Chapter 10

 

Over the next few days, John went over their positions time and again. Jaime was sure wars hadn’t been planned with such detail. He reminded them where Patterson’s men were keeping watch. There were drills to deal with an ambush and they all had to memorize egress routes to allow for every contingency. She learned all she could about John, Amelia, Ben and the off-the-books agency they were determined to topple.

Her nights were pure bliss, full of delightful physical intimacy and the sheer joy of sharing a bed with Scott. In those quiet moments when they were alone, she could almost believe they were coping with what might pass for a normal relationship. Everything they shared, through their days and nights, confirmed her initial assessment that he was one of the good guys.

If someone had told her she’d find her soulmate on the side of the road she would have suggested they schedule a brain scan. Yet here she was, falling in love with Scott in a dozen unexpected ways every day. She felt more than the tantalizing rush of attraction, something inexplicably deeper than the desire for the stellar sex. Being around him gave her a sense of belonging, a sense of rightness she hadn’t felt with another person before.

She kept it to herself, telling herself she was savoring it, rather than hiding. Scott had enough on his mind without her blurting out an ‘I love you’. The future scared her, knowing how devastated she’d be if they failed to save him. She could only imagine her fears were a fraction of his. So she focused on what she could do, putting all her energy into the task at hand, be it target practice or home repairs as they all prepared for what John called an inevitable attack.

With each day that passed without a direct assault, it was assumed Scott’s tracker was permanently deactivated. Good news in the long run, but it left Jaime edgy. They couldn’t stay out here braced for a small war indefinitely. Though Ben never said what he’d done with the sniper team’s bodies or trackers on that first night, the goal now was to lure UI close enough to make Scott’s death convincing.

While Amelia planted breadcrumbs UI would have to investigate, the rest of them used the down time to make repairs and fortifications around Jaime’s property. Unwilling to be pampered and needing a change of scenery, Amelia insisted on going into town with Jaime on the grocery run and convinced her to buy paint and supplies so she could start contributing more than meals and research.

“Contrary to John’s belief, pregnancy hasn’t turned me helpless,” Amelia said. “I’ll be careful with fumes and such, but I can’t sit behind the computer twenty-four/seven.”

“And what if the house gets shot up?” Jaime asked as they debated over fresh colors for the kitchen.

Amelia smiled. “Then I suppose I’ll learn how to repair drywall.”

Late in the afternoon two days later, as they all admired Amelia’s handiwork in the repainted kitchen, the first warning came over the radio from one of Patterson’s spotters. A team of two men were moving into overwatch positions at the north and east of the property, well back from the house.

“I’m on it,” Ben said a moment before the screen door squealed open and slapped shut again in his invisible wake.

John moved to embrace Amelia. “Be safe.”

“I’ll be as safe as you,” she countered. He rolled his eyes, gave her a fast kiss and grabbed his gear. Amelia moved to her computer, calling up some surveillance software they’d stolen from UI.

Jaime looked to Scott and everything she wanted to say jumbled up in her mind and heart. “You’ve got this,” she said lamely. “And we’ve got your back.”

He caught her as she moved to the stairs, headed for her assigned position in the attic. “Be smart.” He kissed her hard, once, and turned away.

She dashed up the stairs on silent feet, wishing she’d had the nerve to share her feelings. She’d be stuck with regrets if something went wrong with the plan today. Well, only one way to overcome her mistake she thought, slithering into position. Make sure nothing went wrong.

Using her scope, she checked off, confirming everyone was in their proper places. Scott had the most daunting task. It was his job to draw enough fire to convince UI of a fatality. Sure, Ben and John had precautions in place, but all of them understood Scott would be fighting the innate struggle to trust what he couldn’t see.

*

Scott should have told her he loved her, he thought, slipping out the front door and into his position behind the overgrown shrubs at the western edge of the house. He was to wait out of sight until Messenger, the man in the gray suit, showed up. His primary role was protecting Amelia and the house until John gave the signal for him to move to the bunkhouse, drawing the heavy fire in the process.

