by Mary Alford
They’d come here several times in the past whenever their schedules permitted. It was a special place for them and for her. She could almost imagine they might have a normal life here. Her and Jase, spending their days together exploring the snowy woods of Vermont. And at night…”
“I wish we could stay here forever,” she told him with a wistful catch in her voice.
“Me too. It’s beautiful here, isn’t it? But it’s time for you to go, Kate.”
Time to go. She didn’t want to go. Didn’t want to leave him.
He leaned down and kissed her neck, yet she couldn’t feel a thing.
“Jase?” She turned to face him, and she could barely make him out. He was vanishing before her eyes. She was losing pieces of him. Her memories dying. “No, please, Jase, don’t go. Don’t leave me…”
“Please…” Hannah murmured and then slowly opened her eyes and glanced around. It was simply another dream. Yet the tears on her cheek spoke of the emotional turmoil reliving those bittersweet moments of Kate’s past had been.
“You okay?” Jase asked in a gravely sleep-deprived voice that sent shivers up her spine.
“I’m fine,” she managed without looking at him. Her fingers touched the locket she wore close to Kate’s heart.
Last night had seemed like a dream, or more to the point, a nightmare. Yet there she was, sitting next to the man Kate had loved with all her heart. The same man who was now the only person standing between her and the men trying to take her life.
Intense sunlight poured through the front window of the truck, momentarily blinding her. She’d behaved foolishly. Two men were now dead because of her. Her sister and brother-in-law’s lives changed forever because of their relationship to her.
She glanced sideways at Jase and saw what could only be classified as a smug grin planted on his handsome face. Even sleepless from driving all night he was still the sexiest man she’d ever met.
“Where are we?” She glanced at the truck’s clock. Almost ten. She’d been out for hours. She looked at him again. His focus was on the road ahead. “Where are we going?”
He spared her another infuriating smile. “When we get there we’ll be where we’re going.”
She wasn’t in the mood for games. “What exactly does that mean?”
Jase gave her his full attention. The intensity in his blue eyes left her feeling unbalanced and a little breathless. She was the first to look away.
“It means you’re on a need to know basis, and right now you don’t need to know.” When she glared at him he added, “You’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, do you want something to eat?”
Hannah blew out an annoyed-sounded sigh and nodded. Her thoughts spinning. Beverly must be going out of her mind with worry. Not to mention, she hadn’t taken her meds in hours.
Jase seemed to be reading all her worries. Or maybe she wasn’t good a hiding them.
“Your sister will be told what she needs to know as well. She can update the boyfriend—Michael was it?”
Guilt swept through her. She hadn’t told anyone about her and Michael’s split. Bev would have to hear it from Michael.
Hannah realized Jase was watching her closely. Seeing too much. She certainly didn’t want to discuss Michael with him.
He ignored her silence. “I had your meds filled at a drive-through pharmacy a few miles back.” He pointed to the bag on the dash in front of him. “You must have really been out of it because you never even budged.” After another quick glance her way he added, “We’ll stop so you can eat soon. There’s a small town not far from here. Don’t try anything foolish, Hannah. I meant what I said last night. This isn’t a game any longer. It’s serious. I’m serious. Your life is in danger. I’m all that’s keeping you alive right now, so don’t screw with me.”
Jase pulled into the parking lot of a diner that looked like it was suspended somewhere between the seventies and eighties. The sign flashed: MEL’S PLACE. OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. BEST BURGERS IN TOWN.
“What’s the name of this town?” Hannah tried to discern their location once more as she climbed out of the truck and stretched the kinks from her body. Why she was so determined to find this out she wasn’t sure. Was it because of the dream or a niggling of a memory playing around the dark corners of her mind? One she couldn’t capture that warned her wherever they were going, Kate had been there before… With Jase.
Jase came round to her side carrying a backpack. “Nice try. Somewhere halfway to where we’re going.” He quirked another smile her way. He didn’t want her to know, which meant he was afraid she’d disclose it to someone. Which meant this wasn’t just a matter of what happened to Kate anymore. She was in serious danger.
He held the door open for her. The bell above it jingled their arrival to the handful of patrons and staff. No one seemed particularly interested in them. The sign by the register read, SEAT YOURSELF, so they did. Jase took her arm and directed her to the back of the diner where no one else sat. He waited for her to slip into the booth and then he sat next to her, facing the door with the windows revealing the entire parking lot and the highway to their left. They could see anyone coming or going into the place.
“Coffee, hon?” a pencil thin waitress with a pile of orange hair on top of her head asked them. She looked to be sixty at least.
“Yes.” Jase glanced at Hannah who nodded. He arched a brow at the oddity of this. “Make it two.”
He probably thought it odd for someone who’d gone through a transplant to be drinking so much coffee, but she couldn’t face the day without it. Just not black coffee.
The waitress brought two cups over-filled and sloshing with coffee. “Cream? Sugar?” She directed all her questions at Jase, and she was practically drooling.
“Both,” he said without looking at her. “And could we see a menu?” The waitress dumped sugar and cream packets on the table and left.
