by C L Rowell
“It’s fine. We’re fine.” I shooed him with my hands as my face heated, “Go…go…they’re waiting for you.”
After he left, the general studied me. “He cares for you.”
I dragged my eyes away from his departing back, still visible down the hall, “Hmm?”
He laughed and repeated, “I said he cares for you.”
“Oh,” I ducked my head to hide my face as my blush intensified, but peeked down the empty hall, hoping to catch one last glimpse of him. Seeing nothing but carpet and sheetrock, I turned away and took a seat, letting my shoulders slump.
“I suspect the feeling is mutual.”
I glanced up and back down again. “He’s a great guy.”
“Indeed, he is. He was a great soldier, too. He never left a man behind. The man was like a cat with nine lives—slipping into and out of situations no one else could have survived…until the explosion that took out his knee and nearly took his life, ending his military career with a bang.”
“How could you let him do that?”
“Do what?”
“Go into dangerous places, risking his life—”
“It was his job—he chose it—just like gathering intelligence was your brother’s job.”
I straightened like someone had yanked my strings. “Miles was not a spy!”
“I didn’t say he was. The technical term for his job was cyber-warfare specialist. He was responsible for hacking into enemy networks and reading commander’s and staff’s emails to give us early warnings on their plans and movement. He was very good at it, too—the best of the best.”
“Until someone figured out what he was doing.”
He lifted a uniformed shoulder, “It happens. Usually there’s posturing from both sides, platitudes are spoken, and everyone moves on.”
“But, not this time.”
He shook his head. “Not this time.”
“What did he find out? What was so explosive that it nearly got him—and me—killed?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that. It’s classified information.”
I laughed at the irony. “Yeah, I can see how that would be true. I guess it would be really bad if it got out that people from our side were working with the enemy, wouldn’t it?” When he just looked at me with a confused expression I persisted, “The police officer didn’t tell you the guys in the blacked-out vans were Americans? They were.”
“And how can you be sure of this?”
“Because one of them spoke to me.”
He shifted in his seat. “Todd didn’t mention anything about this when we spoke.”
“That’s because he didn’t know. He was outside—on the phone with you first, and then getting our food, afterwards. He showed up in the middle of all the excitement, just in time to rescue me.”
“I see…” He tapped his upper lip with his index finger. “And you’re positive they were Americans?”
“Absolutely. The one I head butted was the only one that said anything, like I said. He had a Northeastern accent, like he was from New York or Boston or one of the other states up on the upper east coast. His buddy didn’t say anything, but it didn’t matter. He had a cornfed country boy look going on, even in the suit, like he grew up in Nebraska or Iowa and would be more comfortable in t-shirts and blue jeans—I’m sure you know what I mean.”
“Indeed,” he chewed on his knuckle, a thoughtful expression on his face. “If you’re right, that actually explains a lot.” He tapped the top of his desk with the knuckles of one hand. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take you and Butch to the break room and let you watch TV for a bit. I need to speak with someone. This might be the break we’ve been looking for—the missing piece to the entire puzzle. You may have saved us a ton of time, young lady.”
I shrugged and stood up. “Okay. There’s just one thing I want to know before you run off, though.”
“If I can answer it, I will.”
“If my brother is alive, where is he, and why hasn’t he contacted me? He never goes very long without checking on me and making sure I’m okay.”
“That I can answer. By now he should be in Hawaii. He purchased some land over there a little while back. It’s gorgeous. I’ve seen pictures.” He chuckled. “And, the reason he hasn’t contacted you is simple, if a little silly. He sent his car over the edge as a decoy when he was running from some of the people he was investigating. He apparently rolled out at the last second like a stunt driver he saw in a movie, diving into the bushes as the car tumbled and rolled toward the bottom—and he damn near followed the car over the edge. He managed to catch hold of a tree that stopped his tumble—but, unfortunately, it didn’t stop his phone from escaping his pocket and falling in his steed.”
