This town held as many secrets as the Pyramids. I felt a constant buzz of excitement slowly simmering inside me. The little research I’d done at the town hall only increased the number of questions I had – especially about a quiet town girl named Missy Thrope, and whether her connection to Huntz was just a coincidence. But in my line of work, chances were that Missy was part of the puzzle I’d been trying to solve of why Huntz was after Eric’s family. Eric Waters and his case had me more interested than anything I could find back in New York. I had an inexplicable need to learn more about him, to see the way he lived, and help him and his family heal from the kidnapping ordeal. Everywhere I turned, it seemed there was new information to add to my iPad. I’d already introduced myself to Sheriff Lowes and his protruding beer belly, and met Mrs. Gladden as I passed by her bakery. Both were chatty and willing to fill me in with the latest gossip (which gave me the feeling I was it at the moment) and point me toward the general goods store.

I strolled between the store’s aisles, looking at jean shorts and plaid shirts, stacking them over my arm when the sales lady came over. Little did she know, she was the exact person I needed to speak with. Despite being dark, her eyes drew me in like a lighthouse – they were so familiar and soothing, I couldn’t help but be drawn to them.

“You’re new in town, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yes, my name is Emma. I’m Eric’s friend. Do you know him?”

She smiled politely before saying, “Everyone knows everyone around here. I’m Missy.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Can you tell me where I can buy a cowgirl hat? I think I’ll be staying here for a while, and would love to fit in.”

“Sure, let me help you with these first.” She took the clothes I was holding and brought them to the front counter. I then followed her petite hunched figure to the side wall. Her baggy clothes overwhelmed her entire body, making her look twice the size she really was. “You look like someone who doesn’t have trouble fitting in anywhere,” she remarked.

“Thank you. You’re so sweet. I think we’re going to be good friends.”

She froze for a moment, lowering her gaze.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that I don’t have many friends.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Why not? This town seems quite hospitable. And you seem like a very nice person. Trust me, I can read people.”

She shrugged, grabbing a cowgirl hat off a rack. “Here, will this one do?”

I ignored her, saying, “Well, I need a new friend, and so I’m officially making you one. Please?”

“All right, but what do I do?”

Has this girl never had a friend? If she was who I thought she was, her childhood had probably been rougher than I – or anyone – suspected. I still had to confirm my findings, and it surprised me no one else had questioned her. It seemed Missy had a way of keeping quiet on purpose, hiding her identity; or perhaps she simply didn’t want to draw attention to herself for other reasons. I doubted anyone else in this town had even noticed that she wore contact lenses that changed her eye color. I’d seen the lenses enough times when agents at our company, including my brothers, had gone under cover. They weren’t the prescription kind – they hid the natural eye color, and Missy’s definitely wasn’t brown. I wasn’t sure whether running into Missy was fate or instinct, but from the information I’d already gathered at the town hall, she could possibly help me find Huntz.

Her raggedy clothes were like a collage of long-sleeved shirts on top of t-shirts on top of tank tops paired with a long layered skirt, all beige and brown, non-eye-catching colors blending in with the background. Others might not have been able to see it, but this girl was in hiding.

“Well, we definitely should hang out. What’s there to do in this town?”

“Not much. We have the summer fest the weekend after next. You should come,” she offered, her eyes nearly sparkling. I doubted she got a chance to get excited over much, and my visiting here appeared welcome.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a celebration before the fall fest.”

Well, that explains it! It took all my strength not to roll my eyes. But Missy was a smart girl. As if she knew what I was thinking, she added, “Everyone in town gets together at the beginning of every season to celebrate it.” She picked up a pamphlet off the counter and handed it to me.

“All right, I’ll let Eric know. Will I see you there?”

“Yes, I’m coming. I’m helping out with the pies.”

“And please add these to the bill,” I picked up a pair of laced panties that had caught my eye, dangling them on my finger. At that same moment I noticed Eric, there with another hunk watching us.

“Who’s that with Eric?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s Derek Fields.” She blushed. “They’ve been best buddies since the day they came back. And before then of course too. It’s a small town.”

“Came back from where?”

“The military.”

And how in the world had I missed that? Eric had never mentioned the military. Even with the background check I’d done on him, there was nothing. Why would he not tell me? It seemed that Eric was hiding a bit more than I realized as well.

“Thank you, Missy. I’ll see you soon.”

“Take care, Emma.”

