by Anna Blakely
“We’ll plan on that, then.”
Not sure what that was all about, she smiled and said, “Great. I can’t wait.”
With a renewed spirit, she went over to the kitchen table and began to arrange the deck of cards Nate had bought for them.
Just the thought of being able to go and do all those things tomorrow made playing another game of solitaire bearable.
Sneaking a sideways glance, she saw the grimace crossing over Nate’s face as he sat back down onto the not-so-comfortable couch and went back to work on his computer. Gracie decided right then she’d give him one more night of misery on the damn thing, and then she was going to convince him to share a bed with her.
And she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
Chapter 10
“Tell me you found something.”
“Not yet, but we’re still looking.”
With the phone to his ear, Achim walked across Nathan Carter’s apartment. While he continued searching for what he was almost certain wasn’t there, he braced himself for the tongue lashing that was about to come.
“I do not pay you to simply look, Achim. I pay you to do what needs to be done. So far, you haven’t given me shit on this.” There was a moment of silence, and then, “If you cannot give me what I want, perhaps I should consider finding someone else to do this job. Someone more capable.”
Achim rolled his eyes. Edric Yavuz wouldn’t be where he was today if not for him, and he knew it.
“There is no need to go looking elsewhere, Edric. I told you I would find the woman, and I will.”
“When?” Edric’s demand mimicked that of a small child. “I am running out of time, Achim. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but my future hangs in the balance until we find that fucking file.”
“Well, maybe you should have thought about your future a little more before making deals with a nuclear weapons dealer at the same time you were supposed to be making a public appearance.”
“I told you before,” Edric snapped back. “The press had already left the area, and Shamir was close to the village I was in. It only made sense that we meet then to get the deal finalized.”
“In a fucking alley like some two-bit criminal? There were still American soldiers present, Edric. And not just any soldiers, but SEALS. I’ve known you to make some mistakes in the past, but allowing yourself to be photographed while making an arms deal not two weeks after meeting with the President of the United States about signing a treaty with them is by far your worst.”
“How was I supposed to know one of them would be outside snapping pictures for some goddamn government report?”
“It is your job to plan for such things,” Achim bluntly pointed out. “Instead of waiting to be certain you were secure, you let your greediness and impatience overshadow your common sense. Now, as usual, I’m left to clean up your mess.”
“You get paid a hefty sum to clean up my messes, so quit your incessant whining and find Gracelynn McDaniels.”
Achim looked around Nathan Carter’s living room. Like the rest of the man’s apartment, he’d turned it upside down, but found nothing.
“She and Carter are in the wind. So is the sister.”
“Surely there is something there that would tell us where Carter would take her to hide.”
Achim rolled his eyes again. “The man is former Naval Intelligence, Edric. He’s not going to leave us a map with a big, shiny arrow pointing to his hideout.”
He’d no more said the words when his attention was drawn to a picture on the fireplace mantle. Kicking a throw pillow out of his path, Achim made his way across the disheveled room.
He studied the picture of the two boys in the woods. The lake in the background looked oddly familiar, as did the cabin. A few moments passed before he realized why.
The night before last, Achim had been sitting in his hotel room flipping through the multitude of useless television channels when a local advertisement for cabin and canoe rentals came on. He remembered thinking maybe, when this job was done, he’d take a few weeks off and go there.
Then, he’d laughed at the thought of someone like him hiding out amongst a bunch of normal, unsuspecting families.
Achim looked at the photo again. The commercial for the lake had mentioned it was only a short drive from the city. Knowing it must be a special place for Carter to have a framed picture of it on display, he realized he may have just found that shiny arrow, after all.
“I think I found something. I’ll be in touch.”
“What is it? What did you—”
Edric was still talking when Achim ended the call. Yavuz may be the Turkey’s president, but Achim knew he was really the one with all the power.
What the fuck were you thinking?
The silent question burned through Nate’s mind again as he stared at the mouthwatering site before him.
Sitting on the seat opposite him, Gracie’s head was tilted back and her eyes were closed as she soaked up the sun’s rays. He clearly hadn’t thought this plan through.
Not. At. All.
When he’d first mentioned spending the day on the lake, Nate’s entire focus had been on giving her a relaxing, normal day outside the cabin. What he hadn’t taken into consideration was the fact that the most beautiful woman he’d ever known would be wearing a bathing suit the entire time.
This wasn’t just any bathing suit, either. It was yellow, which complimented her golden skin tone perfectly, and was made from the tiniest scraps he’d ever seen.
The woman was gorgeous in a pair of running shorts and his old t-shirt. Gracie in a bikini? Holy fuck, he was so completely screwed.
His dick jumped behind his shorts, reminding him he hadn’t actually been screwed by anyone in quite a while.
The combination of the canoe’s shallow bottom and his long legs had Nate’s knees drawn up closer to his chest than when he normally sat. Between that and his baggy swim trunks, the raging hard-on he was sporting was incognito. He hoped.
Desperate to think of anything other than how badly he wanted to reach across and dip his fingers beneath the yellow material covering the space between Gracie’s thighs, Nate forced his mind to take a different direction.