“And he didn’t have my number memorized.”
“Exactly.”
A thought occurred to me and I tilted my head, curious. I had to ask, or it would bug the hell out of me. “If he lost his phone how did he get off the mountain?”
“That was a stroke of pure luck. He was walking along the roadway and ran across a family with a flat tire—a mom and two little ones—right before the Eisenhower Tunnel. He changed her tire and, instead of calling me and just leaving him out in the middle of nowhere to wait for rescue, she gave him a ride and let him wait at her house.”
“And, when the police didn’t find a body, they just assumed he burned in the wreck?”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone ever set the record straight?”
“Uh, not exactly. We considered it after you were successful in getting that envelope to Harvey Donaldson—excellent work, by the way—but we felt it would be safer to let Miles Masterson stay dead, allowing him to start over fresh.”
“Then…what about me? I asked my friend to bring my old ID to me here because Todd said you were getting all of that straightened out for me.”
“I still can—”
“You can?” I thought my face was going to crack from the size of my smile. I could be me again!
“However, if I do, you will have to stay away from your brother, or you’ll risk blowing his cover.”
“Forever?” My face fell. Never see or speak to my brother again? That was crazy. I had to have misunderstood…except, apparently, I hadn’t. He was nodding his head in agreement.
“If you return to being Millie Masterson, you can never be associated with the man once known as Miles Masterson without risking blowing his cover.”
“Oh.” My heart shattered into a million pieces at my feet. “But…there has to be a way for me to see him without putting him in danger. He’s the only family I’ve got.”
“There is…but you’d have to retain your identity as Ella Smythe, letting Millie Masterson stay dead. Are you willing to do that?”
For my brother? I nodded. “I can do that.”
“Then, it’s settled. Now, let me show you to the break room. I’ll make sure Todd knows where to find you when he’s done.”
19
Todd
∞∞∞
After I finished the debriefing and typed up my report for the general I met up with Millie in the break room and discovered that DeAna had arrived in California. Millie already had her hotel and room number memorized. Eager to get out of there and get a bite to eat, we took Butch for a much-needed walk and caught another taxi. Inside DeAna’s hotel room, we sipped hot coffee and nibbled on Subway sandwiches and chips while Millie filled both of us in on everything she and Lieutenant General Miller had talked about—including the reason she decided to keep her pen name and give up her real identity for good.
“So, Miles is in Kauai, Hawaii,” DeAna pouted, “and you’re moving there to be near him? I’m so jealous! Coushatta won’t be the same without you guys.”
“Why don’t you come with us?”
Us? I perked up and studied what I could see of her expression from beneath my eyebrows, keeping my face turned toward the floor. Was I included in that word? Dare I hope?
“Who’s this us you’re talking about? Have you already told Miles—er, John—that you’re coming?”
Thank you DeAna! My heart rejoiced that I wouldn’t have to ask that question and risk rejection. I held my breath as I waited to hear her response.
“Well, I…I guess I just assumed Todd would come with me.” She grew still and I could feel two sets of eyes on the top of my head—three, if you counted Butch. “Todd? Am I jumping the gun? Have I mistakenly transferred my feelings for you onto you?”
A huge grin stretched my face, turning my cheeks into hard balls. “You couldn’t keep me away,” I assured her. “Wherever you are is where I want to be—even if it’s on a Hawaiian island, overlooking the ocean. I’ll make that sacrifice for you.”
“I just bet you will,” DeAna teased. She shrugged and sighed like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Then she grinned, “What the hell, I guess if he can make the sacrifice, I can, too. I’d love to go to Hawaii with you.”
“It’s settled, then.” I scooted closer to Millie, transferring from the chair to the couch so that nothing separated us. “But you have a decision to make.”
“I do?” She frowned.
“Yep—will we fly over in a few hours or are we going to book a cruise and take four to five days to arrive?”
