Secret Agent Under Fire Page 15

  A quick knock at her kitchen door followed by Keith’s voice shook her out of her thoughts.

  “Coming, coming.” She made sure it was him first and then unlocked the door. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning to you.” His eyes were on her, assessing, before he nodded at the doorjamb. “You’ve got to get this lock replaced and add a dead bolt. I’m surprised no one ever did that before.”

  “I’m not. This is Silver Valley—you know better than I do how trusting everyone is around here. Until relatively recently this was a farmhouse and the Pearsons worked the entire land, right? Come on in.” She walked into the kitchen and flipped the kettle on. “Cup of tea? Or I can brew you come coffee, but it’ll take longer.”

  “Tea’s fine. We’ve got time—it won’t get too warm today for our hike.”

  “Does it ever get that warm here?”

  “Don’t let this cool summer fool you. We hit the nineties by June sometimes, and with equal humidity it feels like the tropics. You had it in Philly growing up, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, it was pretty steamy. But always a breeze, since it’s so close to the ocean. I suppose the Susquehanna River doesn’t offer the same kind of relief?” She handed him a cup of English Breakfast tea. “Sugar or milk?”

  “Nope—but I’ll have some of that lemon.”

  “Sure.” She cut a slice for each of them, then added a dab of honey to her mug. “Here, have a seat.” They sat at the small but sturdy Colonial-style table that the previous owners had left.

  Keith looked around the room. “Yeah, it took a hit last night but at least you can still function in it.”

  “Again, thanks to you.” She sipped her tea and watched him. It wasn’t as if she’d never shared a morning beverage with a man, but Keith was different. He wasn’t someone she’d enjoyed a round in the sheets with and then parted amicably from. Nor was he a long-term boyfriend who she’d grown tired of, and he of her.

  Morning sunlight reflected in his gaze. “You’re thinking too hard. Today’s supposed to be a day of relaxation. A total break from the case.”

  “Hmm.”

  “I mean it. I’m not going to show you all my secret places on the trail if you don’t agree.”

  “Secret places?”

  “My parents used to take us hiking all over, no matter where we lived. I grew up partly overseas, with my dad and then later my mom, working for the Foreign Service. The best way to get to know an area is to walk through it—not only the towns and cities but the countryside, too. We griped as kids, but then my sisters and I started making up our own stories on the long walks. In Germany they call them volksmarches and they’re pretty cool, especially in the winter with packed snow under your feet. They have hot-chocolate stops and warm rolls with butter. As a kid, it doesn’t get much better.”

  He looked out the kitchen window at the sky, but she knew he was seeing childhood memories. “When we moved here, we discovered the Appalachian Trail and, of course, we had to hike it. We were getting into our teenage years then and not so keen on being with our parents that much. So we’d run ahead of them and find all kinds of hidey-holes just off the beaten path. Sometimes it was cool, like a small cave or abandoned bear’s den. Other times it wasn’t so great.” Keith paused, then began to laugh. When he caught his breath, he looked at her. “One time we happened upon a bear cub. We were mesmerized by it, until we heard our parents yelling for us—they had spotted the mama bear and she was headed our way.”

  “Oh, my gosh. What did you do?”

  “We got lucky is what. We backed away from that cub and hid behind a boulder. The mother grabbed it and ran away. You know she knew we were there, but maybe finding her cub was more important than having us for lunch. We never went off the path after that.”

  “Are there still a lot of bears around here?”

  “There weren’t for a long while but they seem to be making a comeback. Only on this side of the river and this side of the turnpike. It’s interesting how man-made structures like a highway have a way of dividing up nature. Not that it’s all bad, because in this case it keeps all of us from waking up to bears in our backyards.”

  “I’m not used to hiking with a weapon—do you think we need one?”

  “No. Absolutely not. No one has been attacked by a bear or any other creature on the AT that cuts through Silver Valley. Except for the various human-on-human assaults, which I’m confident we’re well protected from. I’d say we’re good to go, but you be your own judge.”

