Broken Trust (8 page)

Toni chewed her bottom lip. They
were talking about treason.

“Sorry, Mac, but you know I’m not
at liberty to answer that.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You noticed nothing else unique
about this mission?” Hooper asked.

“Nope. Except for Andrus,
everything went like clockwork.”

Paper rustled. “Ah, that would be
Second Lieutenant Ryan Andrus?”

“Yes, he joined the team at the
very last minute. Andrus worked with Eric Hamilton, but I never met him until
just before departure.”

“Hmm…interesting.”

“Eric was the only man on the team
who knew Andrus well. If you intercepted communications between the Taliban and
someone on the inside, there’s a multitude of possible suspects,” Mac observed.

“Who said we intercepted any
communications from the inside?”

“Come on, Derek. I’m not stupid.
Even you knew about our mission. The CIA set it all up. Several contacts
outside the special forces could have betrayed our landing zone. Even our pilot
should be a suspect.”

“You’re right, but you’re the only
member of the team that survived the ambush.”

Toni bristled. What was Hooper
implying? That Mac was a traitor? That he’d purposefully gotten his own team
members killed, including Eric? Absurd! Mac had been selfish when he’d broken
off their engagement, but he wasn’t a coward. She didn’t believe for one moment
that he was a traitor either.

She gritted her teeth and peeked
around the side of the cabin. Both men had their heads turned away so they
didn’t notice her. From her hiding place, she got a good look at Hooper, his
short, blond hair and long hawkish nose. Dressed in a navy suit and tie, he
looked the part of a CIA agent. Dust marred his shiny black shoes and the cuffs
of his creased dress slacks. He held a file of papers in his hands, shuffling
them, looking very businesslike.

Mac locked his jaw. He clutched the
armrests of his wicker chair, his knuckles white as he bore a hole in Hooper
with his piercing eyes.

Hooper shifted his weight and
turned just as Toni ducked back around the corner.

“Well, that’s all I have for you
right now, Mac. If I’ve got any further questions, I know where to find you.”

“Why don’t you just send me a
letter next time?” Mac’s crutch clattered as he reached for it to stand.

Hooper grunted. “Maybe once this is
all resolved, you’ll invite me up here again as friends.”

Mac didn’t respond.

“You take care of that leg,” Hooper
said. “Wouldn’t want you to get an infection and have to amputate it.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Mac said.

Toni caught their blunt animosity
and wasn’t surprised. Eric had told her the CIA often stepped on the toes of
the special forces. If the CIA intercepted communications giving the Taliban
the landing zone of Mac’s special ops team and he was the only survivor, she
understood why he might be under suspicion.

The sounds of muffled footsteps
signaled the CIA agent was walking down the trail leading to the narrow road
where he’d probably parked his car. She thought of making her presence known,
but something held her back. Though they’d once been friends, Mac obviously
disliked Hooper now.

She hesitated. She’d known Mac all
her life. Eric had trusted him, and now Eric was dead. Obviously the CIA
suspected someone on the inside of being a traitor. Maybe someone involved in
espionage had planned an ambush on the MARSOC team. Mac had two million dollars
in his savings account. Was it possible that Mac was a traitor and had been
paid off by the Taliban?

No, she couldn’t believe it. She
couldn’t.

“You can come out, now.” Mac’s
voice reached her behind the woodpile and she stepped around the cabin.

“You knew I was here?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, when Grunt
showed up, I figured you must be around, eavesdropping. Eric told me he caught
you listening in on your parent’s conversations on more than one occasion.”

She stiffened. “I didn’t mean to
eavesdrop.”

“You’re forgiven.” He flashed her a
smile, but his stiff posture told her that Hooper’s visit still bothered him.
It bothered her, too.

After she picked up the beach
towels sitting on the table, she stepped away, speaking in a rigid tone. “Let’s
get going.”

He looked at her. “You don’t want
to ask any questions about what you just overheard?”

She stared, a myriad of questions
racing through her mind. She’d planned to ask a few things, but hadn’t planned
on being so blunt. “Yes, but I figured you’d tell me when you were good and
ready.”

“You were never this patient when
we were going together.”

