is to get our roof fixed.”
She held up her hands. “I’ve repaired a number of roofs. Need a helper?”
He smiled a little. “You bet. Besides, it will look good for the mission. It’s supposed to be warmer tomorrow and we’ll have sunshine and blue sky. There’s no sense going up on that roof until around noon. There’s going to be frost on it through the morning hours.”
“Sounds good. Looks like we have nineteen questions to go with each other,” she said, and she looked at her watch. “I don’t know about you, but I’m whipped. You have to be also?”
“Yes, I am. I’m going to do dishes. Why don’t you go get a hot shower and hit the hay?”
“Hit the hay?”
He chuckled. “Well, not in reality. That’s a Western saying: Hit the hay means lay your head on a pillow and go to sleep.”
She stood and stretched. “Did your Western people sleep on hay for a pillow at one time?”
He liked her sharp intelligence and her ability to piece things together, but that was what a sniper did, put the jigsaw puzzle together so it presented a full picture. “Our pioneers used straw to fill up a pillowcase or usually some kind of flour sack. A lot of straw was used.”
“Glad those pillows we bought were nice, firm Styrofoam instead,” she teased, picking up her saucer and emptied mug of coffee.
He rose. “Makes two of us. Set your watch for 0600 for tomorrow morning?”
“Done,” she answered, walking out to the kitchen.
Gabe joined her, getting ready to do the washing and then letting the plates and utensils air-dry. “I think we’re going to invest in a dishwasher very, very soon.”
“I don’t do dishes, Whitcomb.”
“Next time we’re in Wind River, I’m going to the Sears store.”
“Better yet? Why not call your mother? She could buy one for us and a Sears van could bring it out here to us. Save you time and trouble.”
Gabe had to admit, that was a far better idea. “Done.”
She chuckled. “I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks for a great dinner. I was starving.”
He hadn’t expected her to turn and place her hand lightly upon his upper arm. She felt warm against the flannel of his long-sleeved shirt. There was strength in her long fingers, but she didn’t use it on him. It was a butterfly-light touch. He looked down at her gold-brown eyes, seeing something in them he couldn’t interpret. And then his gaze dropped to her lips that invited more inspection than he dared do. His voice was thicker. “I’ll see you in the morning. Get a good night’s sleep.”
Her hand slipped from his arm. “Just to let you know, I’ve got an alarm set on my video equipment. If anyone comes over the fence that separates Rocking G land from the Elson place, or drives up to our house? The alarm will sound on my Apple Watch.” She tapped it. “If that happens, I’m going to get to your room pronto, Gabe. I won’t be knocking. Time will probably be of the essence because this place is lonely, forgotten, and we both know the only activity will be druggies.”
“Good plan of action,” he said, turning, leaning his hips against the counter. “I don’t have an Apple Watch.” He glanced down at Ace. “But I have something better. He’ll start barking if he hears anything. I’ll keep him in my bedroom with me at night until Ace gets used to the place, the normal, natural sounds, and he knows the house. I don’t want him out guarding the barn when it’s freezing cold. His hearing is excellent and if someone tries to get into the barn, he’ll start barking and alert us.”
“It’s good to have him with us. On my end? I can sync it with my video equipment and camera that I’ve set up on the Elsons’ grounds and house. Get DEA to buy you one. They did it for me.”
He raised his brows. “Good ide
a. How far will that signal go?”
“As long as we have cell towers we can connect with, it will let us know. If we’re away from this place and the Elsons decide to come over and snoop around? It will sound the alarm and we’ll hear it, provided we’re in range.”
Grimly, he muttered, “We have to expect them to come and check us out. Some way, somehow. That’s why leaving Ace here to guard the premises when we have to be away is a good idea.”
“Tomorrow, late afternoon, I’m going to bake some cookies and take them over if those two pickups are gone, and drop in and see Roberta Elson. We need to make contact and also ramp down their curiosity about us. Ace can stay here at the house with you.”
“I don’t know if I like the idea of you going over there alone.”
Snorting, she gave him a playful punch in the upper arm. “Oh, come on! There’re no damsels in distress here! I’ll be fine and you know it.”
Giving her a lopsided grin, he said, “I suppose you’re right. It’s my protectiveness toward women.”
“I’ll bet Maud didn’t teach you to view women like that.”
“She said women were a lot stronger than any man and I’ve found that to be true. My father is old-fashioned and still is very protective . . . and I can remember times when Maud would tell Steve to leave Sky or Andy alone and they’d handle any disputes their way. And”—he chuckled—“it always worked fine the way the girls wanted to do it.”
“Your mother is like my mother. She doesn’t suffer fools or overprotective males. It’s not the way the world of today works. Women can take care of themselves just fine, and I’ll do okay over there tomorrow. So, wipe that worry off your face, Cowboy. Good night . . .” She patted Ace on the head and told him good night, also.
Chapter Five
April 14
Anna could see the banked worry in Gabe’s eyes, but he said nothing as she placed a cloth cover over the basket of cookies she’d just made. They were still warm to the touch, the chocolate chip scent in the air. Gabe would go out to the horse barn and watch through her binoculars as she drove over to the Elson home. The two sons had left hours earlier, so Anna knew this was a good time to reach out to Roberta. How would she react?
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