The Soldier's Mission (10 page)

T
he truck was loud and without air or heat.

Unless Laura counted the heat in Paco's gaze each time he glanced in the rearview mirror or looked over at her.

The weather was mild so she wasn't too miserable. But she was pretty sure the man driving was full of misery. He didn't want to be here, but his sense of duty obviously trumped any personal feelings he might have. Including how he might feel about her, she decided.

“Are we being followed?” she asked after an hour of his famous silence.

“No.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No.”

“So you're just not a big talker, right?”

“Right.”

This didn't set well with Laura. She needed him to talk to her, and not just so she could find out information about him. She needed to hear his voice to keep calm, to keep from screaming in sheer terror, to keep the memory of that man she'd killed out of her mind. If she
talked, she could forget how the man's eyes opened in a vacant stare or how the touch of his death still stained her with guilt and grief.

“I need you to talk to me,” she said. Putting a hand to her mouth, she added, “I didn't mean to say that out loud.”

“What do you want to talk about?” he asked through what sounded remarkably like a snarl.

“I don't know. What kind of movies do you like?”

“Don't go to the movies very much.”

“If you did go, what kind of movie would you want to see?”

He sat so silent, she wondered if he'd even heard her. Then he finally said, “Film noir.”

Laura did not see that coming. “So you like classic movies better than modern-day ones?”

“I guess I do. Used to watch them with Wíago a lot. He liked movies with Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant and all the John Wayne Westerns, but I think he loved Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly—pretty women in pretty clothes. He also read a lot of detective novels and passed them on to me. We didn't have a lot of money to buy new books.”

Laura catalogued the remark about pretty women. She didn't fit into that sophisticated category but she wondered if that was the type Paco liked, too. He didn't seem to be all that urbane but then that was why she was asking questions. “What about music?”

He shifted the gears as he made a turn. “I guess I can tolerate country music—the good old-fashioned country music. And I like classical music, too.”

“Classical? I wouldn't have pegged you for that.”
Another surprise. Next he'd tell her he had a tuxedo tailor made and as fine as any Shane Warwick would wear.

He gave her a slanted look. “What? I don't fit the bill?”

“Not exactly.”

“Wíago traded some of his sculptures once for a whole batch of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart records. We used to crank it up and sit out on the porch and look at the stars. That music would drift out over the desert and soothe the lizards and snakes, even the coyotes, I think.”

“Did it soothe you?”

“It did. It used to.”

She noted that. “I love classical music, too. I use it a lot at the clinic. But I also love rock and roll.”

“Wouldn't have pegged your for that,” he retorted, mimicking her earlier words. “You're full of surprises.”

“So are you.”

“Me?” He slanted a look toward her. “What you see is what you get.”

Was that a warning to her? Laura figured he wasn't interested in her in any way, so she let that one slide.

“Can you tell me what Shane Warwick said to you on the phone?”

He shifted in his seat. What did he know? What was he not telling her? Laura tried to reassure him. “I can handle it, Paco.”

Another hard glance told her he did have information he wasn't sharing with her. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. This is my life, after all. And we have a lot of hours left to get to Austin, by my calculations.”

Taking another scan in the mirrors, he let out a sigh. “Your laptop has surfaced in Texas.”

“Texas? How…when?”

“Kissie Pierre has ways of tracking just about anything issued by CHAIM. And that includes stolen lap-tops, cell phones, anything electronic. She did some finagling and got a hit. We think Henner might be back in the States and on his way to his home in Austin. Or someone working for him has it. It's all speculation right now, but it's the only lead we have.”

“He probably had someone steal the laptop while he distracted us with all those attempts on our lives.”

“Good point. Whoever took it messed up your room, maybe to make it look like a random robbery or to scare you.”

“It worked. I don't have anything to offer these people.”

“They took your laptop for a reason, though. If we can track the laptop, we might find our culprits. Or one of the culprits.”

“Do you think they'll keep coming after me?”

“They could. If they only wanted information, well, they have that. If they come after us again, well, that means they want to make sure you don't talk.”

“I don't have anything to talk about,” she said, dread and frustration warring in her mind. “I can't imagine what they think I know.”

“You know everything about your patients.”

That stunned Laura. “You think they're going after my patients, too?”

“All I know for sure is this—two of your patients have tracked you and tried to kill you. They both worked for Henner and they're both dead now. And in spite of the
fact that they were amateurs, it was either them or us, sweetheart. And the other thing I know for sure—your stolen laptop has all of your patient information on it.” He stopped, his hesitation telling.

