by Jill Sanders
“Yes?” he whispered.
“Your appointment to see Doctor Stiles is today at noon,” the automated voice said before the line went dead.
Damn. He looked down at his watch. He had hoped to have at least the entire day, if not the full month, off with Ashley. How was he going to make his excuses to her without tipping her off that he was going into work?
He knew that she’d gotten his hint that he had some time off, and he had hoped that it was true, since his last assignment had ended several weeks ago.
He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and quickly glanced around the quiet neighborhood. He could see a few homes from his view. Everything looked dark and still, and he berated himself for allowing his work to seep into the slice of heaven Ashley had built for herself.
Leaning against the railing he watched the sun rise, the light hitting North Table Mountain. The view here was amazing. He’d missed Colorado and wondered how much longer he could do what he did. How much longer would he want to?
Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled at the small bundle under the blankets. Being with Ashley had changed him. He had something to look forward to, to live for.
Stepping back inside, he crawled next to her and pulled her closer.
“You’re freezing,” she gasped.
“Sorry, I had a call.” He shifted, trying to get warm as she pushed him away.
Laughing, she tried to break free. “Talk about a rude awakening.” She shoved him back, her hair in her face. He reached over and brushed it aside as she blinked a few times to look at him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
His eyebrows shot up. “Who says…” Her eyes narrowed. “I have an appointment today.”
She tilted her head, moving until she rested her head on her hands. “Okay,” she said slowly. “What kind of appointment?”
He shifted. “Just a… doctor’s.”
“Is something wrong?” She sat up slightly.
“No,” he answered quickly. “It’s… code,” he said softly.
“For?” She tucked her knees to her chest and waited.
“It means I have another mission.” He sat up beside her.
“You’re… leaving again?” She frowned, and it almost broke his heart seeing the sadness flood her eyes.
“Not necessarily.” He knew he was giving her false hope, but he needed it as much as she did.
“When will you be back?”
He shrugged. “I don’t… I’m not sure.” He sighed. “How about we grab some breakfast.”
“Do you have time?”
“Yeah, if we get going now.” He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.
“Will you call this time?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Yes,” he promised. Her eyes narrowed at him. “I promise.” He kissed her and knew as she responded to him that he would be late for his meeting.
When he parked the car in the parking garage at the downtown building, he was running five minutes behind.
He punched in the code to let himself into the secure building, checked with security, signed in, and then headed up to the fifteenth floor.
When he walked into the conference room, he wasn’t surprised that he was the only person there.
Sitting down, he pulled out his secure laptop, logged in, and waited.
Ten minutes later, the connection started.
“Morning, Miller.” The image of the man he knew only as RJ jumped up on his screen.
“Morning.” He waited.
“We have some disturbing news,” RJ said.
An hour later, he drove back to his parents’ place to pack. He was a little shocked when he walked in to find them home.
His father greeted him at the door. “So, you are home.” He shook his hand and gave him a manly half hug.
“Yup, not for long.” He frowned, trying to figure out how to convince them to go on another trip, and soon.
“Oh? Your mother will be disappointed to hear that.” His father turned towards the stairs. “Debbie, get down here and see your son before he leaves again.”
Moments later, his mother rushed down the stairs in one of her tennis outfits. She hadn’t changed at all. Both of his parents were still in great shape. Perhaps it was their healthy living or the fact that they were always on the go.
“Mom.” He hugged and kissed her.
“What’s this about you leaving already?” she asked.
“I ran into a snag. Looks like I’m needed back in Italy.”
“So soon?” His mother had the mother-pout down perfectly.
“Yes,” he lied. “When’s your next trip?” he asked, trying to hint to his father.
“Oh, we’re back for a month, then we’re off to Brazil,” she answered happily.
His eyes met his father’s. He hadn’t totally confided in his old man, but he was pretty sure one of the smartest men he’d ever met had caught on a long time ago.
“Honey,” his dad stepped in. “I know Kendra and Matt were talking about hitting Maui this weekend. I forgot to mention it to you, but I told them we’d tag along.”
“But, Nick, we just got back, and Cole is going to be here…”
“I’m heading out now,” he supplied.
“But you just got home,” his mother said again.
“Mom.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“Debbie, we know how busy his job keeps him. He’s young. He’ll be back before you know it.”
An hour later, he left his house, his backpack of belongings thrown over his shoulder. The car that he’d arranged to pick him up sat directly outside.
He kissed and hugged his parents and waved as he drove away. He pulled out his cell and for the next ten minutes tried to think of what to say to Ashley.
Finally, he texted her a simple message.
-Have to head out. I’ll call.
He wasn’t surprised when she responded almost immediately.
-You’d better.
He smiled and typed.
-I will.
Then, chuckling, he punched her number.
9
“That was quick,” she said, smiling down at her phone.
“I keep my promises,” he said. She could hear he was already in a car.