“I get seasick on boats, guys,” DeAna proclaimed. “Plus, I hate to burst your bubble, but most cruise lines don’t allow pets.”
“I guess that settles it, then.” Millie’s eyes glittered with unshed tears. “We’re flying.”
It took us a month to get everything settled so that we could leave. As a group, we closed up both houses in Louisiana and placed my RV in storage in Oregon. We constantly watched our backs, on the lookout for shiny black vans or any suspicious vehicles lurking around. We kept our heads down when we had to go out in public and didn’t draw attention to ourselves. After what seemed like an eternity the day arrived. We had one stop in Dallas, and barely had enough time to catch our connecting flight, but we arrived in Honolulu twelve hours after waving goodbye to Shreveport.
Thanks to the vet’s recommendations, we were able to walk out of the airport with Butch leading the way on his brand-new blue leather harness/leash combo. He watered a soaring palm tree for so long after we reached the outdoors that I promised him the biggest hambone we could find to make it up to him. That had to suck, being stuck in the cabin of a huge plane for hours without a blade of grass or water hydrant in sight—and he never once complained.
Millie tilted her head to look into my eyes, “How are we going to get to Kauai?”
I kissed the back of her hand. “You’ll see.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” She turned to DeAna. “What about you? Do you like the sound of it?”
“Meh, I’m withholding my opinion until we get further information.”
“Traitor.”
“Not at all,” she laughed. “Anyone can see how crazy he is about you, though. He’d do pretty much anything for you. I trust him.”
I led the way back into the airport and DeAna cut her eyes at me. I winked. “Relax. I got this.”
“So you say, Captain Rah.”
“I thought I told you, that’s former Master Gunnery Sergeant Rah.”
“Whatever. That’s too much of a mouthful. Captain Rah rolls off the tongue, don’t you think?”
I held the door, refusing to get dragged into the debate, and we exited the air-conditioned building at a quieter, more deserted part of the tarmac. There was a single, solitary plane in this area. It wasn’t very big. Maybe eight people could ride inside it. Two tall lanky forms leaned against the side of this plane. I watched the girls for a reaction—especially Millie. To my surprise, neither of them reacted first. Instead, Butch did. He crouched with his tail in the air and let out a low whine, wiggling all over. Moments later, he bounded to his feet and lunged toward the plane, pulling against the harness and leash with every fiber of his being. He woofed, bouncing on his toes like a puppy, dancing and prancing.
“Butch?” Millie watched him for a few moments. She glanced at me, peered towards the plane, and looked down at him again. “I-I-I…I don’t understand. He usually only acts this way when he sees—”
“Isn’t that your brother?” DeAna lowered her shades, squinting, then raised them again. “It’s so bright out here, but…”
“Todd?” Millie’s face displayed her hope and uncertainty. “Is there something you forgot to mention?”
20
Millie
∞∞∞
I whipped my head back and forth between Butch, Todd, and the quickly approaching duo. The closer they got the more certain I grew. “Todd?”
“I knew we’d have to take a small plane to Kauai, and I remembered how you reacted on prior flights. I wasn’t sure it could be done and I didn’t want to disappoint you, so I kept quiet but it looks like the general came through for me.”
“So, it is—”
“Sis…”
I’d recognize that voice anywhere. I turned so fast I almost gave myself whiplash. Miles! I gave Butch his head and ran with him the last several feet, throwing myself into my brother’s arms. Tears streamed down my face as I embraced the one person I thought I might never see again. “Miles,” my voice wasn’t much more than a whisper.
“Shh, not away from the compound. Out here, I’m John and you’re Ella.”
I nodded, looking him over. He’d put on a little weight in the short time since I’d last seen him. He still had quite a ways to go but he’d made progress. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you, too.” He turned us toward the plane, impatient to go. The other guy was standing several feet away, giving us a modicum of privacy. Miles tugged me forward, “Ella, this is Bane Johnson. He’s our nearest neighbor. He’s also the one that put the cabins together for us while I was overseas.”
