Deadly Expectations (19 page)

“It’s your complete inability to control the volume of your voice.”

Willy laughed.
 
“That’s what my fifth wife always used to say.”

It wasn’t much longer until Ray elbowed me.
 
I’d been leaning on the wall next to him with my eyes closed, trying to pick up the smudges again.

“Wake up Kiddo, Paul wants you,” he said.

I looked over and he was waiting at the door to the back room so I followed him downstairs.
 
Willy already had Paul’s choices out.
 
Paul shot first neatly hitting everything.
 
He seemed satisfied so he reloaded and Willy ran out fresh targets.
 
As I expected I couldn’t hit a damn thing.

“
Wimmins
got no business with a gun Richards,” Willy said.
 
“I told you that already.”

Paul shook his head.
 
“She’s one of my best with a rifle Willy.
 
But she can’t hit shit with a handgun.”
 
I remembered the hopeless small arms lesson Denis had given me two weeks earlier before I showed him up with the rifles.
 
He’d scribbled Lt-Cdr Creedy on my exemplary targets and taped them up in the underground range.

Willy ignored him.
 
“They
wants
a weapon as sharp as their tongues …”

I was facing Willy, listening to him talk and he lobbed a big double edged hunting knife toward my right side.
 
The throw was sloppy and it tumbled in the air.
 
Paul grabbed for me to pull me out of the way as I reached across my body with my left hand avoiding his fingers and cleanly picking the handle out of the air.
 
With a quick flip of my wrist I had it up on the back of my hand perfectly balancing it on the big knuckle.

“Jesus Willy, you have to stop doing that,” Paul said.

I looked over at Paul, then back at the knife.
 
I gave it a gentle spin with my other hand and watched it move around in a perfect circle before it came to a stop.
 
Willy was laughing.

“
Tole
you Richards.
 
She’s a knife fighter.”

“Where did you learn that?” Paul asked me.

“No idea,” I told him and sent the knife in another circle.
 
Then I dropped my hand as I flipped it over and caught the handle.
 
I put it down on the table with the guns.

“Can I keep it?” I whispered to Paul.

“Sure, but you have to do something for me first.”
 
He was reloading the guns.
 
“I want you to try left handed.”

I looked at him for a moment then I picked one up with my left.
 
“This feels really weird.
 
Can you check my grip?
 
It doesn’t feel right.”

Paul made some adjustments.
 
It didn’t feel any better.
 
He watched over my shoulder as I aimed and ran every round through the centre of the target.

“That’s my girl,” he pulled the ear protection back a bit so I could hear.
 
“Now the others.”

I did just as well with them all.

“Problem solved Lefty.” Paul laughed.

Chapter 19

After lunch we split up for a while.
 
Ray took Denis to pick up some of the things on his list and Paul and I went to the mall so I could get clothes.
 
I found a maternity shop with a tall section so I figured I could get everything I needed to get me through.

“Are you okay here for a bit?” Paul asked.
 
“I’m going to go get you a phone.”

“There’s nothing wrong with mine,” I said.

“Other than it’s in your name with a
Vancouver Island
number.
 
I can get you one that will be harder to trace back to where you are.”

It made sense.

“Okay,” I told him.
 
“I guess I can’t get into any trouble surrounded by fat mannequins.”

I didn’t like to shop but I had learned how from Alina.
 
Once I found my size I had several bags full and was waiting out front on a bench for Paul within twenty minutes.
 
I had the clothes I wore in packed up as well and was wearing some of the things I had just bought.
 
I was much more comfortable.
 
I had on a long sleeved top and a sleeveless jacket zipped up to my chin to hide the bruises that were starting to turn brown.
 
Paul came and sat on the other end of the bench with me facing the other way.

“Did you get lost?” I asked him.

He jumped.

“Geez, I didn’t recognize you,” he said.
 
Then he looked at the bags.
 
“I was going to pay for that.
 
It’s sort of my fault you need it.”

I stood and picked up the bags.

“Wow.”
 
Paul said.
 
“Maybe it’s because you’re not crammed into your old clothes but you suddenly look a lot bigger.”

I scowled in reply.
 
He came around and put his arms around me.

“You look great,” he whispered.

“Perfect answer,” I said.
 
“And you’re right.
 
I was way too uncomfortable in my regular clothes.
 
I still need some shoes.
 
I’m not stomping around the house in boots for the next five months.”

“Is that all we have left to go?” His eyes seemed to be glazing over.

“Yes,” I took his elbow and started to pull.
 
