Hearths of Fire (10 page)

“Ah, Starr, you know I won’t promise you that,” Schultz stated, disconnecting their call with a laugh.

Catori sat there a while longer, watching Kane’s truck make a U-turn and fade away as he traveled down the road. He had the right idea in mind—they both had a lot of things that needed to be accomplished, and sitting here in the middle of a construction zone wasn’t going to get the job done. As she’d come to realize, the world kept spinning while one’s personal life was experiencing upheaval. The secret was to move with the general population while simultaneously dealing with the grief that reality had dealt. Vengeance didn’t bring one peace, but it sure as hell made a Marine feel as if he’d satisfied the mission requirements.

‡

C
atori took her
cup of tea out onto her deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This beachfront house had been her and Red’s home for when they had been between missions. She couldn’t bring herself to sell it and eventually let the lease run out for the apartment they’d rented in the city for some of their quick overnights. The last month had given her pause to consider leasing another one, but she quickly rejected the idea. Instead she made sure the construction crew rebuilding the interior of Red Starr HRT’s new headquarters had included some additional living space attached to her office where she could overnight if called upon. This was where she felt Red and this was where she would stay, regardless of the drive.

The large round patio sat high off the ground, with ten steps that led down to the cliff face that overlooked the sand and waves below. The reason she and Red had purchased this property was the feeling of isolation and the natural beauty that surrounded them. The white wooden spirals were set twelve inches apart and easily offered a view of the terrain. There was a small path that led down to the beach, but Catori didn’t feel like taking a walk tonight. Instead she opted to sit in one of the chairs that rarely got used nowadays. The temperature had been in the high seventies, but at this time of night there was a cool Santa Ana breeze coming in off of the ocean. She’d known it would be this way and had grabbed her favorite sweater as always.

Catori had just settled herself into one of the Tuscan colored cushioned chaise lounges and taken a sip of her tea when the phone rang. She didn’t hurry as she placed her tea on the side table, knowing exactly who it was on the other line and not feeling any urgency to hear the triumph in his voice. Sure enough, Gavin Crest’s name appeared on the display.

“Take your gloating somewhere else,” Catori replied into her cell. Crest’s rich laughter floated out of the speaker and into the air. “Unless you’re calling for another reason, I don’t want to hear it.”

“I don’t gloat.”

“Bullshit.”

“Are you trying to stir up the hornet’s nest?”

“Schultzy called you?” Catori sat up a little straighter, trying to connect the dots but coming up blank. “Are you fucking serious?”

“No, he didn’t. You called Schultzy?” Crest’s exasperation was evident. “Shit, Starr, nothing is worse than owing that man a favor.”

“Kane Taylor deserves to know the truth,” Catori stated, not apologizing for the steps she’d taken. “His sister was killed on that mission and her superiors aren’t being truthful with him. It’s in the best interests of my team to have his head clear and unburdened. If Schultzy didn’t call you then how did you find out that I was nudging for the facts?”

“I received a call from a full bird colonel who ran that operation, thinking I had something to do with the interest of certain classified information.” Crest paused, as if evaluating how much he should share with her. She didn’t appreciate his evasiveness in the least. “It was an obvious assumption on his part, considering he was the one I obtained information from regarding Kane Taylor.”

“So Kane worked under this colonel when he was in the service?”

“Nice try, but that’s not going to work.” Crest wasn’t irresponsible and Catori had never bore witness to him falling for something as simple as a leading question. It hadn’t stopped her from trying. “Starr, I’ve got a bad feeling about that botched mission. I don’t want it coming back and ruining your fresh start if something gets made public that never should have seen the light of day.”

“If this was one of your team members, you wouldn’t hesitate to do some digging yourself,” Catori pointed out, knowing they were alike in that way. Loyalty, honesty, support, and trust were vital among a unit. Her crew would know that going in and, God help them, going out. “Kane needs answers and I have the contacts and wherewithal to give him closure.”

“Schultzy? Damn, woman, you didn’t go for the handgun—you went directly for the Howitzer.”

“Have you ever known me to be subtle? Why settle for a flyswatter when a surface to air missile will do?” Catori settled back into her chair and picked up tea. It had gotten lukewarm but it still tasted good. “Besides, someone’s got to keep that man out of trouble.”

“He’ll be happy as a fucking lark alright whenever he needs your services as payback.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Catori felt the years drain away and it was as if she was back in time, waiting for Red to join her out here on the patio. Crest had been a frequent visitor and this camaraderie between them felt familiar and comforting. “Schultzy likes to keep in contact with us lowly civilians. He gets bored up in the White House. I’m only helping out.”

“It’s a good way to get your ass burnt with one of his fly-by-night black bag specials.”

“Speaking of which, have you gotten any ass lately? Last time you mentioned anyone was when you and Schultzy had that State Department dinner in D.C.”

