Chapter Eight
Scarface came over and punched me in the gut again. My breath left me in a whoosh. Trying to refill my lungs was painful. I hoped my ribs weren't broken.
Scarface got a call and was talking in a language I didn't understand. He sounded pissed off and was gesturing wildly. He said something to the two other guys and stalked out the room.
Good, at least maybe he would stop waling on me. I took the opportunity to take stock of my injuries. My lip was swollen, blood was trickling out of my nose and my eye was puffy. I was probably going to have one hell of a shiner. None of those things were too bad, it was the beating I was taking to my torso. I figured I would be peeing blood for a week, and that was if I was lucky. I'd taken some vicious kicks and punches the kidneys.
I was currently zip tied to a chair, in a crappy hotel, in the literal middle of nowhere. Things were not looking good. I reasoned eventually they would have to move me, and I needed to be ready because that might be my only chance. These guys were not amateurs. Unless of course, they just shot me in the head while I was zipped to the chair. I sighed. Maybe I should have thought through this a little better. No, then Montero would be dead and I'd still be zip tied to a chair.
I figured Montero was awake and free by now. I had left the keys to the handcuffs for him. I knew that wasn't going to make up for the fact I had tricked him and stun gunned him. He'd be pissed, but I was sure he would be looking for me.
The two other guards were not particularly interested in me, which I thought was a good sign. They were checking their phones and talking with each other. I let my head drop forward and closed my eyes. I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to myself so looking exhausted and defeated seemed the way to go. Sadly, it wasn't far off from the truth so it didn't take too much effort.
I sensed rather than saw him at first. A large figure appeared in the doorway silhouetted by the sun. My heart leapt, I thought it was Ranger, but I quickly realized it wasn't Ranger it was Reyes.
He looked like an avenging angel. His eyes were blazing with hard fury. He seemed much larger to me than I remembered. Neither guard ever had a chance. He made quick work of both of them before they even made a sound. I was pretty sure he hadn't killed them but it was a little hard to say for sure.
He stalked towards me with his ka-bar in his hand. I had to will my body not to shrink away from him. He looked dangerous and lethal, probably because he was.
I felt him cut the zip ties on my ankles and then my wrists.
"Can you walk?" he asked me.
I wasn't sure but I nodded yes anyway. The blood had come rushing back to my hands and feet and they were tingling painfully. He pulled me up. I stumbled a little but managed to get my lower body to start working.
He looked out the window. "Shit" he said. "Someone spotted me." He said it very conversationally, like he noticed he broke a nail or something rather than three psychos were about to burst through the door and gun us down. He started pushing me towards the back of the room.
I so wanted to roll my eyes. Of course, someone spotted him. If he wanted to be incognito, he probably shouldn't be decked out like Rambo. About the only thing missing was the grease paint. That was not a look that was going to blend. I decided to keep that to myself. Reyes was in full-on combat mode.
I heard shouting and running outside. The crappy little motel unit had a small kitchenette and, as it turned out, a back door that led to a small concrete patio with two plastic chairs that had long ago seen better days.
He turned around and fired off a couple of rounds and pushed me forward. "Run." He didn't have to tell me twice.
We ran flat out into the Siskiyou national forest. I had no idea where we were headed, but as long as it was away from scarface I wasn't going to be picky. Branches were whipping at my arms and stinging my face. I was stumbling over unfamiliar ground. Reyes was beside me urging me along. Each step jarred my bruised ribs. I went down on one knee and felt Reyes jerk me up and urge me forward.
I could hear scarface and his buddies crashing through the forest behind us.
We went over a slight ridge and skidded to a stop. We were on a cliff overlooking the Rogue river. If I wasn't about to die, I might have actually appreciated its beauty. The river was swollen with recent snow melt. The current making small white-water rapids and the color was amazing. An almost turquoise blue color.
The next part happened almost as if it was in slow motion. I felt a bullet rip through the sleeve of my jacket knocking me slightly off balance. Little down feathers burst into the air and circled around us like a halo glinting in the sunlight. My eyes locked with Reyes. He grabbed my hand. "Jump" he commanded. And I did.