Oh, that hurt. “Look, let’s not
pretend. You broke our engagement, not me. And I’m not about to…to….”

About to what? Fall back in love
with him again? As if she’d ever stopped loving him in the first place. But
that didn’t keep feelings of embarrassment, anger and hurt from washing over
her now.

“I remember and regret it every day
of my life,” he confessed.

His contrite response staggered
her. He’d been through a lot, but she couldn’t lay her heart out on the
chopping block again. No doubt his words stemmed from his near fatal encounter
in Afghanistan, not because he was ready to settle down and be a husband to
her. “Mac, let me make this perfectly clear. The only reason I came to see you
is because Eric asked me to. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here now.”

He took a shuddering breath and
nodded his head. “I understand.”

No, he didn’t. Not really. But she
didn’t trust herself to explain any more. She might end up begging him to
reconsider. Begging him to love her. Instead, she tried to focus on her reason
for coming here. “Do you know Agent Hooper very well?”

“Yeah, he’s all right most of the
time. We’ve been on a few missions together and were friendly acquaintances.”

“But not anymore?”

He shrugged. “I invited him up here
last summer for a few days, along with a group of several other men in my unit.
Derek always wants things done his way, but he’s good at his job. Sometimes the
CIA steps over the boundaries, but Eric and I tried to play well with the other
children.”

Okay, she could accept that. Eric
had briefly referred to his work with the CIA, though he was always careful not
to mention any names or details. “You think Hooper can be trusted?”

Mac’s brow furrowed. “Right now, I
don’t trust anyone but you and my parents.”

For some reason, Mac’s vote of
confidence pleased Toni enormously. She just prayed she could trust him in
return. Relying on the wrong man could get her killed.

Chapter Eight

“Why didn’t you tell Hooper about
Eric’s letter?” Toni asked Mac as they headed toward the lake.

He took an unsteady step, his
crutch scraping against the redwood deck. “I think that’s obvious. Until we
find Eric’s file and know what we’re dealing with, I’m not about to mention it
to anyone.”

That sounded smart and she agreed.

“Especially not the CIA,” Mac
continued. “They’re called ‘spooks’ with good reason. They usually keep to
themselves and come and go without anyone knowing it. And frankly, I don’t
trust Hooper.”

“Why didn’t you tell me your last
mission was an ambush?” she asked.

He tightened his jaw and wouldn’t
meet her eyes. “You know I can’t talk about it, Toni. It’s top secret. I don’t
want to end up in the brig. NCIS is in the middle of an investigation right
now.”

“NCIS?”

“Naval Criminal Investigative
Service. They investigate criminal, terrorist and foreign intelligence
threats.”

“Why would NCIS be investigating
the ambush?”

He looked away. “To find out who
set us up. After they’ve got all the facts and done some lab work, they’ll
reveal what really happened the night Eric died.”

She understood, but she didn’t like
it one bit. All this cloak and dagger stuff had taken the life of someone she
loved. She didn’t want to lose anyone else. “Do you think someone betrayed your
team to the Taliban?”

His expression darkened. “Yes. They
knew we were coming, that’s for certain.”

A shiver of apprehension chilled
her heart. This was a serious accusation. “Mac, you’re talking about treason.”

“That’s right, but I don’t know if
the ambush had anything to do with Eric. I think we need to find his missing
file before making any conjectures.”

As they walked down the rocky terrain,
he stumbled and she took hold of his arm, wrapping her fingers around solid
muscle. She braced her weight to help him negotiate the steep path. When he
regained his footing, he extracted his arm and stepped away. Putting more
barriers between them.

She couldn’t figure him out. One
minute he seemed warm and caring. The next minute, he pushed her away as though
he couldn’t stand to be near her. She suspected his mood swings had something
to do with his PTSD.

She supposed it was for the best.
She tried to tell herself she didn’t want to be near him, either. Truthfully,
she felt a mixture of joy and sorrow every time she looked at him. She loved
him still, but she couldn’t help mourning the life together they had lost.

Twenty minutes later, they reached
the pebbled beach. Normally, it would have taken only five minutes to walk this
distance. But Mac insisted on doing it without help. Stubborn, prideful man.

