there’s a little booze we need to drink,” Trent said, evoking a chuckle from both men. “You think I’m kidding, but Doc Higgins is giving me a run for my money.”
“Hold on, Top,” Brandon said, “I stopped and picked up a friend along the way.”
Cal’s face scrunched in confusion and then he turned as the president motioned back the way he’d arrived. There, standing in the flickering light with her hair braided to one side the way he liked it and wearing a simple striped sundress was Diane Mayer. They made eye contact and Cal felt his heart pounding in his throat, making it impossible to speak. Again came the pang of regret. He hadn’t called her after the funeral. The others had probably kept her apprised of his location but she’d never pressed.
At one point, months ago, this beautiful woman had been the force that had grounded the Marine. Her intellect intrigued him, her humor enthralled him, and her voice covered him like a salve.
Instead of allowing Diane to help him deal with his grief, Cal had repaid her love by running away, just as he had shunned his team. He’d hidden from the world, from his sorrow, and from her. He didn’t know what to say. What do you say to a person after you leave them for months with no explanation, no word?
He didn’t know and yet he went to her, pulled once again by the inexplicable force that attracts two soul-entwined beings.
“Hi,” he said, looking into her eyes and then glancing at the sand at his feet.
“Hi,” she answered. He felt the hesitation. He’d hurt her; he'd left her. He, not anyone else.
Cal pushed the guilt away and focused on Travis’s words. Sometimes shit happens .
“I’m sorry,” he said, wishing there was some way to imbue the words with magical powers that would relay the depth of his plea.
“I know,” she said, in a tone much nicer than he thought he deserved. He almost wished she would slap him, throw sand in his face, or do something to repay him for his sins. But she didn’t. Instead she asked, “Can you get me a drink?”
He looked up at her, and while he didn’t see a look that said she would accept him back with open arms, he did see that she was trying. That was all he deserved and more than he’d ever hoped for. All the words that he’d tried to get straight in his head earlier in the day now muddled together like alphabet soup. The only thing he could say was, “Famous Grouse or Jack?”
She smiled shyly and said, “Jack please, and you better make it a double.”
Chapter 10
Haifa, Israel
August 28th, 4:47am Israel Daylight Time (IDT)
Seven Hours Ahead of EST
Maya Eilenberg prayed for the first rays of sunlight to come. She’d been on the run for almost twenty-four hours. Maya had seen the covert operatives following her but she had probably missed others. She couldn’t be sure but they were there. It had all started with a call from her adopted aunt, Hannah Krygier, with an imminent warning.
“You must find a place to hide, Maya. Quickly.”
Coming from Krygier, the message could not have been clearer. Aunt Hannah, as Maya called her, was the epitome of calm. Maya often wished that she possessed such poise.
Two hours after talking to her Aunt Hannah, she’d received a similar call, this time from a robotic-sounding voice that informed her that Colonel Osman was dead. It was imperative she come in for questioning.
When she hung up the phone her face must have paled, because the cab driver asked if she was okay. Maya nodded curtly, regained a measure of composure and ordered the driver to pull over at the next stoplight. He did and, after paying the man, Maya hit the pavement, weaving her way in and out of the rush hour pedestrian traffic.
Her training kicked into high gear. From behind darkly tinted sunglasses, she began her hyper-vigilant scan of threats. It was impossible to confirm her suspicions, but she thought she had seen the same two men repeatedly. It could have been
“Hold on, Top,” Brandon said, “I stopped and picked up a friend along the way.”
Cal’s face scrunched in confusion and then he turned as the president motioned back the way he’d arrived. There, standing in the flickering light with her hair braided to one side the way he liked it and wearing a simple striped sundress was Diane Mayer. They made eye contact and Cal felt his heart pounding in his throat, making it impossible to speak. Again came the pang of regret. He hadn’t called her after the funeral. The others had probably kept her apprised of his location but she’d never pressed.
At one point, months ago, this beautiful woman had been the force that had grounded the Marine. Her intellect intrigued him, her humor enthralled him, and her voice covered him like a salve.
Instead of allowing Diane to help him deal with his grief, Cal had repaid her love by running away, just as he had shunned his team. He’d hidden from the world, from his sorrow, and from her. He didn’t know what to say. What do you say to a person after you leave them for months with no explanation, no word?
He didn’t know and yet he went to her, pulled once again by the inexplicable force that attracts two soul-entwined beings.
“Hi,” he said, looking into her eyes and then glancing at the sand at his feet.
“Hi,” she answered. He felt the hesitation. He’d hurt her; he'd left her. He, not anyone else.
Cal pushed the guilt away and focused on Travis’s words. Sometimes shit happens .
“I’m sorry,” he said, wishing there was some way to imbue the words with magical powers that would relay the depth of his plea.
“I know,” she said, in a tone much nicer than he thought he deserved. He almost wished she would slap him, throw sand in his face, or do something to repay him for his sins. But she didn’t. Instead she asked, “Can you get me a drink?”
He looked up at her, and while he didn’t see a look that said she would accept him back with open arms, he did see that she was trying. That was all he deserved and more than he’d ever hoped for. All the words that he’d tried to get straight in his head earlier in the day now muddled together like alphabet soup. The only thing he could say was, “Famous Grouse or Jack?”
She smiled shyly and said, “Jack please, and you better make it a double.”
Chapter 10
Haifa, Israel
August 28th, 4:47am Israel Daylight Time (IDT)
Seven Hours Ahead of EST
Maya Eilenberg prayed for the first rays of sunlight to come. She’d been on the run for almost twenty-four hours. Maya had seen the covert operatives following her but she had probably missed others. She couldn’t be sure but they were there. It had all started with a call from her adopted aunt, Hannah Krygier, with an imminent warning.
“You must find a place to hide, Maya. Quickly.”
Coming from Krygier, the message could not have been clearer. Aunt Hannah, as Maya called her, was the epitome of calm. Maya often wished that she possessed such poise.
Two hours after talking to her Aunt Hannah, she’d received a similar call, this time from a robotic-sounding voice that informed her that Colonel Osman was dead. It was imperative she come in for questioning.
When she hung up the phone her face must have paled, because the cab driver asked if she was okay. Maya nodded curtly, regained a measure of composure and ordered the driver to pull over at the next stoplight. He did and, after paying the man, Maya hit the pavement, weaving her way in and out of the rush hour pedestrian traffic.
Her training kicked into high gear. From behind darkly tinted sunglasses, she began her hyper-vigilant scan of threats. It was impossible to confirm her suspicions, but she thought she had seen the same two men repeatedly. It could have been
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