Belatedly I thought at least the water was clean and I wouldn't drown in toxic sludge, which was actually an improvement over the last time I'd been thrown in a river. In retrospect the fact this wasn't the first time I'd been thrown into a river should have given me pause, but to be honest it just seemed like any other day. I knew Reyes had been a Navy SEAL, which gave us slightly better odds than zero that we wouldn't drown, assuming we survived the fall.
Exactly nothing prepared me for hitting the water. It was icy cold and literally took my breath away. I came up sputtering and coughing. I'd always thought I would follow Reyes into hell if he asked and now, I knew it to be true. I guess I'd always thought hell would be a little warmer.
The good news was the current was quickly pulling me away from scarface who was still shooting. The bad news was it was rapidly pulling me into a vast unknown. I had no idea where Reyes was and I was helpless against the current. I kept going under and I doubted I could fight my way to the shore. I figured I would be crushed to death on the rocks or by a floating log, which I was hopeful happened soon before I froze to death. May as well just get it over with I thought as I went under again.
I felt strong hands propel me to the surface and Reyes came up underneath me. He pulled my head and neck onto his chest and floated on his back like an otter. "Relax darlin' I've got you. We are going to let the current take us down river for a while before we get out."
I would have told Reyes that was a stupid plan if my teeth weren't chattering so bad I couldn't speak.
While I knew it took tremendous strength and endurance to keep us from drowning, Reyes made it seem easy. His powerful body pushed us up to the surface every time the water took us under, and kept us afloat most of the time. Somehow, he managed to keep us from getting crushed on the rocks or snagged by logs.
After a while the current evened out a little, and Reyes pushed us to shore. My limbs felt numb and uncoordinated. He had to pull me up the bank and into the trees.
I flopped on my back staring up at the brilliant blue sky. I could feel tears leaking out of my eyes. Reyes leaned over me and started unzipping my jacket. "I need to check for injuries." Clearly, he could tell I wasn't in any condition to speak.
He started at my ankles and worked his way up. Quick, efficient movements. He checked my knee and seemed satisfied it was just a scrape. He pulled my jacket off and then unbuttoned my shirt, pulling it off as well.
"Jesus Christ" he mumbled. I could see the grim set to his mouth and knew it probably didn't look so good. I felt his fingers move over my side and winced when he palpated my ribs.
"I know darlin' I'll be quick." His fingers kept moving and palpating. "Did they kick you or hit you?"
"Both" I rasped between chattering teeth.
I saw the muscle twitching in his jaw. I wanted to tell him he was going to damage the enamel on his teeth if he didn't quit grinding them, but I couldn't force the words out through my numb lips.
He rolled me to my side and checked the back. I heard myself moan from the pain. He eased me back down and then continued his exploration. He checked out the cigarette burns on my chest and I saw his eyes go flat with rage.
His eyes also slid to the scars on my chest from where the tasty pastry stalker had cut me. Most of the cuts had healed without a scar but a few had left thin silvery scars where the cuts were the deepest. His fingers gently traced the scars on my chest and the swell of my breast. He looked in my eyes. I looked away. I didn't want to see pity or disgust.
"Knife" I said by way of explanation.
Reyes gently took my chin and turned me towards him and looked me in the eye. There was no pity or disgust. He was looking at me with admiration, and something else that felt a little dangerous.
"I don't know how you managed to run through the forest with these injuries." He shook his head and then gave me a rundown of the rest of my injuries. "The burn marks will heal. They look bad, but they aren't. You have a few minor scrapes, but I'm mostly concerned with your ribs. I don't think they are broken, but they could be cracked. Hopefully just bruised. I can't tell if there is any internal bleeding."
He took a minute and I could see him getting his emotions in check. He forged on. "The good news is the cold water helped with the swelling and bruising." Now he was grinning at me. "And the swollen lips just make you look hotter."
"So, we went into the water for my health?" I was giving him my best death glare, which was completely ruined by the chattering of my teeth. I knew he was trying to make me feel better about the fact I'd been beaten up, thrown in a river and was now lost in the middle of the woods. I appreciated the effort.
