“Trevor needs to find his own way,” she said. “I do want to see the lodge. Let’s see what we are dealing with here.”
“If it’s been closed for years, is there even electricity or running water there?” Honor asked.
Trevor shook his head, “Nope, but we are well prepared. There is a generator there. Even if I can’t get it to work, we still have plenty of blankets and water. There is also a wood fireplace in every room. I’ve brought plenty of food and supplies. I hired a crew to go in and do some basic clean up last week. They said it was in better shape than they thought it would be. We’ll be fine, right Wolf?”
Wolf didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be focused on an area of the grill behind Trevor.
“Bootstrap, when was the last time you saw a group of Middle Eastern men in this neck of the woods?” Wolf asked.
“Oh… never. Why? What is it?” Trevor asked.
“At your six,” he said. “Five men. They’ve been eyeballin’ us since they walked in three minutes ago. The alpha is a forty-year-old male; Middle Eastern descent; black hair parted down the middle; 5-foot-9, 145 lbs. Stand up. Pretend you’re stretching. Check him out.”
Honor turned to look at the men, instinctively.
“Turn back around and face me,” Caroline said. “Wolf doesn’t want them to know he’s spotted them.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. She was beginning to worry, but also felt a small rush of excitement. Perhaps this was the best sign yet that she was truly getting better. The people she was with would protect her, she was certain.
“Have you ever seen them?” Caroline asked Honor.
She shook her head, no, “I don’t know any Middle Eastern men.”
Trevor stood, pretending to stretch, and casually glanced to his rear, catching a glimpse of the men Wolf described. They were not staring in his direction at the moment, but by the way their chairs were positioned, they certainly could have been observing them.
Trevor turned back toward Wolf, “I don’t know any of them. You’ve never seen them either?”
“No,” Wolf replied.
“Are you sure they are scoping us?”
“I’m positive,” Wolf replied.
“Could they just be gawking at the ladies?” Trevor asked.
“It’s possible,” he said.
“Who could be tailing us?” Trevor said. “Were you expecting heat?”
Wolf shook his head, “As far as I know, I’m clean. You?”
“Me too,” he said. “At least I thought I was.”
Wolf took his cell phone and touched the camera ap. As subtly as possible, he placed the phone on the table with the display facing the group of men. He snapped several shots of them. He used the zoom feature on his phone to get a closer look at the alpha. Nothing. He did not recognize him. He zoomed in on the other men as well. One wore a gold scorpion necklace. He recognized no one.
“It has to be someone from our past,” Trevor said. “You want me to go find out?”
“No,” Wolf said. “Let’s not start a scene. There’s no law against staring. They do not look like they are ready to make a move. Let’s hang back and see what happens.”
“Two of them just left,” Trevor said. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know yet,” Wolf replied. “Keep your eyes open.”
Honor leaned over and whispered to Caroline, “Why do they think these might be men from their past?”
“Because these two are Navy SEALS,” Caroline replied. “They have been on dozens of missions where they have taken out characters just like them when our national security has been threatened. If those boys over there are watching us, they’ve probably been sent here for revenge.”
Trevor noticed Honor had a worried look on her face. Caroline noticed it too.
“There is nothing to fear, Honor,” Caroline said. “You are in the company of not one, but two extraordinary SEALS. You could not be in better hands.”
Caroline turned to Trevor, “Do you think we should separate from Honor to keep her out of danger?”
“That would be the worst thing to do at this point,” Trevor said. “They’ve seen Honor with us already.”
Wolf was pecking away on his phone.
“What are you doing?” Caroline asked.
“I’m sending pictures of these boys to Commander Hurt back at base,” Wolf replied. “He can run their pictures through the facial recognition program on the computer and see if he gets a hit on any of them.”
“Good idea,” Trevor said. “Now what do you say we eat and not worry about this until there is actually something to worry about?”
“I agree,” Wolf said. “They don’t appear to be scoping us at the moment. I could be wrong about them.”
Honor smiled. She felt safe with these people.
The food came and the four of them began to eat. Wolf continued to keep one eye on the men who’d been watching them. Caroline decided to change the subject.
“What about you, dear?” Caroline said to Honor. “Tell us a little about yourself.”
Honor very properly finished chewing, placed her fork neatly on the plate, and tapped her napkin to her mouth before answering, “I was born and raised in the Seattle area,” she said. “I went to college late but got my degree in Aeronautics Engineering from the University of Washington just last year?”
“Aeronautics Engineering?” Caroline repeated, as if in disbelief.
She nodded, “My dad is an engineer at Blue Horizons. Do you know that company?”
Wolf, Trevor and Caroline all shook their heads, no.
“It’s a Seattle-based company. Its mission is to develop commercial space flight.”
“Commercial space flight?” Trevor repeated.
“Yep,” she replied. “It’s not that far into the future, really. You and Wolf might take a trip to the moon in your lifetime.”
“Can your dad get you a job there?”
“It’s doubtful. He’s not high up in the company,” Honor said. “He does serve a critical function, however. He’s very underutilized. He is on the propulsion team.”