“Where are you off to?” She knew he wouldn’t tell her, but it was worth a try.
He sighed heavily. “I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.”
“Did you see your folks at least?” she asked, setting down the paint brush.
“Yes, they’re heading to Hawaii tomorrow.”
She smiled. “They’ve been on the go ever since you moved out.”
“Yeah, part of me thinks they only stayed home while I lived there because of me.”
“There was a point when I envied them. Traveling so much, seeing new places…” She dropped off, thinking of her new goals.
“It’s not all that it’s cracked up to be,” he said.
“No, I suppose not,” she agreed. “Stay safe.”
“Keep painting,” he said, before hanging up.
She looked down at the new piece she’d been working on since he’d left her place earlier.
She was a little surprised several hours later when he called again.
“Hey.” She smiled, seeing his picture jump up on her screen. Then she frowned when she heard the muffled talking. Instantly, she pulled the phone closer to her ear. He’d obviously butt dialed her. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to listen in.
He sounded like he was at the airport or someplace very public. He was talking with a woman, and she could hear the woman clearly, but not Cole. His voice was muffled and low.
“Do you think it’s her?” the woman asked.
Cole’s answer was muffled, but she guessed he responded no.
“Could she have followed you here?”
“She thinks I’m dead.” Cole’s words shocked her, but not as much as the next ones. “She was the one who shot me.�
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A slight buzzing filled her head. So, he had been shot. By a woman.
She’d lost track of the conversation, and focused again when she heard a loud sound, followed by running. She hugged the phone to her ear until there was nothing but silence. She heard Cole cuss just before the phone went dead.
Slamming the phone down, she stared at it until it buzzed half an hour later. Her sister’s face showed on the screen.
“You’re supposed to be on your honeymoon,” she told Amber.
“I am.” Amber sounded so happy, Ashley tried to put her worry for Cole to the back of her mind.
“How’s Italy?” she asked.
“Wonderful!” Amber squealed before going into a five-minute-long one-sided conversation about everything they had done and seen so far. Ashley half listened while the other half thought about Cole.
“I can tell you’re no longer listening. I suppose I’ve just been bragging.” Amber sighed. “Okay, I had a reason for calling. I forgot that I was expecting a new script and found out that they were going to drop it off. Since I signed a strict NDA, I need someone I trust to pick it up, and since you are my sister…” Amber had moved in to Tom’s downtown townhouse a few weeks back. Tom also owned a huge house in the mountains, not far from Golden, but so far, she knew their plan was to only live up there on the weekends they could get away.
“When is it supposed to be there?” she asked.
“I just got notified that it was dropped off half an hour ago,” Amber answered.
Ashley held in a groan. The last thing she wanted to do was drive all the way down to Denver.
“I’m on my way.” She wiped her hands free of paint.
“Thanks, it should be on the front steps. FedEx just dumped it.” Her sister sounded frustrated. “They were supposed to get a signature, but…”
“I’m on it.” After she hung up, she thought about texting Cole but grabbed her car keys instead.
Her mind thought over every angle as she drove the twenty minutes through traffic. She reached the townhouse, picked up the package, and started the drive back home.
When she pulled up, she had a few things settled in her mind. Tucking the heavy box that held the script for her sister’s potential future film, she strolled up her back sidewalk and pulled up short when she noticed her back door wide open.
Frowning, she thought for a split second about pulling out her cell phone, but then groaned when she remembered she hadn’t removed the stupid key in the rock Cole had given her.
Suddenly, excitement raced through her. She dumped the box inside the back door and rushed into the house, excited to see Cole again.
She stopped when she saw the dark figure tossing the top drawer of her kitchen cabinet all over the floor.
She must have made a sound because, suddenly, the man froze and glanced up at her. For a split second, neither of them moved.
Then a scream escaped her as the man rushed towards her. Every part of him was covered in black cotton. All she could see was a pair of blue eyes as the space between them diminished.
She threw her arms up to protect herself but was shoved back against the refrigerator when his entire body slammed against hers. Her breath was knocked from her lungs as she felt the back of her head explode.
She didn’t know how long she had laid there, or even if she’d completely lost consciousness. But when she reached up to touch her head, she felt blood seeping from the base of her skull.
She blinked a few times, looking down at her hand soaked with blood. She laughed slightly, the sound shocking her slightly out of her stupor. Reaching to her pocket, she pulled out her phone, then remembered the man and fear leapt at her as she looked around.
Her vision was fuzzy, and it looked like the room was swaying, but she could tell that she was alone.
She punched the first number she could think of and cursed when it went to Cole’s voicemail.
“Cole?” She shook her head when she realized that he wasn’t going to help her. He was probably on a plane somewhere. Hanging up, she scrolled through and found her father’s number.
“Hey honey,” her dad answered on the second ring.
“Daddy, I need you.” She closed her eyes since she was pretty sure she was going to either vomit or pass out.