He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled me to him. He settled me against his bare chest and wrapped his arms and legs around me. "Let's get you warmed up and figure out where we are."
His chest was broad, well-defined, and warm with a smattering of soft dark hair. I had no idea how he wasn't freezing. I figured it was possible he might be a robot or something. That was the only explanation I could come up with, and would explain both his physical perfection and his immunity from the cold. His heart was beating slow and steady in his chest. He was resting his chin on the top of my head. I burrowed a little closer into his chest and sighed. I felt him smile and tighten his arms around me.
"If you keep saving my life" I said "You're going to end up responsible for me."
Reyes chuckled. "I can think of worse things."
We stayed that way for a few minutes. I wasn't warm but my body was no longer wracked by tremors and my teeth were no longer in danger of rattling out of my head. What had been safe and warm, now felt dangerous and forbidden.
I sat up and pulled away from him. I couldn't actually meet his eyes, which seemed weird. If Reyes noticed he didn't act like it. He just stood up and turned away so I could put my shirt and jacket back on.
"What's the plan?" My voice sounded steady and I was irrationally proud of myself for that fact.
"Cell phone is dead." He held it up and water ran out of it in little rivulets. He looked around to get oriented. "I think we start walking and hope we hit a town. We can get cleaned up and call Montero."
"Why are you here?" I asked suddenly feeling a wave of dread wash over me.
"Walk and we will talk later." Reyes said and walked away.
Oh boy, that wasn't a good sign, but Reyes was right. We had other priorities like not being eaten by a bear or mauled by a pack of wolves. I cut my eyes around the forest and picked up my pace. A knife wielding psycho I could manage. Mother Nature, now that just scared the crap out of me.
We walked down river for what seemed like hours. My side was throbbing and I was starving. If we didn't find someplace soon, I was just going to lay down on the forest floor and go to sleep, bears be damned.
Out of the forest there appeared a little lodge that advertised food, booze and snooze. I thought that sounded just OK by me, but not necessarily in that order. I sat on the porch swing while Reyes went in to get us a room. The lodge wasn't much to look at, but seemed clean enough. It was a rustic one-story building with about twenty units and a couple of small cabins. There also appeared to be a campground and RV park. I was praying for a real bed and was delighted when Reyes returned dangling a key.
He led us to one of the small cabins on the outskirts and let us in. It had a small living area, dining table, kitchen and one big bed in an open floor plan. A small bathroom was off to the side.
"Take a shower and I'll go see if I can find any food or first aid supplies." Reyes said and left.
I went into the small bathroom and stripped off my clothes and hung them up to dry. I climbed into the shower and turned on the hot water and let it run over me washing away the remaining chill. I gingerly cleaned my scrapes and burns and reluctantly got out of the shower.
I didn't have any clothes but at least the towels were big and fluffy. I dried off and wrapped the towel around me securing it in the front and went out to see what Reyes had found.
He handed me beef jerky and a packaged honey bun. "You really know how to impress a girl" I teased.
He smiled. "My talents tend more towards the hands-on variety than the culinary variety." And just like that, I became way too aware that I was in a towel and nothing else sitting on the edge of king size bed in the middle of nowhere, alone with Reyes.
He handed me a bottle of water. "I need a shower" he said and stalked off.
I ate the beef jerky and realized I could barely keep my eyes open. Now was not the time to act like a virgin school girl. I pulled the covers back, dropped the towel and climbed into the bed. I was asleep before Reyes ever came out of the shower. I vaguely registered the bed dip with his weight sometime later.
When I woke up, I realized I was draped across Reyes. My head was on his chest, his arm was wrapped around me and my leg was draped over him. I was practically laying on top of him. We were both naked. He had climbed under the comforter but on top of the sheet, which at least gave us a little barrier otherwise we would have been skin to skin.
I started to stir and I felt his arm tighten against me. I immediately stilled.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you're like an octopus when you sleep. And, you make these sexy little breathy sounds." His voice sounded a little pained.
