"Colonel.” She saluted as he entered the office.
"Covington said you'd be needing some supplies for the next part of your assignment.” He gestured to the duffel bag perched on the standard issue government chair. “He asked me to have them ready for you. The only thing you still need is your laptop."
"Thank you very much, Colonel."
"I understand you'll be working with a partner for the duration.” One side of his mouth quirked up as he glanced at Aiden. Hampton had been there when Erika tried to remove herself from this particular assignment.
"Unfortunately. But those are my orders.” Erika never disobeyed an order. The first year at the Academy was spent teaching the cadets to follow orders so they spent the next three years learning to lead. It was a lesson she'd learned well. A person had to lead by example.
Hampton nodded his approval. “Be careful, Major. Miguel Ramos is a dangerous man."
"You'll get no argument from me, sir.” She saluted, then gathered the duffel bag.
Five minutes later, she and Aiden were back in the car on the way to the BX to do a little shopping, with him grumbling the entire way. He'd become quite the snob since he'd left the military. It shouldn't surprise her. She'd seen the quality of the clothes he wore when she was tailing him. The gift shop at the Biltmore had probably been right up his alley. He should have bought more, but he refused to buy more than the absolute necessities on Uncle Sam's dime.
She swung the car into a spot at the back of the parking lot. It felt good to walk and stretch after so much time stuck sitting on her butt. The sun beat down on them, strong for the early April day, even in Washington, D.C., as they walked in silence toward the small base store.
"How much do I need to buy?” Aiden viewed the shopping cart she snagged with suspicion.
"I'd say enough to get you through a week. If you need more, we can either restock or try to do laundry."
"I plan to flush him out a hell of a lot faster than that."
Yeah. She'd already listened to his plans and didn't like them one little bit. “How long did it take you the first time?"
When he cringed, she felt guilty for such a direct shot. “I didn't have the ammunition there I have here."
Ammunition she didn't feel comfortable using. This, however, was neither the time nor the place to discuss potential plans. Instead, Erika focused on stocking up on toiletries and supplies. Once they had that under control, she herded him over to the men's department for some jeans and shirts. He could pick out his own underwear. After loading him up with three different styles of pants, she reclined against a wall close to the fitting room door and waited.
"Do you think these make my butt look fat?” Aiden pranced out, hands on hips, and wiggled his mighty fine ass at her. “I think they make my butt look fat."
She didn't know which was funnier, the falsetto he affected or the swish in his movements. She burst out laughing, holding on to her sides and doubled over.
"I finally got you to smile."
Erika wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. As her gaze locked with Aiden's, her heart stuttered and then took off at NASCAR speed. “Have I been cranky?"
"Pretty much since the colonel woke us this morning."
"I'm sorry."
"No apology necessary. I haven't been pleasant to be with, either. It's just that, well, I missed your smile."
Damn professionalism. Who needed it anyway?
* * * *
"Hola, Señor."
"Hola, amigo.” Sonny gritted his teeth.
"I have some news for you."
About time. The cabron had tested the limits of his patience. He had grown tired of waiting for information from the gringo. Now, instead of being forced to wait for him, Sonny had guaranteed the hijo de puta Greene would show his face. “I'm waiting."
"As I expected, Aiden Greene is in Washington, D.C."
"Excellent."
"He is on the grounds of Bolling Air Force Base."
Ah, the chocha managed to get him to safety. “I want you to arrange a meeting."
"Greene will only agree to such a thing if his daughter is part of the meeting."
"So, Señor Greene has been made aware of the fact that his charming young daughter is visiting me. She is, how do you say? conmigo."
"He knows."
His American friend sounded less than pleased with this development. Too bad. Señor Greene would pay for his actions in Cancuen one way or another. He would know the pain of watching his family suffer.
"Arrange the meeting."
"I will see what I can do without blowing my cover."
"See that you do. We still have business to conduct. Unless, of course, you have had a sudden attack of patriotism. Maybe that is the reason you have not been as helpful as I had hoped."
"I suffer no delusions about my country, Señor. Do not doubt me. The information about Greene has been hard to come by. I will call you back in a few hours with the arrangements."
Sonny disconnected his phone and pocketed it. He had been warned to keep conversations brief. A computer chip in the phone relayed the signal through a staggering series of towers which prevented the triangulation necessary to pinpoint his location and disabled the GPS capabilities. It was not, however, a foolproof system. If he spoke for too long on the phone, the American spy pigs increased their chances of tapping into the signal and tracing it back to him.
No one would catch him, not now, not ever. Hiding under the noses of the very people searching for him thrilled him, excited him.
He pictured Aiden Greene distraught, terrified. Sonny smiled as he paced to the window overlooking the Miami oceanscape. He wanted Señor Greene to suffer as he had when he'd been cut off from his children. It was a terrible feeling, not being with your children every day, or knowing how they were doing. Sonny had suffered all this and more at Greene's hands. Divine retribution warmed the dark corners of his soul that had festered while in prison.
A sharp rap at the door drew him from his plans for the man he hated. “Si?"
"Tienes una visitor, jefe.” The door muffled the voice.
Ah, she had arrived. “Bueno."
