Shadows and Spice

by Grady, D. R.

  “Yeah, so what happened?” Greg leaned further back into the shadows. He closed his laptop, because the glow from the screen would reflect off his face. Old habits died hard. So did men with too many secrets who weren’t careful.

  “In-fighting, I think,” O’Riley replied, sounding distracted and Greg heard more papers rustle.

  “I wondered about that. The group I was after, the John Temite group, is small.”

  The rustling stopped then O’Riley’s chair creaked. “The Francis Temite faction is the group who nailed Mallory.”

  “I’d still like to know how they figured him out.”

  “Me, too.” Greg remembered the tall, dark haired man with some fondness. They were once colleagues and friends. There were few one could trust in this business – Patrick Mallory had been one of them.

  A thought occurred to him and sent a chill slicing down his spine. “Did they get his team?”

  “No.” O’Riley’s voice was curt. “At least one member of Mallory’s team is still after the Francis Temite operation. That’s how I know the factions are still small.”

  Greg grunted. Would any of his team gun for him?

  “You’ve got a team member who’s hounding the John Temite group, by the way.”

  “Could that member be why I’m being stalked by them?”

  “I doubt it. Your team member is as dedicated as you. But you set this member on to the task. I’m just watching over his shoulder.”

  Ah, his buddy working the think tank. Of course O’Riley would know that. “Is there anything we do you don’t know about?”

  O’Riley laughed. “Nope. I know all, see all, hear all.”

  That wasn’t far off, actually. “We know.” Greg heard the dryness in his tone, and it made him grin. “I’m surprised a SEAL hasn’t ended your reign of terror.”

  “They all seem to like and respect me. Which is more than I can say for some of the guys like you I’ve commanded.”

  “I’m sure we did, too. In our own way.”

  O’Riley snorted. “Right. Okay, I’ve got my best computer analyst on the Temites now, so we should have some answers. Hopefully by morning.”

  “What answers?”

  “Let’s figure out whether they’re the ones who put out the rather obvious feeler who showed up at my house.”

  “I still think this could have been one of the Temite factions against the other.”

  “Yeah, we’ll look into that. If this pair do team up...”

  “Things’ll get ugly. Let’s hope they both are too greedy and stay enemies.”

  “We’re not leaving this to hope,” O’Riley growled.

  “That’s probably what I like and respect so much about you, O’Riley,” Greg assured him with a grin. He continued to smile when he hung up on O’Riley’s guffaw.

  The Temites. Small time arms dealers, but small things could sometimes be the deadliest.

  Chapter 13

  KC dialed Janine’s cell number again. For at least the fifth time. Pick up the phone.

  “Hello?”

  Relief poured through her at the sound of Janine’s voice. “Janine, it’s KC.”

  “What’s wrong?” Of course Janine would pick up on her fear.

  “Did you have someone out to saw off a branch on that oak near your house?”

  “The one by the kitchen door?”

  KC bit her lip. “Yeah.”

  “No. It’s only a sapling.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s broken and scraping against your house.”

  “I’m turning the corner. I’ll be there in a moment.”

  KC disconnected the call and stared at the branch. A branch like this shouldn’t bother her so much, but she had felt a spurt of fear when she passed Janine’s house to pull into her own driveway.

  Her friend’s SUV thundered into the drive and Janine shut the beast off without bothering to pull it into the garage. She exited and KC knew a moment of envy as Janine made the maneuver look graceful, elegant even. Most people lurched or lumbered. Not Janine.

  “What’s the problem?” Janine’s long legs covered the space between them easily. She craned her neck when KC pointed to the drooping branch.

  Janine frowned. “It wasn’t like that when I left this morning.”

  “Why would someone crawl onto a sapling?”

  “I don’t know.” Janine shrugged, but KC didn’t think she was feeling as complacent as she looked. She wanted to probe, but saw the weariness etched around Janine’s eyes.

  “Want to come for supper tonight?”

  “Absolutely.”

  KC laughed, but thought she better mention the episode to Max. He could come check it out. Anything to keep Janine safe.

  Greg rolled over and stared at the night through the window. An owl wooed him from somewhere nearby, and the shadows didn’t move. But something kept bugging him. The night, owl, and shadows were authentic. Nothing to be concerned about.

  So why was he having such trouble sleeping then?

  Frowning out the window, he turned over the information he had gathered so far. They had very little to go on, but if anyone could dig up the dirt they needed to put out this fire, it was the hackers O’Riley employed.

  Besides, unlike O’Riley, Greg’s resources weren’t unlimited. He couldn’t use anyone who had known him as Michael Lamont, but all of Greg Gilmore’s contacts were still viable. Those assets would be invaluable for this search.

  His buddy at the think tank had already fired off a preliminary e-mail informing Greg he was having fun with this assignment. Good. Now if he found out what Greg needed, everyone would be happy. O’Riley sticking his nose into the think tank would only help in this case. The admiral could have his buddy look up things about Michael Lamont, as well as Greg Gilmore. Which was exactly what the admiral had done.

  So what kept Greg from sleep tonight? There was no danger so far.

