Fiancé by Friday

Neil already knew Chuck didn’t have a clue. “You think the higher brass is behind offing us now?”

“Never know.”

“Why would they bother leaving a token? Why go after women to get to us then?”

Rick shook his head. “You’re right. It’s personal. Someone’s need to get back at us for surviving.”

“If I believed in ghosts, I’d think Boomer, Robb, or Linden was behind this.”

Neil ran his fingers over the hair on his face. “That’s the problem with us. We have a hard time believing in anything we can’t see. Rules out ghosts.” Yet the ghosts of his past were catching up to them…to all of them.

“So what’s the plan?” Rick asked.

“First we see if Raven takes the bait and comes after us here.”

Rick glanced around. “A sharpshooter would make quick work of us right here.”

Neil agreed. “But our guy needs to make it look like an accident. A bullet to the head isn’t how this will play out. If we end up dead, or disappear, questions will be asked. If there’s someone calling this execution, they aren’t going to want that. It’s not like we’re on enemy soil, or that we’re even on the inside any longer. We can’t be classified as collateral damage.”

“So if Raven doesn’t show up here? Or if he does and he’s not alone?”

“We’ll spot him first. I’ve already set up sensors on the road leading up here. We’ll know anytime something bigger than a dog rolls by. If he doesn’t show up here then we’ll fall back and search him out.”

Rick’s brow rose. “Snagged some of our old toys, did you?”

“Old and new.”

“I brought some toys, too.” And he did. Rick removed a set of night vision goggles, multiple weapons, explosives with fuses, and even diversionary tools…smoke bombs, flash bombs.

Neil removed two wireless headsets and switched the channels to line them up. “Here,” he said, handing one to Rick. “So I can whisper in your ear.”

Rick blew him a kiss. “I never knew you cared.”

This felt good. More like the hunter than the hunted. Now all they needed was their prey.

“We need to find you a pastime,” Ruth told Gwen after her first dinner without Neil in the house. “Waiting for your husband to return to base is difficult in the best of situations.”

“What I need is an occupation.” If she were home, she’d plan a proper wedding for her and Neil. Maybe work with Eliza and Samantha on a double vow ceremony. Anything to keep her mind off the fact that Neil was chasing a murderer.

“I can always use help in my flower garden. Perhaps tomorrow—”

“Oh, yes…please. Anything.”

Ruth patted her hand. “I’ve some bulbs we can plant, and there are always weeds to pull.”

“Physical work is better than mental at this point.”

“We have a collection of movies to choose from, most are war-related documentaries the major watches repeatedly.”

“I doubt those would ease my mind.”

“I have a small library.”

Gwen’s eyes lit up.

In the den, hidden behind a closed bookshelf, Ruth encouraged Gwen to pick whatever she wanted to read during her stay.

“I read everything from mysteries to romance. There has to be something of interest in here for you.”

There had to be over three hundred books. “You’ve quite a collection.”

“I’ve packed away boxes. I’m hoping to have a small library in our next home. Charles likes things tidy and he doesn’t see books on a shelf as neat. If we had a library designed for books, he couldn’t complain.”

The more Gwen heard Ruth talk, the more controlling her husband seemed.

“A proper library is a fine addition to any home. Not everyone watches television, after all.”

“I completely agree.”

Gwen pulled a couple of books from the shelf and glanced at the covers before turning them over to read the descriptions on the back. One was definitely a romance, which she did enjoy, but reading of someone else’s love while hers wasn’t near wasn’t something she wanted to do. She placed the purple covered book back on the shelf and decided on what looked like a medical mystery. She removed a couple more titles from the shelf and noticed something hiding behind the books.

It was a framed photograph of a young couple. They were smiling and looked to be standing on the porch of the Blayneys’ home.

“Oh, where did you find that?” Ruth asked as she came up behind her.

“Behind the books.”

Ruth took the picture from her fingers and sighed. “This is our daughter…and an old boyfriend. I thought I’d thrown this away.”

Gwen glanced at the photo again. She could see the resemblance between Ruth and her daughter. The man had a military haircut but instead of wearing a uniform, he had on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

“They look happy,” Gwen said.

“They were. Charles and I thought they would marry eventually.”

“What happened?”

Ruth blinked a couple of times. “He’d changed after returning from overseas. Annie broke it off with him. Charles was unbearably upset for months. He tried to change Annie’s mind, but she wouldn’t have it.”

“What did you think of the breakup?”

“I wanted my baby happy. I understood why she wanted something else for her life other than a moody military man. They aren’t always the easiest men to live with.” Ruth glanced over and covered her mouth. “Oh…I’m sorry. I’m sure Neil is nothing like that.”

Gwen grinned. “Of course he is. It’s something I find endearing and vulnerable about him. I’m not offended.”

“Well, Annie wanted something different.” Ruth replaced the picture on the shelf and tucked books in front of it. “Perhaps Charles is keeping this. I’ll just pretend I didn’t see it.”

What else did Ruth pretend not to see?

Dead birds weren’t going to keep her away from the kids any longer. Besides, if she didn’t explain why the police were poking into their private lives, she would lose all the ground she’d gained with them.

Karen ignored her virtual shadow that Michael and Dean insisted on. He drove her around like a child during the day and left only if Michael was home in the evenings. Otherwise, he or one of his colleagues slept in the guest room.