“What else did Warwick tell you?” she asked.

“You don't need to know everything, okay?”

“Yes, I do. I need you to be honest with me so I can deal with this. I'm not good with surprises.”

He glanced in the mirrors, scanning each one in his own dear time. Finally, he looked at her. “Your ex-boyfriend Whitmyer works for Henner. Did you know that?”

Laura's breath caught while her heart raced ahead. “No. I wondered about that, remember? He was always vague about it because it was a security company. I even suspected he might work for CHAIM.”

“He's never been with CHAIM, I can tell you that. Warwick thinks he must have signed on with Henner recently.”

“Like—after we broke up?”

“Could be. Or maybe before he started dating you. We'll keep researching that angle.”

“This goes from bad to worse.”

“That's usually how criminals work.”

Laura stared out as the landscape changed to more stark rocky mesas. They were nearing Albuquerque, New Mexico, and making record time since he was driving at full speed. He had somehow managed to avoid any state troopers.

“They might be after a specific person, but then that doesn't explain why they keep coming after us. If Henner and Alex are working together, this could go way beyond me, Paco.”

“If they want patient information, they'd also want to kill you so you can't stop them from getting it. Or so you can't stop them from whatever it is they're trying to do.”

Laura leaned her head against the cracked leather of the old truck seat. “I wish I could understand this.”

“You and me both. But for now, we keep driving and we keep playing with any scenario you can think of. Any memories that trigger something, you let me know.”

She wanted to say she'd do that for him if he'd do the same for her. The distraction of getting to the bottom of his torment would sure help her in trying not to think of her own. “I will,” she said, wondering if she could come up with anything concrete.

Her eyes still closed, she thought back to the two men who'd been killed. What else about those two that could be a common thread? They were both in their early thirties, both had failed at other jobs and they'd both failed at relationships. What had become of them in between the time she'd treated them till yesterday when they'd died?

“Did Kissie happen to find anything on what our two shooters were doing recently?” she said, looking over at Paco. “Any employment issues or status changes, things such as that?”

“I can find out,” he said, grabbing his phone out of the cup holder on the dash.

“Hey, Kissie. Yeah, we're okay for now. Question for you.” He repeated what Laura had just asked. “I'll wait.

“She's checking,” he reported to Laura. Then “Really? That's interesting, isn't it? Thanks. I'll tell Laura that.”

“What?” Laura asked, hoping Kissie could help her.

“This is starting to make more sense, at least,” he replied, his eyes on the road. “Both of these men
were
hired by a Central Security Network a few weeks after Kyle Henner died. But Alex Whitmyer has worked there for several years. He worked his way up to a top-dog and he's been in charge since Henner left the country. He's very knowledgeable regarding electronics and high-tech security systems.”

Laura felt sick to her stomach. Her nerves roiled as the truck kept moving up the back road. “If Henner is trying to get even with me, Alex would be the perfect man to do it.”

“Yes. So we can surmise that Lawrence Henner has hired former patients of yours, apparently to come after you and leave you calling cards with cryptic verses on them. And that he is also in cahoots with your former boyfriend, too.”

Laura put her head in her hands. “He must really hate me. He does blame me for his son's suicide—that much I knew. I just didn't know he'd want revenge enough to kill me.”

“Or take your private files. We still have to figure out why he's doing that.”

“He might think he can find other patient cases where I failed.”

“Are there others?”

“Not many. I can only do so much, but unless the patient is willing to follow our suggestions and recommendations regarding treatment and medication, I can't completely cure them.”

“So do you think there might be others?”

Laura thought back over the few years she'd been at
the clinic. “We have a strong success rate, but we aren't one hundred percent as far as curing patients. I don't recall any other cases, though.”

“Anything else about these two that might connect them even more?”

“If I had my files, I could check,” she replied. “It's hard to say from memory alone.”

“Think, Laura. There must be something we can use to keep putting the pieces together.”

Laura sat silent for a few minutes. “I'm sorry. My mind has gone numb from all of this.” Pushing at her hair, she let out a breath. “I'm tired, Paco. So tired.”

“Sleep,” he ordered. “Don't think about it anymore for now. Rest.”

His orders didn't help matters but since she didn't know what else to do, Laura closed her eyes again and put her head back against the seat. The warmth from the winter afternoon was waning as sunset began to take over.

