“Let it go on its way.”
“Will do. I won’t need to be told twice.”
Mike knew she wasn’t afraid of moose any more than she was of him. She hopped out of the truck the second he pulled to a stop and got her bag, slinging the thick strap over one shoulder. He grabbed his duffel bag and met her at the rear of the truck. They could be a couple checking in for a romantic getaway, except the Plum Tree was closed for the season.
“I hadn’t planned to show up with you,” Naomi said.
“You’ll figure it out.”
“Reed’s a good guy.”
“You need him,” Mike said.
Naomi rolled her eyes. “No, Mike. Reed needs me. He’s new at being a private contractor. I’m not new at being a crisis management consultant.”
“I stand corrected.”
He started across the parking lot. She stayed up with him, despite her city boots and the sting of the icy wind off the water. Wind hadn’t been a problem in the protected harbor in Rock Point. They passed the moose, the metal twisted and shaped to create the appearance of motion. At the right angle, it probably could almost look like a real moose.
“I like him,” Naomi said. “I think you’re exaggerating about the size, though. Are there moose where you live?”
“Yes.” He didn’t bother to tell her he wasn’t exaggerating about the size. Naomi wasn’t thinking about moose, and he didn’t want to be.
When the front door to the attractive inn opened, Mike recognized Jamie Mason, the former Special Forces soldier who had stopped in Rock Point. Jamie was in his midforties, grayer, balder and paunchier than Mike remembered but not anyone he would want to underestimate.
Naomi greeted Jamie with a big smile and a hug. Old friends. Mike hadn’t remembered they knew each other.
Jamie’s eyes narrowed on Mike. “Long time, Mike.”
“Yep.”
“I hear you live up in moose country.”
“Bold Coast for a bold guy.”
Jamie ignored him.
“You’re in moose country right now, Jamie,” Mike added.
“Lucky us,” he said, holding the door for them.
Naomi leaned close to Mike as they entered a small, carpeted lobby decorated in seacoast blues and grays, with reproduction Early American furnishings. “I can rest my case,” she said in a low voice. “You haven’t matured.”
He shrugged. “Demonstrating I have a light side.”
“Light moments do not make a light side.”
Jamie had them leave their bags in the lobby and pointed them down a carpeted hall. “Last room on your left. The library. Reed will meet you there. I’ll let him know you’ve arrived.”
* * *
The library was in a small room that opened onto a covered porch and overlooked the water, glittering and blue under the morning sun and cloudless sky. Floor-to-ceiling shelves covered one wall and contained books, board games, puzzles and playing cards. There were comfortable-looking chairs and a love seat by a fireplace, and a few wooden card tables with folding chairs tucked under them.
A rail-thin man was shaking a Yahtzee cup onto a card table. He dumped the dice onto the table and grinned, eyes crinkling as he whooped. “Three deuces, two fives. Full house. Yay for me.”
Mike recognized the devil-may-care way that was pure Buddy Whidmore, tech expert, adventurer and Vanderbilt dropout—one of those guys too smart and restless for school. Buddy had been in Afghanistan, too, at least for a time. Mike wasn’t surprised to find Buddy currying favor with Reed Cooper. Buddy liked action, just not too much action.
“Buddy—I didn’t know you would be here.” Naomi laughed. “This party just keeps getting better.”
He set his Yahtzee cup on the table. “To think we could be meeting in Nashville instead of the frozen north. Your cheeks are pink from the cold, Naomi. Or is it the company?” Buddy tossed a die into the cup and grinned at Mike. “Mike Donovan. Damn. Great to see you.”
“Buddy.”
“How are you? Been ages.”
“Doing fine, thanks.” Mike hated small talk and wasn’t any good at it. “You?”
“Still doing my thing. I stay out of war zones these days, though. I keep thinking I’ll take on a regular job, but I’m a solo entrepreneur at heart. I like the freedom to come and go, work remotely, pick and choose the projects that excite me. It’s great. I was in Dubai last month on business. Ever been to Dubai, Mike?”
