White Dawn: A Military Romantic Suspense Novel (3 page)

From closer to the fire, loud metallic
banging sounded. Angelo and Efraín and the others were crouched
around the metal box. Ledo had a chisel and hammer and was working
at the locks.

Garrett ignored Carmen’s question. “We
wasted a whole day on this computer business. Just make sure it all
works. And check with Abbot Sergio to see if they will let you
charge the battery with their current. And another thing….” He
glanced around to see who was listening. “Tell your boyfriend to
stop feeling you up when we’re working.”

Carmen could feel her mouth dropping
open in surprise. Then fury wiped away the surprise. “Are you
implying that either of us was unprofessional?”

“Not you. You’re the cold-hearted
princess. I saw Angelo’s hand on your shoulder. I won’t have it,
Carmen. Not on my unit.”

“Oh, a hand on my shoulder,” she said
dryly. “That’s going to threaten the security of the nation.”

“It’s a weakness,” Garrett said flatly.
“While he’s thinking about you, he’s not thinking about security
and neither are you.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Garrett stepped very close to her and
Carmen drew in a breath, surprised. He looked down at her. “He was
this close,” he said quietly. “So look me in the eye and then tell
me what you see in your peripheral vision.”

She looked him in the eye, pissed as
hell. She couldn’t believe that Garrett was micro-managing her like
this.

“No, lock gazes with me,” Garrett
demanded. “I’m trying to demonstrate something, so stop writhing
and
look
.”

Carmen looked. She kept her gaze on his
gray eyes defiantly. “I can see movement from my right. And the
fire flickering.” The fire she wanted to be standing next to.

“What’s behind me?” Garrett
demanded.

She looked over his shoulder, but he was
taller than her. She couldn’t see anything. Her anger cooled a
fraction. “It’s not like we were making out,’ she said
defensively.

“For a fraction of a second, your mind
wasn’t on the job,” Garrett said and his tone was cooler, too.
“That’s all the time the enemy needs to step out and take aim. When
are you going to get it through your head that I know what I’m
talking about?”

Now she felt embarrassed. “You’re
right,” she said and it took all her courage to admit that. “It
won’t happen again.”

Garrett nodded. “You’ve got an instinct
for this,” he said. “You’ve got natural talents and you’re smart.
Don’t let a stupid mistake get you killed. I don’t have enough
smart lieutenants I can rely on.”

“Jeez, Garrett, is that a
compliment?”

“And then you have to open your mouth
one last time,” Garrett said and sighed.

There was a loud groan as metal gave way
and a cheer went up by the fire. They both hurried over to where
everyone was bent over the box.

Angelo threw the lid back and someone
whistled.

“Man…is that what I think it is?” Ledo
said and ran his fingertips reverently across the bright slabs of
metal in the box.

“Silver,” Garrett said flatly.

“The mine is shut down,” someone pointed
out.

“Not anymore,” Garrett said. “They’re
pulling silver out of it somehow.”

“It’s not even their mine,” Carmen said.
“Astra Corp leased the mineral rights on The Big Rock for
ninety-nine years.”

“I don’t think Serrano has any lawyers
around to tell him that,” Garrett said. “Besides, I don’t think he
would care to know. The Insurrectos clearly think the mine and the
silver in it is theirs. Spoils of war.” He kicked the lid back
closed. “But why do they want it? That’s the million dollar
question.” He glanced at Carmen, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“Your Internet thing will be useful, after all.”

Gracia stepped up beside Garrett. She
had deep, dark circles beneath her eyes from lack of sleep and her
black hair was highlighted with prematurely gray streaks. But her
face was the calmest face Carmen had ever seen. “Doctor, Zuzen is
getting worse.” She glanced around the fire and lowered her voice
even more. “I don’t think he’ll last much longer.” Her voice was
rough and naturally low, adding to the aura of peace around
her.

Zuzen had taken a bullet in the upper
stomach a week ago. His screams of pain had kept everyone awake,
until one of the monks offered an herb from their gardens that
would make him drowsy and lessen the pain. They were so low on pain
killers that only the worst cases received them. It had been Gracia
who argued that Zuzen should not get one of the precious doses, for
he was not expected to live, when Garrett had been reaching for the
little medical box that carried the few supplies they had. Gracia’s
ruthless expediency had shocked Carmen.