“What’s wrong?” Her father’s voice jumped, and she could tell he was instantly on guard.
“Someone broke in. I… I’m bleeding.”
“I’m having your mother call the police. We’ll be there in a few minutes, stay on the phone with me.”
She tried to stay focused, but she felt like she was mumbling her responses to her father’s questions. At one point, she had to lean over as her breakfast came up all over her clean kitchen floor.
“We’re almost there, sweetie.” Her father’s voice kept her locked in place.
“Hurry,” she pleaded.
There were either sirens outside her house or she was about to pass out. The noise was almost deafening, and she groaned at the pain that the noise caused.
She heard banging on her front door and groaned.
“Daddy, I’m in the kitchen. The back door, that’s how he got in,” she said.
“I’ll have your mother tell them. We’re two blocks away,” he said, reassuring her.
She didn’t know who entered her place first, the police or her parents.
Suddenly, her mother and father were by her side as a police officer stood over her.
“Is anyone else supposed to be in the house?” the officer asked.
“No,” her father said, taking her hand. She closed her eyes and relaxed back.
When she felt a blood pressure cuff slip around her arm, she frowned. Her dad didn’t know how to take blood pressure readings.
Opening her eyes again, she blinked a few times and realized that her father had been replaced by two paramedics. Or maybe it was one?
“Miss Scott, can you tell me what day it is?” the paramedic asked.
“You don’t have to shout,” she whispered. “Tuesday,” she answered. “No, wait, Monday.” She closed her eyes. “Sunday? What day was the wedding?” Everything was too fuzzy for her to focus. What she wanted was to take a quick nap, to clear her mind.
Closing her eyes again, she drifted off as someone continued to call her name.
* * *
Cole had blown it. He looked down at his screen after he was sure that he’d lost his pursuer.
The meeting with his contact had gone well, until he’d spotted the two guys in suits heading their way. He’d been put in charge of getting simple information, yet now as he made his way down one of Denver’s grimiest alleys, he realized he’d only gotten half of what he needed. Place was set, but time was still up in the air.
That’s when he’d grabbed his phone and had seen Ashley’s face on his screen and the call clock still ticking. He’d heard her calling his name and did the only thing he’d had the guts to do, hang up on her.
Her next few calls, he’d ignored, shoving his phone back into his pocket this time, making sure he’d locked it with his passcode to prevent any more unwanted butt dials.
He made his way back towards his car, making sure that he wasn’t spotted. He hated to lie to Ashley and his folks about leaving town, but it was easier this way than trying to explain why he was going to be in town but couldn’t come around for fear of someone following him back to them.
He was holed up in a crummy downtown hotel room, wishing more than anything that he could be with Ashley instead. He’d had thoughts about putting in his resignation, or trying for an office position in one of the field offices, but he’d taken this job because it was personal.
Tracking down the woman who’d shot him in Paris would be rewarding. The fact that she was in Denver unsettled him slightly. After all, what were the chances?
He had just made it back to his hotel when his phone rang again. Tossing it on the bed, he frowned at Ashley’s photo on the screen.
H
e was sure she had a million questions about what she had, no doubt, heard. Right now, he wasn’t prepared to answer them. Instead, he headed towards the bathroom for a shower.
When he stepped out, he picked up his phone and listened to his messages. When he reached Ashley’s short message, his blood froze.
He was dressed and out the door quickly, his phone glued to his head as he made several calls. By the time he drove up to the hospital in Golden, there were extra security measurements in place for not only his family, but Ashley’s too.
He walked into the hospital waiting room and his fear spiked after seeing the blood on Ashley’s father’s shirt.
“What happened?” He rushed towards them.
“Someone broke in and attacked her.” Her father stood and met him in the middle of the room.
He turned to go towards the nurse, but Eric put a hand on his shoulder. “She’s getting a scan right now.”
“What did the police say?” he asked.
“That it looked like she walked in on a burglar. Her place was tossed,” Ann added as she stopped beside them.
“Was anything missing?” he asked.
“We haven’t had a chance to look, but the police say everything looks okay. Her TV and computer and other devices were still there. They think that she interrupted him, and the guy got spooked.”
Cole didn’t doubt that Ashley had spooked the guy, but his thoughts about whether it was a burglar he decided to keep to himself.
“Is she hurt?” He nodded towards the blood.
“She had a gash on the back of her head.” Eric sighed. “She cut her head on a fence once when she was ten, gushed like a geyser. I think they’re more concerned about a concussion than the cut.”
He nodded. “I’ll want to talk to the police.” He glanced around. “Have they come back to talk…”
Just then, a nurse entered the room and called her parents’ names.
He glanced at them. “Mind if I…”
“Please, join us.” Ann placed a hand on his. They were shown into a small room.
“The doctor will be with you in a moment.” The nurse left them alone.