Fiancé by Friday (The Weekday Brides #3)(64)
Author: Catherine Bybee

“Remind me never to camp with you.”

“Bite me.”

“Errr, cowboy…didn’t think you cared,” Rick teased.

Neil couldn’t help but laugh. Before his laugh faded a large crash sounded north of their perimeter.

“What the f**k?”

Neil’s skin prickled. “Stay down.”

Everything calmed. “It’s a diversion.”

Exactly what Neil thought. “Where’s your car?”

“Ah, f**k!”

Yeah, that’s what Neil thought, too.

On the bright side, it was game on.

The photo albums could have been any home in America. Backyard picnics and holiday affairs and several pictures of Ruth, Charles, and their daughter Annie vacationing in national parks. Some of the early pictures indicated that Charles used to smile. At some point, the pictures became snapshots of their life void of any emotion.

What Gwen didn’t find was any pictures of Annie and the man Ruth described as her husband. Even though Charles didn’t approve of the union, there had to be some kind of relationship. Even a strained relationship would have found its way around a Christmas dinner table.

Finally, Gwen gave up on the photo albums sitting out for her to search through and she decided to see if there were any other pictures tucked into the shelves of Ruth’s books. She started with the photo she knew was there. The couple looked happy enough. The man kept a possessive arm around Annie and she smiled for the camera. Recognition tickled the back of Gwen’s mind, which made her itch in a strange way.

She removed books from the shelves, looked behind them, and then replaced them. She did this one shelf at a time until she came upon another photograph. Annie was younger, but she sat in a pub with a man in uniform. Not the same man, Gwen noted. She replaced the photographs and kept looking.

She was about to give up her search when she noticed several books pushed out away from the rest on the shelf. Sure enough, behind them was another picture. This one wasn’t in a frame, or cared for with any honor. Gwen unfolded the picture and instantly recognized it.

The same picture sat in Neil’s wallet only this one was a larger copy. It was easier to see the faces of the men who were deployed on that ill-fated mission.

She scanned the faces knowing something significant was in there. Otherwise why would it be hidden among the books and not framed and on a mantel?

Neil attempted a smile and just seeing a picture of him warmed her a little. Her eyes traveled back to one particular face several times before she realized what it was she saw.

She found the hidden picture Ruth had told her about a few days before and removed it. Sure enough, the man in that picture was one of Neil’s men. Did Neil know that Annie dated one of his men?

Gwen took the pictures to the desk in the room, and eyed the door. She considered closing it, but thought that might look suspicious. Instead, she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the house. The central air-conditioning unit kicked on with a hum. In the kitchen was the faint sound of the refrigerator. Beyond that was the sound of a television. Probably something Charles was watching.

She opened her eyes again and peered at the photographs.

Ruth had said Annie had given up on the man because he’d changed after returning from overseas. It’s possible the mission Ruth spoke of was the one that affected Neil so profoundly.

If Gwen remembered correctly Charles was extremely unhappy with the breakup…wanted his daughter to give up her husband Andrew and find a military man.

Gwen’s head started to ache. “How upset were you?” she whispered to herself. She hated damning the man who’d only been kind to her. Creepy, but kind.

On the desk next to her was a phone. So close it practically called out her name. A call to Eliza, just to say she was alive…and maybe she could find out a thing or two about Major Blayney. And wasn’t she safe here if indeed Charles was her protector? And if he wasn’t…then she wasn’t safe at all.

Gwen tapped her finger on the desk, inched her hand toward the receiver, and then pulled it back. She jumped up from the desk and returned the pictures. Her feet nearly made it to the door of the room when she abruptly turned and grasped the phone.

There wasn’t a dial tone.

She clicked the on button several times.

Nothing.

Her palms started to sweat.

“I have a meeting in thirty minutes but I think you need to hear this now.”

Blake held his breath as Carter spoke. “Well don’t keep me waiting, counselor.”

“The picture of Neil’s troop came up with a few unusual hits. Not one of the men in the picture is still in the service. Look at the thing, Blake…all those guys were young. Most men go in for life.”

“I know Neil said he lost some of his men in battle.”

“Right. Three died in a classified ‘training accident.’ Could be anything.”

Blake expected that. While Carter talked to him, he brought up the photograph on his cell phone and scanned the images with his eyes. “OK. What else?”

“One of the men in the picture recently committed suicide.”

“Suicide?”

“Yeah. Apparently his wife left him and he jumped off a cliff.”

“A cliff jumper? Why would a man with military experience pick anything other than a gun to kill himself?”

Carter sighed. “My thoughts, too. The last thing to know is that every man received discharge papers within the same month.”

“Dishonorable?”

“No. Just let go.”

“Does that happen?”

“Not often. If at all.”

“Who gave the order for discharge? Maybe the brass knows something.”

“Max is looking into it.”

Blake picked up the picture of the driver. He looked at the picture on his phone again. “Oh, shit.”

“What?”

“This guy…the one who stole the car…he’s in the picture with Neil.”

“What? You sure?” Carter asked.

“Yeah…second guy on the right. Big ears. How did I not see this before now? I need a name. This is our guy. And Neil won’t realize his old friend is behind this.”

“Get Dean on the horn. See if he can track the guy. We have to get to Neil.”

“Colorado is a big state. They could be anywhere by now.”

“You said yourself Neil won’t run forever. He’d find a safe place and fight.”

“I’m going to Colorado Springs. There are nearly a dozen bases there. One of them is going to know something about Neil.”