  He had been here close to a week and nothing had happened. That’s why he kept such a close watch on the night. By now, if history repeated itself, and it always did, something should have happened.

  Except for the break-in at O’Riley’s D.C. home, their enemies had been silent. Greg didn’t know enough about the Temites to know how they worked, but he doubted even they were so slow with the action. Surely they would continue to seek information.

  The utter lack of commotion made the knot in his stomach form tighter and harder. They had talked about the danger he could be in until he was sick of the conversation. Probably Janine and O’Riley shared his sentiments. They all had to be tired of the guessing and speculation.

  He was relieved to realize he didn’t crave action. If he never stared down the business end of a gun, or had to flee onto another roof to save his hide, he’d be happy. No more guns, no more bombs, no more special training, no more jacked up instincts to stay alive. To be able to paint in peace and conduct his life like those around him, nirvana.

  It’d even be nice to think of people as people, rather than as enemies.

  How many people could enjoy the benefits of death without actually dying? Not many. This was why he wanted his counterpart to remain dead. Greg Gilmore had a lot to live for. Michael Lamont would have to look over his shoulder and stay alert for the rest of his life. He had too much to pay for.

  Greg yearned to be as free as that owl out there, who-ing like he had no cares. A normal life would be so nice.

  His thoughts didn’t aid his need for sleep.

  Sunlight hit her in the face and Janine rolled to avoid the early morning glare. She peeled an eyelid open and squinted at the clock. Her alarm would blare in three minutes.

  Rolling from the bed, Janine turned off the alarm and padded into her bathroom. She dressed, and yawned, and wondered about the day ahead. Better figure out what had caused her tree to break. She hoped it wasn’t insects. Or an enemy come to ask nosey questions.

  When she set to leave
the room, Janine paused and turned back to the bed. She eased her hand under the pillow she didn’t use and extracted her gun. Last night when she came home she slid the weapon there because one could never be too careful.

  Most people probably didn’t eat breakfast with a semi-automatic, but then she didn’t know many doctors who would even pick up a weapon. She had taken the same oath they had only she’d been enmeshed in the military before she received her medical degree. Defending herself had been necessary back then, and even now in retirement, apparently.

  Wishing life could be a little different, Janine turned to the fridge. She made breakfast, wondering if she would ever feel safe without a weapon again.

  Sunlight smiled through the window and reminded her of another problem. Janine squinted at the tree with the missing branch. She would deal with the tree later. After she ate.

  Janine debated if she should call Greg about what she found. If she called him, she’d have to also tell O’Riley. They were in this together, and what one member experienced, the others needed to know. It was standard operating procedure.

  SOP didn’t say you should lust after a team member though. They actually stressed how lust, attraction, and love were not permitted between team members. She might have to work on that.

  After breakfast, she traipsed outside to her side porch. The sun hit the tree with an impressive beam and Janine crawled onto the banister to take a better look. She watched Max stop at the end of his driveway and then drive across the way into hers.

  “KC mentioned there might be a problem here.” He climbed out of his vehicle and strode up to her porch.

  “She’s the one who first noticed this branch. It was getting too dark to see clearly last night.”

  “Insects?”

  “That’s what I’m looking for now. This initial inspection will determine whether I call in a specialist or not.”

  Max nodded. “Good idea. Want some help?”

  “Yes.” Janine moved over on the banister and KC’s husband bounded up easily beside her. Together, they surveyed the damaged tree limb.

  She ran a finger over the splintered part of the branch. “This doesn’t look like insect damage.”

  “No, I don’t see a boring hole, either.” Max leaned forward to peer closer at the limb.

  “We didn’t have high winds or a lightning storm yesterday, right?”

  “Right,” Max answered, and Janine thought he sounded curt. That wasn’t like Max at all. She raised a brow at him, a little worried he might have reached the same conclusion she had.

  “What are you thinking?”

  Max’s mouth remained grim. “This looks like someone too heavy for the branch decided to climb it anyway.”

  Yep, unfortunately that was her initial diagnosis, too. Further perusal didn’t offer any other theories. Unfortunately.

  “Kids should not have been in this tree, it’s too young and they all know that.” Max sounded frustrated.

  “I don’t think we should make any accusations, yet,” Janine warned. She’d have to fudge this, but she didn’t want any of the family taking the blame for the splintered limb. With few doubts, she had a better idea of who had been in her tree. But with no facts, she didn’t want to scare the family, either.

  What to do?

  The limb was broken, but whoever had attempted to climb into an upstairs window or play peeping Tom hadn’t managed. It was good the branch broke, but she hated the damage to the tree.

  “Going to call in that specialist?” Max interrupted her thoughts.

  “No.” She shook her head. At least not a tree specialist. Greg and O’Riley, those specialists, yes.

  “I’ll tell the family to stay out of your tree.”

  Janine placed a hand on his arm. “I’d rather you not mention this right now.”

  It was his turn to raise a brow at her.

  She shrugged. “I don’t believe kids did this. I don’t know who did, but,” she bit her lip. She couldn’t divulge military secrets, but how to make him understand?

