Beyond the Past (5 page)

Chapter 9

“As I’m sure you can guess, there are people looking for you, Mr. Tate,” Joe said. “The first thing I want you to be made aware of is that if you are to accept this job from me, you will, by all means, disappear. There will be no trace of you left for anyone to find.”

“And how exactly do you go about doing that?” Lucas asked, thinking of his military records. Granted, he’d been off the grid for six months now, but no one could totally disappear. Well, he’d never heard of it.

“That’s not for you to worry about at this point,” Joe added. “Your military records will disappear, if that’s what concerns you.”

He listened as Joe described the ‘job’ he had for him. Basically, Lucas would be tasked to babysit clients in need of protection.

“There are people all over the world who turn to me for their safety, Mr. Lucas, and they pay me very handsomely. In return, I pass some of that money on to you.”

Lucas chewed his steak and eyed the platter containing three more. Since four people sat at the table, would it be rude for him to take another one?

He also let Joe’s words sink in. With his military ability, the job would be a no-brainer for him.

“And what does that entail?” he asked.

“Most of the time, nothing at all. I provide you a security conscious place for you to do your job, and as Garrett can attest to, not much goes on beyond that.”

Lucas glanced over at Garrett, and he nodded. “Except for Brody. He had some action a little while back.”

“What happened?”

“Well, he was protecting Margarita Gomez—”

“
The
Margarita Gomez?” Lucas asked. Six months ago, he wouldn’t have had a clue about the woman, but being homeless had allowed for a lot of free time to peruse the magazine racks in the convenience stores. That woman seemed to be everywhere, and she was definitely easy on the eyes.

“Yeah, that one.” Garrett smiled.

“So, what happened?” Lucas asked.

Garrett explained how Brody had been protecting her from a rabid fan who actually turned out to be the son of one of the heads of the biggest drug cartels in Mexico.

Lucas let out a low whistle. “Wow. That’s some heavy shit.”

“I know,” Garrett said, taking another bite of steak.

“It’s not a frequent occurrence,” Joe added, dabbing his mouth with the white linen napkin.

“I haven’t had any issues,” Garrett said.

“Where would I be placed?” Brody was on a yacht in the Caribbean, but he didn’t know where Garrett had been stationed. He figured he’d talk to him about it more in depth later.

“That remains to be seen, Lucas,” Joe said. “I have a few options in mind, but as that old, trite saying goes, let’s not put the cart before the horse, shall we?”

Lucas nodded, and Garrett handed him the plate of steaks. He stabbed another one and dug in. “I’d like to know where that will be before I even think about accepting the offer.”

“And I’d like to know that I’m dealing with a man who wants to work for me, one who is strong both mentally and physically.”

Lucas sat back in his chair. Right now, his mental state lay just a few steps shy of a dropped box of puzzle pieces, and physically, he felt like Garrett could snap his limbs with a flick of the wrist. “I get it. I understand.”

“Good. If you decide to accept my proposal, you will have to prove yourself to me, Mr. Tate.”

Lucas studied the man, his sharp features gleaming with intelligence. Joe’s words translated into “you better quit drinking and get in shape.”

Part of him remained intrigued at Joe’s proposal and the idea of actually doing something again, to be in action. The other part of him wanted to disappear back into the underbelly of humanity and wallow in his own drunken self-pity. “I figured as much,” he mumbled.

“Good.” Joe backed up from the table. “Thomas and I will take our leave now, and return tomorrow at four p.m. Garrett, you’re in charge. I suggest the first thing you both do is cut some firewood. It’s supposed to be in the teens tonight, and I’d hate to see both of you freeze to death.”

Lucas and Garrett stood, following Joe and Thomas to the front door where Lucas slipped on a pair of boots. Joe rolled out the screen door to the edge of the deck where the stairs led to ground, and Thomas opened the door of the van, pulling out the ramp. Joe wheeled himself into the vehicle, set the brakes on the chair, and gave them a small wave. “Goodnight, gentlemen,” he said, then slammed the door.

A moment later, the van made its way through the snow on the other side of the pond and disappeared down the hill.

