Mojave Rescue

by Tanya Stowe

  “They had dinner parties with very important people whenever they were home. I met some individuals who shaped our lives...the world. They’d have these long, lengthy discussions after dinner and my parents would let me listen in.”

  Her eyes closed again as visions and memories drifted through her mind.

  “Sounds like every kid’s idea of a fun night.”

  Sarcasm was heavy in his tone. It caused Drina’s hackles to rise. But only slightly. She was too relaxed, too tired for much else.

  “It was my idea of a great night. You can’t imagine what it was like to listen to the great thinkers of our time. To hear their thoughts and disappointments, even their hopes for the future. Listening to them, I felt like nothing was impossible. I wanted to be like them, to help shape the future, to change the world.” Her gaze shifted to the crackling fire, her mind caught up once more in memories.

  “Sounds like a really big goal for such a little girl.”

  She giggled, sounding girlish even to her own ears. “It was. But I did it.”

  “Well, you should be pleased. Your work is a great accomplishment.”

  As the fire crackled, she shook her head. “Somehow my grandiose vision of the future didn’t involve running for my life through the desert.”

  “Don’t do that.”

  Cal’s tone was firm, causing her to raise her gaze from the flames.

  “Don’t try to shoulder all the blame.”

  She twisted her head on the couch so she could look at him fully. “Not so long ago you were perfectly fine with blaming me.”

  One dark eyebrow quirked. “It’s true that you made foolish mistakes. But you are no more responsible for these men’s despicable actions than you were for John’s choices. He had free will. He volunteered for his own purposes and maybe even sacrificed his own life to save others, his fellow soldiers. Maybe even died protecting civilians...women and children. Whatever happened, let John’s choices be his and yours be yours. And most important, don’t let these men’s evil destroy your hope.”

  Once again she was struck by the force of his words. This man exuded power in his actions and his thoughts. He was a force to be reckoned with and that force came in such a pretty package. It was easy to have hope when she looked into his eyes. He made her feel that all was right with the world. He possessed heartfelt confidence. A steel jaw. Nice firm lips. One dark lock falling over his forehead.

  Superman.

  She felt like he could make everything right. And right now Drina wanted Superman to lean over and kiss her. She needed some of his strength, some of his hope and she wanted it to come with the feel of his arms around her.

  “You shouldn’t look at me like that,” he murmured.

  “Like what?” Was that truly her voice sounding so...so flirtatious?

  “Like you want me to kiss you. If you keep doing that, I will.”

  “Would that be so bad?”

  One side of his mouth lifted in a quirk of a smile and Drina longed to place her lips right on that crazy little tilted corner.

  “Not for me, it wouldn’t.” His voice was low, so low it vibrated through her. “I’d be very happy to kiss you. But I suspect once you weren’t so loopy from exhaustion, you might take exception to my kiss. You’d probably wake up in the morning and want my head on a platter.”

  “Such a nice head it is, too.” She smiled.

  Cal gave a little laugh and rose. Reaching down, he tugged her to her feet. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed before I do something you’ll regret.”

  As he pulled her down the hall, she followed, stumbling over her own feet. All the way and even after she’d climbed into bed, her mind turned his twisted phrase over and over.

  Superman wanted to kiss her...as much as she wanted to kiss him. Maybe even more. The thought made her smile.

  She started to drift off, an image of Cal’s dimple floating through her mind. He reminded her of John. That thought made the smile fade.

  In fact, Cal was exactly like John. A devout Christian. Patriotic. Determined to do his duty even to the point of sacrificing his own life.

  What was it with her? Why was she attracted to men with hero complexes?

  Wide awake now, she stared into the shadows of the dark room. She already felt responsible for the death of one man. The last thing she wanted was to put another one in harm’s way. Because no matter how much Cal made her feel like he was a superman, speeding bullets would stop him.

  He’d already placed himself between Drina and danger. She couldn’t let it happen again. One way or another, they had to get to safety before he tried to save her one too many times.

  * * *

  Cal leaned back in his chair to study the two side-by-side folders in front of him. He’d desperately needed sleep and food to think clearly...as well as a break from Drina’s constant presence. Her very nearness was wreaking havoc on his professionalism and he couldn’t let that happen. His team was counting on him. So he’d stopped running and slept.

  But he’d put off contacting his home base too long, so he rose early and pulled out his files, determined to find some answers. Truth be told he knew they’d want to pull the plug on the operation and he wanted—needed—to see if he could salvage the work before he let them.

  He’d spent hours going over every suspect he’d collected through the years, eliminating and cross-checking each person, comparing positions, access to information and liabilities. Only two men met all of his criteria. One of them had to be the boss.

  Hal Jacobi was the head engineer of all test projects on Edwards Air Force Base, including Drina’s program. He was a well-respected civilian employee and engineer. He’d worked at the base for years, knew everyone and everything important enough to know. Plus, he had access to all the programs that had been compromised. He also supervised a high-level engineer with a serious gambling debt. Jacobi’s failure to report his employee’s debt to Cal’s base security team was a major breach.

