“A demonstration.” His voice was grim.
“Wait. Do you mean they’re going to kill someone and turn them into . . . one of those things?” She was horrified at the idea.
“Yeah. Apparently Jennings promised them they’d see proof the technology worked as advertised before the bidding began. Our buddies, Butt and Ugly, were saying how the demo had better be really good to justify the multimillion dollar price tag Jennings was asking for.”
“How far do you think Jennings will go? With the demonstration, I mean.” She was almost afraid to ask.
“For that much money?” Sam sighed heavily. “The man’s already proven he has no conscience. I think he’ll go as far as he can without getting caught, and he won’t care who he kills in the process. Which is why I have to stop him.”
They’d entered the sleepy little town perched on the side of the mountain. A few blocks into the village, Emily spotted a sign.
“Just what the doctor ordered,” she said with some satisfaction, though thoughts of what Jennings had planned disturbed her on a deep level. She stopped the car in front of the bed-and-breakfast. It looked quaint and had a pseudo-Victorian façade. “Do you want me to go in and see if they have a vacancy?”
“We should go in together. It would look more natural.”
“But you want to stay and keep an eye on your GPS, don’t you?” She could see it in his expression.
“Yeah. But I can walk and chew gum.” He opened the car door and got out, still watching his phone. “Get your sweater out of the back. Put it on over your uniform shirt. You do the talking. I’ll be just another stressed out yuppie glued to his PDA.” He still had his windbreaker on, which made them look a lot less like pilots and a lot more like a couple out for a casual ramble through the countryside.
Sam’s plan worked like a charm. Within moments they were ensconced in an upstairs room with a private bath. The rental car was parked around back under cover of a big carport, not visible from the road or even from the air.
“This is good,” Sam said, checking the view from the window. “We’re not too far from the GPS hit as the crow flies and it looks like it’s straight uphill through this woodland. I should be able to get there on foot from here.”
“Are you sure?” She looked at the uncertain terrain at the back of the house. Their window faced the back of the house, looking out onto the steeply graded mountainside. “It looks a little rough.”
“Piece of cake,” Sam countered, keeping one eye on his phone while he reached for his big duffel bag. He pulled out items of clothing and a big pair of well worn boots.
“This Clark Kent changing into Superman routine is becoming familiar,” she mused as he shucked his dark uniform slacks and pulled on a pair of camo cargo pants. An olive drab T-shirt replaced the white one he’d had on under his white pilot’s shirt.
He laughed outright at her comparison as he laced up his boots. All the while, he kept one eye on the GPS screen, probably to be sure his target stayed where he expected it to stay.
“So what’s the plan?” she asked as he finished his transformation from charter pilot to Green Beret.
“I’m going to hike up there and take a look around before night falls, to see what we’re up against and what the setup is. I’ll be back in about ninety minutes. Then I’ll call in to the base and make my report. Then we have dinner and coo at each other like we’re in love.” Her heart stuttered when he mentioned the “L” word, but he breezed past it. “Depending on what I find up there, I might go back out again. In fact, it’s more likely than not.”
“What do you want me to do while you’re doing all that?” She didn’t like the sound of him doing all the work and her sitting around counting the cabbage roses on the wallpaper.
“You’re going to stay in the room and pretend we’re having a good time all by ourselves. Keep up appearances while I sneak away. Call your brother, if you’re bored. Tell him how annoyed you are that I’ve left you sitting here while I’m having all the fun.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead as he teased her.
“I don’t know that I’d call risking your life fun,” she muttered as he chuckled and moved toward the window, opening it wide and peeking out. It looked like he was scoping the area in preparation for a jump. Was he serious? They were on the second floor.
She squeaked when he lifted his foot and stepped over the sill. He paused and turned a grin on her that at any other time would have made her tummy flip. He was just that sexy. But not when she was worried he’d break a leg or crack his skull on the way down.
“Don’t worry, Em. This is what I do for a living and if you’re around me for any length of time at all, you’ll soon learn I’m really hard to kill.”
“Is that supposed to comfort me?”
“Come here, Emily.”