Paco tossed a jacket toward her. “Cover up.”

He had such a way with words, she thought as she grabbed the camo jacket to wrap it against her arms and shoulders. When she immediately recognized his scent of sweat mixed with the spicy shampoo they'd both used back at his brother's house, Laura inhaled and tried to relax.

She didn't know when it had happened, but she felt safe with Paco Martinez. In spite of his gruffness and his unwillingness to talk about his own feelings and emotions, she knew he was a good man.

And that's all she needed to know. He'd protect her because he was a trained soldier. A reluctant hero. A man searching for his own heart.

Laura decided to pray for Paco while she tried to relax. And so she began, asking God to guide him and help him, to heal him and nurture him. Laura wanted Paco back in the fold. He might seem like a black sheep, but he was really just hurting and disillusioned by all the death and destruction he'd had to witness in the war.

If I can't help him, Lord, I know You can. Please guide Paco as he tries to protect me. Help him to find out who these terrible people are and what they want from us
.

Laura kept going, her prayers changing as she thought about every detail of Luke Paco Martinez. She thought back over his life, over his army career and his time with CHAIM. He'd wanted to serve both his country in the military and CHAIM in the private security sector. And working for CHAIM meant Paco wanted to serve the Lord, too.

She'd learned a lot about him before coming to find him. She'd even downloaded some very high-security files on him, with CHAIM's permission since his case was active and highly sensitive. At least, she had somewhat of a handle on him even if he didn't want to talk to her.

That brought Laura even more comfort.

She was drifting off to sleep, her prayers on a perpetual spin inside her head, when she suddenly realized something very important about her two former patients.

“Paco,” she said, lifting up so fast the big jacket fell to her waist. “I remembered something. Something so obvious I don't know why I didn't think of it before.”

H
e pulled the truck off the road at a deserted farmhouse then after doing a quick surveillance of the area, shut down the engine. If she'd figured out something significant he wanted to be sitting still when he heard it. “Go ahead. Tell me what you remembered?”

Laura inhaled then shook her head. “It might not mean anything but…Howard Barrow and John Rutherford had both applied to become CHAIM operatives when they were younger. And they both got turned down. I'm surprised Kissie didn't find that in her background check.”

Paco rubbed a hand over the beard stubble on his chin. “Applied? Most of us were invited to join or were nominated by an older member. Rarely does a person ask to join CHAIM because so few people know about the organization. Are you sure about this?”

She bobbed her head. “It's in their files. I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner.”

If anyone could understand repressed memories, it was Paco. He was running from his own. “That's okay. Stress can do that to a person and you certainly had no way of knowing this would come up again. But you're remembering things now, so keep talking.”

She closed her eyes for a minute then looked at him. “We might be able to pull more information from my office hard copy if I can get to someone and explain why I need the information. Those files are confidential but this is an emergency situation.” Then she put a hand to her mouth. “Unless of course, whoever took my laptop has erased that information.”

“Good point, and possibly why Kissie didn't spot it.” He held a hand on her arm. “Tell me more about these two. Why weren't they accepted?”

“Howard Barrow had a drug problem in his teens so he didn't past muster for what he called the ‘elite, holier-than-thou group.' He was kind of bitter about it, but he only mentioned it once and in passing. And that's strange since he had no way of knowing I work with CHAIM employees. They're usually referred by church counselors.”

“Is that how
he
came to you—from a church referral?”

“No. He was a walk-in.”

“And what about John Rutherford?”

“He was a member of CHAIM for a year, right after he graduated from college. But he told me he didn't like the work.” She shrugged. “That's all I can remember about him.”

Paco thought back on the two men who'd come gunning for them. “Neither of them were pros, that's for sure. We're talking about late thirties, paunchy and, well, downright foolish if you ask me. If Henner sent them, he sure was asking for failure. But why would he want their CHAIM records erased?”

Laura tugged at the jacket in her lap. “And why in the
world would either of them do his bidding in the first place?”

Paco had to remind himself of how innocent this woman was. Innocent and naïve and too good to be caught up in this kind of mess. “Laura, some people will do just about anything for the right amount of money.”

“Henner has lots of that.”

“Yes, the man has money, power, several locations to hide out, and he runs a security company—that on the surface is somewhat like CHAIM.”

“But
not
on the surface?”

“Not on the surface, something isn't right. I don't think our man Henner is using his powers for good.”