  Her weapon had been an extension of her for so long, ever since she’d become an FBI agent. And working for the Trail Hikers, it was required. Which reminded her—she had to carry her weapon 24/7 as long as she was employed in a mission for TH. It was part of her contract.

  She’d put it in the small backpack she was carrying.

  “You’re wandering away again, Abi.”

  Those baby blues were on her again and, dang it, the man didn’t miss a thing. “I’m overthinking everything. Part of the fallout of being an analyst for so long.”

  “Will you be able to leave that life behind for good?”

  “I’m counting on it. It would be a damn shame for the fate of Silver Valley Adventures if I can’t.”

  His smile was wide. “You’ve decided on a name for your business.”

  “Yes. Just now. It has a nice ring, doesn’t it?” As she returned his smile she hoped his obvious happiness at her proclamation wasn’t just because she’d picked a good moniker for an outdoor travel business.

  Her heart hoped that Keith wanted her to stay in Silver Valley.

  Chapter 14

  “This is beautiful, Keith.” Abi took in the canopy of deciduous trees that protected them from the morning sun, relishing the sound of frogs near the stream they were crossing. She loved walking across running water, atop rocks.

  “Glad you like it. You’re good at navigating the tough spots so far.”

  “The academy at Quantico trained me well. I’m sure you feel the same way about firefighter training.”

  Abi walked in front of Keith, aware of his breadth and long strides behind her. They were at the base of the mountain Keith had chosen for their day hike, a path Abi hadn’t been on yet, part of the Appalachian Trail.

  “Firefighter training was tough, but I was prepared for it. It’s nothing like what you went through down there, I’m sure.”

  Abi paused as the path started to ascend steeply. “Training is training. It’s the experience that makes a firefighter or agent.”

  “True.”

  Their glances caught and Abi acknowledged a feeling of warmth and camaraderie as they stood a few feet apart, alone in the woods on a cool summer morning. “Thanks again for offering to do this, and showing me the AT. As much as I love hiking and nature, I’ve never been on the AT in Pennsylvania before.”

  Keith’s smile widened to a grin. “Whoa. You mean this is a first for you, Ms. I-Know-It-All-Just-Ask-Me?”

  “I’m not a know-it-all. I always ask questions about things I don’t understand.”

  “Uh-huh.” His eyes were so blue against the greens of the forest. She heard birds and wildlife scuttling around in the underbrush, felt the cool breeze that was reluctant to let go. It all faded to background noise as her focus narrowed to Keith. To her breath, heavier than it should be for the brief hiking they’d done so far. Keith’s nearness did that to her.

  Keith took his hat off and played with it, casting his gaze downward. “What about two of the most unlikely people finding out that they’re getting along all too well?”

  Abi knew it was dangerous to allow his flirting, no matter how lighthearted, to lift her spirits as if she were about to fly. Because when it came down to it, they were flirting. Doing the same kind of mating dance the birds were. Yet she didn�
��t want to play the shy ingénue. Abi wasn’t afraid to take what she wanted, and she wanted Keith.

  “I don’t know the answer to that one, Keith. What do you think?”

  He placed his hat back on, hoisted his small backpack higher. “I think that too much thinking about anything isn’t good for the soul. We’re out here to decompress, let our minds wander, right? If we can let go of it even for a few hours, we can hopefully figure out what’s next in the case.”

  “Maybe you should be the one starting the nature adventure business.”

  “Oh, no. I’m a firefighter through and through. When I was a kid, it’s all I ever wanted to be and I never outgrew it.”

  “I understand.” And she did, but how much, she didn’t want to tell him. Not yet.