He nodded. He wasn’t talking about Dubai.
“Naomi and I both travel a lot, but we get together in Nashville for barbecue and bourbon when we can. Couldn’t do that with most desk jobs I’m qualified for. You, Mike? Is it true you’re a wilderness guide?”
“True.”
“Not much firepower required in that job, is there?”
Mike didn’t answer.
Buddy put away his Yahtzee game. He had on a bright plaid flannel shirt, jeans sunk low on his thin hips, a Predators cap and canvas shoes that would give him cold feet if he stayed outside for long. He shoved the game box onto a shelf. “Reed’s setting up a room for a lunch meeting. He’s got folders and everything. I feel like I’m in a bank, applying for a mortgage.”
Naomi eased over to French doors that opened onto the porch. “It’s so pretty and romantic here with the snow, ice, rocks and ocean. I can picture myself sitting by a roaring fire with a stack of books and a mug of hot cocoa.” She looked back at Mike. “Does that describe your life, Mike?”
He decided he had been out of his mind to come here. “Sure.”
She grinned at him. “Liar. The stack of books, maybe. I don’t see you with hot cocoa.” She turned to Buddy. “I’m just back from London and still a little jet-lagged.”
“Did you work nonstop as usual?” he asked her.
“I took a few good walks.”
Reed Cooper entered the library. “Like to Scotland and back. I’ve never seen anyone who loves to walk the way you do, Naomi.” He strode over to Mike and shook hands with him. “It’s good to see you. Thanks for coming. Damn—you haven’t changed a bit. I know it’s only been a few years but it seems like forever.”
“Good to see you, too, Reed,” Mike said.
“I hope we didn’t catch you in the middle of skinning a moose.”
“Working on my canoe lately.”
“One of the tools of your trade, I guess. You won’t be needing a canoe for a while. May? June?”
Mike shrugged. “Depends.”
Naomi eased onto a love seat. The grace with which she moved always took Mike by surprise, given her high energy. “I’ll sit quietly and let you all get reacquainted. Or do you want me to clear out?”
“Please, stay,” Reed said. “How was your flight?”
“Fine. I caught up on movies and resisted alcohol since I knew I’d be seeing you all today and I didn’t want a hangover.”
Reed didn’t look amused. He’d had a limited sense of humor when Mike knew him in the army, and that obviously hadn’t changed. Naomi wouldn’t care. She’d keep up with the smart remarks if it suited her. It was her personality, but it was also her way of establishing her independence and authority.
She jumped to her feet. She couldn’t have been sitting for more than ten seconds. “I’m going to find Serena Mason and get her to point me to the girliest room in this place. I hope it’s the warmest, too. I didn’t have time to go back to Nashville and pack my winter clothes. Not that I have clothes suited to a Maine winter. Did you swing through Rock Point on your way up here, Reed?”
“No, but I want to see it.”
“Rock Point,” Buddy said, as if trying to imagine such a place. “Land of the Donovans. Home sweet home, huh, Mike? Don’t you have a big family?”
Mike wasn’t talking about his family, either. He hadn’t dealt with the kind of dynamics that were bubbling in this room in a long time. Not his thing. He kept quiet.
Naomi glanced back from the doorway. “Three younger brothers,” she sai
d. “I met the two youngest Donovans at breakfast this morning. We ate at a place called Hurley’s. I’ll leave you to contemplate that. See you guys later.”
She slipped out of the library. When she was out of sight, Reed turned again to Mike. “She hasn’t changed, either. She’s the same Naomi MacBride I met in Kabul when she announced we had both gone to Vanderbilt and had a bet with a coworker that I was a frat boy, which I was. She’s smart, sarcastic, not sure who she can trust. How do you feel about her being here?”
“Not my call,” Mike said.
“That’s not what I asked, but never mind. Have a seat. Jamie’s bringing coffee. The inn’s regular cook is catering for us. Food’s excellent. You want anything to eat, or did you and Naomi—”
“I’m all set.”