  Gambling debts, affairs, secrets of any kind posed threats. Any weakness could be used against an employee to extort information. For Jacobi not to report the engineer—a programmer with access to Drina’s project—was a serious mistake and a red flag for Cal. So why had Jacobi held back the info?

  Cal’s team would have placed a watch on the engineer, nothing more serious. So why did Jacobi not report him? Was he covering for his employee...or blackmailing him to feed Jacobi info? What was the answer?

  Cal’s second suspect was Bill Carlisle, Drina’s supervisor at Aero Electronics, a private corporation that ran most of their tests on the base. Carlisle and Jacobi had inside info and direct lines to all the projects that had been compromised. In Cal’s book that made them both suspects.

  However, unlike Jacobi, Carlisle had a spotless record. No red flags. No culpable employees, and more important, by the time Cal had reached the site where Drina had been kidnapped, Carlisle had reported Drina’s security misstep to the military police and sent them to check on her. And what about the connection Drina had heard on Carlisle’s phone? The man certainly hadn’t wiretapped his own phone.

  Still, Cal couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Carlisle triggered his senses into high alert. But Cal couldn’t seem to pinpoint a reason, and instincts weren’t evidence.

  Jacobi seemed to be Cal’s most likely suspect. But how could he prove it? How could he catch the man now that his cover was blown?

  His only contact with the organization had been through his mysterious phone man. Every attempt to trace the calls ended at a blank wall. The man purchased throwaway phones each time and used an instrument to alter his voice.

  Carter and Whitson had been his only face-to-face contacts. Going five years back, neither man had associations with anyone remotely connected to Aero Electronics, the military or any of the individuals involved in the
programs. In fact, neither man had a record at all. They’d appeared out of nowhere with new identities and backgrounds that started five years ago.

  Cal’s efforts brought him back to his one clue. The tap on Carlisle’s phone. Who had been listening in on the conversation between Carlisle and Drina?

  Now was the time for answers. He turned on his computer and connected to his email. Here, in his safe house, he had direct contact with his team in Washington. Even with the bad weather, he might still be able to connect via his satellite connection. He plunked out the email address and waited. After a delay that had him giving up hope, the server finally connected.

  Cal breathed with relief. His handler, Harris, came on the line immediately.

  I’m glad to hear from you. I’ve had a sinking feeling ever since you went dark. I have a suspicion that Gallagher’s disappearance has something to do with your message. Did you locate her? Is she alive?

  Yes. I have her, but my cover is blown.

  Then the operation is over.

  Need more info before we call it. Did the request I made for the tapping of Jacobi and Carlisle’s phones go into effect?

  Yes.

  When did the tapping start?

  Not sure. I’ll need to validate.

  Do it quickly and get back to me. Drina heard someone on Carlisle’s line the night she called him. I think it might have been our tap.

  Is it safe to wait for the confirmation? Do you and the girl need to be extracted?

  Cal’s fingers paused over the keys. By all rights, he should call for extraction and get Drina to safety. But still...he hesitated.

  We’re in my safe house. Good for now. Get me that information and then we’ll make the call.

  Will do.

  Harris clicked off, and Cal shut down the program, hoping he hadn’t just made a mistake. But they were temporarily safe and he needed more time. He was convinced Drina held the clue to the man’s identity. She was closest to the project. Something she had heard or seen might be the info Cal needed. It may not have seemed important to her at the time, but he had to go over the events with her again, just to be sure.

  He absolutely could not give up on his mission yet, and he had the feeling that if he and Drina were safely tucked away at CIA headquarters, the boss and his cohorts would disappear...this time for good. He couldn’t fail again. Buddy and all the boss’s victims deserved better.

  Hearing Drina stir in the bedroom, he grabbed the files and headed out to the kitchen. Drina came in a few moments later, walking slowly, the hood of her sweatshirt pulled over her head. She winced every time she took a step and that told Cal all he needed to know.

  “Sore?” He handed her a cup of coffee, black and strong.

  “I can barely move.” Her tone was just above a murmur as if even talking hurt.

  “The first couple of days after an event are usually the worst.”

  Wrapping her fingers around the mug, she trudged to the window, slowly making her way across the living room. Cal couldn’t stop the small chuckle that slipped out.

  “It’s not funny,” she mumbled as she passed him.

  “No. It’s not. I’m sorry, but if you could see the way you’re walking...”

  A light dusting of snow floated across their view through the window. Glancing back—without moving too much—she said, “It looks like the weather report was wrong. This was no blizzard.”

  Cal shook his head. “This is the lull before the real storm hits. Minutes ago the wind was whipping the snow in a flurry. Airports and roads are closed in and out. Usually, I drive my SUV so I have it if necessary. I tuck it in the garage where no one will see it. Everyone here associates me with a small economy car. There’s very little crossover from my life on the base and my life here. But I don’t have my SUV this time and my economy car wouldn’t make it down the road let alone off the mountain. Fortunately for us, no cars can make it in right now, either, so we’re safe...for a short while.”

  She didn’t say more. He wondered if she remembered much of what she’d said last night. Little indications, like her dropped glance and reluctance to meet his gaze, confirmed his decision. If he had followed his inclinations and kissed her, his head would be on a plate today.