His voice was pitched low. He straddled the windowsill, one leg dangling outside the building, the rest of his body inside. She almost didn’t want to obey the command in his voice, but in the end she was powerless to resist him. She went to him, moving closer when he clasped her waist and pulled her in for a deep, drugging kiss.
How he could dangle twelve feet off the ground and still kiss the sense out of her, she’d never know. He released her lips and his gaze met hers.
“Please try not to worry about me, Emily, although I have to admit I’m touched that you do.” His grin charmed her. “Trust me, I’m really good at my job. They wouldn’t have sent me if I weren’t.”
His reasoning did bring some comfort. He’d known exactly what to do at the convenience store in West Virginia and he was calm, cool, and collected in the cockpit. She’d seen his flying skills and some of his fighting skills already. He had to be the best of the best if they’d tapped him for this all-important job, she reasoned.
And she could see he needed her to pull herself together. She didn’t want him worrying about her worrying. Anything that distracted him from keeping himself safe was bad. She shored up her reserves and tried to give him a smile.
“I do trust you, Sam. Now go before someone sees your leg dangling out the window. Just be careful.”
“Always.” He ducked his head out the window and moved to the side.
Chapter Fourteen
S
he hadn’t seen it before but there was a trellised metal pole running down the side of the building. Glancing upward, she saw it was attached to a lightning rod. Seemed odd to have a house equipped like that out here on the side of a mountain, but people did all kinds of strange things to protect their property from any possible threat. In this case, she was glad of the sturdy structure that allowed Sam to climb down safely. No doubt, he’d come back the same way, unseen by anyone inside the house. Handy.
Emily watched him climb silently down the pole and melt away into the woods. He was gone in less than a minute, completely out of sight. She tried to see him in the woods but it was impossible considering the dense foliage. She gave up and closed the window, leaving it unlocked for Sam’s return.
Taking Sam’s advice, she pulled out her handy new phone and called her brother, Henry. A short way into the conversation, she realized that Sam had probably known that by her calling Henry, she’d be alerting the team about what Sam was up to at that moment. He’d probably planned it that way. Having her tell her brother that Sam was doing reconnaissance was as good as making a report to their commander.
She had no doubt that Henry would report in minute detail what she told him. His questioning was too detailed. He wanted a rundown of their actions since waking up that morning. She gave it to him, hoping to help Sam’s mission in some small way. It was clear that Sam was too busy to make the report himself, and she wanted someone to know where they were and what he was doing should Sam run into trouble.
Sam was right. The phone call to Henry did make her feel better. She learned that he was still at Fort Bragg for the time being, but he’d be returning to his home base later that day. They talked around the whole zombie issue, but it was clear he’d been briefed on the mission and what they were up against. Finally, she just had to tell him what she’d seen. She wanted Henry to comfort her as he had when they were children.
“It was awful, Hank.” That particular nickname didn’t come out until the situation was dire. It felt pretty dire now, as she remembered what she’d seen in West Virginia. “That poor man. It was like something out of a horror movie.”
“It’s okay, punkin.” His soothing voice over the phone helped, as it always had when they were little. “I haven’t seen it in person, but I’ve heard all about it. I still can’t quite believe it’s possible.”
“Believe it.” Her tone was wry. “It was the most terrible thing I’ve ever seen in my life. They have to stop this. They can’t let this go any farther. And I can’t believe Scott got Praxis messed up in this. What in the world was he thinking?”
“I think he was probably looking for a fat paycheck.”
“He’s already CEO. He makes a lot of money running Praxis Air. How much money can one person want?”
“For some people, there’s no limit. They want everything. Too much is not enough.”
They talked for a few more minutes before ending the call. Henry was supportive, as always, and worried for her safety. He made her promise multiple times to be careful and to do exactly as Sam instructed should they get into a dangerous situation. She began to understand how annoying her warnings must have been to Sam after Henry had made her promise for the third time. She made a resolution not to be so bothersome when and if Sam returned. She’d keep her fears and insecurities to herself and trust that he knew what he was doing. She’d try, at least.