Hannah emptied two sugars and a couple of creams in her coffee, before stirring it to perfection. She inched a little closer to the window and away from Jase. He was too near. Too much of a distraction. She needed her wits about her.
The waitress brought a couple of menus and waited for them to decide, tapping her pencil against her pad somewhat impatiently.
“What’s good here?” Jase seemed to be the only one speaking for them, but she couldn’t come up with any words. Her thoughts were spinning in a dozen different directions.
“Well, we’re famous for our omelets.” The waitress smacked her gum and grinned at him.
Jase ignored the woman’s flirting. “Then make it two.” He closed the menu and handed them both back to the woman who sulked away, rejected.
He reached inside his backpack and pulled out her filled prescriptions. She didn’t have to ask how he’d accomplished that miracle. No doubt the Agency had people everywhere.
Hannah took the pills grabbed one of the glasses of water left by the waitress, and swallowed them.
“So you’re not talking, is that it?” Jase’s husky voice interrupted her tortured thoughts.
She took her time, took a sip of coffee, then managed, “I don’t have anything to say.”
“You’d better. You put yourself in the middle of this mess. You claimed to have insight into Kate’s memories. You’d better have plenty to say if you want to live and get out of this thing unscathed.”
His choice of words struck like a blow. Unscathed? Too late for that. She chose to ignore his threat entirely, and he gave up on trying to obtain intel out of her for the time being. He took out his phone and scanned through the messages there, careful to keep the screen averted from her view. Once a spy, always a spy.
Hannah sipped her coffee, watched the light traffic passing along the highway, and tried to determine where they were. Her best guess was they’d left Virginia behind some hours ago. They were heading north. How far they’d come, she had no idea, but the dream of the little cabin in Vermont was still fresh on her mind. They’d gone there
together, Kate and Jase. She closed her eyes. Please, no.
She couldn’t go there with him. Not now.
“Here are your omelets. Enjoy. Let me know if I can bring you anything else, hon.” The waitress added with her best smile for Jase.
Hannah waited until the woman was back behind the counter. “She really likes you.”
He spared her a scowl. “Eat up. We’ll be leaving in ten minutes whether you’re ready or not.”
Her appetite had returned in full force, reminding her it had been hours since she’d last eaten. She polished off most of the omelet and toast. Two cups of coffee later, the caffeine caught up with her. She felt almost normal again. Well, as normal as someone with dreams of a dead woman could feel at least.
“Ready?” he took out his wallet and left two twenties on the table.
“I need to use the ladies room first.”
Jase followed her inside the restroom.
“I think I can manage on my own.”
He locked the door and did a quick check in both stalls. “I wasn’t offering. Make it quick.”
Having to use the restroom with someone standing outside your stall listening to every little sound was next to impossible, but her bladder needed relief more than her modesty needed protecting.
She finished and walked out of the stall. He stood leaning against the door while she washed her hands. “Ready?” She nodded. “Let’s go.”
They started through the now almost empty diner when Jase stopped dead in his tracks. Hannah all but slammed against him before she picked up on what he’d seen. A dark Suburban, its windows tinted almost black was edging its way off the interstate and toward the side of the diner where they’d left the truck.
“Did you call anyone?” Jase grabbed her arm and all but hauled her past the restrooms to a storage area at the back of the building.
“No. How could I? You’ve been with me every minute since we left D.C. You know that I haven’t called anyone. Why?”
He didn’t answer her question. “Where’s your phone?”
“It’s in my purse.”
“Give it to me.” She fished her phone out and handed it to him. He took hers along with his own and dropped them on the floor.
“What are you doing,” she exclaimed when he smashed both to pieces with his foot. Jase didn’t say anything as he tugged her along to the storage room where he rummaged through the piles of industrial sized flour and sugar containers until he found an opened fifty-pound container of flour. Jase dumped both phones inside and buried them.
Past the stacks of dry goods, Jase spotted a door that looked as if it hadn’t been used in a while.
“Stand back.” He pushed her behind him and kicked the door hard. It took two more tries before the nails someone had used to secure it gave way.
“Stay close to me and do as I tell you.” He moved outside and edged along the wall of the diner, glancing around before he motioned for her to follow. Some ten feet past the parked cars of the diner’s employees was a thick cropping of pine trees. The diner bordered an undeveloped portion of land.
Jase pointed to the trees. “On the count of three, run.”
She nodded and he started to count. “One. Two. Three.” He grabbed her hand and they ran as fast as they could. Jase didn’t let her stop until they were deep within the tree coverage. Hannah felt as if she might pass out at any minute and he must have realized it because he stopped at last.
“You need to sit down.” He indicated a fallen tree and she gladly did as he requested.
While Hannah tried to catch her breath, Jase assessed their surroundings.
“We need a way out of here as quick as possible. They’ll realize we’ve left the diner soon enough and they’ll be watching the truck so we can’t go back there. We need to find another means of transportation. Are you ready?”
She wasn’t. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could make it much farther, but she understood the urgency of the situation. They were on foot and they’d lost their only means of communication. Somehow, she needed to find the strength to keep moving if she wanted to stay alive.
