Heart of Danger: An Aegis Group Novella (Body of Danger) Read online

  Duke was there, placing a steadying hand against her back.

  “How about I get the bags and you show me where I’m crashing?”

  “We’re in the two small bedrooms on the courtyard side.” She blew out a breath. Tomorrow she’d dig into what the hell was going on. “This way.”

  She scooped up her bag and led the way down to the door that led into the split bedrooms. A partial wall separated the space into two smaller rooms.

  “My dad was the youngest of the four brothers. The two middle brothers used to fight so bad Abuela insisted they build this wall.” Val placed her hand on the wooden column that bore her uncle’s initials and marks for their height over the years.

  “Will they be joining us?” Duke set the rest of the bags down on the left side of the wall.

  “No. There’s only one sister that’s still living. My aunt doesn’t like coming back to La Playa. Which side would you like?” Val turned on the old, flickering lights, one on either side. It wasn’t glamorous, but they’d stayed in worse during their missions. The beds were clean, the linens smelled like lavender and the sound of the wind whistling through the stone fins would serenade them to sleep.

  “I’ll take this one. The right seems like it will have more privacy.”

  “Privacy. There’s a novel word.” She grinned. How many nights had they all passed out on a floor, in a barn, without so much as a blanket between them?

  “Get some rest. Tomorrow we will figure out what’s wrong.”

  “Yeah. You’re right. Sorry you missed out on the view.”

  “The view has been perfect.” He smiled at her and a warmth blossomed in her chest.

  Val glanced away first, but she could still feel his stare.

  There’d been a simmering attraction just under the surface stemming from the first day when she’d removed Duke’s stitches. Their banter, the occasional contact, it all pointed toward a mutually destructive chemistry that would burn hot and leave her devastated.

  Duke was a good man. One of the best she’d ever met. She’d probably follow anywhere he led, and that worried her. Duke lived and breathed their work. She feared if the lines between their professional and personal relationships blurred farther, this job would consume her. She liked spending time with Duke, but she wanted more than a well documented resume when she died. She wanted a family, to see the world and make a difference. She didn’t want to give up those dreams for anyone. Not even Duke.

  2.

  THURSDAY. LA PLAYA de Belén, Colombia. 9 days until Christmas.

  Val stumbled down the hall to the family room, her eyes bleary and mouth dry. She’d slept the sleep of the dead, and if it weren’t for her bladder, she might still be passed out like Duke was. She hit the bathroom first and took a fast shower to remove the travel gunk. Between the smells of the day’s bread wafting up to her and the sunlight shining in, there would be no more sleeping today.

  She emerged from the bathroom to find Duke upright and sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

  “Bathroom is all yours.” She sat next to Duke and worked her socks on her still damp feet.

  “What’s the plan for today?” He peered at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “Shoes, coffee, bakery. Morning baking should be done, which means they’ll be sitting around for a bit. I figure that’s the right time to ask some questions.”

  “Want me to come along as back up?”

  “I’ve got this. You should come up with an idea for our prank.” Duke would be bored. How many times had she tuned out of a situation because she couldn’t understand a word anyone said? Unless people were bleeding, sick, or dying, there was nothing for her to concern herself about. The rest of it fell under Duke’s purview.

  “Well, I’ll be here as backup if you need me after.”

  She turned her head just enough to get a glimpse of his backside walking away from her. There were few men in this world built with such a god-like precision. Duke was a remarkable specimen of what perfection looked like. Look was all she would do.

  Val finished off Duke’s coffee and rinsed out the mug. There would be more in the bakery, anyway. She strolled into the room behind the bakery that served as the cooling, finishing and packaging room. The actual dough-making and forming was done in the rear room. The great, stone oven the house had been built around was partially in the courtyard, though these days they used electric ovens to create a more standardized product. Abuela would use the ancient oven still for some things, like her nativity scenes.

  “Wow...”

  She stood just inside the door and blinked at the absurd number of loaves cooling. Christmas meant an increased volume of sales, but this much? It seemed a bit over the top for a single day of sales. And there wasn’t a single, edible nativity scene in the bunch. What was up with that?

  “Valentina!” Abuela pushed through the door from the back room, her arms thrown up over her head, and the fringed shawl she favored draped around her shoulders.

  “Abuela!” Val grinned and jogged across the room to fold her arms around the smaller woman. “I missed you so much.”

  “You’ll still sleep the whole day away, won’t you?” Abuela pinched Val’s muffin-top. “They’ve been feeding you well.”

  “Not as well as you.” Val kept one arm around Abuela’s shoulders and turned to face the room. “That’s a lot of bread.”

  “Is your boyfriend awake, yet? I want to meet him. Your mother said he was a giant. You know how much I love big men.” Abuela’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

  “He is not my boyfriend.”

  “You brought him home with you, didn’t you?”

  “Because it’s Christmas, and he’d have worked over the holidays if I didn’t make him come with me.” Val tipped her chin. This was her opening. “Speaking of Christmas, where are all the decorations? The nativity scenes?”