Garrett nodded at Gracia now. “I’ll be
there in a minute.” The wounded and sick were kept inside the
monastery, on the few proper beds the monks had to spare. When
Gracia dropped from exhaustion, the monks would provide care until
Garrett returned from whatever mission he was on.

Carmen watched Garrett head into the
monastery, following Gracia, and reflected that she was hungry and
exhausted. All she wanted to do was dry out, then curl up in her
sleeping bag. Garrett had worked harder than her this day, but his
day hadn’t ended. Now he had to turn back into a doctor and spend
the night taking care of people.

If he wasn’t such an asshole she might
have felt sorry for him.

The young woman called Minnie seemed to
have an endless supply of energy. She buzzed around Olivia like a
small, determined whirlwind, but things seemed to get done around
her.

Minnie had knocked on the door of the
big bedroom not long after Daniel had dressed in borrowed clothes,
kissed Olivia on the cheek and told her he would be back…he had a
wedding to arrange.

When the knock came about thirty minutes
after he had left, Olivia called out a tentative
“
¿Hola?
”

The door pushed open and a petite woman
with short black hair, pale skin and enormous brown eyes had
stepped into the room, carrying a tray that seemed to be the same
size as her.

Olivia sat up, then winced and hissed in
pain as her wounded fingers pressed against the mattress. Then she
had to grab the sheet and hold it up against her, for she was naked
beneath it.

The woman smiled at her and put the tray
next to her on the bed. “I’m Minnie,” she said in English. “The
breakfast tray is because you’re supposed to be wounded and
technically bed-ridden. I’m here because Duardo said you wanted a
wedding inside the hour.”

Olivia could smell the coffee on the
tray and her mouth flooded with saliva. “Hello, Minnie. It’s very
good to meet you. But I’m confused. Duardo is arranging the
wedding?”

Minnie shook her head and picked up the
coffee cup and held it out to her. “I just met Daniel. Duardo never
told me about him, so Daniel was a big surprise, but he’s covert
everything, so I understand Duardo not saying anything, because
Duardo is big on procedures…well, all Vistarian men seem to have
that honor thing going on, which is what I love about him…that and
other things.” She winked.

Oliva felt a bit winded. She sipped her
coffee as she cast about for a response. It was very good coffee.
“Daniel told me about Duardo,” she said, “but he didn’t mention
you.”

Minnie grinned. “He didn’t know about me
until late last night. Duardo says Daniel took the news
surprisingly well. I know they’re brothers, sort of, and that makes
us sisters, sort of. So if you’re really determined to be married
before noon, then I’m your girl.”

“You are?”

“Sure. Besides being married to Duardo,
I’m also the civilian quarter-master around here. So I can stand in
as Matron of Honor, if you want one, but I’m also the one who’s
going to pull this wedding together in under two hours. The priest
is already on his way here. I just wanted to see how tall you are.
Daniel got a baffled look on his face when I asked.”

Olivia couldn’t help but smile. “Men
tend to do that as soon as you start talking about anything to do
with appearance. I’m five ten…but why do you need to know?”

“You want to get married naked?” Minnie
asked. “My cousin Calli is tall. I’ll see what I can find in her
closet that is white, or do you want another color?”

Olivia shook her head. “Anything at all
will be perfect.” She reached for the muffin sitting on the tray
and picked it up carefully with her bandaged fingers. “I’m
starving,” she confessed and bit into it.

“Nick said you’d been through a lot,”
Minnie said quietly. “I saw what happened on TV. It was awful.”

Olivia nodded. “It was and we’d still be
there, picked off one by one, except for what Daniel did.”

“Is that why you want to marry him?”

Olivia glanced at her, startled. “It’s
the very last thing on the list of reasons why, but it’s one of
them,” she said.

Minnie stood up. “Don’t mind me. I get
direct sometimes. Just tell me to shut up if you need to. I won’t
mind. Now, I’m going to go see about finding you something to get
married in. Someone will be by in a minute with some water for you
to wash with.”