She had begun to pace when she heard a soft swishing noise from the direction of the window. Sure enough, Sam was lifting the sash from the outside, then climbing nimbly inside. She rushed over to him.
“How did it go?”
His mouth was set in a grim line. “They’re holed up on a big ranch just over the ridge from this town. It’s rugged terrain but they found a clear spot for the ranch house and outbuildings. No easy cover for approach to any of the structures, which makes ground surveillance difficult, but they’re definitely there. I may have seen Jennings pass one of the windows. I’m about fifty-five percent positive it was him.” He looked annoyed. “I have to be sure he’s up there before we call in the cavalry. The show won’t start without him and if he’s not there, we have no reason to storm the place and tip our hand. I’ll tell you one thing, though, whoever is running the show up there, they’ve got their own small army. Lots of men with lots of firepower.”
“That’s not good.” Her heart sank at the news of what Sam and his teammates might be going up against. At the same time, she was relieved they’d found their quarry. With any luck, this horrible situation might be coming to an end. “When do you think they’ll begin their demonstration?”
“Good question.” Sam moved into the room and drew the curtains on the big windows before turning on the lights. It was still light out but Emily figured he didn’t want anyone looking in at them, just in case anybody could. “I don’t know Jennings well enough to predict, but I know some folks who do.” He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial. The call was connected almost instantly.
Sam reported his findings while Emily listened unabashedly to his side of the conversation. She made a mental note of the coordinates he gave for the ranch he’d scouted. She also committed his description of the layout of the place to memory . . . just in case. He was pretty adamant about not letting her help, but if he got into trouble, she wouldn’t just stand by. She’d do whatever she could to help, regardless of his wishes and admonitions.
When Sam had finished his report, he sat back to listen. Whoever he had on the other end of the line apparently had a lot of information to impart. When he finally ended the call, he didn’t look happy. He flipped the phone closed slowly, then tapped it against the point of his chin, seeming to contemplate his next move.
“What did they say?” Emily couldn’t take the silence. Funny, that, when it was Sam who was the man of action. Emily was supposed to be a bystander at this point, but she couldn’t help feeling involved in this—whatever it was—up to her neck.
Instead of answering her question, he came back with a few of his own. “Do you think we can take a few days off? Sort of a lovers’ getaway? Or would that bring mongo trouble down on us both from the airline?”
“I could do it. It won’t be easy, but I can swing it. How many days do we need here?”
“At least two, maybe more.”
“I’ll get us taken off the flight schedule for the week.”
She reached for her phone and made the necessary call while Sam got out their topographical maps from his pilot’s case. She’d wondered why he hadn’t left that stuff on the plane but it made sense to her now. He’d need those maps if he was going to be running around in the hills.
Sissy, the receptionist, teased her a bit but complied when Emily told her what she wanted her to do. She ended the call with a click, knowing she was going to catch hell from Buddy when they got back—if they got back. Emily began to worry that they were getting into something very dangerous up here in the hills and their odds of survival weren’t very good at all.
“We’re clear for the week,” she reported.
Sam looked up from his charts. His expression was taut with tension, but he seemed otherwise relaxed.
“Come take a look at this.”
She was surprised by his offer, but went to stand beside him. He’d covered the room’s only table with maps.
“This is where we are now.” He pointed to a spot on the map. The concentric rings indicated elevation on this map and she was well familiar with how to read it. His finger traced a path over the ridge and stopped. “This is where they are. The ranch seems to take up most of the top of this hill and down into this small valley. Between us and them, right here—” he pointed to a spot on the map where the elevation rose sharply, “—is a no man’s land of rocky forest and steep slopes. That should provide some cover for the town should things at the ranch get out of hand.”
“What did your commander say? Is he dispatching me to help?”
His mouth thinned to a grim line. “Not yet. Other reliable intel from the team puts Jennings in Virginia. They’re going to check that out before moving the show up here.”
“I thought you said you saw Jennings through the window.”
“Not clearly. I can’t be positive it was him and the intel is solid that he’s elsewhere right now. He’s the big fish. If they can catch him before he gets here to do his demonstration, it’s over. I hope the team gets him in Virginia and we don’t end up dealing with him here, but just in case, I’m going to do more recon tonight.”