A pint-sized little girl with long, raven-colored hair clutched at the hand of Sonny's most trusted assistant, Ricardo, as she tagged along beside him. Her wide eyes took in her surroundings, including him.
Sonny crouched down on his haunches. “Hola. My name is Sonny. You must be Samantha."
She eyed him with a healthy dose of three year old suspicion. “You know my name?"
"I am a friend of your father."
"You know my daddy?"
"I've known your daddy for a long time. He knows you are here with me, now. He wants you to stay with me until he can come for a visit."
"Reawy?"
"Really."
Her smile lit up her face, her brown eyes sparkling. “Can I watch Dora? My mommy doesn't wet me watch TV."
"But of course, niña."
She skipped over to the big screen television and hunted for the remote. Sonny gestured to Ricardo to go help her. Sonny did not want to hurt one so young and so cute, but he would, if Greene forced him.
* * * *
"Sonny wants to set up a meeting."
Aiden and Erika had scarcely turned into the parking lot of her apartment complex when the colonel called her. He had summoned them back to his office without an explanation. Then again, ranking officers didn't need a reason to issue an order.
Now they knew the reason.
"I'm not ready for a meeting.” Aiden inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. “I don't want to have any contact with him until I have a bargaining chip."
"What do you have in mind?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Aiden noticed Erika sit up straighter in her chair, her foot tapping the floor. “I want to go to Pennsylvania and try to locate his son."
"How do we know that kid doesn't have more bodyguards around him than the President? How do we know w
e're not walking into a trap?” Erika's voice rang out.
All valid concerns. “Intelligence would've mentioned any signs of an organized guard in the briefing papers, wouldn't they?” Covington nodded. “They didn't."
"Sonny is a smart man.” Erika stared Aiden down when he turned to face her.
"I'm smarter."
Biting back a smile at her exasperated sigh, he focused his attention on the Colonel. If Aiden managed to sway his opinion, he'd be set. Erika's CO was the only man who could override her hesitancy.
"Sir?” Erika appealed to her CO. “I don't like the feel of it. If we do this, we're sinking to his level."
"When in Rome...” Aiden made the argument. He knew it was weak, but he was willing to sink to any level in order to free his daughter from Sonny's clutches.
Erika snorted. “I'm an officer in the United States Air Force. I've worked damn hard to get where I am without resorting to thug tactics."
Lucky her. She'd never been forced to sacrifice for the job.
"I was an officer in the United States Air Force once, too. Or have you forgotten?” She had the decency to look chagrined when he cocked an eyebrow at her. “I resorted to whatever tactics were necessary at the time to successfully complete my mission. I believe this is a step we have to take. This is my daughter we're talking about here."
She shot him a look that said I know this is about your daughter.
The colonel cleared his throat. “I agree with Greene on this one, Major. Sonny has already proven that he will do whatever it takes to get Greene. We underestimated Sonny once before and it's landed us in a pile of shit. We need to have the balls to play by his terms or we'll lose."
They wouldn't lose, Aiden promised himself. He wouldn't fail Samantha.
"When do we leave?” Erika ground out each word.
"I'd like to leave as soon as we've reviewed the latest intel brief and you've had a chance to pack. Sir, could you make contact with the university president and grease the path for us?"
"Certainly."
Aiden risked a glance at Erika, the tension vibrating off of her. She wouldn't argue with him in front of her CO. The big question was—would she once they were alone? He'd gone right over her head to get what he wanted, in spite of her objections. He'd find out soon enough. A four hour trip loomed ahead of them.
"Anything else?” Covington flicked his gaze between Aiden and Erika.
"You'll wait to have our contact set something up with Sonny until we get in touch with you."
"Yes, Major, I'll have our contact stall for as long as possible. It's a very delicate situation right now, but I trust it will be handled appropriately."
"Thank you, sir.” Erika rose to her feet and saluted.
"Dismissed."
Spinning on her heel, she marched out the door. Aiden barely managed to get it open in time. He allowed her to get several paces in front of him and then he fell in step behind her.
Aiden hadn't realized how much he missed the military life until he'd been back on base for the past couple of days, dealing with military types. He watched the airmen stride by in their uniforms, thinking of how much money he wasted on designer suits. The camouflaged uniforms were a hell of a lot more comfortable. Here, a person wasn't judged by the cut of expensive cloth and the shine of his shoes. Okay, so maybe the shine on his boots was important. Here, every job was important, vital, necessary for the continued operation of the base. Each base fit into a larger cog, important to national security. When he'd been active duty, he hadn't felt as if he was shuffling papers and playing Mickey Mouse games in search of the almighty dollar. He missed the structure and the routine, the sense of belonging, working for something important.
This was no time to go second-guessing himself. He'd made the best decision for himself at the time, based on his experiences. Regretting the past was an effort in futility. Nothing could be changed.
It was just ... he never thought he'd miss it once he turned his back.
"Are you coming?"
He hadn't realized he'd stopped walking. He quickly hopped in the car. His nerves began to twist tight, a rubber band winding up a toy airplane propeller, as he waited for the fireworks to begin.