“Shoes.”

Shoes didn’t take long either and we put it all in the back of the truck.
 
Paul handed me a phone.

“It has a
Baltimore
number,” he said.
 
“I put me, Ray, and Denis in there and the house phone.
 
You should memorize them all then delete them.”

“Thanks,” I said and put it in my pocket.

“I figured shopping would take you all afternoon … we’re meeting up at the hotel for dinner in a few hours.
 
What do you want to do now?”

“I never get to be a passenger.
 
It’s nice to look around,” I told him.
 
Paul drove toward the sun for a while.
 
It warmed up quickly in the truck so I took off my jacket.

“I called my CO last night to let him know what was going on,” he said.
 
“I have to let him know when we’re expecting trouble.
 
We hadn’t seen any action from Damian in a while.
 
I told him that he’s targeting you and may have men moving on the compound.”

“Paul …” I said.
 
“I could be imagining it.”

“I know.
 
I told him my information was incomplete and unverified and he agreed that we shouldn’t take any chances.
 
I told him that you’re pregnant with my child and a few of us took you from the compound until we’re sure that the danger is past.

“Anyway when he called back this morning he said he’s concerned that Ray’s combat experience may not be up to a maternity case.
 
He wants you to check in with an obstetrician.”

“Ray’s doing fine,” I was starting to panic a bit.
 
“And how am I going to explain any more accelerations of my pregnancy to another doctor?”

“Please Anna, try and understand the other side of this.
 
You’re living on what is for all intents and purposes a government funded military base.
 
There are liability concerns … if you’re under our protection we need to make sure that you’re safe and that we don’t fail to keep the baby healthy.
 
That’s why Ray had to go with me this morning … to call in.
 
We figured you’d feel that way.
 
He told the Colonel that everything is going smoothly and other than a couple of routine tests he can’t provide at the compound he can manage your care just fine as long as there are no complications.”

“Three cheers for Ray,” I said glumly.
 
“So what does he have lined up for me?”

“Just an ultrasound tomorrow.”

“You’re going to be there with me?” I hadn’t known any doctors other than Ray and Alina and I didn’t trust anyone else.

“Of course,” Paul said.
 
He took my hand and kissed it.

“I suspect he had more to say about me sneaking across the border.”

“Yeah, your file says to turn you away at the border for spending too much time here again this year, but he doesn’t work at the border crossing so he’ll overlook that for now.
 
Once the trouble blows over you’ll have to go back for a while or decide if you want to stay permanently.”

Stress rose Paul’s voice.
 
His grip on the wheel tightened; his knuckles standing out white against his skin.
 
Then I noticed that a gas station we passed looked familiar and it dawned on me that we’d passed it already.
 
Paul had been circling but then he took us in a new direction, into a little strip mall and stopped in front of one of those quickie wedding places I’d only ever heard about.

“He said that he would only have to call in a small favour to let you stay here permanently if we were married.”
 
He just sat there.
 
I slid over to him and put the truck in park and turned off the key.
 
Then I took one of his stiff hands off the steering wheel and held it in both of mine.

“Paul,” I said softly.
 
“Are you scared I’ll say yes or scared
I’ll
say no?”

He didn’t answer.

“Paul?” I tried again.

He sighed.
 
“Both I guess.
 
I’m sorry.
 
Do you need some time to think about it?”

“No,” I answered.
 
“I don’t need to think about it at all.”

“Okay,” he paused.
 
“Will you marry me?”

I put my hand behind his neck and kissed him.

“Not because we have to,” I told him.
 
“There’s nothing they can do to keep me from coming and going.
 
The easiest promise I could ever keep is to love you forever, Paul,” I paused.
 
“Yes … I will marry you.”

He put his arms around me.
 
“I can love you forever too Anna.
 
I want you to be my wife.”

After a minute he put his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes then let me go.

“So I guess we need a license?” I asked.
 
“Where do we go for that in
Reno
?”

“You mean you want to do it today?”

“I thought that was why you brought me here … sign says they’re open late.
 
I can be Mrs. Richards before dinner.”

Paul laughed.
 
“Okay.”

It took less than an hour to get our license and we stopped at the first jewellery store we came to for wedding bands.
 
Paul wanted to get me an engagement ring.
 
I would have been fine without one but it was important to him so I agreed as long as it was sturdy.
 
He picked one with a big square stone in it and heavy claws.
 
He proposed again right there in the store and put it on me.
 
We didn’t hurry back to the mall.
 
We had everything we needed.