He patted the bulletproof vest and thought of Jaime while he waited for all hell to break loose out back. Moving ‘too fast’ probably wasn’t a big concern for a man who didn’t know if he was going to be alive at the end of the day. For a split-second, he considered saying his piece over the open radio. Imagining John’s displeasure and reaction to such a rookie move, Scott kept his mouth shut. No matter what he felt for Jaime, he still wasn’t clear on how this would go down and what would happen if they succeeded. If they failed, he wouldn’t be around to worry about it.

Patterson’s men confirmed the arrival of another team taking up positions and Scott’s mind snapped into combat mode with a laser-focused intensity. He would do his part to make sure the only casualties were on the UI side of this fight.

Just as John and Ben predicted, they didn’t come straight for the house, but held back as if waiting for Scott to make the first move. Minutes ticked by as Ben and Patterson’s men reported the UI operatives were inching closer without taking a shot. Nerves raised the hair at the back of Scott’s neck and sweat trickled down his spine, going cold in the bracing winter air.

He slowed his breathing, seeking that familiar battle-ready calm. He could do his part, stick with the plan, and trust the others. To freak out now could cost them everything.

*

“More company,” Jaime said into her radio as a dark SUV came barreling up the drive.

Per her orders, Jaime fired a line of warning bullets that forced the vehicle wide of the main house. With another volley, she herded the driver into position where whoever was inside had a perfect view of the bunkhouse. The rear door opened and a tall man in a gray suit stepped out. He looked as if he’d been dropped from an investment meeting rather than into what amounted to a firefight. She couldn’t hear him from her vantage point, but through her scope she could see he was furious with the situation.

“Messenger is on site,” Amelia confirmed for the team.

Jaime’s finger snugged the trigger. She could end this, cut the head off the snake, right here and now. But that wasn’t the plan. If she did that, they ran the risk of never finding Scott’s friends.

“Moving now,” Scott reported.

His voice was the anchor she needed. Jaime couldn’t see him from her perch, but she heard the smaller pops of his handgun as he fired on the SUV out front. Moments later the much-louder three-round bursts of the UI operatives careened through the air as they locked on to his position. She did her part, keeping Messenger pinned where he would have the best show while being unable to help his agents kill Scott.

She had to time it carefully, ceasing fire once Messenger spotted Scott. They had to convince Messenger that Scott was here alone.

Please survive. Those two words cycled through her mind like a mantra as Scott came into view, running for the cover of the bunkhouse. On the small black and white monitor, she watched in horror as a man stepped out of the trees. He wore winter camouflage and his rifle was trained on Scott.

This was the plan, the convincing performance they were counting on and yet she cringed as it played out in front of her. Bullets chewed up the snow, marching unerringly toward Scott.

He fired back wildly, selling his role as a desperate man and dropping to his knees at the bunkhouse door. Bullets were biting into the siding now, sending out splinters like so much confetti. His body jerked, and he went down, a dark stain spreading across the snow. If she looked out the window, she would see the blood in stark red against all that white. She held her position, while he crawled into the bunkhouse, the stain marking his path and kicked the door closed.

She left one gun and the monitor behind and scrambled downstairs according to the plan. She and Amelia had to reach the safety of the small cell under the stairs before Messenger searched the house for her or any of Scott’s accomplices.

Amelia was already tucked inside, her laptop open and her eyes wide. Jaime secured the panel that hid the entrance and sat down beside her to watch the rest of the drama play out. Of the four camera feeds in the area, only three were operating.

“The camera inside the bunkhouse is offline,” Amelia muttered. “Shot, I’m sure. Come on, John. Say something.”

Jaime wasn’t sure if that last part was actually over the radio link, or if Amelia was just verbalizing her desperation.

“We’re good,” came the wheezy reply. “Still fucking hurts.”

 Amelia turned and gave Jaime a high five. “All three of you are good?”

“Ben’s already on the hunt,” Scott reported. “We’re in position.”

Jaime could hardly believe it. Ben and John had combined their enhancements to shelter Scott. When the bullets struck John who was bulletproof, cloaked by direct contact with Ben, Scott released packets of fake blood in his vest to make it appear that UI had hit their mark.

“Messenger is closing in,” Amelia whispered. “Home search is underway.”

Jaime and Amelia waited in absolute silence as the UI team from the SUV out front searched the house top to bottom. Finding only what they were supposed to find, they cleared out and reported Scott seemed to be alone.