  Not for the first time, Cal wondered how thick those walls had to be to hold all of that intense emotion packed tight, so tight no one, not even the man who saved her life, could catch a glimpse of the college girl he’d read about.

  How many times did he have to remind himself? Her emotional baggage wasn’t his responsibility. His job was to get at the information she had locked in her brain and then get her to safety. That was all.

  Change the subject, Norwood. Get out of dangerous territory.

  “I have a yoga DVD we can pop in. It’ll help you stretch out the soreness.”

  “Yoga. Mr. CIA-with-a-Gun does yoga.”

  “Are we going to have this conversation again? I thought we’d already established that your ideas about the CIA are off base.”

  She shrugged. “I can’t seem to help myself. Everything I do is to save lives. It seems your work results in too much loss of life.”

  “And your way of doing things led you to be tied up on the floor of a deserted shack in the middle of the desert.”

  She had no quick comeback for that. Ignoring him, she turned back to watch the falling snow, her posture stiff.

  “Let’s agree to disagree about tactics for the time being, shall we?”

  She shrugged at his suggestion. Cal released a slow sigh. Disagreeing would get them nowhere. He scoured his mind for another, lighter topic.

  “You know, exercise does help your mental faculties, as well.”

  “Bill tells me that all the time.”

  Cal tensed. This was the opening he needed. “You think a lot of Bill Carlisle.”

  She glanced in his direction. “Yes. Bill’s been a good friend...hired me and took me under his wing. He’s a great mentor and cares about me. That’s why I know I can trust him. Bill would never do anything to hurt me.”

  “Sometimes the most trusted people make themselves appear that way just to get what they want.”

  “And you know this because that’s exactly what you’ve been doing for the past two years.”

  Her snappy remark bit into his conscience. He wished he hadn’t brought that particular point to her attention, especially since he’d just vetoed an extraction unit and a way out.

  When he didn’t respond, she sipped her coffee and turned back to the window. “So you have a car but we can’t drive it out of here. A small economy car. For some reason that’s not what I expected.”

  “What did you expect?”

  “I don’t know. Something small, black and sporty. That’s more CIA-style, isn’t it?”

  He refused to rise to the bait. Drina appeared to like these little mental games of cat and mouse. He suspected she liked them because she usually won. But she wasn’t going to win this time. “Small and sporty draws attention. It’s my job to fit in.”

  She looked at him, a rueful smile playing about her lips. “Trust me, Norwood. You’ll draw attention no matter what you do.”

  “Thanks... I think.” His grin probably appeared as rueful as hers. Score one for her. The comment also told him she did remember last night or at least recognized the magnetic pull between them. He was glad he wasn’t alone on this new, unexplored road. Being attracted to someone he had to protect was a whole new adventure for him. And even then, who would have thought a nerd with black-rimmed glasses would catch his attention?

  Always expect the unexpected. That was his motto. He’d certainly forgotten that this time around.

  Drina Gallagher was a beautiful young woman. So why did she hide behind those glasses and her work?

  Just another mystery Cal would like to solve. Scratch that. Co
uldn’t afford to solve. Drina needed to stay on the other side of his wall. He needed to focus on the real mystery...the boss and his gang. He picked what he thought was a neutral topic.

  “I suppose you walk everywhere you go.”

  “No. I drive, but I walk when I have a problem to work on.” She turned to face him. “Movement helps me zone out and focus. Sometimes I’ll come back to the present and realize I’ve been walking for hours.”

  “Well, you built up enough stamina to get you through your kidnapping. We can be thankful for that.”

  “Yes. Very.” Her smile lit up her face. Hazel eyes sparkled. Black bangs swept across her forehead sideways in a flirty way. She was bright, cheerful and beautiful. Just plain beautiful. How did he not see it when they first met? Or maybe this was a new Drina Gallagher...a first appearance of the girl hiding behind the wall.

  He forced himself to look at his file in order to stop staring.

  “What is that you’re studying?”

  “Just some notes on my investigation. I thought if I went over them, I might come up with a way to salvage my work.”

  “Salvage it?” Her lovely face clouded. “See what I mean? We’re running for our lives and you keep worrying about catching the bad guys.”

  Her outburst caught Cal off guard once again. He tried three times to change the subject of their conversation but it just kept coming back to this dangerous arena. Maybe it was time to tackle it.

  He took a deep breath to control his biting response and looked at her through a lowered brow. “This from the girl who jumped in front of a raging flash flood to save her computer.”

  Her hazel eyes sparked and a tinge of red blushed her cheeks. “That...that was different. I...I’m trying to save lives. You’re following orders, and those orders usually end up with someone dead.”

  “My orders are to follow these men and that’s an easy job. Wherever Whitson and Carter go, they leave bodies behind. Don’t think you are the first one they’ve put in danger. In fact, you were one of the fortunate ones. An engineer disappeared from the base a little over a year ago. The word put out was that he quit and fled to the Bahamas. The truth is he was snatched off the street. I recognized Whitson’s description from an eyewitness.”