Authors: Kelly Abell
Jack placed the two plates on the table just as Caroline was finishing buttering the toast. “Here you are, my lady. Your very own Western omelet.”
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Thanks, Jack.” She smiled up at him.
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Listen, I want do something outside once we are through in here.”
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What?”
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I want to make sure you know how to handle a gun in case I’m out hunting and gathering and a really big bear comes to the cabin.”
Caroline fluttered her eyelashes and waved a hand in front of her face. “Oh my, Rhett, whatever shall I do?”
Jack laughed at her perfect imitation of Vivian Lee as Scarlet O’Hara.
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Well, Miss Scarlet, are you going to tell me that you already have some prowess with a gun?”
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A little.”
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That’s good to know. I would like us to do a little target practice so I can see for sure that you will be comfortable with any gun I have. There might come a time when you will have to use one and the more types of guns you are familiar with the easier it will be. Have you done much shooting in the past?”
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Warren showed me how to use the small pistol I used to keep in my nightstand, but that is about the extent of it.”
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It’s a wonder that he didn’t get his nuts shot off the night he attacked you.”
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Believe me Jack, if I could have gotten to the nightstand, Warren Walters would be a eunuch today. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for him, he was stronger than I was that night.”
Jack glanced over at Caroline, his look full of sympathy. “I almost wish you had been able to reach it. Sure would’ve solved a lot of problems.”
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I agree.” Caroline gathered the plates and carried them to the sink. “Let me wash these up and we’ll get started.”
Before he could answer, Jack’s phone rang.
Chapter 36
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This is Jack.” He held the phone to his ear.
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Hey Jack, it’s Hutch.”
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You must be a mind reader Buddy. I was just getting ready to call you.”
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Did you get your ID’s?”
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Yes I did and I want to thank you for that. They are exactly what we needed.” Jack rose and walked to the dining room and stared at the laptop. He debated with himself on whether to ask Hutch for help on the decoding. Hutch is the best in the business but if he is involved in this crazy scheme somehow, then Jack could be letting the proverbial cat out of the bag, and this was a very big cat to let loose. He needed to make sure he could control it.
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No problem on the ID’s. That was a walk in the park. Just let me know if there is anything else you need. How are you doing? Things still quiet where you are?”
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For the moment. You hearing anything on the street?” Jack was feeling his way before going any deeper.
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There’s been some rumbling about your whereabouts. They’re looking for you, Jack, no doubt about that. You any closer to solving that mystery you mentioned to me earlier?”
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Who’s looking the hardest, Hutch? What’s the word in Colombia?”
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Don’t know Jack. I can’t tell you who’s looking the hardest because nobody’s talking much. I don’t keep in touch with that side of the house any more. I mind my own business and run my own show. Ain’t no love lost between me and the government, you know that.”
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I know, Hutch.” Jack made a sudden decision to trust his old SEAL buddy. It might be a mistake but he really needed some expert help. If it were a mistake, he would find a way to protect Caroline. She would always be his first priority. “Listen, I need your help. You remember those files I was talking to you about last time? The ones that are encrypted?”
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Yeah, I remember.” Hutch sounded curious.
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I can’t crack them. Whoever programmed the encryption really knew what he was doing. I tried to run my own program, it fired an internal self-destruct mechanism, and the file was erased. I can’t afford for that to happen to any more files.”
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That sucks.” Hutch commented.
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Yeah, it does. Listen, you are the best de-coder in the world. You and I both know that. Could you take a look at the files and see if you can help me crack them?”
There was silence on the other end of the phone for several minutes. Jack thought he had been cut off and was about to say something when Hutch said, “I can look at them if you want me to. What kind of shit am I stepping into here, Jack?”
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I’m not going to lie to you Hutch. It’s deep shit. Really deep. I don’t need you to do anything with the information you uncover. Leave that to me. I just can’t break the damn code. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
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Why don’t you and Caroline come on down to my fishing cabin on Big Pine Key? I’ve got a small place here where you can crash for a few days and let me look at what you’ve got. It’ll be a little cramped but I should have that data cracked for you in a few days.”
Jack caught sight of Caroline standing in the doorway. She was staring at him intently. He turned his back on her and answered Hutch. “I’ll be down in a day or so. I’ve got a few things to wrap up here and it will take me some time to drive down. I’ll call you when I get close and you can direct me in.”
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Okay. Sounds good. Call me in a few days.”
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I will, thanks Hutch.”
Jack snapped his cell phone shut and turned to Caroline. She was frowning.
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What?” he said
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Are you sure that was wise?”
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No, but you and I can’t crack this code on our own. Hutch is the best in the business. He knows the military code and he can create encryption codes of his own. He will figure this one out.”
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How do you know he didn’t create this one?”
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I don’t, Caroline. All I do know is that I can’t do this alone any longer. If he is involved then it is better that I know it. It’s better to know your enemies. That way you can keep them close. If he is involved then he will no doubt be eager to get his hands on these discs. I am going to make copies and leave them here with you. I am going to teach you everything I know about self-defense in the next 24 hours and you are going to stay here. You will be safe here. No one knows about this place so no one will know where to look. You have enough provisions to last you a week. I’ll be back by then.”
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Oh no, you just hold on a minute there. You go, I go. That’s the deal. I can’t run the risk of you traipsing off to the Keys and getting yourself killed while I lay around this farm and wait for you. Not going to work that way. I’m coming. When do we leave?”