  “But this is something I should keep my nose out of,” Max finished, in a wry tone, for her.

  She beamed at him. “Yes.” Max Morrison was a gem among men. That had been evident at their first meeting. His understanding now made her life a lot easier.

  “You need help here at night?”

  KC was a lucky woman. Janine thought it would be easy to fall in love with him. Of course, KC’s other adult man had already wreaked enough havoc in her life. Greg had given her plenty of worries. But she appreciated that Max, who was her cousin, would help if needed. “I’m okay.”

  “I know you can take care of yourself. But if you need help, I’ll send KC over.”

  Janine gurgled with laughter. “Thanks.” She socked him gently on the arm, appreciative of him, and thankful for his skirting an issue she couldn’t talk about.

  “Sure, anytime. Well, I’d better get to work.” Max bounced down from the railing and Janine was surprised to see they had conducted their entire conversation perched on the porch railing. Hoping their combined weight hadn’t harmed the railing, she landed beside him.

  “Military women,” Max muttered and Janine grinned.

  “We do have to know how to land on our feet.”

  “Right.” Max waved and loped off to his Jeep, where he slid in, honked the horn, and disappeared.

  Janine stared back up at her tree and decided she better make a few necessary phone calls. In theory, retirement had seemed much easier than this.

  Greg slid the sunny side up eggs from the skillet, pleased with how wonderful they smelled and looked. He might not be gourmet, but he could take care of himself. The toast popped and he slathered butter on it before reaching for the plate of bacon he stowed in the oven.

  A mug of coffee completed his breakfast. As he slid into his chair to partake of the meal, the phone rang. He glared at it. The option of ignoring the device was always there. But it was his cell phone. The one O’Riley or Janine would use to call him.

  He glared at the screen and saw his caller was Janine, which appeased him. Some. “Hello?”

  “Greg?”

  “Yeah.” He settled back at the table. Sipping coffee wouldn’t be loud and he could eat the eggs without her knowing. He hoped. Eating breakfast with her might be pretty nice actually.

  “I’m sorry to call so early.” He heard the apology in her voice.

  “It’s okay, I’m eating breakfast.”

  “Oh, I can let you go.”

  “No. What’s up?” Was that apprehension he detected in her voice? He didn’t associate the emotion with her.

  “Last night KC called before I got home from work.”

  Greg made a noise in the back of his throat for her to continue. He had taken a bite of eggs and didn’t want to speak with his mouth full, but wanted this story.

  She offered all the details of the broken tree in a quick, factual briefing. Neither of them should be concerned, technically, but he could hear her worry and his gut clenched. He laid his fork down. There wasn’t room for him to eat – not with his heart in his mouth.

  He frowned. “What did you do?” She should have called him. But then, why would she? He wished she had thought to.

  “I got my saw out, finished cutting the limb off and stored it in my garage. It was dark so I decided to wait until morning to check out the tree. Then I went to KC’s for supper.” Her voice sounded dry, which helped his galloping heart settle some.

  “You cut the branch yourself?”

  “Yes.” She sounded confused.

  “Why didn’t you call Max?”

  “Why would I call him? I know how to use a saw.” Now exasperation leaked into her voice.

  “I probably would have had to call Max.” He hoped the humor he felt was evident in his voice. He liked her independence. The thought of her firing up a saw did something for his libido he didn’t want to think about right now.

  “I doubt that.”

 
“What did you find today?” Better yank his mind away from sexy thoughts of Janine. That way led to disaster.

  “Someone too heavy for the tree broke it.”

  Okay, succinct. Not what he wanted to hear, but she’d been concise. “Did they leave anything?” He sounded grim. Well, that was appropriate since that’s how he felt.

  “I didn’t really look, but I decided you ought to know that someone I didn’t invite visited.”

  “Right. Did you call O’Riley yet?”

  “No. I thought you might want to come out and take a look for yourself and then we can call him together.”

  He liked how this woman thought. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

  When he arrived, Greg surveyed the lay of the land. Nothing seemed out of place, but the sense that something had happened here raised the faint hairs on his nape. It wasn’t an imminent problem, just a cautionary instinct. One that helped him successfully dodge everything from bullets to knives to exploding bombs during his illustrious former career. He padded to the side porch and examined the ground.

  Too firm to show footprints, of course. Janine opened the door and the scent of coffee wafted on the air. Greg sniffed appreciatively, hoping she would offer him a mug. His had been cold by the time they hung up, as had his breakfast.

  “Since I interrupted your breakfast, can I offer you some?” Janine looked amazing, standing in the doorway of her home, her amber eyes gleaming with a light that didn’t quite appear from this world.

  “I did eat.”

  “I’m sorry it was probably cold.”

  “It was cooked to perfection though,” he said with a grin and she laughed.

  “How about coffee?”

  “I’d love a cup of coffee.” And a taste of your lips to sweeten it. Greg backpedaled fast once that thought exploded in his head. He was here to do a job. Allowing emotions to cloud his world was bad. Emotions were things other people had and contended with, but he had avoided.

  Now was not a good time to become acquainted with them.