by Zara Chase
“Morning, babe,” Hunter said without turning around from the stove. “Sleep well?”
How did they do that? She didn’t think she had made any sound, but they knew she was there without even having to look up.
“Just fine, thanks.”
Hunter chuckled. “I wonder why?”
Lewis put the paper aside and sent her a slow, devastatingly sexy smile, which was all it took to get her juices flowing again. God, but she was pathetic!
“You look good enough to eat.” He stood up and pulled her into his arms for a kiss that didn’t last nearly long enough for her liking. “Just in time for breakfast, too.”
“What are we doing today?” she asked, closing eyes to savor a sinfully delicious bite of eggs Benedict.
“Well, we have news.” She opened her eyes again and paid close attention as Hunter told her Gary had been deployed to Honduras on counter-narcotic duties. “He did three tours there, and we think that’s where he perfected his Spanish.”
“Oh, I see.”
“We also think he might have gotten involved in working with the drug traffickers rather than against them,” Lewis added.
She put her silverware aside, no longer hungry. “I can’t imagine that,” she said. “Gary was far from perfect, but he was a patriot.”
“Did you know he’d been up on charges several times?” Hunter placed a large, comforting hand on her thigh. “He had anger management issues, and there were violent outbursts against other soldiers, problems taking orders, that sort of stuff.”
“No, I didn’t know.” She shook her head. “It seems there’s a lot I didn’t know about the man I married.”
Hunter squeezed the thigh he was still caressing. “It’s looking increasingly likely that Gary is still alive.”
Anais gasped. “Why do you say that?”
“The military wouldn’t have trashed your place, or threatened you. If he was in league with the Hondurans, they wouldn’t care if you were trying to find him. They wouldn’t even know.”
“The only person who would worry about you asking questions would be Gary,” Lewis added, “because he either doesn’t want to be found, or doesn’t want you involved.”
Anais’s head whirled, and she had trouble absorbing all the information the guys had just hit her with. Not once had it occurred to her that Gary might actually be alive. The question was, how did she feel about it if he was?
“I still find it hard to imagine he would do such a thing,” she said weakly, wondering why she sprang so automatically to his defense when she no longer sure what he would do.
“We could be way off base here,” Hunter replied. “But you need to bear in mind that he was angry at being disciplined, so probably felt the need to fight back.”
“I suppose, but…but how did he know I was asking?”
“We think he hacked into your e-mail, darlin’,” Lewis said.
She offered them a wry smile. “There seems to be a lot of hacking going down.”
“The thing is,” Hunter said. “If he has crossed to the other side, he couldn’t have done it without help from a serving solider in a position of authority, someone who could alter records and make sure people were looking the wrong way at the right time. We think that person kept an eye on the military’s investigation into Gary’s death, learned you were asking questions, and let Gary know.”
“How would one man, a part of a squad, be able to divert drugs without anyone noticing?” she asked.
“He wouldn’t need to. Drugs are flown out of places like Honduras in light aircraft that operate out of a whole raft of tiny dirt strips, not even proper runways, that are tucked away all over the country. There are so many of them it would be impossible for the US to keep tracks of them all. It’s equally easy for them to land in mainland USA without being traced. The irony is that all commercial aircraft are under ever tighter scrutiny, but private airfields are more or less unregulated. All Gary would have to do would be to let his contacts know which areas the troops were targeting on their next raids in Honduras. The military wouldn’t be that surprised if the smugglers stayed one step ahead of them. They have contacts everywhere, and everyone knows the so-called war against drugs is a losing battle.”
“But I still don’t get it. Money has never bothered Gary.” Anais sent Hunter a bewildered look. “Why would he turn against his country?”
“If he did,” Hunter said softly, his hand still caressing her thigh, “and if he’s still alive, I guess that’s a question you can ask him yourself.”