"Sorry" I mumbled and tried to move away.
"Woman do not move. You need to give me a minute." He hissed.
I stayed very still. I heard Reyes do several rounds of box breathing. I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing.
"Not funny Plum" he said, but it was clear he kind of thought it was funny too. "You really are trying to kill me, aren't you?"
He took a few more deep breaths. "Slide your leg off of me and move your very fine ass back to your side of the bed." I did as instructed.
Reyes sat up and swung his legs off the bed and onto the floor. He sat there for a minute and then stood up and walked into the bathroom. He was completely naked and I was mesmerized. He had broad shoulders that tapered down in a V to his hips. He had the body of a warrior. Lean with defined muscles that rippled as he walked. He reminded me of a gladiator. The man also had a seriously fine ass.
"Plum close your mouth and stop staring at my ass." He said with a chuckle. My mouth snapped closed and my face flamed red.
I flopped back down onto the bed. "Shit" I said to no one in particular.
After a few minutes, I grabbed the sheet and fashioned it into a passable toga and knotted it between my breasts. I went to the kitchen and tried to make coffee. Nothing was premeasured so I just guessed and hoped for the best.
I heard the water shut-off and a few minutes later Reyes came out. He had on a pair of black silk boxers that rode low on his hips and hid exactly nothing. He was drying his hair with a towel and it took all my willpower to not look at him.
He motioned for me to get on the bed. "Our clothes are still wet." He said by way of explanation. "Let me check your ribs."
I laid down on the bed and he handed me a towel. "Put this over your chest." I did as instructed. Reyes unknotted the sheet and pulled it down and tucked it in around my hips. His movements were clinical and practiced. I sucked in a sharp breath when he pressed on my ribs.
"Sorry" he said and kept prodding away. I was about to tell him he was a sadist when he finally stopped. He reached up and pulled the towel down a little and inspected the cigarette burns then gently stroked his fingers over the scars almost absently.
"Your ribs look better. You should be fine." He abruptly stood up and turned his back on me. I took the opportunity to pull the sheet back up and knot it tightly. I wasn't sure what had just happened.
I went over to the cabinet and pulled out two cups and poured coffee. I handed him a cup of coffee willing my eyes to stay neck level and above.
"Thanks" he said and took a drink. He couldn't quite squelch his grimace fast enough and I could tell he was actively considering spitting it back into the cup.
"Sorry" I said. "Chalk it up to one of my many failings."
"Hot women don't need to know how to cook." He replied after he forced himself to swallow the offending coffee.
I snorted. "Well then I guess I'd better figure out how to cook."
He whipped is eyes to me. "Plum you are seriously like the hottest woman I know."
"Then you should probably stop hanging out with me and Roman and meet some actual women" I replied.
Reyes set the coffee down and took my cup from me and set it down too. He took me by the shoulders and gave me a gentle shake. "Where is this insecurity coming from? You are the hottest, fiercest woman I've ever met. It had better not be Ranger. Cause, I'd have to kick his ass. Well, OK I'd try to kick his ass and he would probably kill me but…" He grinned at me.
I thought about it for a second. I thought about my Mother and how I was always such an embarrassment to her. How she had wished out loud so many times I could be more like my sister Valerie and get married and pop out a bunch of kids. Maybe get a good job at the button factory.
Then my thoughts drifted to Morelli, my ex-boyfriend that I had spent years in an on-again, off-again relationship with. Morelli was a Trenton vice cop and he had never thought I was anything but reckless and stupid. That my job was basically a joke and I got by on pure dumb luck. He once said I wasn't boring but he wasn't so sure about the stupid part. My job and my immaturity, as he called it, led to numerous break-ups before we finally split for good.
I shook my head. "No, just childhood insecurities and stupid ex-boyfriends" I said. "Ranger has always had my back, even when we both knew what I was doing was incredibly stupid. I guess I just don't see it."
Reyes sat me down on the bed and pulled up a chair and sat in front of me. "Let's examine the evidence" he said. "You're gorgeous."
