Chapter Thirteen
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Their reconnection didn’t happen that night. Or the next. An emergency contract came down the pipeline and Duncan tapped her to be one of the investigators assigned to it. In Nevada.
As Rachel checked the contents of her emergency go bag, she wondered if she had time to call Dean before she boarded the plane.
Shannon stuck her head in the doorway. “Duncan’s looking for you.”
Sighing, Rachel flung the bag over her shoulder. She’d have to call him from the airport.
* * *
Dean checked his phone when he finally had a minute to spare. It had been wall-to-wall crazies today for some reason. Without even looking at a calendar, he could just tell that it was almost a full moon. The crazies always crawled out of the woodwork when the gravitational pull of the earth was lightest.
Damn. He’d missed a call from Rachel. As he pressed the button for voicemail, he grinned, wondering what she would be wearing tonight.
“Hey, Dean, something’s come up and I have to go to Nevada for a case.” She sighed over the line. “Not sure how long I’ll be but I will try to call you at some point. Not even sure what kind of op I’ll be on, exactly. Guess we’ll have to have our date when I come back. Don’t worry. I bought other things at Victoria’s Secret.” She paused. “I wish I didn’t have to leave. Seems like we’re just getting to the good part. I’ll talk to you as soon as I can. Love you. Bye.”
Wait, what?
His heart stuttered in his chest then started to race – 0 to 60 in 2.0 words.
Dean fumbled his phone, trying to remember which button to hit to replay the message. No way. She hadn’t said it. He’d just imagined hearing it. Right?
The message started again and he put it on speaker phone. “…talk to you as soon as I can. Love you. Bye.”
For the second time in two days she rocked him to his very core. Love you. She’d said it. He had absolutely heard it.
Did she even realize she’d said it?
She was so hard to read sometimes. As he was leaving this morning he’d almost told her the same thing. Laughing, he punched the steering wheel of the cruiser, then again. Then he gripped the wheel and yelled into the dash.
Rachel loved him. Just like he loved her.
* * *
Three hours later, Rachel still couldn’t believe she’d said the words out loud. No, she knew exactly why she’d done it. It was because of that damn disjointed, unfinished conversation this morning when she felt like there should have been more.
The I love you she’d wanted to say then had slipped out today.
The desert sped by her window. She sat in the back of a Tahoe, on her way to find a woman who had run away from her life. Or maybe it was a bachelorette party. The people that had hired LNF weren’t exactly sure. They only knew that they thought she was in Vegas with two of her girlfriends. There had been a fight with the fiancé and she’d stormed off in a huff.
Chad Lowell drove and the new guy, Gabe Carter, sat in the passenger seat. They were a three-man investigation squad looking for three party girls in a city where anonymity was key to everything. Well, no sense in worrying about it before they got there. If the women could be found, they would be the ones to do it.
Rachel had other pressing things on her mind. As she looked down at the cell-phone in her hand, she debated what to do. Should she address the big pink elephant she’d just dropped into their relationship? There was a very good chance Dean hadn’t even noticed the little phrase she’d dropped at the end of the voicemail. And he might have taken it as just a generic goodbye.
No, Dean was a sharp cookie and he knew her. There was no chance she would say that and not mean it. And there was no chance that he hadn’t heard it.
Maybe—for now—she would act as if it hadn’t been said. Then when she got back they could address it if they needed to. The decision wasn’t ideal but it would have to do.
The women were harder to find than they’d thought. Yes, they’d been in Vegas. The team found the hotel they’d been staying in using aliases, but after talking to several hotel employees and receiving different stories, they were at a bit of a standstill. Until they talked to Miguel.
Through a series of conversations they were directed to the night shift valet manager, Miguel. “Oh, yes, I remember those girls very well. They tipped like they were millionaires, but you could tell they weren’t.”
“What do you mean?” Chad asked.
Miguel shrugged, heavy shoulders bunching. “I don’t know. They were too nice. It was like they weren’t used to the money. The guy they were with, though…he was definitely used to the money. That man probably hasn’t said a thank you in his life but he was throwing around the Benjy’s like they were tissues.”
She and Chad exchanged a glance.
“Do you know the man’s name?” Chad asked.
Miguel cocked his head. “Maybe.” The he grinned and waited expectantly.
Chad drew his wallet out of his pocket and handed the man a hundred dollar bill. Miguel’s gaze lingered on the burn scars on Chad’s disfigured left hand for a second before he looked up.
“Oh, yeah,” Miguel laughed. “His name was Peter Wattman. That little brunette was hanging all over him.”