Anais sat a little straighter, anger replacing her earlier confusion. Hunter and Lewis wouldn’t have suggested Gary might still be alive, and a traitor, if they weren’t fairly sure of their facts. Anais knew their relationship had been going through a rocky patch, but how could he do this to her? Had he really just taken off and left her hanging? Well, if Gary had and was the one now trying to frighten her, he had a surprise in store. He was about to discover that nowadays Anais was more than just a trusting little wife who stood by her man no matter what.
“Do you think the military suspect?” she asked.
“It would explain why the investigation became eyes only,” Lewis replied. “And why your Major Dixon got called in. He doesn’t do small cases.”
“So, how are we going to prove or disprove your theory?”
“By luring him into a trap.” Hunter removed his hand from her thigh and slid it around her waist instead. She leaned her head against his shoulder, grateful for its support. “Are you up for that?”
“You’d better believe it.”
“Atagirl!” Lewis grinned at her. “I’ll let Hunter explain the plan.”
“I’m going to ask Tony Regan, the guy with MS and an ax to grind against your husband, to help us out,” Hunter said. “You’re gonna e-mail him, and ask to meet with him at your apartment.”
“Why there? The guy’s in a wheelchair. Surely it would be more convenient if I went to him.”
“We need you to be in your apartment because of the bug,” Hunter replied. “If Gary, or whoever planted it learns of the meeting, he will want to know what goes down. The bug has limited range, so he will have to park close by in order to listen.”
“There are only so many places where he can park to get the best reception,” Lewis explained. “We’ll be there watching, and we’ll get the tag number of the guy’s car, take pictures of him to see if you recognize him, and go from there.”
“You make it all sound so straightforward,” Anais said. “What if someone tries to get to us in my apartment?”
Hunter’s jaw flexed and hardened. “We won’t let that happen.”
“I’m not scared for myself, but if Tony Regan is handicapped, it might not go so well for him.”
“Don’t let Tony hear you say that,” Hunter replied.
She fell silent for a moment, assessing the risk, not for her but for Tony. “Okay, if you’re sure Tony wants to put himself at risk, I’ll do it, too. What do you want me to say in my e-mail?”
“I need to call Tony first, make sure he’s good with it,” Hunter said. “In the meantime Lewis is gonna go back to your apartment, make sure you haven’t had any more visitors in the last couple of days, and check on the range of the bug.”
“I’m on it,” Lewis said, standing up and reaching for the keys to their truck.
“You go sit on the deck and relax, honey,” Hunter said. “I’ll go and call Tony, then come and join you.”
Anais nodded and drifted outside. It was the time of year when the weather in Florida was just about perfect. Not too hot, not too much humidity, a crystal-clear sky and a light breeze coming off the water, fanning her face. She fell into one of the comfortable loungers and allowed her mind to drift, thinking about all Hunter and Lewis had just told her, wondering if it could actually be true. It sounded plausible, unless you knew Gary Harrison as well as Anais did. He was a fitness fanatic, disinclined to even drink beer. He had never smoked, cared about what he ate,
and would run a mile rather than touch drugs. As far as she knew, he wasn’t interested in other women, didn’t gamble, and had no debts or vices. He was almost too good to be true.
So why would he be tempted into helping drug runners? What could possibly have tempted him? It made absolutely no sense. Against all the odds and in spite of her differences with Gary, she wanted the guys to be wrong about him, if only because they had once loved one another deeply. Anais didn’t want to think she was such a bad judge of character that she could fall in love with a guy capable of bringing poison into the country that was targeted at vulnerable kids. Besides, if Gary had changed sides, surely she would have noticed differences in him. Well, she had, she supposed. He had changed in so far as he’d become more remote, harder to reach, but she’d put that down to operational fatigue. If the signs had been there, she ought to have noticed them.
“All fixed,” Hunter said, joining her on the deck and sinking onto the seat beside her. “Tony understands and looks forward to receiving your e-mail.”