I snorted inelegantly. "Right" I said and gestured to my hair. I had gone to bed with it wet and now it was a wild riot of crazy dark curls, I didn't have a stitch of make-up on, and I had a black eye.
"You know what I see. I see all that beautiful hair and it reminds me of a fierce warrior goddess." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and continued.
"You are beautiful and your body."
"Reyes" I warned.
"Ok, let's just say it's a work of art and move on." He gave me an irreverent grin.
"Besides I have scars."
"Scars they just mean you have an interesting life story. You are fierce and kind, and that is what really makes you sexy. You're basically the female equivalent of Ranger."
I gave an incredulous bark of laughter. No one was ever going to confuse me with batman. "I am definitely no Ranger. I am not skilled like Ranger."
Reyes was undeterred. "No one is skilled like Ranger, not even me. That man is psychic or something like that weird cousin of his. But that's not what I mean. Plum you forget I was there. You took out four of Vega's men and Wyland by yourself and then you saved my sorry ass. In the year since, I've seen you take out half a dozen human traffickers and save dozens of victims. If that isn't fierce, I don't know what is. But the really amazing part is how you are with the victims. You are kind and gentle. You really care about each of them as a person. You're a good person." He paused for a beat.
"Not to mention you have to stop and pet every single dog every time we run." He smiled and rolled his eyes at me. I knew Reyes also petted every dog.
"One of your best friends is a sitting US Senator, you have a thriving business that you built from scratch, that even my boss Thomas Kincaid envies. Should I go on?"
"Well, when you put it like that…" I let me voice trail off. "I guess I always feel like an imposter."
"You're not. Now you need to let Ranger out of the box. You have punished that man long enough. I know what he did sucked, but admit it Plum you would have done exactly the same thing."
I raised an eyebrow at him.
"You left Montero cuffed in the bathroom of a gas station to keep him safe. And, by the way he is probably going to kill us both for that. I don't even want to know how you managed to get the drop on him" he retorted and raised his eyebrows right back at me.
I snorted. Yeah, Montero was going to be pissed on so many levels. But I couldn't let him trade his life for mine even though I knew it was his job. Reyes was right and I knew it. Ranger and I were very similar. It used to bother me that Ranger lived in the gray, but after the Vega incident I knew I lived in the gray too and I was OK with that.
So why was I punishing Ranger for things that I would have done myself? Ranger had his reasons and I had to admit Ranger had been right. No one would have been safe if he hadn't pretended to be dead and let me think he was as well. Ranger never second guessed a single decision I had made when he was gone. True to his word he focused solely on the here and now.
So, why was I so hell bent on punishing him? Was Reyes right? Was it really because I thought I didn't deserve him and I was insecure? Was it self-sabotage? I remember thinking once that my relationship with Morelli meant more than my relationship with Ranger because Morelli and I fought all the time. How stupid was that?
Early in our relationship, I always let Ranger take the lead. There was no doubt that he was in charge. All I had to do was sit back and let him lead. That had all changed while Ranger was away. I had become quite the alpha. I was used to being in charge, making decisions, and I liked it. In that moment, I realized I was the only one that had a problem with it. Ranger had taken it all in stride and supported me. Ranger was my biggest cheerleader, but he never interfered with what I wanted to do with Athena. Rangers actions, all of them, had been exclusively about keeping me safe. Keeping us all safe.
Reyes was watching me intently and after a beat continued. "Besides if you don't make up with Ranger, I may make a fool of myself and beg you to run away with me. I'm already half in love with you." The last part trailed off and his voice had gotten soft.
I searched his face, hoping he was just joking. His brown eyes were soft and serious. In one terrifying moment I knew he was going to kiss me. He reached out and put his hand behind my head and pulled me forward. His lips were soft and I immediately yielded to his insistent tongue. He kissed me long and deep, but made no other move. I kissed him back and our tongues dueled. I heard myself whimper.
We kept kissing. Just kissing. Neither of us moved to take it to the next level. A whisper of a thought went through my head. Reyes and I could make love in this isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere and no one would ever know. Yet, neither of us made a move. I think we both knew this was it. This one moment was all there would ever be. He was gorgeous and funny, but he wasn't Ranger. And that was the rub now wasn't it.
