Almost Forever (25 page)

The concussive force of the grenade, along with the container of gunpowder, created a wave that propelled the men several feet forward. Three landed facedown on the concrete street. Another was unlucky enough to bounce off a vehicle parked on the street before tumbling to the roadway. A shower of broken glass, pieces of wood, and bricks rained down on them. Their protective gear saved them from serious injury, but they were all slow to push their way out from the debris and stagger to their feet.

Luke's ears were ringing, and all the air had been knocked out of his lungs when he hit the pavement. He quickly assessed his condition and, other than some cuts and bruises, found nothing was broken. He stood, then leaned down to help Willie to his feet. Team Charlie met them in front and, gradually, the teams managed to reassemble a safe distance across the street.

“Everyone okay?” The squad leader had to shout so they could hear over the sound of the fire and the temporary damage to their eardrums.

The team members nodded.

“DC? You good?” Willie asked.

Luke nodded. “I'm alive.” So far in his career, he'd never been involved in anything like this. He was both terrified and excited at the same time. His blood was still pumping much faster than normal as he looked up at the flames licking out of a hole that had been blown in the roof, then flinched when a secondary explosion shook the building. One by one, the half dozen pipe bombs that had been laid out on the workbench exploded as the fire reached them. God only knew what kind of explosives were in the boxes along the wall. He pulled off his helmet and raked his fingers through his damp hair.

Sirens echoed off the buildings as fire trucks roared to the scene and pulled to a stop in front of the building.

“River Walk Team Command. What's your status?” The call came from an off-site officer over the ear pieces.

The squad leader answered. “We breached the building. Five tangos rappelled down three stories to the creek and escaped. The sixth was deactivated. No major injuries of our team or any civilians. There were bomb ingredients and written plans, but I'm afraid they've been destroyed by an explosion.”

There was a moment of silence on the radio. “River Walk Squad, hold your position and secure the building. We'll send an investigation team to assist in the collection of whatever evidence survives.”

“Roger,” the squad leader answered, then turned to the teams. “Spread out and enclose the area with crime-scene tape. Drink some water and keep the public away from the building. Watch for any of the tangos that escaped. They might come back to surveil the area.” He then left to warn the firefighters about possible explosives stored in the boxes they hadn't had time to check.

Luke and Willie walked to the building next door and took up positions about fifteen feet apart on the sidewalk. The crowd of people continued to multiply, drawn by the explosions, the flames, and the sirens. An ambulance had to blast its horn to weave its way through the clogged street. It stopped behind one of the fire trucks. Two paramedics jumped out and headed toward the closest member of the team to check him out. Gradually, they made their way around to each one, checking for concussions, shrapnel, and smoke inhalation.

Luke kept an eye on the crowd while also watching the firemen extend a ladder pipe up to the roof and start spraying water onto the flames that were leaping through a large hole. He knew no one, including the firefighters, would be entering the building until the flames were out and the bomb squad had cleared it.

“Luke?” A woman's voice penetrated the din of the crime scene. “Is that you?”

Luke turned. Even though he hadn't heard her voice in fourteen years, he recognized it at once. Among all the faces around him, his gaze found hers immediately.

Bella Shaw! She had matured from a cute, perky teenager with a sprinkling of freckles across her nose to a beautiful young woman. Her dark brown hair had been cut to just past shoulder length, but her wide-set green eyes and the most kissable lips ever created looked just the same. His trained assessment took in her fitted pencil skirt and rose pink silk blouse, long bare legs, and four-inch stilettos.

Memories flashed through his brain, but he shook them off. Now was not the time to be distracted by the soft skin and ripe curves he knew were hidden beneath her prim outfit.

“Luke Archer!” Her smile sparkled, but a quick appraisal of his torn, filthy uniform made her keep some distance.

“Bella! Great to see you!” He had to fight back the urge to wipe the soot and dirt off his face and straighten his hair that was probably sticking out in all directions. She'd always had that effect on him.

She studied him with a confused expression. “What are you doing here?”

Luke smiled. “Playing soldier.”

“I hadn't heard you were back.” There was a guarded tone in her voice.

He tried to determine whether she was happy or upset to see him. Considering their history, it could go either way. “How've you been? What's new?”

She smiled and held her arms out as if to say
look at me
. In one hand was a maroon leather briefcase. “I'm an attorney. A partner, actually.” She dropped her arms and shook her head in disbelief. “It's been a long time, Luke.”

“It has been, hasn't it? I can't believe it's you…here.” He glanced over at the other members of the team, the firemen hosing down the building and the organized chaos around him, then back at her. “My God, woman. You're more beautiful than ever.”

She seemed flattered. An attractive blush spread over her high cheekbones, but she didn't look away. “I thought you lived in DC.”

He nodded as he gave a quick scan of the crowd in case any of them looked like they might be one of the five escaped terrorists. “I do. I'm back on special assignment for a while. What brings you here?”

She nodded and pointed back to her right. “I live down the street in a condo overlooking Ladybird Lake. I was on my way home and saw all the commotion.”

“I thought you inherited your grandparents' ranch.”

“I did, but I can't handle sixteen hundred acres alone. Besides, I spend most of my time here in town.”

“So, you sold the ranch?”

“Actually, no. Remember Moses?”

“Moses? Oh yeah, your grandparents' foreman.”