  “Not here.” Abuela shrugged. “I’m hungry. Let’s get your mother and have an early lunch with your boyfriend.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend, and you aren’t answering my questions.”

  “Let’s see if your mother is busy, hm?”

  Abuela strode through the room, past the too many loaves of bread and through the door into the shop. Val followed, because what other choice did she have? She stopped in the doorway, staring out at the shop. It should have been busy with women out to get a special treat, making orders for Christmas Eve. Instead, the window shades were half drawn, and the front of the shop was empty. A radio station chattered on in the background while Mom and Dad had their heads together playing a round of chicken foot.

  This was all wrong. Completely out of character. And everyone wanted to act as though everything were perfectly fine.

  One thing hadn’t changed. No one could tell Abuela what to do. In short order, she had Mom and Val around the kitchen table with a freshly showered Duke.

  “What does your boyfriend like to eat?” Abuela asked.

  “He’s not my boyfriend. Also, he can understand a little bit of what you say, so be careful.” She glanced at Duke and switched to English. “She’s giving me a hard time. It’s her favorite pastime.”

  Duke merely chuckled, a deep sensual sound that she could never get enough of.

  “How did you meet him again? You were playing nurse, right?” Abuela brought out the remnants from last night’s dinner. Looking at how much was left she had to have cooked for a small army.

  “Yes.” The whole story was more complicated, but Val didn’t need to tell them that.

  They were each served a plate of red beans and rice. Abuela watched Duke eat with some interest, no doubt taking pride in how he wolfed her food down. Val didn’t have the heart to tell her that Duke would eat just about anything.

  “Duke and I could help put the trees up?” Val was going to get to the bottom of this Christmas business if it killed her.

  “You just got here. Relax. Don’t push yourself too hard. You’re always trying to do too mu
ch.” Mom reached over and squeezed Val’s hand. It was a reoccurring argument they had.

  “All I’m saying is that you guys have the bakery covered. We could handle this. I know you’re busy.” Val glanced at Duke who watched them talk.

  “Maybe tomorrow.” Abuela pushed her plate away from her. “I need to go check on your abuelo.”

  “And I need to relieve your father.” Mom quickly followed Abuela’s lead and began tidying up from lunch.

  “Where would you like for us to put the presents?” Val asked.

  The way both women froze only made it all that more apparent something was wrong.

  “You know, with six of us moving around here, why don’t you keep those packed up for now? Don’t want to trip over anything and break it.” Mom smiled then hustled down the stairs.

  “Abuela?” Val stood and crossed to her grandmother, bending to peer in her averted gaze. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing for you to worry about.” She patted Val’s cheek then walked toward the stairs. For some reason she seemed to sway more, move slower.

  Val sat next to Duke and stared at the stairs.

  “What did you see?” she asked him in English.

  “Every time you looked at them and asked a direct question they wouldn’t look at you, and their body language changed.”

  “Did you understand me?” Shit. Val so did not need Duke to hear Abuela calling him her boyfriend.

  “No, but you’d lean forward a little, talk and the last word your voice would go up. Like you were asking a question. Why? Talking about me?”

  “Just curious.”

  “What did you ask them?”

  She recounted both women’s replies to her questions about the decorations, offering to put up the tree and even where to put the presents.

  “It’s like they want to pretend Christmas isn’t happening this year. What’s up with that?”

  “Well, it’s daylight. Anyone in town you could ask and get an answer from?”

  “Yeah.” She grimaced. “It’s not just me though, is it? You see it, too?”

  “Going on your account of what it’s supposed to be like and how your mother and grandmother reacted to your questions, I’m highly suspicious that, yes, something is going on. Maybe there’s a perfectly logical answer?”

  “Then why not tell me that instead of not answering at all?”

  “I don’t know, but I bet I know who can tell us.” She pushed to her feet.

  They put their plates away, and she led the way back down the stairs.

  “What the...?” Val gaped at the room.

  “What’s wrong?” Duke asked.

  “There were dozens of loaves out here on the cooling racks when we came up for lunch. Where’d they all go?” Val strode to the front of the shop and peered out.

  The bakery was locked up, the windows were shuttered, and the lights were off.

  None of this made any sense. The bakery was doing no business at its busiest season, and now all the product was simply gone?

  DUKE KEPT HIS HANDS in his pockets to keep from reaching for Val’s hand as they walked the streets of La Playa. Just because she’d taken it at points when she needed support didn’t mean anything. Just because they bantered or shared jokes or any number of things didn’t translate to wanting more. It could very well all be in his head because it was what he wanted to see.

  He stared at the line of white, stucco buildings with their uniform clay roofs, and let his thoughts wander. He had to get a handle on his attraction to Val. The last op they’d been on had hit too close to home. Anything to do with kids got him all twisted up, even if everyone came home okay, like they had this time. He just needed some time and to lose himself in something menial. Maybe he’d go on a hike around the town, explore the rocks by himself while Val was with her family. The town was quite pretty, like out of a picture book.

  “The town is small, but there’s been some expansion and some effort to create some tourism around the fins.” Val gestured to the thin spires of rock jutting up around the village.