  They spent the next ninety minutes climbing the side of the mountain. Abi had been all over the world and had hiked in many places. Out west this would be considered nothing more than a small hill—they were only climbing a little over one thousand feet in elevation. Still, her heart rate rose with the exertion and her leg muscles let her know they were getting a workout. They hiked in silence, pausing to look out at the valley spread before them or at a couple of skunks that appeared oblivious to their presence. Abi was relieved when the furry black-and-white creatures disappeared from sight.

  They got to a tricky part of the path, near the top, as Abi could see the sky through the trees. But they had to climb a steep rock right before the trail flattened out.

  “Let’s take a break here.” Keith pointed to a huge rock outcropping. They made their way onto it and Abi lowered to her knees as she crawled out to the edge. “This looks scarier than it is.”

  “Yeah, it does, but you still don’t want to fall off it. This is called Hawk Rock.” Keith eased himself next to her, both their legs dangling from the smooth edge as if they sat on a park bench. “Look over there.” He pointed to two hawks that circled in the distance. Before Abi had time to blink, they were at eye level, only yards from them.

  “Wow. We’re at their cruising altitude.”

  “Isn’t it fantastic?” Keith’s profile was as rugged as the rock they sat on, and she had no doubt this was a man to be trusted. A solid individual. A man of integrity.

  Like Dad.

  As if he sensed her thoughts, Keith looked at her and then covered her hand with his, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Let it go, Abi. Whatever’s eating at you.”

  “Nothing’s eating at me. I was comparing you to my father.”

  Keith tilted his head toward her. “Oh?”

  “My father is—was a firefighter. He dedicated his whole life to it.”

  “Your father did what I do?” Understanding, then suspicion, then disbelief ran across his face.

  “Yes. He was even the chief of a department, like you.”

  “Is he still working?”

  “Yes—no, not firefighting. He’s getting ready to retire.” She fiddled with a strap on her small pack. “He left firefighting years ago, when I was a teenager. It was my fault.”

  Silence stretched and Abi kicked her feet in the air for nothing else to do. It was time to tell Keith her background—all of it. “In the interest of getting to know one another, and being able to trust each other, I owe you this, Keith.” She couldn’t tell him she was a Trail Hiker, but she could tell Keith who Abi Redland really was, down deep.

  * * *

  “My parents went to Atlantic City to celebrate the New Year with two other couples they’re still friends with. I asked to stay home to make money babysitting for the neighbors. I was seventeen and full of myself. My parents were pretty lenient with me, as I always got straight As and never caused trouble like my older brothers had. And they weren’t really trouble, thinking about it now, just typical boys being boys and all.

  “The kids I was supposed to watch got the flu, so their parents canceled their plans. I was home alone for the holiday, with my older brothers already out of the house, either living on their own or away at college. But no one was there that night. So I did what I thought would be the most fun—I had a party that my parents had expressly forbidden. They wouldn’t have minded if I’d had girlfriends over to watch chick flicks, or whatever, but I did what I knew I wasn’t allowed to. I invited everyone I knew and they all brought an extra kid or two.

  “By midnight the house was packed, the beer flowing, and everyone was having a good time. Until I smelled pot coming out of the bathroom in the basement, I thought I was going to pull it off—have a big party, clean up the next day, and my parents would be none the wiser.”

  “And?”

  “And it didn’t work out that way. By the time I smelled the pot—I was upstairs flirting with a boy I’d had a crush on all year—a fire had been started in the basement fireplace. You know how those old row houses are built? Ours had a full kitchen downstairs for when it was too hot to cook in the summer. My grandfather had put in a fireplace for the winter months when he wanted some alone time from my grandmother. This was all before I was born. When my dad married my mother, and they bought the place, Dad had the fireplace closed up but left it for aesthetic value. Can you imagine, a built-in fireplace in a basement? Anyhow, the drunk kids in the basement started the fire with newspaper, not knowing that the flue was permanently shut.”

  “Shoot.”

  “The smoke was intense and there were old Life and National Geographic magazines stacked in boxes near the fireplace.”

