Buried Flames (14 page)

“It aches a time or two.” Mason ate a few more almonds, tilting his head when he heard water being poured in a sink from where Fairfax was holed up. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Did it happen when you were overseas?”

“You want the gory details?” Mason clipped his words, wishing there was an easy way out of this situation. He was going to be stuck with Brenna for quite a while and he wasn’t about to be on guard the entire trip waiting for more questions. She wanted to know so badly, he’d tell her. “Another unit needed assistance on a mission we were designated as support for. The tanks provided cover with machine guns and we used our main gun on hard targets. We had stopped to get some chow. We pulled back to a block we had previously cleared and dismounted. I was the number one guy…the one who goes in a building after it’s been breached. The place should have been clear. We’d pushed the insurgents to the south of our position. From the intel the other unit had received, there wasn’t supposed to be anyone near the building we were going to use. We were both wrong. I managed to dive clear of the grenade enough to live, but was still close enough to sustain some injuries. It didn’t take a genius to figure out the assumption that the insurgents hadn’t doubled back had been wrong. We walked right into an ambush.”

“The others…”

“Most of them dead.” Mason lost his appetite and zipped up the small bag before shoving it into his pack. The sound of water being used in a sink was still coming from the men’s head, but he wasn’t going to take any chances it wasn’t a diversion of some sort. He kept his M4 ready and pointed in the direction of the entrance to the men’s restroom as he finished his story. He wouldn’t tell it again. “My tank crew were nearby and managed to take out those responsible, but it was too late. The building I was in had taken a lot of fire, which then burned and was the only reason I wasn’t taken out like the rest. They thought I was already dead.”

“Your tank crew…are they the ones we’re meeting?” Brenna asked softly, her words unable to soothe the painful memories that were now replaying in Mason’s head.

Mason could still hear every sickening thud those bullets had made upon impact to those men he’d sworn to support, every nauseating groan that escaped their lips—and he hadn’t been able to do a thing about it. The familiar ball of anger inside of him began to spin. Some would call it PTSD. He hated labels. To him it was just the cost of war. It was just a reminder of how small one human being truly was in the realm of existence. He immediately reacted when the sloshing water stopped and there was nothing but silence…until the door opened. Fairfax was just a blurry outline as Mason focused on his front sight tip.

“Y
ou don’t need
to shoot,” Fairfax called out with one hand raised. Brenna sat up from her bedroll and immediately drew her Colt 1911A1. “I was just wondering if you had another clean bandage.”

“Just stay where you, Fairfax,” Mason ordered, aiming the barrel of his weapon directly in the area where the man would have to come closer should he try something. Brenna tensed and waited for what would happen next. Talking about Mason’s past had him on edge, but she didn’t regret asking her questions. He’d been a big part of her life back when she was younger and it was more than apparent their futures were now interlaced. “That was the deal. You stay in your area and we’ll stay in ours.”

“I understand the agreement completely,” Ace tried to reason with what seemed like a somewhat overconfident attitude, although Mason didn’t appear to be falling for it. This trained military Special Forces combatant most likely had his own story to tell, but it would fall on deaf ears. She now wanted to be far away from him, sensing he would bring nothing to the situation but misfortune. He wasn’t telling them anything close to the truth. “Unfortunately, I’m still bleeding enough to have soaked through this bandage.”

Brenna figured the horses were in a position to where Ace could clearly see them, while still not having a view of their bedrolls. It probably would have been in their best interests to have left before he ever made an appearance, but then again she felt guilty for thinking they should leave him behind. That wasn’t the person she wanted to be, but her drive to survive was growing.

“Slowly and carefully show yourself. No sudden moves,” Mason instructed, holding out a hand to indicate that Brenna should stay where she was. She would have loved to have snapped at him in response. It wasn’t like she could go anywhere, but now wasn’t the time.

Fairfax did as he was commanded, holding his hands up and away from any weapons that he had holstered. Brenna’s father had been in the Army and she knew the uniform he was wearing was referred to as his battle dress uniform. Ace was missing parts of it though. His shirt was off, clearly showing that the bandage was soaked with blood…and the fact that there didn’t appear to be another major scar anywhere on his upper torso. She couldn’t help but look at Mason and recall the marks on his body.

Were Mason’s scars the reason he kept to himself? He had changed a lot during the years he’d been away, but not that much physically. At least that’s what she’d thought. He’d always had classic features—the square jaw of determination, defined masculine cheekbones, and sinfully delicious lips. She now knew they tasted and felt the same, but he was nowhere near the laidback young man he’d been while drinking a beer after the Friday night high school football game. Was this how his friends in Lost Summit knew him?

“All I’m asking for are a couple of pressure dressings,” Ace requested as if he were asking for directions.

“Here are two to get you through to wherever you’re headed.”

Sure enough, Mason had already removed two square vacuum-sealed packages with field dressings in them from the container in his bag. He must have a couple of kits, because the one she’d given him had been from his satchel attached to the saddlebags. He was already standing and meeting Ace halfway, where the man slowly took the offered medical supplies. He backed up two steps, but not before Brenna could make out his inspection of their supplies. Her heart beat against her chest with force at the implication. Would he now try to make a go for what they had?

“I appreciate it,” Ace murmured, his eyes now trained on Sam. He gave a half-smile before giving Mason his full attention. “I truly do.”

“You can repay me by going back into that room until we take our leave,” Mason countered, lowering his weapon while still maintaining a prepared stance. “I’d say that’s more than fair compensation.”