“Propulsion? Really?” Wolf said.
“Yep, his experience is in developing fuel for satellites,” Honor said. “He was on the propulsion team at Aerojet for years. Blue Horizons brought him in when they began the Commercial Space Flight project.”
“That sounds interesting,” Caroline said.
“It is,” she replied. “My dad is currently working on the most efficient propulsion system ever developed. When it’s done it will revolutionize space flight, making it possible for missions to go further and stay longer in space.”
“And that’s what you want to do?” Trevor asked.
“No, that’s what I will do,” she replied. “I’m very determined.”
She flashed Trevor a sultry look, “The more confidence I build the more I realize I can get anything I want if I work hard for it.”
Trevor flashed a grin of his own in her direction.
“And what is it you want?” he asked.
“I’m working on what I want, now,” she said. “I’ll keep you posted.”
Trevor and Caroline exchanged glances with raised eyebrows.
“You’re a smart, beautiful woman, Honor, if you don’t mind me saying so,” Caroline said.
She blushed and smiled, “I don’t mind. Thank you.”
She stole a glance at Trevor wondering if he thought she was beautiful, too.
“If you don’t mind my asking,” Caroline continued, “how is it you aren’t married?”
Her smile disappeared. She paused.
“I’m sorry,” Caroline said. “It’s none of my business.”
“No, that’s okay,” Honor replied. “I grew up with a very serious speech impediment. Kids around me made fun of me. They thought that because I stuttered, I must be stupid. My confidence was shot. I grew up with a lack of social skills and I went through a very rough period.”
&nb
sp; “I don’t hear a stutter in you at all,” Caroline said.
“The person you see before you is a product of many years of therapy,” Honor replied. “After I finished high school, my father went into serious debt getting me the help I needed, but it worked. After many years, I finally went to college. In the last couple of years, my recovery has been nothing short of miraculous.”
“That’s an amazing story,” Caroline said. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Stop, guys. It’s time to punch in,” Wolf said. “Our friends are on the move.”
“What are they doing?” Trevor said without turning around.
“It looks like... they’re... leaving,” Caroline said.
Wolf looked confused, “It does. I saw them pay their bill. They put on their coats and now they are walking out the door. You guys hang here. I’ll be back. I want to see what car they get into and which way they head out.”
Wolf stood and left. Caroline worried that Honor would be afraid, but she was surprised to see her smiling. She smiled too, guessing that the therapy really did do wonders.
Three minutes later, Wolf was back, “Maybe I was wrong about them. They hopped in a black Lincoln and got onto the freeway.”
“Which direction were they headed?” Trevor asked.
“East,” came the reply.
“Not the direction we’re headed.”
“Right.”
“Hmm, I guess that’s it then,” Trevor said. “You’re slipping, Wolf.”
“Piss off,” he said, smiling.
“Isn’t that the gas station attendant?” Caroline said, nodding toward the door.
“Yep, it is,” Wolf said, waving at him.
Butch walked toward them. He held up Honor’s keys, “The tire is good to go,” he said.
“Thank you,” Honor replied, handing him her credit card.
Butch waved her off, “No need for that,” he said. “Your tire got flat in my parking lot. It didn’t take much to fix, just a little time is all. No charge.”
He handed her the keys.
“Why thank you,” she said.
“Stay safe ma’am,” he replied. “The weather out there is bad.”
CHAPTER 3
Honor had been working up the nerve to ask Trevor this question since they first sat down. She’d rehearsed it in her head over and over and finally blurted it out, “Trevor, what would you think about riding with me until we get to Wheeler?”
She held her breath as though she had just confessed a mortal sin and was awaiting punishment.
Trevor smiled, realizing that the question was one of the harder ones Honor had asked in a long time and he admired her courage to do so.
“That sounds like a good idea,” Trevor said. “Wolf has been bitching about my driving since Idaho and I could use some new company. You get in the car and pull around. I’ll go tell the others.”
It had not yet begun to snow where they were, though everyone knew it was coming soon. Within minutes, the Challenger and the old Dodge Ram pickup were on the road. Honor had asked Trevor if he wanted to drive and he reacted in all smiles, jumping at the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the muscle car.
“I think Honor is wonderful,” Caroline said, watching the taillights of the Challenger several cars lengths in front of them.
“Me too,” Wolf said. “She could be very good for Trevor.”
“Do you think Trevor is ready to date again?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Wolf replied. “That last girlfriend of his, what was her name?”
“Candy.”
“Yeah, Candy,” Wolf agreed. “When she left, it tore him up pretty good. I still think he has the engagement ring.”
“He never gave it to her?” she asked.
Wolf shook his head, “Nope. He brought the ring and arranged to get off early one day to surprise her with it. When he got home, it was Trevor who got the surprise.”
“Oh, my god!” Caroline said. “He caught her cheating? You never told me that.”
“Yep.”
“What kind of idiot would cheat on Trevor?” Caroline said. “He’s a flat-out stud.”
“Hey!” Wolf jibed.
“Not as studly as you, of course,” she teased. She rubbed the inside of his leg allowing her fingers to roam up his inner thigh.”