  She stopped. Keith kept his hand on hers, waiting for her to finish. He already knew part of the ending; he just didn’t know how many.

  Abi sniffed. “Everyone got out. We all got out onto the front lawn. Except for Donna. She was my best friend, Keith. And she’d gotten so stoned on the pot that the guy I’d been flirting with brought that she wasn’t thinking straight. There was only one way out, up the stairs—we lived in an older home. She tripped on a throw rug we had down there, under the stairs, which is where the bathroom was. Everyone else had made it upstairs and outside and thought she’d already gotten out. It was confusing and the smoke was dense.

  “Once we were on the lawn I counted the kids—I had already called 9-1-1. I realized that Donna was missing and ran to go back in, but the police department arrived ahead of the fire engines and a cop held me back. I screamed at him and told him I had to go, or he did, to get my friend. He didn’t believe me that I could do it. I was the fire chief’s daughter. I knew how to crawl under the smoke!”

  Her shoulders shuddered and she wiped at her cheeks.

  “Abi, I’m so sorry.”

  “You can guess the rest. You do this for a living. Donna was found by the fire department within the next five minutes, but it was too late. She’d inhaled too much smoke. She never regained consciousness.”

  Keith knew that there was nothing he could say: no gesture of compassion would be enough. Abi had lived through every parent’s worst nightmare and lived with not only her own survivor’s guilt but also her parents’ disappointment. So he continued to sit, and hoped by staying next to her she’d understand that, as awful and horrific a result of a decision she’d made as a teen was, it didn’t change who Abi was. A passionate, honest, real woman that he cared a hell of a lot for.

  Too much so.

  “I haven’t told you this to make you pity me, Keith.” Her eyes were on him.

  “I don’t pity you, Abi.” It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her how he really felt. But he was only beginning to accept how deeply he felt about her. What those emotions might lead to.

  “I picked fire science and forensics as a way to give back, to somehow pay back for what happened to Donna.” She drew a finger through the dirt. “It’s taken me this long to realize I’ll never pay it back, and that I also don’t have to go on beating myself up for the rest of my life. It’s time to go forward.”
<
br />   “Are you still harboring guilt for your dad’s career break?”

  She sighed. “No. At least, I don’t think so.”

  Keith watched her profile. What a brave woman his Abi was.

  * * *

  Abi wasn’t sure how long they sat on Hawk’s Rock but judging from how sore her butt was when she stood, it had been close to an hour.

  “I’m sorry, Keith. I don’t want to ruin our day with such a downer story, but you deserve to know who you’re working with. And I owed you this much, after putting you in an awkward place at the warehouse.”

  “I didn’t have a problem with it, Abi. You’re the one who’s wrapped around the axle about it.” He hopped to his feet with surprising agility for a man with a back injury.

  “How can you do that after straining your back less than a week ago?”

  “Practice. And lots and lots of core work. If I didn’t work out, I could never do my job.”

  “It’s the same for me. Or was. And will be, with this new business.” They were several feet from the ledge, the wind cool and pine scent heavy on the air. As the sun rose to midday, the area was out of shadow. Except for the brim of Keith’s hat, which gave his eyes enough protection that they were fully open as he looked at her.

  “You have the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.” Her voice was a whisper. She reached up and placed her hand on his chest as if under a trance. But it wasn’t Keith’s spell, or her desires, that compelled her movement. It was what they shared—the charged connection that wouldn’t let up.

  He grasped her hand and lifted it to his mouth, placing an openmouthed, moist kiss on her palm. She groaned, squeezing her thighs together against the heat that pooled between her legs. “Oh, boy.”

  Keith smiled, her hand still in his. “‘Oh, boy, that was weird’ or ‘Oh, boy, that was hot, do it again’?”

  She grasped the bottom of his shirt with her free hand and tugged him to her, farther from the edge to a small copse of trees hidden from the trail. “Again. And this time, don’t stop.”