“Tell me about Craig.”
Clearly taken off guard, Gracie opened her eyes and sat up. “W-what do you want to know?”
For the past three days, Nate had learned more about Craig Wyatt than his own mother probably knew. As wonderful as technology was, however, some things couldn’t be found on the web or in a file.
Nate shrugged, rowing them slowly across the water’s calm surface. “What was he like?”
“Oh, um, he was nice.” She smiled sadly. “Funny.”
“Did he ever say or do anything that made you, I don’t know, suspicious of anything?”
“Never. I mean, he was just like everybody else there. He had his good days and bad days. But, overall, he was a very positive, upbeat kind of guy. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt him.”
“Any visitors come by while you were there? Any family members or former teammates come to see him?”
“No. Never.” She shook her head. “Remember? At your apartment that night, I explained to you that’s why I would go and sit with him. Why I sat with several of the patients there.”
“No, I remember. I just needed to be sure.” Nate paused for a moment, hating the next question he had to ask. “Did you and Craig ever—” God, he didn’t want to say it. “Were you two just friends?”
Gracie’s brows turned inward, and from the tone of her voice when she answered, she didn’t care for the question any more than he did.
“Of course we were just friends. I would never have hooked up with one of the patients there. Not only would that have violated the volunteer policy, it would be wrong of me to use my time with them and their vulnerability to try to score a date.”
Thank God.
“I’m sorry.” Nate held up as much of his hands as he could without comp
letely letting go of the oars. “I had to ask.”
Gracie bit her bottom lip and nodded, but said, “Look, Nate. I appreciate how hard you’ve been working to try to figure this whole mess out. I really do. But, do you think maybe, just for an hour or two, we could talk about something other than Craig or the fact that someone tried to kidnap me?”
From behind his sunglasses, his eyes found the bruise that was beginning to fade. His pulse instantly spiked, and his hands fisted around the oars’ wooden handles.
He’d never had such an animalistic reaction just from seeing someone get hurt. Not even when that asshat lawyer threatened to kill Sarah a while back.
It was different with Gracie. Like so many things were.
Nate couldn’t explain it. Frankly, he was afraid to even try. But somehow, some way Gracelynn McDaniels had wormed her way into a place inside him he never knew existed.
Realizing he hadn’t answered her yet, he forced a smile and said, “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”
Using both hands, Gracie gathered her hair and pulled it to one side so it all fell over her left shoulder.
“You.”
“Me?” He couldn’t hide his surprise. “What about me?”
“I don’t know. Stuff like, where did you grow up? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Did you play sports in high school? Ever been married? You know, the normal stuff people talk about when they’re first getting to know one another.”
“Normal stuff, huh? I can do that.” Knowing the oarlocks would keep the oars from falling into the water, Nate released their handles and rested a minute. “Let’s see. I grew up in Studley, Virginia.”
Gracie busted up laughing. “I’m sorry. Did you say Studley?”
Nate chuckled at her reaction. “Yes. Studley.”
Her face filled with skepticism. “That’s an actual place?”
“Yes, Miss Doubty McDoubtster. It’s a tiny, unincorporated town northeast of Richmond. It has a gas station and everything.”
Though, she was trying hard not to, Gracie snickered from behind her pursed lips.
“You don’t believe me?” Nate acted hurt. “Fine. When we get back to the cabin, I’ll pull it up on the map and prove it to you.”
“Oh, I believe you.” She smiled. “I just find it fitting that you would be from a town with the name ‘Studley’.”
“That’s right.” Nate held his right fist up and flexed his bicep. “Pretty sure they changed the name to Studley after I was born.”
Gracie laughed, but her eyes seemed mesmerized by his bulging muscles. Normally, Nate would make some inappropriate comment right about now. Probably something referring to his ‘size’.
Rather than fall down that masochistic rabbit hole, he lowered his arm and said, “So, that’s where I’m from. What else did you ask? Oh, yeah. Siblings. I had an older brother.”
Those adorable eyebrows scrunched together again. “Had?”
“Scott was nine years older than me. I was what my parents affectionately call their ‘Oops’ baby. Anyway, Scott was a Lieutenant in the Navy and during his second tour in Afghanistan, the chopper he and five other members from his unit were in got shot down. There were no survivors.”
“Oh, God, Nate. I’m so sorry.”
The sincerity in her tone was touching. “Thanks. It sucks, and I still miss the big jerk like crazy. But, it was a long time ago. It helps to know he died doing what he loved.” Nate smiled sadly. “From the time I can remember, Scott always wanted to be in the Navy.”
“What about you? Did you always know you wanted to go into the military?”
Nate snorted. “Not at all. I’d planned to go to college, major in computer science, and then make a shit ton of money working for some big fortune five-hundred corporation.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“My brother died serving his country.”
“I’m sorry,” she apologized again. “I didn’t mean to drag up bad memories.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about Scott, so thank you. Talking about him keeps his memory alive. Oh, and to answer your last two questions, I played second-string quarterback all four years in high school, and no, I’ve never been married.”
