Chapter 24

Lincoln Steele carried a tray into Elena’s bedroom with a turkey sandwich and glass of milk balanced on it. And a vase with a single purple flower leaning out the top. Elena smiled and flipped the cover off, sitting up in bed and swinging her legs over the side. She grimaced. Her fist tightened on the cover. Steele rushed to the end table and laid the tray down. He placed a hand on Elena’s shoulder and, with his other hand behind her knees, lifted her legs back onto the bed.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Steele said.

“Stop fussing over me. I can eat in the kitchen. I’m fine.”

“I see how fine you are. Who are you trying to kid, you or me?”

“I’m okay. Really.”

Steele smiled at her. “Well, I already have your lunch here. Don’t make me carry it back to the kitchen. I almost spilled the milk carrying it here.”

Elena’s laugh was cut short by a groan. “You can walk on a tightrope in a hurricane and not spill a drop. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I know you too well.”

“Then you know when I make up my mind that’s the way it’s going to be. Now get back in bed.”

Elena’s eyes twinkled. “Only if I get a kiss first.”

Steele leaned down and gave her cheek a peck. Then he helped her scoot backward to sit against the headboard. He paused a few times when she groaned. Convinced she was comfortable, he transferred the glass of milk from the tray to the end table and then placed the tray on her lap.

Elena tapped the purple flower. “I see you found the weeds in my yard.”

“Wildflowers are pretty.”

Elena glanced at the glass of milk on the end table and then at Steele. “Don’t you trust me not to spill it?”

Steele smiled. “Don’t forget, I know you, too.”

“You’re calling me a klutz!”

“I wasn’t the one who slipped coming out of the bathtub.”

Elena blushed. “You remember that?”

“How can I forget. You fell on me, and on the way down scratched my back so bad I couldn’t wear a shirt.”

“That was years ago.”

“I remember everything about you.”

“Hmph. I would take that as a compliment if you didn’t remember everything.”

“Well, I remember all the good times.”

“And the bad ones?”

“I remember the good times. And since you’re such a klutz, it gives me a reason to stay here while you eat.”

“You don’t need a reason. You’re always welcome in my bedroom.” Elena blushed and lowered her eyes. “I mean...”

Steele patted her thigh before squeezing it. “I know what you mean. Eat up. I want to talk to you.”

“Maybe I’m not hungry.”

“Eat!”

Elena brought the sandwich to her lips. She hesitated, staring at Steele, her eyes defiant. She always had a stubborn streak. And then she opened her mouth wide and jammed a large amount of the sandwich inside. She bit it off with a twist of her head. Her cheeks puffed out as her lips pressed together. Her eyes darted right and left.

Steele chuckled. “Bit off more than you can chew, eh?”

Elena’s eyes narrowed on Steele as she chewed and chewed behind closed lips. Her chin moved up and down. Steele handed her the glass of milk. With her mouth full, she sipped the milk, chewed some more, took another sip, and finally swallowed.

Handing the glass back to Steele, Elena said, “With help from you, I can handle anything.”

Steele put the glass back on the end table. “Are you friends with Sarita Lopez?”

“The mayor’s wife?”

“She’s the mayor’s wife?”

“Yes. I don’t really know her. I mean in this town everyone knows everyone, but we’re not friends.”

“Was her daughter Maria friends with Pete?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t think Pete had any girl friends. Why?”

“No reason.”

Elena put her sandwich on the plate and crossed her arms. “You always have a reason.”

Steele clasped his hands and rested his chin on his knuckles. “I spoke to Mrs. Lopez and there was something not right.”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Just a feeling I got.”

“What kind of feeling?”

“I don’t think she was telling me the truth.”

“Lying?”

“More like hiding something.”

“She lost a daughter. I know what that’s like. She’s probably not thinking straight.”

“Maybe.”

“But you think there’s more.”

Steele shook his head. “Don’t know yet. I just have this feeling.”

He pointed at the sandwich. “You’re not eating. Take another bite.”

Steele saw that stubbornness in Elena’s eyes again. It reminded him of the last time he had seen her all those years ago. Sometimes he wished he didn’t remember everything. Although, this was something he wouldn’t have forgotten anyway. One never forgets a broken heart.

At the time, he had been stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. A nice change from the hot, humid Georgia weather at Fort Benning. Steele had liked being on base where he could keep in shape and hone his skills. Skills that would save his life. But he had also liked mingling with civilians. People who had no idea what he did to make their lives safe. That contact put everything in perspective for him. Helped him understand what he was fighting for. Why it was all right to do the things he did. When he left the base, he would usually go to Tacoma. It was less than ten miles from the fort. When he desired a larger city, Seattle wasn’t far.

One day, Steele and his best friend, Wilks, had sat down in a Tacoma restaurant for dinner. Nothing special. Just burgers and sandwiches. They had been sitting for only a few minutes when the waitress walked up to their table with a pad and pencil in hand. As soon as Steele saw Elena Bargas he knew he wanted to go out with her. She was a freshman at the University of Washington’s Tacoma campus, waitressing to pay the bills. Her waist-length dark hair swayed from side to side behind her as her hips rocked like a model’s. But it was her big brown eyes that captivated Steele. And her Mediterranean complexion.

Women in Tacoma were wary of soldiers from the fort who, even out of uniform, were easy to spot. They all had that short military haircut and carried themselves the same way. Almost all. The clandestine ones like Steele and Wilks needed to blend in on some missions and were trained not to look military. Even so, Elena ignored his advances.

But Steele was as relentless with her as he was tracking down a terrorist. He had returned alone to the same table in the same Tacoma restaurant for four straight nights. On the fourth night, Elena smiled as she walked up to the table.

“Is the food here that good?” Elena said.

“To be honest, I don’t know.”

“How can you not know? You keep coming back.”

“Do you think it’s for the food?”

Elena fanned her hands out in front of her. “What else is here?”

“You.”

Steele saw the look in her eyes. He read eyes like other people read manuals. There was a look of surprise, with some uncertainty, but mostly gaiety.

They chatted each time she returned to fill his water glass or ask if he wanted anything else. Each time she lingered a little longer. When Steele received the check, Elena’s telephone number was written on it.

Elena was everything Steele had hoped. Smart. Funny. Caring. They were great together. She hesitated slightly when he had told her he was a soldier, but she got over that quickly. It wasn’t until Steele had to leave on his first mission that he had to explain his situation.

“How long will you be gone?” Elena said.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t soldiers deployed like for a certain amount of time?”