“I still see her from time to time, but only when I’m in D.C. on business. Getting CSA off the ground is keeping me busy.” Crest’s bachelor status was well known among their circles and Starr looked forward to when some woman had the wherewithal to tame him. “Besides, who wants an old scourge like me? Speaking of personal lives, if things get too heated when Taylor finds out what really happened over in Nigeria, don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

“Did this colonel tell you something that you’d like to share?” Catori asked, her mind spinning of what could have happened that forced a high-ranking official to cover it up.

“No,” Crest replied, “he was vague. It was apparent he wasn’t willing to shed light on the situation without considerable pressure. Which leads me to offering you the advice I originally called about—it would be in Red Starr HRT’s best interest to let it go. Even an old dim-witted jarhead like me knows when to pull back.”

Tea sputtered out of her mouth as another infrequent laugh took hold. She pulled the phone away from her ear and used the back of her hand to wipe the drips running down her chin. She used her other hand to put the cup back on the side table. Once she could inhale without feeling like she was drowning, she eventually put the cell back to her ear.

“Crest, you’ve never known when to pull back a day in your whole fucking life.” Catori shook her head at the absurdity of his statement. “Shit, it’s your ass that Red always had to pull out of the fire.”

“Yes, he did.” Crest’s voice had softened and it dawned on Catori that this was the first time she’d brought up her husband in talking about the past in such a casual manner. It made her chest hurt and she was appreciative when Crest ended the call. “If you need me, all you have to do is call. God knows that I still owe you a favor or two. Good night, Starr.”

Catori lowered the phone from her ear and slowly placed it next to her now half empty cup of tea. Earlier this evening she’d been satisfied with her initial progress in reviving a company that made this world a better place. She could separate that part of her life. What she didn’t like was this transition that seemed to be happening to her personally. She wasn’t ready to let go of Red. She wasn’t ready to refer to him in the past tense.

Catori closed her eyes and listened as the waves crashed against the sand in the distance. It amazed her that two oceans could sound so different, although she admitted that maybe it had something to do with the memories. This was where she and Red had built their home. This was the stability that they’d needed and in which had been taken away with one FUBAR mission that should have been a cakewalk.

She wasn’t averse to the fact that Kane Taylor was facing something similar today that she’d had to deal with two years ago. Catori still felt that she’d missed something in regards to Red and the team’s elimination. No matter whom she contacted, no matter how many times she’d questioned the liaison that assisted Red Starr HRT, and no matter how many satellite images she’d spent hours combing over…she never did receive a concise answer as to what had truly transpired to cause the mission to go south. If Kane Taylor didn’t need to suffer the same fate, then she would assist him in any way that she could.

What seemed like hours later Catori couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. She’d resorted to her old habit of sitting out here and trying to obtain some of the peace that the ocean seemed to bring every once in a while. She wasn’t sure of the time. She only knew that she was tired enough to get a few hours of sleep without having a nightmare that relived the day she’d found out about Red. She welcomed the sleep and managed to move her numb ass off of the lounge and into the house.

The morning would be here soon enough and she was certain that Kane Taylor would be at the warehouse facility at zero six hundred. Most of the construction was done with the new office spaces, armory, security fences, pier upgrades, an extremely large maintenance bay, attached hangar, training areas, team bunkhouse, communications electronics suite, briefing room, and a state of the art operations control facility. If she worked enough hours tomorrow then maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t have to sit out here staring into the darkness until exhaustion overtook her.

*

“Cat,” Red’s deep
voice called out, the raspy coarseness of it sending shivers over her skin. Was he really here with her? Catori’s eyes fluttered open and sure enough, he was situated above her with his sexy crooked smile and blue eyes. His blond hair was tousled and the fiery highlights could be seen even in the golden hued lighting coming from her bedside table. Something told her this wasn’t real, yet she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out with her hand and gently placing her palm directly on his whiskered cheek. Would he disappear? “Cat, I’m still here.”

A sob rose up inside of Catori’s chest because she knew that he wasn’t. Red was gone but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take these special moments when he chose to appear to her. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers, so softly and so tenderly that she could hardly feel it. There was a reason for that, but she pushed that thought out of her mind. She would be greedy just this once.

Using her tongue, she traced his lips…knowing them from memory. The fullness of his mouth was engrained on every part of her skin. He used to explore to his heart’s content, always making her beg for more. Catori moved her head to the side, wanting to feel the heat from his mouth on her neck. It was there, she just knew it. Discarding all thought, she abandoned herself to his memory, his touch, his being.

Red caressed the side of her breast and his calloused fingers brought with them a trail of fire. Yes, she could sense everything he was doing. Catori opened her eyes to see him dip his head and felt her nipple enveloped in the moist heat of his mouth. Nothing had ever felt so pleasurable and she arched her back, trying to receive more. He loved nibbling on her, yet he wasn’t doing that. She strained for that slight erotic pain that he liked to give.

“More, Red. I need more.”

“I’ll give you whatever you want, Cat.” Red smiled lovingly and he once again dipped his head, her abdomen recognizing the blazing trail of his tongue as he went lower. It felt like he was becoming more real with each stroke, caress, and kiss. This couldn’t end. She felt alive and loved. She wanted to stay in this realm of existence forever. “That’s right. Feel me.”