Ranger was right when he said he would ruin me for all other men. Maybe he hadn't ruined me the way he meant at the time, but he had definitely ruined me. I knew right then I would never love another man the same way I loved Ranger. He was my soulmate and that was that. Of course, soulmate or not it didn't mean we were going to be together.
Finally, he broke from our kiss and sat back in his chair. We stared at each other for a long moment breathing hard. I think we were both a little stunned that had just happened. I didn't know what to make of it and I didn't know what to say, so I took the coward's way out and changed the subject.
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"Ranger asked me to watch over you."
Dread started building in my chest and I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Where is Ranger?" I asked. The last time Ranger had sent someone to watch over me he had disappeared and let me think he was dead for almost two years.
"He is doing what needs to be done." Reyes replied. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
"Ranger went after Kovac." I knew all the blood had drained from my face.
"Yes."
"Why?" I already knew the answer.
"Ranger is the best and he doesn't trust anyone else to make sure the threat to you is eliminated."
"Why you? Why did he send you to watch over me? I thought Montero was supposed to keep me safe. He is the best at hiding people and all that bullshit. Ranger fucking gave me to Montero." I spat out the last part of the sentence. I was still pissed about that.
Reyes raised his eyebrows at me. "That's what you think? I say this with the utmost respect Plum, but you need to get your head out of your ass. Ranger put your safety before his ego and the man is out there risking his life to make you safe. He may very well end up trading his life for yours. Ranger didn't give you to Montero, he entrusted your safety to him because he knows Montero would trade his life for you."
I grimaced. "I'm being and asshole."
Reyes nodded. "Yes, you are."
"But why send you then?" I asked.
Reyes sighed. "Montero is the best at his job. But Ranger also knows he is the single biggest threat."
My eyes whipped to Reyes. "Threat?" I said incredulously.
"While Ranger knows you want to see me naked." Reyes grinned at me and waggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.
"He isn't worried that you and I are going to run away together, get married and make babies." After what had just happened, I wasn't so sure that was accurate, but I let that slide. I didn't have the energy to think about Reyes' confession or that kiss. I could still feel his kiss. It took every bit of willpower I had not to touch my lips.
"Look Plum, Ranger knows how you feel about Montero and he knows how Montero feels about you. Any fool could see the sparks between the two of you. I think he is hoping if I'm here maybe the two of you won't run away together. The man was willing to give you up to keep you safe. If that isn't love, I really don't know what is."
I thought about that for a beat. I nodded. "I know."
I definitely didn't have any right to be mad at Ranger for enlisting Montero to help. Witness protection was his job, and Ranger was right. Montero was the best at it. It was my guilt about my feelings for Montero that had driven my juvenile response. Sometimes I wondered why Ranger put up with me let alone loved me. I decided right then that if I lived, I was not wasting one more minute.
"How did you find me?" I asked. Then thought better of it and held up my hand. Never mind. I realized Ranger would have never let me go without planting a tracker on me. That's why he brought me the gym bag with the clothes the morning I left with Montero. I figured I'd file that little tidbit under things Montero never needs to know. Hopefully he wouldn't press for details.
"I'm guessing my tracker got clobbered when we went into the river. We should probably let RangeMan know we are OK as well." I figured if we didn't, it would look like freakin' desert storm in about four hours.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. "You think I want to see you naked?" I asked.
"Darlin' I know you do" Reyes grinned. "And the answers to your next two questions are all the time and in a heartbeat."
I laughed. "Good to know." I was glad things seemed to be back to normal. I was guessing Reyes and I would never talk about that kiss. That was one of the things I liked about Reyes. He was as good at denial as I was.
"What's the plan?" I asked.
"I talked to the owner, and unfortunately there is no cell service here and a wildfire wiped out the landline, but he said he could give us a ride into the town and we could use the phone at the diner. Apparently, they still have service. Besides, I could use some real food. We will get in touch with Montero and go from there. I'm only talking with Montero though because I don't understand how Kovac's men found you."