Jack watched Caroline as she stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, her green eyes blazing. She really was a beautiful woman when she got angry.
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Caroline, Hutch could be in this up to his ears. I could be walking into a trap and my number one priority is to keep you safe. That was our agreement. I agreed to protect you. I can’t protect you if my mind is distracted worrying about you being in danger. Please, just stay here. As I said before, no one knows where we are. I haven’t told anyone but Lucy and she won’t talk. Come with me.”
Jack stood and strode out of the dining room snatching Caroline’s wrist and dragging her behind him.
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Hey,” she protested.
He ignored her, continuing to pull her through the house, into the kitchen and out the back door. He let go of her wrist once he was out on the porch but he went straight to the shed where they had stashed the station wagon. He popped open the back and pulled out two guns, a handgun and a rifle. He laid them on the steps of the porch and paced off about 100 yards. He reached a stump upon which he sat an old aluminum soda can. He came back, picked up the guns and checked to see if they were loaded.
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Okay, Caroline. Let’s see what you’ve got. This is a 357 Magnum and has one hell of a kick. Ever shoot one of these?”
Caroline took the pistol and turned it over in her hands. It was heavy. “No, all I have is a little snub nosed 38. This is major gun power compared to that.”
He stood behind her and showed her the proper way to hold the gun. “Well, this one packs a wallop. I want you to practice with it while I’m gone. I have some lighter weapons in the car but I want you familiar with something that will stop a bull. I don’t know who or what you may have to use this on, so it’s best to be prepared.”
He balanced her hands in his and taught her how to brace one hand with the other. His close proximity to her was making him hard. He loved the feel of her soft slim body against his. Her hands were so soft and delicate, yet she had strength. He could feel it in her shoulders as he wrapped his arms around her. “Now, just aim and shoot at the can.”
His finger pressed back over hers as he helped her aim the gun and shoot. A loud crack issued forth and the barrel of the gun shot skyward as the bullet thudded into a near by tree.
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Wow,” said Caroline. “That thing kicks like a mule. I doubt I could hit the broad side of a barn with it. Don’t you have something a little less,” she paused, searching for the word. “Manly?”
Jack chuckled. “I do, but as I said before, I want you to be able to stop a charging bull in a moment’s notice. Here, you try it by yourself.”
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What?” she shouted. “My ears are still ringing from that last shot.”
Jack pressed the gun into her hand. “Wait here.” He walked back to the trunk of the car.
She practiced the stance he had just taught her and was aiming the pistol at the soda can when he clapped a pair of earmuffs onto her ears. “There,” he said. “Now shoot.”
She took aim holding the gun the way Jack had shown her. She squeezed the trigger and as the shot rang out the soda can leapt off the stump, spun in the air and clattered to the ground.
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I hit it!” Caroline exclaimed.
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You certainly did.” Jack smiled at the look on her face. She was like a kid just learning to ride a bike. “Now do it again.” He walked over to the can and sat it back upon the stump.
She aimed, fired, and again the can spun backward off the stump. He continued working with her until she could comfortably use a 357 Magnum, a Glock, and the M16 assault rifle.
Caroline rubbed her sore shoulder and gave Jack a smug look. “There, are you satisfied now?”
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Quite.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a long lingering kiss. “I just love a gun toting female. It really gets my blood pumping.”
Caroline staggered backward slightly when he released her from the kiss. “Well, I’ll remember that. Maybe I’ll bring one to bed with me tonight.”
Jack laughed. “Let’s eat, I’m hungry.” He started back toward the house.
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You’re always hungry.” Caroline trailed behind him, still carrying the Glock pistol in her hand. “Don’t think you’re off the hook about me going with you to the Keys. I haven’t finished having my say about that yet.”
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Caroline,” Jack said exasperated with the return to this subject. “I thought I explained all that earlier. It’s too dangerous. I need you to stay here. I will go down for a day or two, get Hutch’s help with the files and then be back.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Jack. “You’re not afraid to stay here alone are you?”
Caroline shot him an indignant look. “No. I think I’ve proven I can take care of myself. I just don’t want you going down there and walking into some kind of trap without backup.”
Jack watched as Caroline expertly unloaded the pistol and put the clip on the kitchen table. He didn’t doubt for a minute that she would fight like a tiger given half the chance. The thought scared him a little. He made a mental note to never piss her off. “I’ll be fine. I’ve walked into worse circumstances than this. I can handle it.”
He went over and put both hands on her shoulders. She was looking down at the unloaded pistol in her hand. He took a finger and raised her chin so that her emerald eyes were looking straight up into his brown ones. “I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you on my watch. Please stay here where I know you are safe.”
She dropped her forehead onto his chest and held it there a minute. “Okay,” she sighed. “You win.”
Chapter 37
Jack loaded the car and was walking back into the little farmhouse when Caroline came down the stairs looking tousled and sleepy. He grinned. They made love three times last night and finally fell asleep wrapped tightly in each other’s arms. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have Caroline. At times his conscience bothered him, in the fact that she was married, but she didn’t love her husband, nor would she return to him so he guessed that made it okay. One thing he was sure of was how well they fit together in bed. It was like they were made for each other and the pieces of their personal puzzles fell into place while they were together.