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Jase studied her for a moment. His doubtful expression didn’t instill confidence but they were both stuck with each other for now.
“This way.” He reached for her hand and held it when she would have pulled away. “I need you close. It’s the only way I can protect you.” He headed north at a fast click with Hannah in tow. They made their way through the thick growth of pine trees without speaking. They’d gone about a quarter of a mile when the wooded area suddenly opened up into a secluded subdivision lined with houses.
“We need to find a vehicle and get out of here.”
She understood what that meant. They’d have to boost a car. She wasn’t sure how comfortable she was with taking something that didn’t belong to them. Her Christian upbringing told her it was wrong, but their backs were up against the wall.
Jase still held her hand as they walked down the sidewalk. They could have been just another couple out for a morning stroll.
At this time of the day, most people would be at work, which meant there wasn’t a real threat they’d be spotted by someone in the neighborhood. It also meant the number of vehicles assessable would be few.
At the end of the block, the cul-de-sac made a horseshoe bend. A single house adjoined an empty lot, which bordered the woods they’d exited. Someone had parked a battered two-door Toyota Camry in front of the empty lot. It looked as it had been there for a while, rusting to the ground.
Jase tried the passenger door. It was unlocked. He slid inside and behind the wheel dragging her with him.
“Keep an eye out for anyone.”
She nodded but she couldn’t stop shaking. She glanced around while he attempted to hotwire the car. It took a half dozen tries before the Toyota’s tired engine fired to life.
Jase put the car in drive and kept his speed slow. He was trying not to draw any unnecessary attention as they left the subdivision.
Instead of heading back toward the interstate, he drove the opposite direction from the diner. They were doubling back the way they’d come. After they’d driven the short distance through town, Jase turned onto a farm-to-market road and punched the gas pedal. The Toyota’s engine grumbled into high speed.
“What were you hoping to find by searching my name and Kate’s? Did you really think you’d find out what the CIA’s involvement in Kate’s death was by looking on the Internet?”
His question threw her. It took her a minute to figure out what he meant. He’d been to her apartment before coming to the bar. He’d seen what she’d been looking at on the Internet.
Then it dawned on her. “Oh no. It was because of that search that those two agents were killed. I’m the one who got them killed.”
Jase didn’t show any reaction at all. “I’d say it’s an awful big coincidence that a couple of hours later two of our agents are murdered outside your apartment. Wouldn’t you?” He spared her a look. “So answer the question. What were you hoping to find? Or was it some code. Maybe you were reaching out to someone. Someone you met in Afghanistan.”
She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What are you talking about? What code? I didn’t meet anyone in Afghanistan. I wanted to find out something about Kate. I needed to know the truth about what really happened to Kate beyond some ridiculous CIA cover story.”
His hard expression sparked another memory. She’d seen that same look on his face a dozen times when he was interrogating someone. Like he was interrogating her now. He didn’t believe a word of what she’d said.
“I thought you knew what happened to Kate. Aren’t you the one who claims to have dreams about her? And what about Kabul? How do you explain that away? What were you doing in Kabul of all places, Miss Schoolteacher?”
He knew about her high school graduation trip. Of course, the CIA would have dug into her past with a magnifying glass, hoping to unco
ver some dirt. Apparently, Jase thought that they had.
“So you know about my high school graduation trip, and you think that proves I’m a spy? How do you explain the fact I needed a heart transplant. Or do you think I faked that too?”
His expression became cynical. “Answer the question.”
“I … nothing. It was simply a trip. My senior trip. We wanted to have fun. See some places we’d never been before. My friends and I had planned the trip for more than a year, but I’d wanted to see Kabul since I was a little girl and saw a picture of the Gardens of Babur. They were beautiful. My friends were afraid to go. I couldn’t talk them into going with me, but I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“No one goes to a war zone without cause. Who’d you met with there?”
“No one. I’m not a spy, Jase. It was someplace I’d always wanted to see. Anyway, I thought you didn’t believe I was involved in Kate’s murder?”
The second she said the words aloud she regretted them.
He shook his head. “That was before I found out about the trip to Afghanistan. Personally, I think were involved right up to your pretty neck. So, who did you make contact with that set this thing into motion?”
She shook her head and ground out, “I told you, no one. I wasn’t there to meet with anyone. I went to the gardens, toured the museum. Had lunch at a local restaurant. That’s it. Nothing out of the ordinary happened.”
He started to say something more, but the car sputtered and came close to stalling out. His attention went to the check engine light that had begun flashing on and off.
“We need to put as much distance between ourselves and whoever’s tracking us as we can. Unfortunately, this car won’t last much longer. Let’s hope there’s a town up this road where we can find another ride and hopefully a couple of disposable phones. We’ll need supplies as well in case we end up on foot again. Otherwise, we’re going to be sitting targets.” She hadn’t missed the way Jase had been checking the rearview mirror for miles.
She turned and looked behind them. “Is someone following us?”
He checked the rearview mirror one more time then focused on the road. “Not yet.”