“Well, you heard the man,” Garrett said. “You better get chopping. The axe is around back.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t need to chop wood.” Garrett turned toward the door. “I didn’t let myself turn into a scarecrow. While you work some of the little muscle you have left, I’m going to read a book.”

The door slammed, Lucas left alone on the porch.

“After that, get in here and do these dishes!” Garrett called from inside.

Lucas walked around the back of the house, the snow knee-deep. It felt as if he were back in boot camp with the grunts being told what to do and when to do it. As he raised the axe and impaled the first log, he thought of Gabby. What would she think if she saw him in his current state? Would she think him weak, or, if he could explain his thought process and his ability to her, would she understand?

Honestly, it didn’t matter. She’d be safe as long as she didn’t know where he was, and his focus needed to be on splitting enough wood so that Garrett and he didn’t freeze. The second log cracked, and his muscles groaned after not being used in such a long period of time.

The dishes would wait until morning. 

Chapter 10

“Hi, Gabby. It’s Jerrod.”

Gabby smiled, his smooth voice sending a shiver through her as she curled up on the sofa in her flannel pajamas. She hadn’t realized how much she looked forward to the call. “Hi, Jerrod.”

“I assume you got home safe and sound?”

“Yes, we did.”

“It was really nice to meet you tonight, Gabby.”

“It was nice to meet you, as well.” A blush crawled up her neck as she glanced around her apartment.

“Are you ready to talk about that house?”

“Sure.” She picked up her pen and paper. “Do you have a specific part of town you’re looking at?”

“I’m interested in the west side,” Jerrod answered.

“Are you set on it, or if I find something that meets your criteria in another part of town, do you want to see it?”

“I’m kind of set on the west side, but sure, we can take a look.”

She jotted notes for the three-bedroom, two-bath house with a basement he desired.

“The bank also pre-approved me for up to three hundred and fifty thousand,” he said.

She smiled. The median home sale sat right around two-ninety nine, so this proved a little above average and would bring in a nice commission. They had a little wiggle room in the pricing, which was always nice, and also opened up more opportunities for him.

“Square footage?” she asked.

“It’s just me, so I’m not sure. The basement is the most important thing.”

“Kind of a place to set up shop?”

He chuckled. “Exactly. It’s nice to have a woman understand that.”

She did understand it. Lucas had always said he wanted a basement for the exact reason. What he would build or tinker with, she had no idea. He did love his guns, so maybe he’d wanted a place to clean and store them. He hadn’t been much of a craftsman—he didn’t do any woodworking or anything like that, but he always said that he would like a basement.

They discussed other features of the house Jerrod wanted, and Gabby found herself relaxing and enjoying the phone call.

“So, what do you do for a living, Jerrod?” she asked after she noted all the particulars of the house.

“I’m in engineering,” he said.

“Oh. Do you design and build buildings?”

“No. My field is specialized. I like to keep the explanation simple, so I always tell people I’m hired to fix stuff, stuff that you can’t get fixed by a plumber or a handyman, except on a much bigger and intricate scale.”

“Oh, I see,” she said, not really understanding at all. “When did you move to the area?”

“ I just arrived about a week ago, and it seems like a nice place to settle down.”

“Will you be working in the same office as Cherri?” she asked.

“I’ll be doing some private contract work for the company Cherri works for,” he answered. “I’ll see her now and then.”

“Are you ready for months of rain?” She’d been living in Portland just under a year, and still hadn’t grown accustomed to the constant rain, and she looked forward to the summer months so she could feel the sunshine on her skin again.

“I think so,” he answered with a chuckle. “Weather really doesn’t affect me very much. I’m good wherever I’m at.”

The answer reminded her of Lucas. It didn’t matter where the military sent him—whether at home or abroad—he adapted and accepted it. In the United States, he’d been stationed in North Carolina, and after returning from South America, the military had relocated them to Portland. Gabby wasn’t a big fan of the Northwest weather, but Lucas didn’t even seem to notice it.

He’d gone from the dust bowls of the Middle East to the hot, humid jungles of South America, and it had never fazed him, until this last deployment. Something happened during that last trip.