Buddy started for the door. “Why don’t I go find another fire to sit by for a while? You two are a couple of former soldiers who haven’t seen each other in several years. I’ll let you get reacquainted. I’m already in love with this place. Reminds me of Murder, She Wrote reruns. Let’s hope Jessica Fletcher doesn’t show up, though. Talk about a sign for bad crap happening.” He was halfway to the door when he gave Mike a little salute. “Really great to see you, Mike.”
He headed out, and Reed gave a small laugh. “Buddy’s a character. See, Mike? You can relax. We’re a friendly group. We’re in Maine. We’re not in a war zone.”
As if Mike needed reminding. “Jamie was in Rock Point the other night.”
“My idea. Thought you might be there. I hope it wasn’t provocative. We pulled this weekend together on the fly. As you can see, I’m running my own outfit now.”
“I’d heard you’d gone out on your own.”
“We’re small but we’re getting off the ground in a big way.” He walked over to the fireplace, next to the love seat Naomi had vacated. “We work with private individuals, corporations, nonprofits and nongovernmental agencies. We put people’s minds at ease about their security so they can get on with their work. We already have a few clients. I did work for another contractor. I have a solid reputation. We’re meeting here to review training and tactics, see where the holes are in staffing. We’ll be here through the weekend. It’s low-key.”
“Funny time of year to pick Maine.”
“You know why we did, Mike. We want to talk to you.”
“Kill two birds with one stone,” he said, keeping any skepticism out of his tone.
“Exactly. I’m a Southerner but we’re fifty-fifty warm weather and cold weather guys. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to lead us over hill and dale through the snowy Maine countryside. I’m sure you could—I’m sure there’s none better—but I want you to have a look at my team, let me talk to you about what we do.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the best and you’re not done yet. You’re bored trekking into the Maine wilderness with rich people with too much time on their hands. I understand you do outfitting, too. That must be rewarding. Filling backpacks with energy bars and poop bags.” Reed cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t what I meant.”
It was, but Mike didn’t take offense. “It’s okay. It’s close enough. I’m not bored, though.”
“The Bold Coast sounds perfect for you. You’re close to family but not too close. Your mother told Jamie you helped plant a hundred tulip bulbs at their inn in the fall.” Reed glanced back from the fire. “Tulips, Mike.”
“You’re not in Maine just to talk to me about coming to work for you.”
“You and I have unfinished business,” Reed said quietly.
Naomi.
Reed sat on the love seat, throwing one leg over the opposite knee. “Jamie and Serena got in on Tuesday. They’re my entire administrative staff. That gives you an idea of how small we are right now. We’re limiting the number of full-time employees. Most of our operators will work on a contract basis. But we can talk about all that. You’ll like this place. It has old photographs of lobstermen on the wall in the bar. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Donovan or two among them.”
Mike wouldn’t, either. “When did you get here?”
“Last night, late. I was going to stay in Boston but I came on up here.”
“Who else are you expecting?”
“A couple of guys you don’t know will be in on Saturday, but we can get started without them. Buddy will lead us through some tech stuff. We can’t do this work without tech know-how. It’s the world we’re in nowadays. I’d like to hire him full-time, but you remember Buddy. He likes his freedom. He’s doing well financially and knows his way around computers and the internet as well as anyone I’ve ever known, but he thrives on danger and adventure—not the typical profile of someone with his expertise.”
Mike went over to the French doors. The porch would be a good spot in warmer weather. One of the photos on the inn’s website showed the porch with hanging flower baskets and cozy wicker furniture. Now the furniture was covered with tarps, and there were no flowers.
“Have you and Naomi stayed in touch?” he asked, glancing back at Reed.
“Some. I worked for another firm until last fall. She’s always looking for good contractors who have the right fit for her clients. Once we’re fully staffed, I’m sure we’ll do more business together. She’s good, Mike.”
“Always has been.”