“That’s better,” he said with a wink.
“You never told me any of this,” she said. “Did he hurt the guy?”
Wolf shook his head, “No. He didn’t get angry. He was really hurt, though. It crushed him. When he saw them together, he slipped the engagement ring in his pocket and just left.”
“It’s been more than a year,” she said.
“And I’ve barely seen him give a second glance to a woman since then,” Wolf said. He smiled, “Until tonight.”
Trevor “Bootstrap” Saunders and Matthew “Wolf” Steel went through early training together. They developed a bond while spending eight weeks together in Naval Preparatory School and then became nearly inseparable during Basic Underwater Demolition Training. BUD/S, as it is known, was 24-weeks of mental and physical stamina and leadership skills training. Each BUD/S phase included timed physical conditions testing, combat diving and land warfare training. The final seven weeks of land warfare training had nearly killed them both. Each man relied heavily on the other to keep pushing toward the end.
After BUD/S, Wolf’s and Trevor’s missions took them on separate paths, but the two never lost contact with each other. As tours got longer and missions multiplied Trevor suffered a series of physical injuries, making him rethink the future. When Trevor began thinking of retirement, he called Wolf first to discuss matters. That was why they were all there today.
Wolf’s phone began buzzing; he looked at the display. It was Commander Hurt calling him.
“Commander,” Wolf began. “I’m sorry. I should have called you. I think I sent you on a wild goose chase.”
“I can barely hear you. Your voice is breaking up,” Hurt said.
“I’m sorry, Sir. The snow is really coming down and we are in the middle of Washington State,” Wolf replied. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose connection altogether.”
“Why do you think you sent me on a wild goose chase?” Hurt asked.
“Because those Middle Eastern guys left shortly after I sent you their pictures,” Wolf replied.
“Say again?” Hurt asked. “I still can’t hear you well.”
“Because those Middle Eastern guys left shortly after I sent you their pictures,” Wolf said louder.
“Well, I ran three of them through facial recognition,” Hurt said. “None of them have ties to any missions of yourself or of Trevor Saunders.”
“That’s kind of what I suspected,” Wolf replied, raising his voice to be heard better.
“The man you thought of as the alpha?” Hurt continued. “His name is Adnan Alfassi.”
“Say again, Commander,” Wolf said. “I can’t hear you well either.”
“Adnan Alfassi! He was born in Syria. He’s 41 years old. He’s been living in the U.S. for over 20 years. He has been on Homeland Security’s watch list for some time. He has been loosely linked to an ISIS splinter group but thus far there have been no direct links. He’s never been arrested in the U.S.”
“If I had a dollar for every Middle Eastern person who has been on Homeland’s watch list, I’d be a very wealthy man,” Wolf said. “That by itself means nothing.”
“I agree. There are no glaring red flags,” Hurt admitted. “All the same, watch yourself. I sent Alfassi’s file to your phone. It might give you a little light reading tonight.”
“Thanks, Commander, but I’m on holiday, and if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to direct my full attention to my beautiful wife.”
“Affirmative. Carry on, Wolf,” he said. The line went dead. Wolf began to download the file, hoping the cell service lasted long enough to fully retrieve it.
“So, nothing nota
ble?” Caroline asked.
“Not really,” Wolf said. “It is a little unusual to see a Middle Eastern man from Homeland’s watch list out in the middle of Washington State. I’ll probably read the file later, but it looks pretty benign.”
“So why were they staring at us?” Caroline said.
“They were probably staring at you and Honor,” Wolf said. “I’m sure they hadn’t seen such striking beauties in a long time.”
She slapped his arm, “Seriously. Why?”
“Who knows? Maybe they made us for military and were curious as to why we were there. Hell, I don’t know.”
CHAPTER 4
“This car is incredible,” Trevor said. “I love it.”
“It’s my brother’s car,” Honor replied. “I’m just borrowing it. I drive an old Honda Accord that needs work. When I planned this trip my father didn’t want to see me driving in my car to Eastern Washington and back, so he pressured my brother into loaning me his.”
“Well, your brother has cool taste in cars,” Trevor fired back.
“I’m glad you like it,” she said. An involuntary smile broadened across her face. Trevor caught the smile and reacted with one of his own.
She made eye contact briefly but her face reddened and she turned away.
“Why do you do that?” Trevor asked.
“Do what?” she asked.
“Every time you smile, you get embarrassed and turn away,” he said. “Do you have something against smiling?”
“No,” she said. “I’m very shy in case you haven’t noticed.”
“I have but it seems like there’s more to it,” he responded.
“My therapist says it’s a defense mechanism.”
“How so?”
“By opening myself up to the possibility for rejection,” she said. “I suppress the smile so that I don’t allow myself the opportunity to build a relationship. If I don’t have relationships, I can’t get hurt or rejected.”
“Damn!” Trevor said. “That’s some deep shit.”
“And then there’s the whole lack-of-self-worth thing,” she added. “Deep down I don’t think I deserve friends.”
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Honor (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Trevor Saunders Series Book 1) Page 3