“His son, Guillermo, is my foreman now. He runs the herd and mends the fences.”

“He's living in your parents' house?”

“No. He lives in that little house down by the lake.”

“I remember that place.” Long buried memories filled his head of two teenagers swimming in the lake, lying out in the sun to dry their lithe young bodies, and lazy afternoons making out until they were aching with frustration. Innocent play progressed to groping and tentative explorations of each other's quivering bodies. His gaze dropped to the soft mounds of her breasts that were visible in the deep vee of her neckline. Those were the first real boobs he'd ever seen…or tasted. In spite of the controlled chaos around him, his penis responded, pressing against the zipper of his cargo fatigues.

“He fixed it up. You wouldn't recognize the place.”

He saw the way her eyes glowed like dark emeralds, and he knew she, too, was remembering that simpler, more innocent time. They had always darkened when she was caught up in passion.

She cleared her throat and continued, “I stay in the main house on the weekends. I'm remodeling it in my spare time.”

“I'm glad you kept it,” he commented, then added, “Grammy told me you were engaged awhile back. Who's the lucky guy?”

“That deal fell through,” she answered without emotion. “But I'm dating a lawyer in my firm. We'll probably end up getting married sooner or later.”

Luke's eyebrows arched skeptically. “Sounds like a real love match.”

“Yeah, well, my expectations have changed.” She shrugged. “We all have to grow up and deal with reality.”

Before he could comment on her disillusionment, their attention was drawn to three personnel carriers that roared up the street, their horns and sirens blaring. A dozen fully armed and outfitted personnel, including a couple members of the bomb squad, charged out and circled around the fire chief so they could coordinate their entry into the building.

“Hold your position, teams,” Luke's squad leader ordered via the earpiece.

“Do you have to go?” Bella asked.

“Not yet. I don't know how much longer it's going to take before we can leave.” He glanced back at the building. Flames no longer licked out the gaping holes, but the damage was extensive. “I doubt there's any evidence left.”

She, too, looked up at the building, then back at him suspiciously. “What's going on in there?”

The mission wasn't top secret, but it wasn't for public consumption either. “I can't really talk about it here. Maybe we can have dinner and catch up?”

“How long will you be in the area?”

“Not sure. I've been here about a week and got caught up in one of Justin's cases. I don't have any idea how long my assignment will be.”

“Tell you what. If you're free on Saturday night, why don't you come out to the ranch, and I'll make dinner for us.” She cocked her head to one side and the breeze swept her silky hair across her face.

Luke's fingers itched to reach up and brush it aside like he'd done so many times before, but her fingers beat him to it as she tucked the straight strands behind her ear.

“Saturday?” He smiled. “What time and what kind of wine?”

“We have a lot of catching up to do, so make it five o'clock. Bring two reds and two whites, and we'll work our way through them.”

“Justin has connections with a great vineyard, so that's no problem.”

A hint of a smile lifted the corners of her lips, but her eyes were still cautious. “See you then. You still remember how to get there?”

She didn't wait for his answer as she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Luke continued his guard of the crime scene for three long hours. He watched the firemen give the all clear for the bomb squad, and it took them over an hour to sweep the building. Then the tactical team went through to see if there was any evidence remaining. It was well after dark, and the crowd had long ago gotten bored and wandered off. Luke shifted from leg to leg and tried really hard not to think about Bella. But sentry duty was boring, and his mind kept drifting back to her.

They had known each other since elementary school. He actually beat up a little boy who pushed her down on the playground so hard that she cried. Instead of being grateful, she punched him on the arm…hard…and chewed him out for interfering. She assured him she was able to take care of herself.

He had backed off, but was never too far away. It was a small rural school district several miles outside the city limits of Austin so they were in the same classes all the way through school. Things changed their freshman year of high school when he made the football team and she made the cheer squad. He caught her watching him from the sidelines during practice. And her flips and jumps didn't go unnoticed by him either. Of course, he wasn't the only guy ogling her petite body that was shown off by the tight-fitted top and short, full skirt.

One night on the bus, coming back from an out-of-town football game, they somehow ended up sharing a seat. She invited him out to the ranch to help round up her grandparents' herd of prime black Angus cattle, and the rest, as they say, was history. All through high school they were the dream couple. She proudly wore his letterman's jacket and he basked in the glory that surrounded their popularity. He'd been able to focus on his studies and football and never had to worry about not having a date on Saturday night. In fact, he'd never dated anyone else, and neither had she.

All of his sexual firsts had been with her. First kiss, first dry hump, first hand on his dick, first time he'd touched a nipple…and, of course, the biggie…first fuck.

Actually, he felt bad thinking of it as that. What they had was pure and sincere. They were both young and naïve, and they gave their virginity to each other in an act of innocent love.

Now he knew the difference. He'd had plenty of emotionless fucks since then, but none of them had had the passion or intensity of those beautiful moments with Bella Shaw.

When had he gotten so goddamn sentimental? He was a tough guy, a lone wolf who enjoyed the social life of the Beltway. The politics that overshadowed everyone's thoughts and actions sucked, but the energy and power were an incredible aphrodisiac that took the place of any personal relationships. And he hadn't missed it or given his past a second thought…

Until now.

Love stories you'll never forget

By authors you'll always remember

eOriginal Romance from Random House

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