“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t they all come back with partners?” she said. “I’ll hardly be upset if this is your next mission, and you come back with one too.”
He looked at her askance. “What? And lose my freedom?”
She snorted. “Pretty sure that freedom doesn’t matter one damn bit to you,” she said.
He grinned as they walked up, and he pointed to the vehicle and said, “There’s my ride.”
She nodded, gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and said, “Go save the world.”
“Maybe not the world,” he said, “just one woman.”
“Make sure it’s the right one,” she said, with a big grin.
And he hopped into the vehicle and took off.
Chapter 1
Killian Nordstrom exited his vehicle, parked in the hotel’s outdoor parking space, and stretched. Seemed like he’d been traveling for hours, and, of course, he had. But now he was here. He yawned, reached behind him into the car, and grabbed his bag, shutting the door this time. He headed to the entrance, then sauntered to the front desk, where he quickly checked in. Nothing fancy about this hotel. But, as the intel had been flowing fast since his departure from California, this trip to Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon Territory had been nothing short of a series of fast military hops, with multiple connections, finally hooking him up with a rented vehicle.
All he cared about now was that he had made it to his destination. In his room he quickly dropped his bag, walked to the window, and checked out the view, noting how close the trails and parks and the wilds of Mother Nature were to this town. He was in need of a good solid meal, preferably something with a lot of red meat. As he walked back into the reception area, he asked for the closest restaurant where he could get a steak. Apparently just down the block and around the corner. With that, he tossed back a smile of thanks and headed out, donning a hat and sunglasses.
In the dead heat of summer, he knew, once he hit the bush, that black flies were everywhere. They were almost as big as the bloody grizzlies, he was sure. But he would take animal predators over people any day. The animals were predictable, their motivations simple. But when it came to people? Well, things were never quite so simple. He knew that he looked a bit scruffy, but he didn’t want to look too good. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself; so looking like he was just passing through was fine with him.
As he walked to the restaurant, he studied his surroundings, getting a feel for the atmosphere. A few people milled about—nobody suspicious or too interested in him—and a little bit of traffic, but not like in the big cities he was used to. The air here was fresh, had a cleanliness to it that he hadn’t really been expecting. Also a mugginess that was hard to ignore, no matter where you were in the world. When that heat hit the muggy air, it was forced down onto the town and ended up as this stickiness that soaked through your clothing with every step you took.
As soon as he walked inside the restaurant, the blast of cold air-conditioning hit him, and he froze in the spot for a long moment, just enjoying it.
The hostess walked over and smiled. “AC is one of the best inventions in the world.”
He nodded with a smile. “As is heat.”
She laughed out loud at that. “It all depends on which day and the time of the year,” she said, “and I’d change my comment to match.”
He nodded. “Table for one,” he said. “I need a big steak tonight.”
“I think we can do that,” she said, as he followed her to the back of the room.
She gave him a small table for two and asked, “Is this okay?”
“It’s perfect,” he said. “I don’t really want anybody to join me because I’m not feeling terribly social.”
“Not a problem,” she said. “I’ll bring you some coffee. Or do you want something stronger?”
“A beer sounds great,” he said instantly. “Also do you have any bread? French, sourdough, something along that line?”
“Sure,” she said, as she quickly disappeared, leaving him to settle into place.
His phone buzzed. He pulled it out, took a look, and noted that lovely empty black text box. He never really quite knew who was on the other end. When he didn’t check in on his designated arrival time, he was prompted to do so.
He typed one word. Arrived. Then he put his phone off to the side, as the waitress returned with a glass of cold beer topped by a beautiful foam. He picked it up and took a good slug. “Thank you,” he said in appreciation. “In this heat there’s nothing like it.”
She nodded as she also put down a wooden board, with a small loaf of bread on it and a tub of butter. “Now,” she said, “here’s your menu.”
He waved away the menu. “I want a medium-rare steak, a baked potato, and something green on the side—either a salad or some steamed vegetables.”
“Got you covered,” she said, and she turned and walked away quickly.
He dug into the bread and had half of it gone before she returned with a large platter.
He whistled appreciatively. “Now this is what I’m talking about.” In front of him was a huge steak, an equally large baked potato, and just a little bit of green beans. Normally he liked his greens just fine, but, right now, he was all about red meat. He cut into it with a smile because not only was it a good portion but it was cooked just the way he liked it.
In other words, this would be a hell of a meal. He dug in, and the only thing that interrupted him was ordering a second beer halfway through. By the time he was done with his meal, he pushed back his empty plate with a happy sigh.
The waitress returned to clear his table.
He smiled and murmured, “Thanks. That was a great meal.”
“I’m glad you liked it,” she said, with a bright smile, as she quickly collected the remaining dishes.
He got up and walked to the front.
She met him there and quickly gave him the bill. After settling up, including a sizable tip, he headed out. By now it was a little bit cooler but not a whole lot. He checked his surroundings. Empty. He pulled out his phone, still nothing from anybody, which suited him fine. He had a delivery coming to the hotel, another reason he needed to get going. Hopefully it was already there. He didn’t want even the courier to see him. The less people who did made his job easier. But in this small town? Killian feared the waitress and the hotel clerk were two people too many.
He strolled along the street, carefully checking if anybody was out, if anybody was paying any attention, but the place was dead. Like dead-dead. As in, nobody around—nobody. It was past normal work hours, and they’d all gone home, somewhere. Wherever that was, Killian didn’t know. The place was seriously quiet. And that worked for him. It was much easier to take care of business when he didn’t have a constant audience. He passed the reception desk and headed upstairs to his room. He entered it quietly, and, as expected, the parcel had arrived.
He smiled. He did like doing business, where you put in a request and had it delivered as soon as possible, without arguments or even conversation. Somehow the Mavericks always managed to get what he needed. It was a good system, even if it left things a little on the creepy side—especially if you were a team person, always looking for the other half of your team. Killian hadn’t expected to be alone on this op, but, even as he turned to open the bag, he heard a noise, and he froze, his hand going to his shoulder holster.