Out of the Storm (22 page)

As he fingered the automatic, he thought about the weapon in her backpack and the cell phone. Was all this cloak-and-dagger really necessary? Had she read too many thrillers? As Eric stared into the hallway he began to question Lu’s instincts. She knew there was some intrigue associated with Ashley. Had her imagination leapt into overdrive?

As the display on the digital clock read 1:55 a.m. he yawned. Eric’s eyelids drooped. No matter how he tried to stay awake he would doze and snap back to attention. Should he wake Ashley? She’d been asleep for more than three hours. If he could just get a couple hours of…

Ten on the damp May evening when the police called. Who could have known the evening would turn so ugly? Elaine had begged him to go. Said she wanted to show him off to her co-workers. The back roads had turned slick in the early spring drizzle. There’d been an accident. Elaine was at Cape Cod hospital. Could he come at once? He’d only been home for a few minutes, having worked late getting the books in shape for the year end audit. He ran down the driveway, jumped in his Jeep, and was at the hospital in ten minutes.

When he arrived at the emergency room Louise stood in front of him. He pushed her aside. She grabbed his arm. “Don’t,” she pleaded. Her eyes were red with the tears that traced their way down her cheeks. “I don’t want you to see her like that.”

He ignored her and ran toward the room she’d come from. Doctors and nurses called him to stop. They called security, but Eric brushed them aside like so many twigs. He pushed open the door. Elaine lay there—under a sheet. He walked slowly to the table and gently pulled it back. She looked perfect and pristine. His princess. The woman he worshipped. Unlike the casualties in combat, her face wasn’t scarred or disfigured. She looked…serene. Wore the appearance of being asleep. He lifted the sheet. His eyes drifted downward. He felt sick. Her body was broken and torn, covered by dressings soaked in blood.

Nausea overcame Eric and he turned, vomiting in the nearby scrub sink. He’d seen so much death. So many lives lost for vague, nameless causes. But not her, not his Elaine. She’d fought no battle. No lives were at stake. She was the reason he’d come home. He straightened as the door swung open and Lu came in with two men. She cradled him like a little boy, putting her arm around him gently. He turned into her, sobbing like a child.

Their baby survived for six endless hours. Hovering between life and death. Then she joined her mother. Perhaps it was best, Eric thought. Elaine had been strong, kept them together. He would have failed as a single father.

I should have been there…with her. This would never have happened… wouldn’t have happened… wouldn’t have happened. The thought consumed and held him prisoner until…

Eric was awake. The intoxicating fragrance of Ashley’s body mingled with the musky scent of sleep.

“You never woke me,” she whispered.

He rubbed his hand across his face and sat up straight. “I was about to. Guess I must have dozed off.”

She bent over and found his lips. Her kiss was soft, welcome and tempting, but he pulled away gently. She stood, looking hurt.

“Do I need mouthwash?” she asked in a husky voice. She put her hand to her mouth. “Every time we kiss you pull away from me.”

A smile crossed his face. “Just the opposite,” he assured her as he stood and pulled her close so she could feel his arousal. “I’m afraid that once we start we won’t be able to stop.”

She looked up at him, returning his smile. Hers was delicious, inviting. She took his buttocks in her hand and pressed against him. “Glad to hear that,” she said, as she found his mouth again. “I was getting worried.” She began using her tongue, teasing him in ways that should have been outlawed.

He gave in to desire and walked her to the bed, pushing the door shut with his foot as they passed. They fell onto the soft mattress clinging to each other. His hands were underneath her T-shirt caressing her breasts and erect nipples as their legs intertwined, wrapping around each other.

His hands worked feverishly across every delightful curve and angle. He pulled her T-shirt up and over her head and saw her small, firm breasts poised upward. In an instant his mouth was on her large nipples, gently biting each one as she moaned in exquisite delight.

Her hand reached inside his shorts and found his erection throbbing as her supple fingers caressed and stroked it.

He wanted to spend all day exploring every subtle place on her tempting body but he knew there was no time. He found her eyes and started to ask. She groaned and put her fingers to his lips as she closed her eyes and nodded, whispering, “Yes…yes, please...now!”

With swiftness borne of desire each shed their remaining clothing. In an instant he was inside her. Her quiet groans of ecstasy set the pace for their love-making. He slowed his thrusts to bring them both every ounce of arousal and excitement. But the chemistry was too overpowering and their need to fulfill their passion so intense, it was over too soon. But it was exquisite.