“Does he fully appreciate that he’s putting himself at risk?”
“Sure, but like he says himself, what does he have to lose? He knows his days are numbered. Besides, I think he enjoys the idea of helping you. He has a score to settle with your husband.”
“That’s so sad, about his condition, I mean. I met him a few times. He’s a nice guy.”
“He says the same thing about you.”
“Well then, we can’t both be wrong.” Anais forced a smile, when all she really felt was a great deal of tension and an overwhelming desire to get this over with. “Shall we go send the e-mail?”
“Wait until Lewis gets back and gives us the all clear with your apartment.”
“Oh, okay.”
They fell silent for a while, and Anais, feeling secure with Hunter beside her, and yet oddly restless, reached for his hand. His long, capable fingers closed around her palm and squeezed. His chocolate-brown eyes softened as he looked at her.
“I know this is tough for you, a lot to take in, but it will be okay, darlin’,” he said. “We’ll soon know one way or another.”
“Yes.” She sighed. “Talk about something else. Take my mind off things.”
“What would you like to talk about?”
“You. Lewis tells me you missed out on college and went into the army straight from high school.”
Hunter’s expression closed down and, sensing that he seldom spoke about his early years, she wondered if he would answer her. She allowed the silence to stretch between them until, staring off into the distance, Hunter broke it.
“My mom died when I was ten. I was the oldest of four. I have two younger sisters, a brother, and a father who was…” Hunter grimaced, and Anais was glad the concentrated fury in his expression wasn’t directed at her. He was, she realized, a dangerous man to cross. When unleased, the not-quite-civilized aspect of his character—of most military men’s characters—would be a lethal weapon in its own right. “My father was a bully and a tyrant. He took his belt to us for the most minor transgressions. Not in the way that I whip your cute butt,” he added, the anger leaving his eyes as he caressed her face with the fingers of the hand not holding hers, “but sadistically, with the deliberate intention of causing us serious pain. With every beating my anger increased. I guess I was just waiting for my moment. It came when I was fourteen and I caught him trying to do something other than beat my sister. I was as big as he was by then and a damned sight fitter, with all sorts of pent-up resentments to work out, and I knocked seven shades of shit out of him. When I look back on it, I’m surprised I didn’t kill him. Anyway, I threw him out of the house, told him never to come near us again, and he had the good sense to take me seriously. None of us have seen him since. I’ve no idea if he’s alive or dead, and don’t give a shit either way.”
“Good for you, for throwing him out, I mean.” Anais felt tears of sympathy welling. “No wonder you don’t want kids of your own, if that’s the only parental example you ever had. You must have had a terrible childhood.”
“It wasn’t the best, but it got better after that. I looked out for my siblings myself, and we turned out okay, all things considered.”
“How did you manage that?” she asked, astounded yet impressed. “You were only a kid yourself. What about money? Didn’t welfare stick their noses in?”
“I got our grandmother, my mom’s mom, to move in and help us. She had wanted to ever since Mom passed, but he wouldn’t have her anywhere near us. That would have spoiled his fun, you see, because she would have stopped him from bullying us.” Hunter scowled at the memory. “Anyway, Gran and I between us raised the others, kept them on the straight and narrow, while I worked two jobs and graduated high school.”
“You didn’t have a childhood.”
“We all deal with the hand life deals us, darlin’.” He grinned, appearing to shake off the anger of unpalatable memories, and kissed the top of her head. “Besides, I’m making up for lost time now, a bit like you are.”
“But why the military?”
“Because I was in lurve,” Hunter replied with transparent reluctance.
“At eighteen?”
“Yep. She was just about the prettiest little thing I’d ever seen. She went to the same school as me, was real popular, a cheerleader and all that. I wasn’t on the football team. Didn’t have time for games. I had to work to support my family, so I didn’t imagine she would look twice at me.”
“I think you must have underestimated your charisma even then,” Anais said, intrigued. “What happened? Presumably it didn’t end well.”