I paid for my four bags of purchases and left. Eric was waiting for me outside, leaning against his truck. His arms crossed over his chest and his lean posture made me pause for a moment. It was then that I noticed the adorning way he was looking at me and I had to turn around to make sure there was no one behind me. It made the hair on my nape stand as something twisted inside me.

“What did you get?” he asked.

“Stuff.” I handed him the bags and he made his way to the back of the truck, carefully stacking them in the trunk.

“Am I gonna see it?” he cocked his head to the side.

“If you’re lucky, you will.”

His brows lifted as he shifted toward me, managing to lock me in between his body and the car. Resting his hands against the metal, right over my shoulders, he leaned in with a whisper, “I know I’m lucky, because you’re here.” His warm breath brushed my ear, lingering along my neck as he tantalizingly slowly pulled away. The afternoon stubble on his jaw gently scraped along my cheek as the smell of him hit me, settling deep in my belly. Nerves fluttered in my stomach – ones I hadn’t felt in a long time – and for a moment Eric managed to take me away from my hectic world of spying and breaking hearts into his. It was just him and me, staring at one another. His eyes shone with wonder as his body leaned into mine more with each second. The faint pull of his tongue along his bottom lip watered my mouth as I inhaled Eric’s overwhelming scent of leather and country air.

The sound of a glass shattering in the restaurant three doors down startled me, and Eric pulled away.

“How are you liking Ogden so far?” he asked.

Ahm, a lot. But me liking being here had nothing to do with the job and everything to do with Eric.

“We’re going to the summer fest weekend after next.” I handed him the pamphlet sticking out of my pocket.

“Already in party mode?” Eric opened my door.

“Investigative mode. Tell me everything you know about Missy.” I asked as Eric made his way around the truck and got into the driver’s seat.

“Really? The salesclerk? You chose the least interesting person in town to ask about.”

“I ask because she chooses to be least interesting, which means she has a reason to be.” I buckled my seat belt.

“As far as I remember, she was orphaned when young and raised by moving from house to house. She even stayed at the parish for some time. And apparently she’s seeing my buddy’s younger brother.” I made a note to get to know the Fields brothers better. Eric turned on the ignition and started maneuvering out of the parking lot. Orange dust swirled behind us.

“Yeah, about your buddy. How long have you known each other?”

“Since childhood. Our parents are best friends.”

“And you’ve kept in touch all these years?” I asked, wondering whether Eric would mention the military.

“Yes, it’s not difficult to do in a town this size. Emma, if there’s something you want to ask me, just ask.”

“All right. How come you never mentioned you were in the military?”

He squeezed the steering wheel before replying. “Because it’s not something I like to talk about. It was a darker time in my life.”

“You shouldn’t be surprised then when I tell you I did a background check on you and couldn’t find a mention of you there.”

“That’s because no one, not even my parents, knows I served.”

“Care to elaborate?”

He laughed out loud, saying, “You sound like Julian. Yes, I do care. That’s where Derek lives.” Eric pointed to the third country home we’d passed after the town’s limits. “His brother Blake has apparently been seeing Missy.”

“She looks like someone who could use a few more friends. What happened to Missy’s parents? How did they die?”

“I… I don’t know. We don’t ask questions like those.”

“Why not? Mrs. Gladden from the bakery seems nosy enough, and she didn’t know either. Neither did Sherriff Lowes when I bumped into him at town hall. Yet Missy seems to live on the same property John Huntz used to occupy. Don’t you find that odd?” I asked as Eric made his way around the truck and got into the driver’s seat.

“I guess I never thought about it. Wait a minute. That’s wrong. I remember Huntz’s house being torn down after he vanished because no one in town wanted anything to remind them of the man that he was.”

“Except at the town hall, in the registry section, the records say he owned two properties. But I doubt many people check those files.”

Eric looked at me from the side as if I’d just solved the crop circle mysteries.

“Well, then please accept my apologies, Emma. Here I thought you went on a shopping spree – not that there’s anything wrong with that – and in two hours you find more information than I did in months.”

“You just need to know where to look.” I lowered the window.

Shifting to the side, Eric just stared at me in that same adoring way he had earlier, when he was leaning against the car.

“What?” I asked.

“Your intelligence turns me on.” His low voice curled through my entire body, lighting it on fire. How did he do that? I had a sudden urge to quote Einstein and Tolstoy, but found it difficult to reach for anything clever in my brain when I was near Eric. And the E=mc² formula was definitely not on top of the sexy things to say to a man list.

“I’m just doing my job, Eric.”

And why had my voice quieted? Since when was I shy around men? Never. Except Eric was a kind of man I’d never met before. He was a perfect mix of caring, strong, and polite that was difficult to find in New York.