“Are you married?” She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. The question made her sound ridiculously desperate. “I...I mean that if you are married, I’d like to know what features of the house your wife would be interested in.”

“I was. We’re divorced.”

She was about to ask about kids, but decided not to go there. Despite her attraction to Jerrod, she felt guilty, as if she were betraying Lucas by wanting to know more about Jerrod’s life.

“What about you, Gabby? Are you married? Kids? I noticed you wore a ring, but you never mentioned your husband.”

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Technically, she was still married; however, she hadn’t laid eyes on her husband for six months. She should have hung up after Jerrod gave her the details on the house instead of diving into personal conversation. “No, none.”

Jerrod chuckled. “No what? Kids or husband?”

“No.” She tossed the pen on the table. “Neither.”

A brief moment of silence settled, and Gabby decided to end the conversation before it delved any further into her private life. “I’ll pull some houses from the MLS and get back to you tomorrow.”

“That sounds great. I’ll look forward to talking with you, then. It was really nice to meet you, Gabby.”

As they hung up, she considered her flip-flopping stomach. She’d been so morose for so long, she’d almost forgotten what being excited felt like. But did she get exhilarated because this perfect client had been dropped in her lap, or because of the man himself?

Ready for bed, she walked to the bedroom and decided she wasn’t going to consider the answer to her question.

Chapter 11

“Good morning, sunshine,” Garrett said, leaning against the stove. Lucas smelled coffee, and for the first time in many, many months, his stomach didn’t roll and his head didn’t ache in the throes of a hangover. Strange, yet invigorating, to feel somewhat human in the early morning hours.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he quipped, taking a cup of ambition from Garrett.

“Did you sleep well?”

There hadn’t been any visions, and there hadn’t been any dreams. He’d slept a full nine hours without interruption, something he hadn’t accomplished since the night before the accident in Guatemala.

“Yeah,” he said, the hot liquid burning his lip as he tried to drink it.

“Good. You’re going to need it today.”

“And why’s that?” he asked, his arms burning just from lifting a coffee cup.

“Because, you need to get your ass back into shape.”

He smiled. “You know I outrank you, Honey.”

Garrett threw back his head and laughed a deep, gut-wrenching guffaw. Lucas joined in despite himself.

“Not anymore,” Garrett said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Nothing’s the same since that night, Lucas. Nothing.”

Garrett had that right. All of their lives had been turned upside down after the explosion. Lucas had lost everything, or perhaps he should say, he ran away from it all. He reminded himself he’d done it to protect Gabby from him and his visions. She deserved someone better than him, someone normal.

“So, what’s on tap today?” he asked, not wanting to ruin his decent mood with thoughts of the past and things he couldn’t change.

“I’m going to cook up some breakfast while you chop some more wood,” Garrett answered. “After that, we’re going for a walk.”

“Where to?”

“Just around. Now hurry up on that wood. The fire’s almost out.”

Lucas drank the rest of his coffee in one long gulp and headed for the front door. He slipped on his boots and coat, but didn’t bother to zip it as he knew he’d be tossing it aside after a few minutes of swinging the axe.

The snow sparkled under the sunshine, and he inhaled deeply. The cool morning air stung his lungs, but felt refreshing. As he exhaled, his breath came out in a white puff. He walked down the steps and followed the path to the back of the cabin, the snow crunching under his boots.

He lifted a cord of wood to the tree stump and picked up the axe, his arms and back screaming. Softly cursing, he brought the axe down, the crack of the wood echoing around the canyon. Smiling, he had to admit that being physical again and actually doing something to contribute to his own well-being felt good.

Fifteen minutes later, he tossed his jacket aside and wiped sweat from his brow.

A half hour more, and Garrett came around the side of the cabin. “Slop’s on,” he said, leaning against the side of the house.

Lucas brought the axe down one more time, splitting the piece of wood down the middle. “Good. I’m starved. Can you grab some of these and help me take them inside?”

Garrett shook his head. “Nope. You need to do the heavy lifting, not me, man. You let yourself go to shit, and now you got to get it back. I’ll be inside.”

He headed back around the front of the cabin.

“Bastard,” Lucas whispered under his breath as he gathered up the wood.