“He's evil. I can believe that from talking to his son, and from seeing the way he blamed me for Kyle's death. If the man only knew. I do blame myself, but I also think Lawrence Henner pushed his son to the breaking point. And from what Kyle told me, he pushed his employees in much the same way. Kind of a vigilante tactic.”

Paco reached over to push a strand of hair off her cheek. “Yes, he's got some kind of agenda—maybe a vendetta against you. He's after you for a reason, Laura. Maybe because of his son's death or maybe for another reason all together. You can't blame yourself for some whacked-out man's idea of justice.”

“I'll always blame myself,” she replied, looking away.

Paco understood a lot about her now. Had she come here to help him, hoping he wouldn't end up like Kyle Henner? “Look,” he said, “if Henner is behind this, we'll get him. And this information is just another link.
I have to call Kissie and the others. They can research away while we try to get you there.”

“And what about you?” she asked. “You keep telling me you're taking me to Eagle Rock, but you don't say anything about staying there yourself.”

“I'm not planning on staying,” he said while he waited for Kissie to answer. “I intend to find Lawrence Henner and ask him a few questions.”

He heard Laura gasp, saw the denial in her eyes. Holding up a finger to quiet her, he said, “Kissie, how's everything?”

“The gang's all here. All except you, of course.”

“I'm on the way to drop off the package.”

He looked over at the package and saw that Laura was perplexed and a bit perturbed at him. It would have to do.

“Kissie, I have some new information.” He reported what Laura had told him. “You might do another search to connect any of Laura's patients to both CHAIM and Henner's security company. See how many hits you get. We think Henner somehow erased that bit of information from Laura's files—possibly her laptop and any hard copy or backup files, too.”

“I'm on it,” Kissie said. “This is getting downright weird, Warrior.”

“Yep. Where is the team today?”

“Where else? In the war room, trying to figure this thing out. You've handed us a fascinating case and it's rare these days that we're all in one place to solve it. Feels like the good old days when we all worked together.”

“I can use the help, that's for sure.”

“We'll be here. The family members are arriving
today. My son Andre will be here. He's so ready to start training to become an operative.”

“Andre's that old?”

“Yes, sir, almost twenty-three. You know, you could stay here with Laura. I'm sure she'd feel better if you did. We'll solve this together, Paco. It's safe here.”

Paco heard the undercurrent in her words.
Are you sure you're ready for this? Should you go out there on your own? Will you crack under the pressure?

He didn't intend to crack and he prayed he wouldn't. He had to keep it together for Laura's sake.

“Nice try, Kissie. But I need to find out what Henner is up to. My first stop after Eagle Rock will be his estate in Texas. Any more on the laptop?”

“The signal comes and goes. But it's still in Texas.”

“Okay. We've got to get a bite to eat and keep moving. I should have her there by midnight.”

“We'll keep a light on for you.”

Paco put his phone away then looked at Laura. “I know what you're thinking but I can't hide out at Eagle Rock. These people came after us, Laura. And my grandfather could have been killed. They put this at my doorstep so it's up to me to get to the bottom of things.”

She sat up to glare at him. “And I'm the reason for that. I brought this to your door, Paco. I can't have your death on my conscience, too. Let one of the others go after him. Or take them all with you to find him.”

“Not a bad idea,” Paco said. “Just might work.”

“Are you serious?”

He saw the hope in her eyes. And something else he didn't want to see. But he had to ask anyway. “Worried about me, sweetheart?”

She got all fidgety, her fingers working the frayed flap of his old camo jacket. She wouldn't look at him. “I told you, I don't want anyone else to die.”

Of course she didn't. She was a good girl caught up in a bad situation. Nothing to do with pining for him. “No one else is going to die if I can help it. I'm not going to die and neither are you. That's the plan.”

“But you will consider taking help—some backup? I mean you're part of a five-man team. It doesn't make sense to let four of them stand around doing nothing while you go in alone with guns blazing.”

He put his hands on the steering wheels. “It
has
been a long time since we all went out as a team. Not since South America when we tried to bring that girl out of the jungle.”

“And Eli's grandfather was behind her death and everything that happened to Eli. That was horrible. You were all betrayed. I don't want this to turn out that way.”

“Neither do I,” he said. “And if I know my team, they won't let me go alone. Unless I give 'em the slip, of course.”

“No.” She grabbed his arm, her gaze flaring hot.