That began a hurried preparation that
lasted a little over two hours. Minnie came and went, always
rushing, always talking. Her cousin Calli, who she had briefly
mentioned, also stepped into the room for a moment to introduce
herself. “I’m currently Nick’s Chief of Staff,” Calli told her as
Minnie pressed trousers and dresses up against Olivia, checking for
size and length. “We all do double duty around here.”

“What’s your other duty?” Olivia asked
as Minnie lifted her arm and measured another garment against
it.

“I’m also Nick’s wife.” Calli grinned.
“It provides some interesting moments of conflict. Daniel says that
you’re asking for citizenship.”

“On political grounds,” Olivia said.
“It’s not quite asylum, because my country isn’t threatening me in
any way. But I’m marrying a Vistarian and I want to end this war
and I want the Loyalists to get their country back. I have unusual
connections that you and Nick could use.”

Calli’s smile shifted and her eyes grew
warmer. “I’m aware of those connections. I’ve been talking to your
father since the raid ended, on and off. I’ve got him on speed dial
now. He asked that you call him when you’re ready. I’ve assured him
you’re okay.”

“Thank you,” Olivia said. “But I want to
be married and I want to be a Vistarian, if it can possibly be
arranged, before I speak to him again.”

“It means that much to you?” Calli
asked.

Olivia pressed her lips together. Then
she sighed. “While we were trapped in the hotel, Daniel kept
talking about Duardo, about his honor and how he was one of the
best Vistarians Daniel knew. But all I could see, that whole time
we were held hostage and especially when he got us out, was that
Daniel was just what he had been saying Duardo was. Honorable.
Strong. Principled.”

“I know a few Vistarians like that,”
Calli murmured.

“I want Vistaria to be run by people
like that,” Olivia said. “I want Serrano thrown in a jail cell for
war crimes. I will do whatever I can to make that happen.”

Minnie and Calli were both looking at
her steadily. Then Calli stirred. “All right, then.” She pulled a
cellphone out of her pocket. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Minnie held out a garment toward Olivia
as Calli left the room. “She’s very good at getting things done.
Now, let’s get you ready.”

Less than an hour later, Minnie stood
back and studied Olivia from head to foot, as Calli came back into
the bedroom carrying a beautiful cascading bouquet of blue flowers,
which she held out to Olivia.

Olivia took them. “They’re beautiful.
Are they…wisteria?”

“Vistaria,” Calli told her. “The
national flower of Vistaria. I have no idea where Daniel found
them, but there you go. Now you’re a proper bride. You even have a
veil. Do you want anyone to walk you down the aisle, even
symbolically?”

Olivia shook her head. “No one. No men.
But…it would please me if you both came with me. Not behind me.
With me. I have a feeling we’re going to be working together a lot
from now on. It feels right that if anyone walks me down the aisle,
it be you two.”

Calli grinned.

“I like her,” Minnie declared. “Let’s
get her married before I steal the delicious Daniel for
myself.”

Calli rolled her eyes and stepped over
to the bedroom door. “She’s only got the sexiest full-blooded
Vistarian I’ve ever met as a husband. Ignore her. Minnie keeps
forgetting she’s a wife and a mother-to-be and reverting to her old
ways.”

“I’m happy,” Minnie protested and waved
Olivia toward the door. “So let me be happy.”

Me, too
, Olivia thought, as she
stepped out of the bedroom and walked down a flight of very old
stairs. She was wearing a floor length skirt in a cream color and a
silk top that floated around her waist. If she lifted her arms up,
her flesh was revealed. The veil was a small thing, clipped to her
hair, which was trailing loose around her shoulders and brushing
her waist. She had refused to let Minnie pin it up. It seemed even
more appropriate to her that she was barefoot, for no shoes in her
size were to be found.

Calli opened a set of glass doors and
both women, as requested, stepped up alongside her. Beyond the door
was a room that was much newer than the rest of the house. It
smelled faintly of fresh paint. There was no furniture in the room
at all, but four people stood waiting, all of them men. The priest
was in the middle of the floor, watching her approach. Off to one
side stood two men. One was tall, a typical Vistarian in coloring
and good looks, wearing a dark green uniform with four stripes on
the sleeve. That would be Duardo. Next to him was an equally tall
man with red hair who Olivia recognized from TV clips and news
items. Nick Escobedo, the heir apparent to the country…if the
Loyalists won.