She gave him a smirk. “See? This is nice. We’re getting to know each other more.”
“Well, then. In keeping with that spirit, what about you? Any secret husbands I need to know about who might be jealous of your fake one?”
When Gracie laughed, it was as if her entire soul lit up from within. Jesus, he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of hearing that sound.
“Definitely not. I’ve only had a couple relationships you could even consider labeling as serious, and even then, it would be a stretch. My dad and Becky, Sarah’s mom, got divorced when Sarah was two, and Dad took a job in Maryland. Six months later, he met my mom, and three months after that, they were married. Nine months later, I came along.”
“Wow. Sounds like they had quite the whirlwind romance.”
“It was.” Gracie smiled wistfully. “When I got older, Dad explained that he and Becky had loved each other in the beginning, but they married really young, and as they grew up, they grew apart.”
“What about your mom? Is he still with her?”
“Oh, yeah. Those two can’t keep their hands off each other. I swear, most days it’s like they’re still in their twenties.”
“I noticed you and Sarah have different last names.”
“Yeah, that’s a bit of a touchy subject with my dad. Becky remarried not long after their divorce, as well. Since Gordon, Sarah’s stepdad, was the one physically helping to raise her, Sarah’s mom asked my dad if Gordon could legally adopt Sarah when she was younger. It was a hard decision, but Dad said he thought it would be easier on Sarah if she had the same last name as Becky and Gordon. So, he signed off on it.”
“I can see that.”
“But,” Gracie was quick to add, “My dad loves Sarah very much. They talk on the phone and send cards all the time. He always made sure she and I got together whenever we could, growing up. Plus, Dad gets along really well with both Becky and Gordon, so it all worked out.”
“Sounds like he made the right choice for both himself and Sarah’s mom.”
“Yep. We’re all just one, big happy family.” As if she realized she’d said something wrong, Gracie began to apologize. “I’m sorry.”
Nate looked at her questioningly. “For what?”
“You just shared that story about your brother, and here I am, going on and on about my sister.”
He smiled. “You didn’t go on and on, Gracie. And I asked, so there’s nothing to be sorry for.” Nate glanced up over her shoulder, only then realizing exactly where they were on the lake. His smile grew. “Speaking of Scott. There’s something I want to show you.”
Nate grabbed the oars again and began to paddle them toward a small sandbank not far from where they were. After rowing them onto shore as far as he could, he stepped into the water and helped Gracie out of the canoe.
“Oh! The water is colder than I thought it would be,” she said as they walked carefully onto the bank.
“I’m just glad we went ahead and decided to buy the water shoes. Definitely don’t want to go barefoot where we’re going.”
That same skepticism flashed behind her beautiful eyes. “Where exactly is that?”
Purposely ignoring the question, Nate grabbed her hand and grinned. “I’ll show you. Come on. It’s this way.”
Five minutes and a couple of stubbed toes later, Nate guided Gracie through the clearing and up to the top of the cliff he’d spotted from the lake.
“Watch your step.”
Gracie cautiously leaned over a bit and looked down. “Um, Nate? You wanna tell me what we’re doing up here?”
Keeping hold of her hand for more his peace of mind than hers, he said, “My brother and I used to come up here.”
Her he
ad swung around, and her eyes widened a bit just before they filled with recognition. “The picture.”
“What picture?”
“On your fireplace. The one with the two boys. That was you and Scott, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, yeah. I’d almost forgotten about that being there.”
“And it was taken here? At this lake?”
“Yeah,” Nate smiled, remembering that summer fondly. “I was eight, and he was eighteen. My parents used to bring us here every summer. We always rented one of the really big cabins that slept like twenty people. It was us and Clint’s family.” For clarification, he added, “Clint and my dad grew up together.”
“Sounds nice.”
“It was. Most of the time, anyway.”
“Only most?”
“I was the youngest, so Clint’s kids had a tendency to pick on me.”
“I bet Scott didn’t let that go on for long.”
Nate smiled. “No. In fact, the last time I ever remember it happening was in this very spot. It was the same year the picture was taken.”
“Really? What happened?”
“We all came up here. Clint’s boys dared Scott and I to jump. It’s only a twenty-five foot drop, so Scott was all for it.”
“But, you were scared.”
Nate laughed at his younger self. “I wasn’t just scared. I was terrified. My knees were shaking, and I remember the roof of my mouth tingling. My palms became sweaty, and I was on the verge of tears just thinking about jumping.”
“I can’t imagine you being scared of anything.”
He glanced up at her, his heart swelling a bit when he realized she was being serious. “Well,” he played it off. “Keep in mind, I was only eight. My fearless bravery didn’t come until a few years later.”
Gracie laughed. “So, did you jump?”
“I did. I wasn’t going to, though. I’d actually started to walk back down to our canoe by myself.”
“What stopped you?”
“Scott.”
“He made you jump?”
Nate grinned. “The exact opposite, actually. He told me it was perfectly fine if I didn’t want to do it, and what those boys were saying didn’t mean jack shit.”