True Valor

by Jax Hunter

Nic did indeed get the warning. Underwear on the lamp meant look for a message. Steam the bathroom and read the mirror. Then wipe it clean. Three, three, three: SOS. Nine, nine, zero, seven: the last four of Eric’s cell number.

  Nic grabbed his phone.

  “Cruz.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Julie’s with me. She showed up at the motel. You weren’t very convincing, Batman. They let her go.”

  “And Raines?” Nic looked up and down the street, as if the sheriff would appear at any moment.

  “We don’t know. If he doesn’t know she’s out by now, he will soon. It was better to get out of there while we could. You might want to do the same.”

  “Where are you?”

  “We’re about thirty minutes out of Quincy.”

  “Headed where?”

  “Home. Here, amigo, the lady wants to talk to you.”

  Cruz took the phone back from Julie and tossed it on the floor. “Well?”

  “Nic said he’d meet us at home,” she said, a slight quiver in her voice.

  Cruz didn’t look at her, giving her the space she needed to get her emotions under control. If Nic and Julie didn’t end up together…

  Eric’s plane cruised south on autopilot and the smell of the food made his stomach growl. “Let’s eat.”

  Julie popped the last of the French fries into her mouth and laid her head back as she chewed. “So Eric, how long have you worked with Nic?”

  “About four years.”

  “Nic speaks very highly of you.”

  “It’s mutual.”

  The way these two men felt about each other brought tears to Julie’s eyes. She blinked them away as she watched the distant lights dance on the horizon. They were an hour out of Quincy before she spoke again.

  “Tell me about Nic.”

  What she really wanted to do was pick this man’s brain about Nic D’Onofrio. She wasn’t sure she wanted to tip her hand that way, but she really wanted to know.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.” Hand. Tipped.

  That brought a smile to Cruz’s face. He took a sip from his drink. “Did Nic tell you about Joey?”

  “No.”

  “Well, if you want to know about Nic, we’ll start with Joey Amonte. Nic and Joey grew up together in Boston. Old Italian families. They joined the Navy together as well.”

  “The Navy?”

  “Yeah, they thought they wanted to be Boston firefighters, so they went into the Navy and were on Crash together.”

  “Crash?”

  “Crash and Salvage. Navy firefighters. On a carrier. Those guys clean up the mess when the jets crash. Anyway, things are so controlled on a ship, that it’s rare when the Crash guys get any action. So, Nic and Joey remustered, uh, changed services, from Navy to Air Force, and signed on as pararescue.”

  It seemed a bit odd that Cruz knew so much about Nic’s past. That wasn’t really normal for guys…

  Cruz continued. “Nic and Joey came to Merced—that’s where we’re stationed—just after I did. They used to call us the Three Amigos.”

  Now, Eric’s voice got husky. Julie couldn’t pull her gaze from his face. It took a bit before he went on.

  “Joey’s Blackhawk went down four weeks ago near Kabul. Nic flew to Germany and accompanied his body home. He stayed for the funeral, then went to Tahoe where he met you.”

  Nic had never let on. How much had he been holding in? He’d stood at the window, very quiet, sometimes. But he’d said nothing.

  Cruz must have read her mind. “He doesn’t like to bother other people with his problems. He’ll tell you about it once he’s past it. He holds things close. But on the outside, he’s the steadiest person I know. We’ve been on the team together long enough, that I can usually tell what he’s thinking, but I’m the exception. He told me a lot about his past on the side of a mountain once, as we tried not to freeze to death.” Again, Cruz smiled.

  Julie smiled back. If Nic was the steadiest person Cruz had ever met, Cruz was the most upbeat guy Julie had ever met. Even when he was serious, that smile was lying in wait for an opportunity to spring to his lips.

  “So what kind of stuff does your unit do?” Julie asked, trying to lighten up the conversation a bit.

  “At the moment, mostly we do civilian rescue, stranded and injured climbers, plane crashes, some water rescue. We’re in six-man teams. Ours is Bravo Squad. Alpha thinks they’re bad asses, but Bravo is so much better that we don’t have to brag.” At her skeptical look, Eric just laughed. “Nic’s the best rock climber in the squadron. Joey was the best navigator to ever jump out of a plane.”

  Cruz’s voice caught on the last words. He didn’t say more, but Julie could imagine what he was thinking. Her own throat closed with emotion. The guy-relationship thing had always been fascinating to her. And in a profession like rescue, the bonding must be even stronger. Depending on teammates for your very existence would do that.

  She wanted to ask more, but what Eric told her was obviously still pretty raw, so she let it rest. Instead, she reached into the back seat and pulled a bag of Cheese Twists up front. “Still Hungry?”

  “Always,” Cruz replied, reaching into the bag.

  After calling Cruz, Nic took time to gather his clothes and other belongings. He still had things in Tahoe and at the cabin. He needed what was here. And if he didn’t check out, the charges would keep racking up until his credit card was denied. He couldn’t afford that.

  But he was careful. As far as he could tell, no one was around. How long it would stay that way was anybody’s guess. He’d need to get a move on. Leaving this late, it would be after midnight when he got into Merced. After hearing Julie’s voice, Nic’s need to be with her got stronger. Before he could get out of there, someone knocked on the door.

  Crap.

  Nic walked to the window, trying to see out without disturbing the curtains. The angle wasn’t good and he couldn’t tell who it was. He reached for the weapon snugged at his back. Before he got to the door, a voice on the other side broke the quiet.

  “Miss Galloway, are you there?”

  He was trying to sound polite but the edge was recognizable. The good sheriff was on the other side of the door. Nic cleared his throat, left the gun where it rested, and opened the door.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Ahh, yes, Mr. Duh, Duh...”