Slowly, he withdrew and lay next to her, listening to her deep breaths while she held his hand tightly.

“I’ve only done that a few times in my life,” she confessed as she turned toward him, her face a mask of sensuous pleasure. “But I never knew it could be like that.”

“When you…love someone it makes all the difference,” he sighed deeply, returning her smile.

“Are you saying that you…”

“Yes.” He nodded. “I’m saying that I love you.”

“I knew that you wanted me, but I never would have guessed you loved me.”

He found her eyes and she blushed as she whispered the words, “I love you, too. More than I ever thought I could love anyone.”

“Now that’s settled, we’ve got to figure out what to do about your situation.”

Ashley nodded. “I hoped that when I woke up it would all be a bad dream but then…if it had been, I never would have found you.”

He ran his hand across her thick, lustrous hair. “I will never let anyone hurt you or Kylie—ever.” He crossed his heart and held up three fingers like a Boy Scout.

She giggled. “You know. I believe you.”

Their sweet intimacy, the short-lived respite from the dangers the outside world held was fleeting. Just as they turned to hold each other, the phone on the night table rang.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ashley stopped breathing for a full second as the landline rang. She looked at Eric and swallowed deeply.

“Who could that be at 6:20 in the morning?” she whispered.

Eric managed a smile and picked up the receiver. When he read the caller ID his heart stopped. The display read
number not available
.

“Hello,” he said and pushed speakerphone still hoping it was Bobby or an overzealous telemarketer from Mumbai.

“Hello,” the artificial voice said. The call was being scrambled so no one could identify the speaker. “I believe Ashley is there.”

“Who is this?” Eric said evenly.

“Someone who wants to speak with Ashley.” The shrill voice continued level and conversational.

“She’s not here.”

“I know better. I know from the echo that she’s listening on speakerphone right now.”

Ashley turned on the bed and stood facing the phone. “Just leave me alone!” she said angrily. “Leave us alone.”

“I really wish I could, my dear. But I wasn’t the one who violated a strict protocol and invaded a top-secret government data base.”

Ashley pursed her lips and closed her eyes tightly. “What do you want from me?”

“I think you know,” the mechanical voice continued.

Eric stood next to Ashley and put his arms around her. “Shhh,” he whispered. “Be strong. Don’t let them get to you.”

She sighed deeply and nodded, giving him a squeeze. “I’ll try.” She turned toward the phone. “I don’t know who you are or what you want,” Ashley said in a surprisingly confidant voice, adding, “You have to tell me.”

Silence. Endless silence. Eric looked at her, unsure if the party on the other end had hung up in anger or frustration.

Suddenly the phone came to life. “What we want is every file, piece of data, any backup devices and of course, we’ll have to meet you. Just to make sure you’ve been honest with us.”

Eric stood, shaking his head vigorously. Did they really believe he would let them take her? He knew what they wanted and it wasn’t to check her memory, it was to eliminate it.

“Even if Ashley was willing, those terms are unacceptable to me.”

Ashley took his hand and squeezed it.

“Eric, I assume. Hello. I commend you on your…exemplary service to our nation,” the voice said casually. “But I don’t believe you were part of this discussion.”

“Your mistake,” Eric replied.

“No, I’m afraid it’s yours, Mr. Montgomery.”

The line went dead.

Ashley looked at Eric. She was shaking and grabbed him tightly.

“What’s all the noise?” Kylie asked, sleep still in her eyes as she stood in the doorway.

****

Buzz’s boss, the head of detectives from the Dennis Police Department, sat at their kitchen table. Eric looked at his watch: 7:35.

Ashley was pale and frightened but she did a good job relating her story. Eric felt reassured that she’d recounted it in the exact way she had to him last night. It was accurate and had the ring of truth. The only alteration came when she told the policeman that she and her friend had stumbled onto the top-secret material.

Eric knew the detective wasn’t buying it, but he was the father of Bobby’s best friend and knew Eric by reputation. Maybe that bought Ashley some latitude. At least for the moment.