“No, it didn’t.” Hunter threw his head back and closed his eyes. “Blame youth and inexperience, but when we started dating, I thought I’d found my soul mate. She was going on to college locally, I was going to get a job in construction. There was a housing boom in Florida about that time, and I could earn top dollar. We never talked about marriage, but I just kinda assumed. Anyway, we couldn’t keep our hands off one another, and when she told me she was pregnant I thought what the heck, she won’t be able to go to college, but we were gonna marry anyway.”
Anais gasped. “You have a child?” And didn’t think to mention it.
“No, honey, I don’t, but some preppy guy from the football team does.”
Anais clasped a hand to her mouth. “She was cheating on you?”
“Yes, and I would never have known if one of her girlfriends hadn’t told me. She’d stolen the football player from her friend, and she was out for revenge. When the ball player found out Sandy was knocked up he dropped her like a hot brick, said it couldn’t have been his, so she tried to pass it off as mine.”
“How could she do that? The more I learn about your past, the easier it is for me to understand why you don’t want kids.” Anais shook her head, thinking just how badly she had wanted a child, and how disappointed she had been when Gary insisted they wait. Now she might never have the chance. “It’s so unfair that people who least want children seem to have them so irresponsibly.”
“Have I hit a raw nerve, talking about kids? I know how much you want one, sweetheart?”
“Yes, I’ll admit that, but this isn’t about me. I want to know what happened.”
“Well, when I found out about the other guy, I asked Sandy if it was true. I really didn’t believe it could be, seeing as how what we had going on was so good, but she admitted seeing him. She said they didn’t actually get it on and that the baby was mine. We did some calculations, or rather I did, and knew it couldn’t be. I’d been away for four weeks working on a project in Miami and hadn’t seen Sandy because she’d been doing a tour of possible colleagues. It wasn’t physically possible for me to have impregnated her.”
“She used you.”
“Yeah, her folks went crazy. Her dad was all for using his shotgun on me, until he learned the truth, then he turned his attention to the ball player. I’d had enough, spoke to my gran and she suggested signin
g up. I never knew my granddaddy, but he’d been a soldier and had loved the life. Gran said I was a lot like him and thought I would take to it, too.”
“And you did.” Anais leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. “Thanks for telling me. I get the impression you don’t often talk about it.”
“I never talk about it. The past is the past. But you’re easy to talk to, and besides, I wanted you to know.”
“No wonder you never married, after having a father like yours and then having the woman you thought you loved trying to dupe you.”
Hunter cocked a brow. “I do have issues with trust, I guess. A shrink would have a field day with all the stuff going on inside my head.”
“You had a childhood from hell, and yet Lewis’s was ideal.” She shrugged. “They say opposites attract.”
“Is that what he told you? That his childhood was all peachy?”
“Well, yes, in not so many words.”
Hunter laughed. “Lewis can be economical with the truth sometimes. His family was close knit, but also fiercely competitive. His father’s a corporate lawyer, and Lewis was expected to follow in his footsteps, regardless of what he wanted for himself. When he decided to join up they disowned him, and not one of them has spoken to him since.”
Anais gasped. “But that’s awful. If they loved him, surely they wanted him to be happy?”
“Yeah, just so long as his version of happiness coincided with theirs.”
“Lewis said he was picked on a lot for being puny.”
Hunter laughed. “Hard to credit, ain’t it? He experienced first hand how cruel kids can be, and never got any parental help with that. It’s one of the reasons he’s not too keen to have kids of his own.”
“I understand, and he’s certainly not lacking in muscle now.”
“He saved my ass when we were on assignment once. Saw a sniper’s rifle before I did and took the guy out. We wouldn’t be sitting here now if it weren’t for Lewis. I owe him everything, but don’t you dare tell him I told you so. He will be unbearable.”
Anais laughed. “Your secret’s safe with me.”