“Maybe he actually killed her,” Messenger mused, his voice picked up by one of Patterson’s men hidden outside as a precaution. The man approached the bunkhouse, shouting for Scott to give up and come back into the program. He even promised him a second chance to save his friends. As he spoke, his team advanced on the bunkhouse, one lethal stride at a time.

“I can’t,” Scott shouted. “I won’t kill more civilians for you.”

“Not even to save your friends?” Messenger asked.

“They wouldn’t want freedom at this price.” Inside the bunkhouse, a single gunshot sounded.

Swearing, Messenger lunged for the door and as he opened it, the bunkhouse blew up in an impressive display of fire and rolling black smoke.

Amelia clapped her hands to her mouth, peering at the laptop until Messenger hauled himself up from the snow. “That was closer than we’d planned,” she whispered.

Jaime could only nod in agreement. From the camera angles available, they could see the explosion had wounded at least three men, and killed one outright. Progress she supposed. She and Amelia watched as the UI team gathered the dead man and assisted those wounded into the SUV.

Messenger took the driver’s seat and executed a rough three point turn before racing out of the driveway.

“Is it done?” Jaime asked when she couldn’t stand the silence any more.

“It’s done,” John’s voice came back over the radio. He waved toward the camera as he and Scott emerged from their bolt hole under the bunkhouse. Over the radio he thanked Patterson’s men, promising to meet and debrief Hank personally.

Jaime flew out of the hiding place in the house and through the back door, racing out to meet Scott. He caught her in a big hug while laughter from Ben and John surrounded them.

“Looks like it’s time to celebrate a win for the good guys.”

*

The next morning Scott and Jaime walked hand in hand along the fence line, the fresh snow crunching under their feet. It was so peaceful, the air crisp and clean. Only a trace of the acrid smoke of the explosion lingered near the bunkhouse and the further they walked toward the mountains, the fewer echoes he heard of last night’s fight.

He’d never been so happy, so content to be quiet with a woman, even knowing a part of her mind was distracted and calculating repairs with every step.

“You can’t go back to your old life,” she said. “At least not right away.”

“Probably not ever,” he replied. “You do plan to lay low for a bit too, right?”

“Absolutely.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “It’s going to take time to get both properties in shape and updated. I’m looking forward to a new challenge right here in Eagle Rock.”

Although they’d convinced UI that Scott was dead in the bunkhouse explosion, Jaime had too much family and was too well-known in the area to force her into that kind of off-the-radar life. John and Amelia had offered to buy the family property from her, eager to put down some roots and they were helping Jaime negotiate for the adjacent ranch land.

Scott had to stay, though he didn’t consider it any hardship. The team who’d saved him from UI already felt as close as his military family. No one in the area had seen his face and with the limited press coverage on him, he could eventually have a more normal life. Remaining close to Jaime gave him hope for the future as well, if she’d have him.

John, eager to spend more time in a real home with Amelia, had promised Scott could be part of locating and rescuing his friends from the UI system after he got up to speed on how to counter the agency’s tactics and enhanced operatives. It would give him a chance to use his military experience for an honorable cause once more.

They reached the edge of the fencing and she turned back to face the house. “What have you decided?” she asked quietly, her gaze on their joined hands.

On a slow inhale, he tipped up her chin so she couldn’t mistake his intention. “I’d like to be wherever you are.”

Her eyes sparkled with joy. “Oh, Scott!” She jumped into his arms and he gave her a spin as she kissed him. “That would be wonderful.”

He couldn’t agree more. “In crisis or calm, I’m in love with you.”

“Love.” She gripped his shoulders, her eyes serious. “With me? Not just my gun collection or perfect aim?”

He laughed, still a little overwhelmed he had so much to be thankful and happy for. “You, Jaime Castle, all and only you.”

“Right back at ya,” she said. Her lips met his in another bone-melting kiss. “I thought it was too fast, but I love you too.”

He’d thought yesterday’s explosion had been a perfect sound of a fresh start and freedom, but her loving him put all of that into a wonderful new perspective. Life might have taken an unexpected turn, but now he knew his future had hope and love rather than misery and fear.