“Promise me you won't go without one of them at least.”

Because he didn't want to think about the gentle tug of her touch or the tug inside his heart, Paco shook her away and cranked the truck. “You don't think I can do it alone, do you, Counselor?”

Shock colored her face. “I didn't mean it that way, but now that you mention it—are you ready for this?”

He hit the steering wheel. “Why can't anyone believe I'm okay?”

“Okay is one thing, Paco. But being sound in both body and mind is another. That's why I came to talk to you in the first place.”

He shut his eyes, saying his own prayer of patience. “I don't need to spill my guts to anyone else. I went over everything with debriefing and army therapists. And I had a nice long stay in Ireland at Whelan Castle. I'm a soldier. This kind of thing comes with the territory.”

“This kind of thing can push you over the edge, too. It's called post-traumatic stress and survivor's guilt and you have—had—a classic case of it.”

Anger colored his next words but it felt good to be angry. “Yes, maybe I did but I'm good to go now. I've been to the edge, sweetheart. I won't go back there.”

“Then don't take a chance on having to face that kind of pain again. Ask for help, Paco. There's no shame in that. That's why CHAIM has teams to begin with.”

He couldn't argue with that. And he didn't want to go rogue and mess up the delicate balance of the CHAIM team he'd been a part of for years. He could be a hothead or he could keep a cool head. The difference could mean saving lives.

“I'll think about it,” he said. Then he surprised himself. “I'll make you a promise. Once I get you safely inside the gates of Eagle Rock, we'll find a quiet spot and you can ask me anything you want. How's that?”

She didn't look as pleased as he'd hoped. “I don't need that kind of promise from you. I need you to be ready to deal with what happened to you in Afghanistan.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Maybe now is not the time. You're already under a lot of pressure.”

“What do you really want from me, Laura?”

Her eyes brightened with unspoken words. “I want you to heal. That's all. I want you to heal.”

“Then give me time and let me do what I have to do. The only way I can function right now is by getting you to a safe place and figuring out what Henner is up to. That's what gives me strength. That's my job.”

“Okay.” She bobbed her head. “Okay. You're right. I came to see you for one reason and now, we have other things to consider. I haven't been fair in trying to make you open up to me in the midst of all of this.”

If she only knew. He'd like nothing more than to turn this truck around and find some pretty spot so he could just talk to her, get to know her. But he couldn't do that tonight.

“Are you hungry, thirsty? Do you need a break?”

“I'm okay for now,” she replied, quieting back into her corner as if she didn't want to provoke him. “I just want this to be over.”

“You and me both,” he replied.

Because if this didn't end soon, he would be in too deep to turn back. He might actually start caring about this woman. And that could be his downfall.

 

Midnight inked its way through the ribbon of winding back road. Laura woke up with a start to stare out the window, her disoriented mind searching for a reason why she might be sleeping in a moving truck. Then she turned and saw the hawkish features of the man driving her across the Texas Hill Country.

“Where are we?” she asked, her voice raspy and low.

He shot a glance toward her then turned back face
forward to stare at the road. “Almost to Austin. We should be at Eagle Rock in about an hour.”

“We'll wake everyone up.”

“Nah, they never sleep.”

“Good point, since I've never actually seen you sleep.”

For just a flashing second, Laura imagined what it would be like to have this man in her life in a normal way. A way where she fixed him breakfast and sent him off to a safe day job. A way where he came home to dinner and kissed her on the cheek.

She turned toward him and thought she saw an awareness rushing like a fast rain inside his mysterious eyes. Did he feel it, too? Did he feel the tug, the pull, of wondering what it would be like to have one normal day together?

Laura reminded herself that this man was a loner who lived a hard, dangerous life. He was broken and bitter and she couldn't hope to fix all of him. The counselor part of her could try to help heal his wounds, but her woman's heart urged her to fix the rest of him, to try and get inside his heart and not just his head.

But that was dangerous territory.

He gave her another glance. “Look, Laura—”

And then a piercing sound shot through the old truck and it started spinning out of control, air hissing out of a tire.

Paco grunted in surprise then pushed her down with one hand while he maneuvered the truck into the spin with the other hand. “Stay down and hold on!”

Laura's heart fell to her feet, the heavy pace of her pulse booming in her ears while her world spun like a top, memories and feelings flowing over her as the truck
whirled and careened. In her mind, she was still waiting for him to finish his sentence. But he didn't.