While he hobbled into the water,
she picked up a heavy stick and held it with both hands as she sat on a tree
stump. She looked about and watched Grunt for any signs that he detected an
intruder. After being chased through the forest last night, she doubted she’d
feel completely safe here for a very long time.

When the icy waves lapped at Mac’s
legs, he gasped and clenched his teeth. “Wow, it’s cold today.”

“Move around,” she advised. “You’ll
warm up soon enough.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not in
this freezing water,” he quipped.

When the water reached his waist,
Mac dove in and swam laps between two buoys bobbing on the water. Grunt bounded
into the water, paddling beside his master. Mac’s deep laughter echoed across
the lake, sending a flock of sparrows to flitter high overhead. The deep,
resonant sound caused Toni’s pulse to beat a rapid tattoo. She admitted to
herself that she’d missed him more than she realized.

The forest surrounding the lake
blazed vivid green, the mountains a lovely backdrop for the deep blue water.
Toni felt God’s presence here. Memories swamped her, of Eric swimming beside
Mac, playing a game of keep-a-way. When Eric had tried to douse her with water
or dunk her under, Mac had always shielded her. She smiled at the thought,
almost forgetting the reason she’d come here to see Mac.

Almost.

After his swim, Toni watched Mac
hop onto the shore, dripping wet.

“My toes are frozen,” he admitted.

He accepted the towel she handed
him along with his crutch. He dried off, then pulled a dry T-shirt over his
head.

While he tugged his shoe onto his
good foot, Toni lifted her face, enjoying the feel of the warm sun. “I’d almost
forgotten how lovely it is here.”

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.” Mac looked
at her and she felt the heat of pleasure spread over her face.

Mac’s wide chest expanded as he
breathed deeply. With his short, damp hair and sculpted chin, she thought him
more than handsome.

Grunt scampered from the lake and
walked along the shore, shaking a shower of water from his large body. Then,
the dog took off up the mountain side.

Alarm shot up Toni’s spine.
“Where’s he going?”

Mac shook his head. “Who knows? But
he’d bark if he sensed someone nearby. We’re safe, Toni. And I’m glad you came
to see me.”

In spite of their breakup, she felt
the same. “Even a city girl can appreciate the beauty of God’s creations out
here.”

“You’re right. If there’s a real
heaven, it must be here at Crystal Lake.”

“If?”

He wiped a drop of water from his
nose. “After all that’s happened, I don’t know if I believe in God anymore.”

Her insides clenched. “Mac, don’t
say that. I have no doubt God was with you when he helped pull you out of that
ambush.”

“Where was He for the rest of my
men? Where was He for Eric?”

She had no response. If only the
Lord had helped get Eric home safe. She wished she could understand God’s ways,
but that didn’t dim her faith that He did what was best for all His children.

A deep sigh trembled from Mac’s
chest. “I’m sorry you overheard Hooper talking about the ambush. I didn’t
intend for you to find out.”

He took things way too seriously.
“Don’t worry. I’m not a spy, so I doubt I’ll ever divulge that info to anyone.”

He snorted, refusing to meet her
eyes.

She touched his arm. “Everything is
going to be okay, Mac.”

He stared into her eyes and she got
the impression he was keeping something from her. Something big. “I hope so,
Toni. I really do.”

As he turned and shuffled away,
Toni stared after him, wondering what deep emotions lay hidden beneath his
words. What wasn’t he telling her?

Grunt’s barking came from the
vicinity of the cabin and she tensed. “Barking means an intruder, right?”

“Maybe Mom and Dad are back early.”
Mac paused, staring at the thin trail of smoke rising from the cabin over the
treetops. His brows knit together in concern.

“What is it, Mac?”

“Grunt’s probably found another
skunk. Let’s take the back trail, just in case.”

She didn’t question him as he led
her along a narrow path up to the cabin. Her thigh muscles burned as she
climbed the steep grade. In spite of his bad leg, Mac’s breathing never became
labored; an indication of his great physical conditioning. But he wasn’t too steady
as they progressed up the hill. A feeling of urgency settled over Toni. Fear
caused her to take a wobbly step and she stumbled. This time, Mac caught her
arm, taking her hand as he guided her along the trail.