“You shouldn’t hide how smart you are. It’s sexy and intriguing.”

“I’m not trying to hide it.”

“I just never met anyone like you, Emma. So beautiful and clever. And those legs of yours are driving me crazy.” His gaze shifted from the road to my exposed thighs. “Has anyone ever told you that they’re stunning?”

“Ahm, no. Thank you. But your flirting is pretty blunt.”

“Just telling the truth. And that pink shade on your cheeks when you blush is like a drug.”

He shivered as if shaking off the after-effects of cocaine before adjusting his crotch. That’s when I noticed that Eric in fact was turned on. Knowing how he felt around me forced me to tense my thighs and that funny and welcome feeling returned to my belly. I couldn’t sit still. The swelling between my legs was becoming unbearable too, dampening my panties, and I was beginning to wonder how I would make it through the night, all alone in Eric’s bed.

“I better concentrate on the drive. Wouldn’t want to get us in an accident.”

Ten minutes later we pulled up the driveway at the ranch. Eric unpacked groceries while I got started on a late supper, and soon we were sitting in his back yard, enjoying our meal.

“So, tell me. Why didn’t I find anything about you in the military?” I asked. He had to give me a little more than what he had earlier.

“My lips are sealed.” He pulled his hand across his mouth and stabbed a roasted pepper onto his fork

I cut through my steak with more force. “Well, then, now you really need to tell me. Come on.”

“OK. But know that if you try to verify this anywhere, you won’t find anything to confirm it. And you may have an angry bunch of people after you if they find you were snooping.”

“I promise not to say a word.” I crossed my heart and opened my eyes wide, leaning in closer.

“Derek and I were recruited at the same time. A guy showed up at one of the fests, telling us about making a change and supporting your country, and the next thing I knew I was lying to my parents that I was going to Haiti to help build houses. I just wanted to feel like I could accomplish something and make a change.

“The training started as soon as we arrived at the Seals’ headquarters. It was the most grueling two weeks of my life, but I doubted months or years would have prepared us for what we’d experienced.”

Eric looked out into the distance, remaining quiet for several minutes. I didn’t dare interrupt. As the sun lowered, its orange glow highlighted Eric’s protruding cheeks and defined jaw, where I saw a hint of tension.

“The thing is, Emma, that we promised ourselves not to speak about it to anyone – ever. Because witnessing humanity capable of gruesome tortures tends to fuck with your brain, ya’ know? So as much as I can’t tell you, I honestly don’t want to tell you. I won’t be responsible for stealing your innocence and hope.” He cracked his fingers and neck, once to each side. “Bottom line is that we accomplished our mission but didn’t come out unscathed. Some physically, all emotionally. Derek slipped up, thinking we were in the clear. It was time to celebrate and we did, without knowing that we were being hunted by those we’d crossed a day earlier. Derek was leading our group and blames himself until this day. All I remember was Reeve carrying my motionless body to a chopper.”

Eric lowered his head and pulled his hair apart at the back with his fingers, revealing his scalp. There was a scar running across the back of his head and another perpendicular one that drew up. “Let’s just say that I’m not looking forward to the day I lose my hair and am forced to go bald and to explain myself to my family and friends. Ain’t gonna happen.”

The agony in his voice ripped through me. His beautiful eyes had darkened and his face grew older in mere seconds. This was not a time of his life Eric wanted to live with. He wanted to forget and move on. And as much as the investigator in me wanted to know all the details, Eric was my priority now. I wouldn’t let him hurt any longer.

“You don’t have to say anymore,” I said. “But you’re a brave man, Eric Waters. And for what it’s worth, you’re one hell of a hero.”

“I’m no hero...”

“Shut up. This will not change my mind. Did you risk your life for others?”

“Yes, but...”

“Then you’re a hero.” I regarded the horizon before pointing forward. “Look, it’s about to touch the trees.”

We watched the sun go down in silence. Once the night took over, I felt the tiredness set in. After a quick shower I lay down in Eric’s bed, thinking about the thousands of things he could have witnessed. I’d seen a lot in my life – my brothers had told me a few stories as well. Yet I was sure that each thought and each story would never compare to what Eric had experienced. I tossed and turned in bed that night partly because I feared to fall asleep. I was afraid that the man whom I’d been hunting, John Huntz, would eventually turn tables on me. That was my fear. Once it passed, I couldn’t stop thinking about Eric and how much I wished I could curl up to his body and sleep in the comfort of his warmth, where we could both forget our woes.