  “This is amazing.” Duke turned in a circle, taking it all in.

  The village sat in a natural valley, nestled right up against the so-called fins of rock. The mountains here were broken up into towers, dozens of feet tall, but maybe only half a dozen feet wide. Trees clung to the tops and sprouted between nature’s work of art.

  “This was a colonial village, wasn’t it?” He’d seen the mark of Europeans settling lands to note the architecture and how it was different from what might have been here before. Plus, there was the Catholic church sitting in prominence with its gold domes and white towers.

  “Yeah.” She gestured at the church. “Abuela tried her best to get her oldest son to be a priest. When that didn’t work she started pitching the idea of being a nun to her oldest daughter, but she’d discovered boys already. She tried with me for all of one conversation before I shut that down.”

  The sound of Val’s laugh was everything right in the world. Duke could walk in circles for hours with her, but he also understood that she needed answers to her questions. In her position, he’d do the same thing. Right now, all he could do was support her and remember his place in things was at her side.

  “When did your parents move back here?” he asked.

  “Right around the time we met. Mom and Dad both retired from their government jobs, plus my grandparents need someone around to help them, let them slow down a bit.” Val climbed the steps to the doors of the church, central to the town.

  Duke followed her through the open doors.

  “What’s wrong?” he kept his voice low. Whatever wrongness plagued the town hadn’t respected holy ground either. There was a feeling in the air, something that set his teeth on edge.

  “No nativity and there used to be things hanging on the wall here and there. Where the hell is everyone?” She locked gazes with him.

  This situation really bothered her, and with good reason. There was something inhibiting the behavior of an entire town. What kind of force or reason would be strong enough to make such a change in that many people? In Duke’s experience, it was usually fear. Which would explain the family’s reticence at speaking about the change.

  How much of this did he say to Val?

  She was one of the strongest, most selfless women he’d ever met, but she had her breaking points. He could recall a time when his family was still alive and the lengths he’d gone to try to save them.

  “You’re thinking something,” Val said.

  “Trying to figure out what would make a whole town behave like this.” He turned and nodded at the empty square. The heart of the town. They’d seen this before, but he didn’t want to lead her there before she was ready to come to grips with that conclusion.

  “Whenever I brought up the idea of presents, Abuela and Mom were scared. You think something is scaring the town into not celebrating Christmas?”

  “Fear is a powerful motivator.”

  “Shit.” Val stared up at the ceiling, her face lined with worry. “I’m so sorry I asked you to come here.”

  “Why? I’m not.”

  “This.” She flung her hand out. “This is a mess, and I’ve dragged you into whatever this is.”

  “Don’t apologize. I’m right where I should be.” Regardless of his feelings for her, they were friends. They were part of a team. They would be there for each other no matter what. His feelings only made him more committed. “You need someone in your corner. I’m glad it can be me.”

  “I just...I wanted to show you Christmas how we do it.” Her shoulders slumped, and she blinked rapidly.

  Duke had only seen a few things shake Val, he wouldn’t let this be one of them. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her in close to his side. She seemed to shrink in on herself and turned her face toward his chest.

  “We’ll figure this out, and we’ll save Christmas. There’s time left. You’ll see.”

 
Val hugged him back and laid her head on his shoulder. Her trust was precious.

  Sweet moments like these were the ones he tucked away in his memory to go over again later. He wasn’t sure when he’d fallen in love with Val, but he had, and he didn’t know if she’d ever feel the same way about him that he did her. But he could be the shoulder she leaned on, her friend, if that was all they could have. There were worse fates in this world.

  3.

  THURSDAY. LA PLAYA de Belén, Colombia. 9 days until Christmas.

  Val watched Duke and her father tinker with the family computer. He was so patient and kind, she’d seen him inspire hope in people who thought there was none left, and she’d seen him cry alongside those who had lost loved ones. If she were going to make a list of all the impossible characteristics her ideal man would have, they would describe Duke.

  She’d lived long enough to know that what she thought she wanted wasn’t always what she needed. The idea of being with Duke, of having him when no one else did, appealed to her. But it would never work out. Duke was his work, which left no room for her. And she needed something else. A life. Being part of his team meant she got to work and travel, seeing parts of the world she’d only seen in National Geographic.

  “Your boyfriend is very nice.”

  “Abuela, stop saying that. He’s my boss.” Val smacked her grandmother with a folded over dish towel.

  “I told your mother there was something special about him from the way you said his name.”

  “Nothing is happening between us and you’re going to get me in trouble. Duke speaks like...ten languages. He can tell when someone’s talking about him.” Val grinned and kept her gaze on Abuela, and not the mountain of a man ambling toward them.

  Abuela leaned close and cupped her hand around her mouth.

  “You should take your boyfriend out to that spot your grandfather used to take me,” she whispered.

  Val shook her head. Despite her best efforts at not letting Abuela get to her, the inevitable blush crawled up her neck and warmed her cheeks. Duke didn’t speak Spanish, but he knew French. It was a sister language to Spanish and there were plenty of words he could pick out.