Shit. The little brunette was their runaway, Misti Cokes. Currently engaged to their employer Jarod White. Rachel drew out her cell and sent off a message to Gabe, who was back in the room following some leads via phone.
“Any idea where they went or when they left?”
Miguel scratched his chin, black bristle scraping. He looked at them apologetically. “Not really.”
Chad drew another hundred out of his wallet and handed it over. “Oh, yeah,” Miguel made a motion like he’d just remembered. “I think Wattman said something about flying up to his house in the mountains. Very remote. I can check with my driver but I believe he took them to the airstrip.”
With a sigh, Chad nodded. “Can you check, please? It’s very important that we find this woman.”
Out of the goodness of his heart, Miguel didn’t charge them for the phone call to his driver. “Yup. He took them to the airport two nights ago. The two women who were with the brunette flew east. The dark haired girl boarded a chopper with Wattman.”
Rachel continued to forward the details to Gabe so he could look for the charter company while they finished up here.
Miguel didn’t seem to have any more details so she and Chad headed back to the Tahoe.
“This girl doesn’t want to be found,” Chad said as they pulled out of the parking lot.
“I don’t think so either.”
It wasn’t hard to track Peter Wattman. The businessman was well-known at the airport because he had his own plane and chartered helicopters regularly. He did business in Silicon Valley but played in Nevada, flying back and forth between the two frequently.
Rachel’s gut tightened when she heard that and she wondered if this secluded house was only approachable by helicopter. With her luck it would be.
A text message dinged on her phone from Gabe. History of sticky entanglements with women he’s met on dating sites. Charges filed once for assault then dropped abruptly.
Great. Rachel held the phone so Chad could see the screen and he winced.
“So, are we just going to walk up to his door and knock?” she asked. “Hey, we’re looking for Misti. She ran away from her fiancé. Have you seen her?”
Chad grinned at her. “It may just be that easy. If he took her up there promising one thing and delivering another, she may be ready to head home.”
“This guy sounds pervy.”
Chad nodded. “I agree. We’ll have to play this by ear.”
Rachel shook her head. She really hoped the woman wasn’t gullible enough to fly two states away, meet a man who promised her the world in a bar on the Vegas strip and leave with him.
Chad aimed his considerable Texas charm at the lone woman manning the reception desk at Henderson Executive Airport. Within minutes he had learned that yes, they’d had helicopter charters to Mr. Wattman’s home and that he had been through two nights ago with a dark-haired young woman.
Rachel crossed her arms and wandered away to let him learn what he could and to try to get her nerves under control. She could hear Chad making arrangements for two to fly up there, and they were the only two of them here. They certainly weren’t going to drive back to the city to pick up Gabe.
The thought of flying in a helicopter made her sick to her stomach. Impulsively, she pulled out her phone. There was a text message there.
Just thinking about you… That was really nice, but she didn’t understand the camel emoticon afterwards.
What is that?
Within a few seconds her screen flashed. It’s a camel! Thought you might need one out there in the desert.
In spite of her worry, she smiled. You’re too funny! Thanks. I needed that.
What’s up??? Are you ok?
She sighed, debating whether or not to say anything. Yes. I’m ok. Might have to fly in a few.
Ohhhh…. Plane?
No.
There was a long pause and she found herself clutching the phone, waiting, praying his words would galvanize her.
I have faith in you, babe. If a job needs to get done, you’ll be the one to do it, no matter what.
Then, in big block letters. I LOVE YOU. You CAN do this.
Tears blurred her vision as she looked at the conglomeration of letters that meant so much. The I love you should have been purple and flashing, because that was all she saw. And amazingly, it did ease her fear of the trip ahead.
“The charter will be here in ten minutes. Are you going to be okay on a chopper?”
She looked up at Chad standing beside her and simply nodded her head.
It wasn’t ideal, but she’d known this day would come at some point. Maybe it was better to have it just happen instead of a long build up and time spent planning and worrying.
When the Bell 427 landed on the pad out front, she was hugely reassured. The 427 was a proven combat machine and had been manufactured for years. And this one looked to be top of the line, shining black in the afternoon sun.
In spite of her fears, her heart sped with excitement. Every day for years, as she walked out onto the tarmac to her own ship, excitement had thrummed through her. It didn’t matter if she was hauling Marines or Humvees or porta-potties, if it meant she was going to be in the air, it made her happy. And it gave her purpose. She had been damn good at her job.
Chad rested a hand on her shoulder. “Take as much time as you need to.”