"I'd like to go back to my apartment and pack. That'll give the intel guys a chance to scrounge up some more dirt for us. We can come back here, see what they've learned, and hit the road. Any idea how long it'll take us to get to central Pennsylvania?"
She sounded calm enough.
"Approximately four hours."
"Is that all?"
"I checked this morning."
"Okay. If I hustle, we might be able to get a jump on rush hour traffic."
The band continued to tighten. Where was the anger? If she pulled that passive aggressive bullshit, he'd ... well ... he'd ... he wouldn't put up with it, that's what he'd do. Nancy had behaved that way during their entire marriage. He'd spent more than enough time listening to “nothing's wrong” when he'd known damn well something most definitely was. When he'd finally called her on it, she told him she refused to be “the other woman” in her own marriage and filed for divorce. He hadn't understood what she meant; he wasn't having an affair. She hadn't explained. She'd packed up his things and left them by the front door.
Looking at Erika, her face tight with concentration as she negotiated the infamous Washington, D.C. traffic, Aiden felt as if he'd been kicked in the balls. He finally understood what Nancy had been trying to say.
He'd never gotten over Erika. She'd been the third wheel in his marriage, albeit unconsciously. Did he still love her? Had he ever stopped loving her? Cluelessness reigned. Sometimes, he wondered if he'd ever loved her the way she deserved to be loved. If he had, would he have walked away all those years ago, or would he have fought to the bitter end?
Fucking A. What a hell of a time to be castrated by the revelation. His daughter needed him intact and with all of his brain cells functioning.
He was so wrapped up in thought, he didn't even realize they'd arrived at Erika's apartment. The inner turmoil kept him quiet as they went inside.
"Do you plan on sharing with me?” Erika's eyes flashed daggers, her breath came in short bursts. She looked ready to give it to him.
"Excuse me?"
"Your mind has obviously been elsewhere. Are you planning to end-run me with the colonel again?"
The rubber band snapped. “I didn't end-run you with the colonel. You dismissed my suggestion out of hand. I merely presented it so it could be discussed.” Well, maybe not quite so innocently. The look in her eyes told him she knew it, too.
"You are so full of shit."
He loved the way her breasts heaved with the effort to keep from ripping him a new one. He wished she would. He'd take that honest exchange any day.
"You just don't like the fact my suggestion is now the new action plan."
"That's not it at all."
"Now who's full of shit?” He had no idea how she managed to carry off covert missions. As he watched her, emotions flashed across her face with the clarity of neon signs.
Just that fast, she shuttered everything, her expression blank. That was how. “I need to pack so we can get on the road. I'd offer you something, but I emptied the fridge before I left for Ohio. Help yourself to a glass of water if you'd like."
Her hips swished as she stomped down the short hall to what he assumed was the bedroom, sending a jolt to his groin. Not that there was time for a quickie, no matter how much his cock begged, or how the thought of her in her bedroom made him want to throw her down on her bed. What type of bed did she have? Would they have enough room to roll around? Did she have a four-poster bed to which he could tie her down?
Enough. That was not what he needed to be thinking about.
Aiden took advantage of the opportunity to survey his surroundings. What he saw surprised him. The homey apartment was decorated in blues and browns, with knickknacks on every available surface, reminders of all the places she'd travel
ed. A miniature Eiffel Tower, a sombrero, a beer stein, a kangaroo, a Statue of Liberty, a Golden Gate Bridge. And then some. Not surprisingly, there weren't any pictures of her parents; she'd never been close to them. The relationship had always been more of a love/hate kind of thing.
Making himself comfortable, he picked up a two month old copy of an Air Force magazine. A dust-free spot remained on the coffee table. He wondered who watched over things while she disappeared on missions. Not a close male friend, he knew that.
His brain still had difficulty wrapping itself around the knowledge that she'd been a virgin until this week. She was beautiful and intelligent. What more could a man want? Aiden had wanted more. More than she'd been willing to give. He wanted a woman like his mother, one like the other military wives he'd known growing up. A woman who devoted her life to his career. Being a military wife was difficult enough without the added burden of two careers. Growing up, he'd seen enough marriages crash and burn when his father had been on active duty. He'd seen how hard it was on everyone involved, especially the children. That's why he'd decided his wife would be a stay-at-home mother. With Erika, he'd been willing to do the two career thing while she fulfilled her five year obligation, as long as she was able to be stationed with him. The AFSA wouldn't have allowed that.
She hadn't loved him enough to make the compromise.
Maybe, just maybe, he hadn't loved her enough either, since he hadn't been willing to compromise.
Aiden pushed those thoughts away with ruthless determination. The only female in his life who mattered right now was his daughter.
He'd deal with whatever was going on with Erika later.
Chapter 13
"So this is Happy Valley, huh?” Erika surveyed the town sprawling below them as they crested the mountain. She was glad she'd asked Aiden to drive an hour ago when they reached Altoona, Pennsylvania. When she traveled by herself, she never had the opportunity to take in the scenery. Spring had definitely taken on the first signs of color in the mountains and the valley they surrounded. Green trees and grass covered the hillsides dotted with a profusion of colors as the flowers began to bloom.
The Class of '93 Trilogy: Deadly Briefs Page 16