I smiled and held out my hand, “Nice to meet you.” I motioned to the others, “This is Todd, she’s DeAna, and the four-legged fellow is Butch.”
“Pleasure to meet you all. Aloha and welcome to Hawaii! Is this all of your luggage?”
“It is.”
“I’ll show you where to stash it.”
My eyes ping-ponged between him and Miles. “So, this is his plane?”
“It is.” Miles pulled me toward the small craft, a Cessna nine-seater. “He was gracious enough to agree to take time out of his schedule and fly me over to meet you.”
“How nice of him.” I forced a smile, swallowing hard as we got closer to the plane.
“Yes, it was. Let’s go home. I can’t wait to show you around the place. You’re gonna love it.”
“I call shotgun! I want to sit beside the pilot,” DeAna climbed into the co-pilot’s seat without hesitation.
The interior of the plane left me feeling claustrophobic. There were four rows of seats, two seats on one side and one on the other in each one. It was so cramped none of us could stand without stooping, other than Butch. My heart pounded in my ears at the thought of leaving the ground in the tiny craft and I wondered how no one else seemed to hear it.
I hurt Miles’ feelings when he tried to take the seat beside mine and I refused to move my arm to let him squeeze in. He shrugged, acting like it didn’t bother him, and dropped into the single seat behind DeAna, looking straight ahead. I knew it was an act, though, and I felt like shit, but he wasn’t the one I needed if I was going to survive the flight. I needed Todd—and as soon as he sat down beside me, I ignored everyone else and buried my face in his chest. I stayed there throughout the entire forty-minute trip, not looking up once. Consequently, I didn’t remember much of the flight other than the security of his arms, and I was glad.
Miles spent the ride from the Kauai airport to the cabins glaring back at me and Todd from the passenger seat of Bane’s SUV, and I knew there would be a confrontation once we were alone. As soon as Bane made a U-turn in the drive and left with a wave, he cro
ssed his arms and proved me right.
“Is there something you two want to tell me?”
“Aww, leave the lovebirds alone.” DeAna mounted the steps to the wrap-around porch on my cabin. “He saved her life more than once, and he makes her happy. Be happy for them.”
“Like hell! I asked him to keep an eye on her, not fuck her.”
“Well, then, you should be happy,” I snapped, following her onto the porch. “We haven’t fucked yet.”
“Language.”
“Kiss my ass.” I stuck my tongue out. “You’re my brother, not my father. Besides, I’m thirty years old. If I want to fucking curse, I’ll fucking curse.”
“And what do you mean, yet? Are you telling me you intend to knock boots with my best friend? Right here in front of me?”
“What if I do?”
“I don’t know.” He presented his back to me.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
Ignoring me, he turned to confront Todd. “What are your intentions toward my sister, Semper I? I put you on fire watch. Did you forget what loyalty among brothers meant in the year you’ve been out?”
“I didn’t forget.”
“Well?” He shoved his shoulder, trying to make him stumble, obviously furious when he didn’t budge. “What the fuck, bro? I trusted you and this is how you repay me?”
“Miles…” I started back down the steps toward them.
“You want to know my intentions?” The two men I love most in my life were standing toe to toe and nose to nose. I froze, sure they were going to start swinging on each other at any moment.
“I asked, didn’t I?”
“I love her. Maybe that isn’t what you want to hear but it changes nothing. I love her with all my heart, and my intentions are simple. I plan to ask her to be my wife, if she’ll have me.”
My jaw dropped. Todd was going to ask me to marry him? “Uhh, Todd?” I flushed at how squeaky my voice sounded—like I’d taken a deep breath from a helium balloon. Just call me Minnie.
“Thanks for ruining the surprise, Private Schmuckatelli. The damn ring is packed in my luggage. I was going to get down on one knee and everything as soon as the time was right.”