Reyes made new coffee and we drank a cup in silence while we let our clothes dry.
"Do you think Montero is going to arrest me?" I asked. Reyes just shrugged.
"I guess it is probably time to go find out?" I finally said.
Reyes handed me my damp clothes and took his into the bathroom to change.
We caught a ride into town. The town had one diner and one gas station. Reyes made a couple of calls then came back to the table and sat down.
"Montero mad?" I asked.
"Yeah, about like a wet hen. If we were smart, we would just head to the border." Reyes said.
"Well, it's a good thing neither of us are prone to good judgement or common sense." We toasted each other with our water glasses.
"Yes, ma'am!" Reyes replied.
The waitress ambled over. She wore a green t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Her gray hair was pulled up in a haphazard updo. If she thought we looked rough or she noticed I had a black eye she didn't show it. She took our order and left.
We both got the blue plate special, which was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans.
"Ever been married?" I asked Reyes.
"No, I didn't think I would be much good at it. You?" he replied.
"Once for about fifteen not hot minutes." I snorted. "I found him bare assed screwing a woman on the dining room table, and that was that." I wondered if that short-lived marriage had given me a bad taste or if I just wasn't cut out for marriage. It was always something I thought I wanted until it became an actual possibility.
Reyes laughed. "Yeah, that's always been a little bit of my fear. I also didn't think it would be fair. I was deployed for months at a time, and now I guess I'm just set in my ways."
"Maybe there is a window and if you miss it, well it is just gone."
"Maybe" he concurred.
"Do you really think there is happily ever after for people like us?" I asked.
"I think people like us need to be happy in the now, and not worry about the ever after part because that might never come." I nodded. Reyes had a point.
We continued chatting about nothing important. Reyes was always easy to talk to and we fell into a companionable chat while we waited for Montero. Neither of us mentioned it felt a little like being on death row.
About an hour later we saw Montero pull up. He was in some ancient truck that had seen far better days. My eyes cut to Reyes and he just shrugged.
Montero's mouth was set in a grim line and he stalked into the diner. I braced myself for the confrontation I knew was coming.
Montero's eyes were laser focused on me as we walked into the diner. He walked up to the table reached out and pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight.
OK, so that was not what I had been expecting.
He pulled back and took my face in his hands. "God, Plum are you OK?"
I nodded. He pulled me back into his arms and just held me like he was afraid I would disappear if he let go. Reyes finally cleared his throat. Montero reluctantly let me go and we sat back down in the booth.
"So, what the hell happened?" I asked. "How did they find us?" I decided going on the offensive might keep him from asking how Reyes had found me too.
Montero cut his eyes between me and Reyes. "You two are not off the hook." I grimaced. I felt like I was back in kindergarten. Reyes just grinned.
"Plum, you were right. The clerk was on Kovac's payroll. Apparently, she has been helping him out for years. No telling how many people she compromised. I guess it always comes down to money." Montero shook his head disgusted.
I knew for a guy like him, integrity and the rule of law was everything. In my experience the world was a little less clear cut and far grayer. It usually came down to who you know or who you blow, more than rules and regulations.
Montero continued. "She gave us a government vehicle so she could give him the VIN. Once he had that, for a guy like Kovac, getting someone to hack the GPS was child's play. It looks like they hacked the GPS system for the SUV and got the location that way. That's the bad news. The good news is by doing that we were able to pinpoint what we think is Kovac's location. He didn't know we were onto the clerk, and the techies were able to do some voodoo magic thing and reverse engineer his location. He wasn't covering his tracks as well as he should. He got sloppy. This thing could be over in the next 24 hours."
Well at least that explained the truck from 1972. No GPS in that thing. We would be lucky if it had a heater.
"So, you're not mad at me?" I asked Montero.
"What you did was incredibly stupid and reckless and you took about ten years off my life." He let out a big sigh. "But I know you probably saved my life. So, no I'm not mad."
I remembered why he had been so easy to love.