  Nic didn’t give the guy the satisfaction of pronouncing his name. “What can I do for you, Deputy Raines?” He really shouldn’t bait the guy but it was hard to resist.

  “I’m looking for Julie Galloway.”

  “And you think she’s here?”

  Raines tapped his foot, but that was the only outward sign of his irritation.

  Nic continued. “I haven’t seen her since she was bagged.” That was the truth. Besides, this guy might be a sheriff, but he was also a murderer. It was okay to lie. “She’s not still in jail?”

  Raines pushed past Nic, and Nic let him. If he could get out of there without incident, it would be better. Right now, the bad guy held all the cards.

  “So, where is she?”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t seen her. I’d help you if I could.”

  “Hmmph.”

  Nic was tempted to remind the guy that he’d forgotten to look under the bed. He had looked in both the bathroom and the closet. Instead, he offered to help.

  “If you’ll give me your number, I’d be glad to call if I see her. I have no plans to do so, though. We only had a fleeting, um, relationship.”

  “Where are you headed?”

  “Well, I really want to get some skiing in. I’m not sure where I’m headed. Have you heard the ski conditions today?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  Nic walked to the door, opening it for Raines. “If I see her or hear from her, I’ll let you know.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Raines handed Nic his business card and walked out. Nic c
losed the door behind him. He’d need to be careful when he left.

  To make sure he wasn’t followed.

  Cruz pulled his Jeep into the driveway of a small bungalow that occupied the center position in a small cul-de-sac. The mailbox out front said Cruz/D’Onofrio/Amonte.

  “Either it’s bigger than it looks, or you guys gave new meaning to three amigos.” Julie forced a cheerful tone; the melancholy of Joey’s absence still hung around.

  Cruz laughed. “Triple bunk beds. You can have the middle.” He leered at her good-naturedly. “Maybe not.” He snapped his fingers before lifting the back hatch. He threw Julie the house keys, then reached for the luggage.

  “Go on in, I’ll get the bags.”

  It really was bigger on the inside than it looked from the driveway. The front door led right into the living room. Overstuffed chairs and couch all aimed at the big-screen television. Obviously a guy’s living room. Monster speakers dominated each corner of the room. No lack of testosterone here. But, even so, everything was fairly neat. No socks or underwear to be seen. No underwear over the lamp, either.

  The small, spotless kitchen, with older appliances, was off one side of the living room. Either they never ate here or someone was picky about housekeeping. Nic. Neat-Nic. She smiled inwardly at the play on words.

  A door from the kitchen led to the garage. A Batman sign hung there. Cruz must have followed her into the kitchen because now he, again, answered her question before she asked it.

  “The Batmobile’s out there.” At her look of confusion, he stepped around her, opened the door and flipped on the light. “Batman’s car.” There, in the dim light of the garage sat a gleaming black truck.

  “Wow, it’s beautiful. Yours?”

  Cruz shook his head. “Batman’s. Nic.”

  “Nic? Batman?”

  “Yeah, he lives to rescue. He could no more pass by someone needing help than he could fly. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  Julie just looked at him. Batman, huh? And she was just a helpless victim he couldn’t pass by? God, the last thing she wanted to be was some helpless female who always needed rescuing.

  But, he had rescued her. He’d taken wounds that would have killed her. But still. The idea that she continued to need rescuing left her feeling cooped up in an odd sort of way. She didn’t like the idea or the feeling.

  Cruz was talking again and leading the way out of the kitchen. “You can either take Joey’s room or...” Now he stammered, suddenly embarrassed.

  Julie laughed at his discomfort. “Or what, Eric? I can sleep in Nic’s bed?” She patted him on the shoulder as she walked by and picked up her bag. “Which one’s Joey’s?”

  Cruz cleared his throat and pointed down the hallway. “Last on the left,” he said.

  The longer she thought about it the madder she got. She was not a victim, by God. And if Nic thought he could just move in on her, because she’d been in trouble, he was wrong. And yet, being with Nic, having him hold her, felt like home.

  But that wasn’t the point. What was the point?

  Oh, yeah. The point was that she didn’t appreciate being treated...

  Julie flopped down on the bed. The truth was that, with Nic, she felt safe and loved and secure. If that was just obligation on his part, then she was way past the point of getting out of this unscathed. She was falling in love with him. Tears sprang to her eyes at the thought that he might not feel the same way.

  She swiped at a tear with the heel of her hand, bouncing off the bed. Needing a distraction from her current thoughts, she set about reading the plaques that, along with framed pictures, covered the walls of the bedroom. Joey’s room.

  There were plaques of appreciation from SAR units, of recognition from the Air Force. All very impressive. But the pictures. My God, the pictures. Joey looked even more Italian than Nic did. In one picture, Joey and a younger looking Nic stood in front of an ambulance, marked with a very recognizable FDNY, both with paramedic patches on their uniforms. They wore stethoscopes around their necks, had their arms crossed, and smiled wearily.

  More recent photos showed the Three Amigos in a variety of endeavors, from holding parachutes to rappelling on a wall. One even showed them in mid-skydive, with arrows pointing out which was which. A team shot, seven men in all. Clearly from the insignias on their uniforms this was Bravo Squad and their commanding officer, Colonel McIntyre, Cruz had called him.

  Julie didn’t realize she was crying until the tears spilled down her cheek. This Joey was gone, leaving Nic, Cruz, and an entire team, grieving his loss. Still, Batman had found her, and had let her into his life, at a time when he’d just wanted to be alone to recover. What that said about him made the tears come harder until she sat on the bed and just let them flow.

  Chapter Nineteen