The two men stared at one another as they sized each other up until Brenna realized she’d been holding her breath. The tension was so thick that even Sergeant and Major started to shift their large frames in unease. Right when she exhaled, Ace nodded slowly and turned, walking back to his own ground. He disappeared into the men’s restroom, closing the door behind him but clearly leaving an impact on the situation.

“Get your things together,” Mason directed abruptly, not wasting time as he started to pack away his items. It wouldn’t take long considering most everything was already in their satchels. “You’re not sleeping anyway and there isn’t a chance in hell I’m closing my eyes knowing we’re about to be ambushed at any moment. We’ll go a few more hours and then start looking for a more secluded shelter.”

Brenna didn’t hesitate and was on her feet before Mason finished speaking. She wasn’t looking forward to going back out in the ash this soon, but it was better than staying here and wondering when Ace was going to make a move. He couldn’t have made it clearer that he was more than a little interested in the provisions they had, along with the horses. She would deal with any guilt she felt at a later time…alive and safe at the lodge.

“Sam, come here,” Brenna called out softly, trying to keep her voice from trembling. She took the harness Mason had rigged for him and was about to slip it over his head when Ace’s voice stopped her. She only muttered one word that had Sam licking her hand in comfort. “Shit.”

“I wouldn’t be going out there quite yet if I were you.” Brenna hadn’t heard the restroom door open, but apparently Mason had. He already had his weapon trained on Ace, who was leaning against the doorframe and using the medical tape from the old bandage to keep the field dressing in place while he secured the ties from the fresh bandage. She still couldn’t tell what color his eyes were, but the intensity from them was more than she cared for. What did he know that they didn’t? “I might have stretched the truth regarding someone panicking and then discharging their weapon.”

“Who’s after you?”

“I wish I knew,” Ace muttered with a wry laugh. He gave Brenna a half-smile and then gestured toward the makeshift mask still in her hand. “Smart. I’ve got to tell you, the group of men after me won’t hesitate to kill you on the spot for those.”

“Group?” Mason motioned with his hand that Brenna should continue packing up their belongings. She tightened her hold on Sam’s makeshift mask. “How many men are we talking about and do they have the same type training as you?”

“It was four, but now it’s three. And let me tell you something…they have superior field skills we only wish we had.”

Brenna didn’t have to have Ace’s answer spelled out for her. He’d eliminated one of the men. From what she could gather, it was in self-defense. But what if it wasn’t? Was he making this up or did he actually have something of value with him? And what kind of training was he talking about?

“You must realize by now that you’re going to die here,” Mason announced as if they were talking sports or the weather. Brenna wished she could have believed he wouldn’t say something like that, but unfortunately she knew better. And he had. She couldn’t help but seek out Ace’s reaction while peering at the front door. Were they being watched? “Either by these men that are after you, the weight of the mounting ash on the roof, starvation, or infection in that wound.”

“I know the odds are stacked against me, but I’ve never shied away from a fight.” Ace held up his hands as if he were surrendering when that was far from the case. Was he about to tell them something of use? “We both know you can leave me here. After all, I’m their target. But you have essential supplies that they’re going to want and they won’t hesitate to take them from you or anyone. Your lady friend here seems like she can have your back and do a damn good job at it, but you and I both know she doesn’t have the skill level required to stave off an attack by experienced operators with superior firepower…if that’s even what they are.”

Brenna would have taken offense to Ace’s view of her not being able to hold her own against these strangers if there wasn’t some truth to his words. She was a good shot and could handle most weapons put into the palm of her hand, but she didn’t have military training to go up against what he was suggesting. Nor did she have the type of weapon Mason was carrying. She could already tell from Mason’s stance that he wasn’t buying anything Ace was selling, but something told her this stranger was finally telling the truth.

“Mason,” Brenna murmured, knowing full well that Ace could hear. She rose to her feet after stroking Sam’s fur, who didn’t appear threatened by Ace’s presence. That was a good thing, right? “You said yourself that there are safety in numbers. What if he’s telling the truth? What if we go out there and people are waiting for us?”

Mason had lowered his weapon, but still had it at the ready. He was sizing up Ace, but she already knew he’d made up his mind to leave him. She needed to change it, for a variety of reasons. She didn’t have what it took to go up against veteran military type war fighters. The exhaustion hitting her wasn’t helping her judgment any, but they really needed to consider taking Ace with them.

“I know men like him and we’re most likely going to go to our grave without knowing the truth. We’re targets, whether by him or anyone else.” Mason rubbed his fingers against his five o’clock shadow in frustration. He hadn’t bothered to lower his voice and his next statement was directed at both Brenna and Ace. “The longer we stay here, the more likely it is that at least part of this roof will collapse on us. We’re going to have to travel farther north to avoid that particular complication in structures we take shelter in, but it won’t matter if these men already know our location. Fairfax is an extreme liability.”

“He’s right,” Ace said to Brenna, placing his right hand on top of the bandage. She could tell from his tone he had something up his sleeve to change Mason’s mind. “I’m their target, along with the added bonus that I’m already wounded. I wouldn’t be much of an asset right now. But I have an offer for the two of you. I’m headed to northern Washington where part of my team is currently holed up in an old fishing lodge situated in between two mountain ranges. You help me get there and I’ll ask that they take you in. There’s enough protection from the elements that they think they can make it through the worst of what is to come.”

“Really?” Mason asked casually without missing a beat. Brenna wasn’t so sure the shock on her face didn’t register, so she looked back at Sam who hadn’t moved from his place by the horses. What were the odds that Ace was talking about Lost Summit? “We already have a destination in mind.”