“Look, I’m not pulling any punches. Sounds like you may have stumbled into something serious, miss. And whatever you found may be part of some larger operation. I hate to use the word ‘conspiracy’ but contrary to all the popular movies this isn’t the way the Feds handle someone who breach their security. They’d be here in force and you’d be in a holding cell.” The man closed his notebook and put his pen away. “I’m gonna call my buddy at the FBI field office in Boston and see if the name you gave us—Firestorm—means anything to his people.”

The man stood and headed toward the back door. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.” He shook Ashley’s hand and smiled at Kylie who was finishing her cereal.

Eric walked him to the back porch.

“Look, Mr. Montgomery,” the detective began. “I think she’s in danger. And I won’t sugarcoat it. From what you’ve both told me, this is no small group of low-level thrill seekers. These guys are after blood.” He rubbed his chin and sighed. “I may catch hell from the chief but I’ll put a car on her.”

“Thanks, Lieutenant.” Eric nodded.

“Seems like a real nice young lady and she looks scared. Really scared.” He stopped and looked back toward the kitchen. Concern crossed his face. “I have a daughter her age. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her or that sweet little girl. Not on my watch.”

Eric hesitated. “What do you think about her going to work?”

“Wait till the patrol car gets here and don’t worry, they won’t be too obvious. No black-and-white with flashing lights.” He showed a half-smile. “We want to catch the bad guys, not scare them off. But yeah. She may be safer at your place than out here. If these jokers are that concerned about staying underground, they’re less likely to try something in a public place. Plus, it may take her mind off this for a while.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Eric shook his hand.

“I’ll call as soon as I hear something from the FBI.” The man nodded and headed to his vehicle.

Eric walked back inside and explained what the man had said. Ashley looked thoughtful then managed a smile.

“C’mon honey,” she told Kylie. “I’ll help you get dressed so we can go to Uncle Eric’s marina.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The ride to the marina was punctuated by endless questions from Kylie about the yelling in Eric’s room, why Ashley hadn’t slept in the bed with her, and the visit from the policeman. The poor little girl had been dragged on a dark, frightening pilgrimage with nothing but a vague promise of heaven. Her face showed confusion. Despite the giggling, affectionate façade she often showed, Eric thought that Kylie had demons of her own. He and Ashley did their best to give her the child-friendly version, avoiding anything that could frighten her.

Eric hit Lip’s number twice on speed dial. Nothing! It wasn’t like his friend to go dark without some response. He wanted to believe that Lip hadn’t abandoned him but his sixth sense was in operational mode. It was sending Eric a warning. He threw the cell on the dashboard in frustration.

Eric turned toward Ashley, pleased to see that she looked more thoughtful than frightened.

“Anything you want to talk about?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I was trying to imagine what would have happened if I’d gone to Momma’s spinster sister in Kansas City.”

“I thought you had no relatives.”

She grinned and squeezed his hand. “I fibbed. And there was never a doubt. You were my first and only destination of choice.”

“I’m glad,” Eric managed a smile. He tried to calculate how many hours of sleep he’d had in the last week. His mind had been out of combat mode for years, so fatigue was taking its toll.

“Me, too,” she agreed, showing him an adoring smile.

“We’ve got a guardian angel.” Eric gestured behind them as he spotted the unmarked police car a hundred yards behind. But he had no illusions about what one local cop could do if they were jumped by three or four well-armed mercenaries or black-ops types. He hoped their police shadow gave Ashley a sense of security.

The morning—the last of the long holiday weekend—passed more quickly than Eric expected. The sun was bright, the temperature pleasant, and the lazy northwest wind blowing south across Cape Cod kept the swells on the Sound light. Eric’s customers and the other boaters on the river seemed determined to get in every last hour of cruising or fishing.

Ashley looked busy in her small office. She put on a bright smile, showing a good front for the customers and staff. No one could have guessed that someone might be lurking just beyond the shadows to do her harm. Eric met with his staff and made sure she was never without a watchful eye. When he ventured from the vicinity of the boat store, Eric made sure that Bobby or another person watched her closely. Eric’s cover story was that she’d been threatened by an old boyfriend—a thug who’d come looking for her from Norfolk. Ashley was already a marina favorite with everyone. Add that most of Eric’s employees had significant combat pedigrees and Eric allowed himself to attend the details of running the marina without constantly hovering over her. The unmarked police car and its occupant remained secreted behind the Dumpster and a stand of trees.