Damn it. She refused to cry in front of her boss. The two of them had gone through a lot together when they’d protected Lora and Mercy in Texas. She’d watched him fall in love with them and it had shown her anything was possible, even in the worst of circumstances. He was a really good friend now and understood that this was a huge step for her.
She nodded. “Give me a few, okay?”
With a wink he turned and exited to the helicopter pad, where the blades were slowly coming to rest. An older gentleman wearing a black ball cap met him at the side of the machine and shook his hand. They talked for a few minutes before Chad climbed into the passenger compartment. The pilot began a service check, leisurely going from one item to the next. In her mind, Rachel identified every item on her own checklist. Granted, the Super Stallion had been about ten times the size of this craft, but the mechanics and avionics were the same.
Rachel exited the terminal and headed across the pavement. She was Chad’s backup. She could do this. It was her job. She had to go.
The older gentleman looked up when she stopped a few feet away. Rachel realized he wore a service hat from Vietnam. “Did you fly in Vietnam, sir?”
His face split into a sad smile. “Yes, ma’am I did. Flew Hueys for many years. I was shot down a couple times too. Your buddy told me you might be anxious about getting on a chopper again, but I promise that this little lady,” he patted the side of the 427, “is gentler than anything. What did you operate?”
“The Sikorsky CH-53 Super Stallion for the Marines. Three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before I put her down hard in the sand. No fatalities, though.”
The man nodded once and rested a hand on her shoulder before taking her hand in his own. “That’s what matters then. I’m Jack.”
“Very nice to meet you, Jack. I’m Rachel.”
“I’m going to finish my check before we take off. You take your time. Nose around inside if you want to.”
Once again, she was fighting tears. Between Chad, Dean and now Jack she’d found more support in the last hour than she had anywhere else in her life. Suddenly, the thought of going back up into the air didn’t seem so scary anymore.
In her job with LNF, domestic flights happened fairly regularly. But flying in a helicopter was definitely out of the ordinary.
Jack turned away to finish his check and Rachel watched him. She remembered doing all this like it was yesterday. She wandered around the machine, conscious of Jack working around her. He should have been done with his pre-fight check by now but he was prolonging it for her sake.
Stepping to the far side of the machine she opened the cockpit door. Oh, wow… much more basic than the Stallion. She could fly this in her sleep.
Then she caught herself. Damn, she was actually thinking of flying again. Not being a passenger… but flying the damn thing herself?
“I don’t have a copilot. You’re more than welcome to join me up front.”
She climbed in without a word, automatically reaching for the headset hanging above her and strapping in. Jack climbed in beside her and did the same, then began the ignition process. The rotor began to spin overhead and the engine whined, but again, it was nothing compared to the Stallion.
Then he drew up on the stick. Her stomach clutched and rolled as they began to pull away from the earth. Rachel held the straps of her harness in her hands, but realized she wasn’t especially scared. No, in fact, she was thrilled. As Jack flew the helicopter over the terminal and headed toward the south, she leaned into the turn just like she’d always done.
Rachel focused on her body. Nothing on her hurt. Jack had been completely right about the 427 being gentle. Her neck and spine felt completely normal. She laughed internally, knowing that a big happy grin had spread across her face. If she had been flying these, perhaps she could have stayed in the military.
No. The thought brought her up short. No. Everything happened for a reason. If she’d stayed in the military she would never have met Dean. And he was worth everything to her. She thought of the I love you he’d sent her. He had heard her slip-up. But he’d responded deliberately, with no prompting from her.
Retrieving her phone from her pocket she looked at the display. No cell service. She should have known. Well, she could enjoy the flight at least.
They flew for twenty minutes into a desolate, rocky area. As they continued, Rachel was strongly reminded of Afghanistan’s harsh landscape. And then Jack motioned to the left. A monolithic, monochromatic terra-cotta colored house jutted up out of the rocks. There was a road winding up into the hills to the house, but Jack had said he flew Wattman in and out. Driving probably took a very long time to get anywhere. And there didn’t appear to be any other houses or buildings around. The guy was totally secluded out here.
Rachel felt a spasm of anxiety as Jack positioned the chopper to land, but he was so competent that they touched down with barely a whisper. Any tension she’d felt evaporated as he turned to her with a rakish grin. Rachel put her fist out with an answering smile and he bumped her knuckles as he started to shut down the chopper.
Rachel hopped down out of the cockpit, grinning. Chad gave her considering look and a good slap on the back, then they turned to the paver path leading to the house. They could celebrate her victory later.