“Don’t you need to sleep sometime?” she challenged, concerned for his welfare. Tired men made mistakes. It was as true for pilots as it probably was for soldiers.
“I’ll catch a combat nap, then head out. With any luck I won’t be gone all night.”
“Just most of it, I’ll bet,” she muttered. He chuckled at her response and some of the heavy burden that had settled on his shoulders seemed to have lifted for a few minutes.
“Yeah, I’ll be out most of the night but look at the bright side.” He put one arm around her waist and drew her close for a quick cuddle. “With any luck, we can spend all day tomorrow in bed.” His head dipped and he kissed her long and slow, giving her a preview of what they might enjoy when she finally did get him in bed for any length of time.
He drew back all too soon. The moment stretched out between them as she looked deep into his eyes, mesmerized by the emotion she thought she read there, though he didn’t speak it out loud. It was still too soon, perhaps. Or maybe she was fooling herself to dare to hope that he felt about her the same way she felt about him.
She stepped back, out of his arms, and the moment died.
“What do you want to do for dinner?” She had to think of practical things and get her head out of the clouds.
They’d been on the road since landing and hadn’t taken time to eat. As a result, hunger was starting to make itself known.
“There’s a restaurant two blocks away in the heart of town and a convenience store just beyond that. I say, dinner first, then we pick up some supplies at the store in case we get hungry later. We’ll be keeping odd hours so it might be wise to make use of the mini fridge in here. If for nothing else, at least keep some cold drinks on hand in case you get thirsty.”
She noticed the small fridge in one corner for the first time. It was well camouflaged, as was the small, white microwave that sat on top of it. A coffeemaker was on the tiny console table outside the bathroom along with complementary coffee and tea fixings. They’d definitely found a B&B with all the amenities in the middle of nowhere.
“Did you bring any casual clothes with you?” Sam asked, already rifling through his duffel bag.
“Don’t worry. I’m a past master at packing for all occasions. I had to learn the hard way to be prepared for any contingency when I started flying. You never know what the client will want you to do or invite you to attend while you’re in a strange town.”
“Really?” Sam looked interested and less tense, so she went on. Anything to help him be at ease.
“From rock concerts to art showings to business dinners. It doesn’t happen often, but certain repeat clients will sometimes leave an invite for me as a perk if they know I’m at loose ends.”
She went to her small bag and took out the small black ball that was the most useful item of clothing ever. It was made of jersey knit that didn’t wrinkle and had a few variations on how to wear it. She opted for the rather conservative black sweater—rather than the black minidress configuration she thought Sam would’ve liked—and threw a big, colorful scarf around her shoulders.
Fluffing her hair with her fingers, she was done in under five minutes. She turned around to find Sam watching her.
“Impressive. I bet you could give lessons on urban camo. I’d never peg you for a pilot now. You look good enough to eat.” He moved in but she evaded him.
“Real food first, then you get to eat me.” She blushed at the way that sounded but he only laughed.
“I’ll hold you to that, sweetheart.” He held the door for her as they left their room and went out of the B&B the conventional way, waving to the nice lady who ran the place on their way out.
Sam had changed too. He’d opted for his black pilot’s pants and dress shoes with the olive drab T-shirt and windbreaker. It was cool enough in the evening up here in the mountains to warrant the jacket, so nobody would remark on it. It also provided cover for the giant handgun she’d seen him tuck into his waistband. Her eyes had widened, but she hadn’t said anything to him about it. It was enough to know he was armed and ready for anything.
They were seated in the restaurant with little fuss and made quick choices from the simple menu. The food was piping hot and very good. She filled the void in her stomach with the home cooking and was relaxing over a second glass of iced tea when Sam reminded her of why they were here.
“I want to get back and sleep this off before I go out again,” he said in a low voice. “Are you almost ready to go?”
He’d refrained from mentioning anything to do with his mission during what turned out to be a most pleasant dinner. Suddenly it was all back. All the tension. All the fear. She put down her glass of tea.