“I’m newer at this work than she is. She can be a huge help.” Reed leaned back against the soft cushions. “She’s a reassuring presence at often difficult times. It’s what clients want in a security consultant. She puts clients at ease. I do, too, but in a different way. You’d scare the hell out of them, Mike—until they got into trouble. Then they’d look to you.” He paused, staring at his hands. “Like Naomi did three years ago.”
“She didn’t look to me. I just was the one there. What are her liabilities?”
“Same as always. Trust. That’s why she’s still a one-woman show.”
Mike didn’t think it was that simple. “What about Ted Kavanagh?”
“He’s here somewhere. He says he wants to talk to me about post-FBI work. I don’t know that I believe him, but I invited him to join us. It can’t hurt to have someone to help us navigate law enforcement. I’m a soldier. I ran into Kavanagh in London.” Reed got to his feet, as if he were suddenly restless. “He says he’s on vacation.”
Mike frowned. “You have doubts?”
“It doesn’t matter. There’s no reason for me to be under FBI suspicion. I have nothing to hide. Feel free to ask all the questions you have, Mike. Don’t hold back.” Reed smiled. “Not that you would.”
“What were you doing in London?”
“Naomi was meeting with a group of volunteer medical professionals preparing to head to a hot spot in Africa. She invited me to talk to them about what we do. They’re a good group. Smart, dedicated men and women who should be able to focus on fighting diseases, not on whether they’re going to be hacked to death in their beds.”
“And you can make that happen,” Mike said, not making it a question.
“Yes.”
Reed’s confidence in himself and the people he led had always been unshakable. Mike had never served under him but knew a number of men and women who had, and he respected their faith in Reed.
“You are staying, aren’t you, Mike? You’re not just dropping off Naomi and leaving.”
“I’ll stay but no promises.”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d be up to nowadays. Thought you might be settled down with a wife and little kids. I want a family one day—when the time is right.”
Jamie arrived with coffee and chocolate-chip cookies warm out of the oven. He set the tray on a card table then headed out without comment.
Mike helped himself to one of the cookies. He hadn’t had as much at breakfast as Naomi had. He took a bite of his cookie but wondered what the hell he was doing here. Cookies. A country inn. He poured coffee.
Reed took one of the cookies. “Jamie and Sere
na’s daughter started at West Point this fall. They only have the one. Empty nest now. They were ready for something new. They’re not fussy about a job description. They’ll pitch in and do what needs to be done.”
“Good people to have,” Mike said.
“I think so. Ask any questions you want to, Mike. That’s why I’m here.”
“You came straight from London. Why not go back to Nashville for a few days?”
“No time. This was more efficient. It’ll be an interesting few days. A change of pace for you.” Reed popped his cookie into his mouth. “I drove Naomi to Heathrow yesterday. One of those endless days with the five-hour time difference. I met her in a small English village. She said she was there for a quick break in the country before her flight.”
“You sound skeptical,” Mike said.
“Maybe.” Reed paused, looking out at the ocean, relatively tranquil under the late-morning sun. “I don’t want to see her hurt. Whenever I hear her name, I hope I’m about to find out she’s quit security work and gone into something else. Opened a bar in Nashville, hit the lecture circuit. Anything but this work.” He sucked in a breath. “She wouldn’t appreciate my protective impulses.”
“Probably not.”
Reed continued to stare out at the water. “When I saw her in action in London, I saw how good she is—how many lives she’s saved doing what she does best. It can be a heavy burden.”
Mike shrugged. “Maybe she likes heavy burdens.”
“That would explain why she fell for you,” Reed said with a laugh, then winced as he pulled his gaze from the view. “That was really bad humor. I’m glad you’re here, Mike. If I’d asked you to visit us in Nashville instead of coming to Maine myself, you’d have told me to go to hell. Am I right?”
“Still might tell you to go to hell.”
“Aren’t you even a little flattered that I want you on my team?”
Mike grinned. “Yeah, Reed. I’m flattered.”
Reed laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t think I forgot what a bastard you can be. I tell myself it’s part of what makes you good.”
“Did you ask Naomi to join you here as a way to get me down here? You could have let her go back to Nashville and had her join them via Skype.”
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