Jeb

Chapter 19

“Are you about finished?” Jeb hovered over the top of Skylar as she sat at the bank of computers, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

“Yes, but I’ll do better if you get off my back! Give me ten more minutes.”

He grumbled but stepped back. She was still in her flannel pajamas, but he’d brought up her thick socks, not wanting her feet to get cold. When he’d kneeled to slide them onto her feet, she’d looked down at him with a surprised expression and smiled. She reached over to cup his face as she uttered her thanks.

He turned away to answer his phone, seeing it was Carson. “We’ll be done in about fifteen minutes. Ten to finish coding and five for her to get dressed.” As soon as the words left his lips, he realized how they sounded. Not one to get flustered, he stumbled as he quickly added, “Um… she’s in pajamas…” Closing his eyes, he was grateful his boss didn’t get flustered.

Carson said, “New plan. Several boats are hovering on the south end. May be comrades of the two you subdued. Need to get you out some other way.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Natalie and Abbie have been watching the satellites. Hop is in Seattle, ready to fly to you. Bennett and Dolby are with him.”

“I’m almost finished downloading the program,” Skylar called out.

“Get that finished, get changed, and be ready to leave at any moment.” Turning his attention back to Carson, he said, “What’s the new plan?”

“By land. You’ll go northeast. You’ll come to a beach on the island”s east side in about three miles. There, we can pick you up.”

“And the boats hovering around?”

“Natalie reports some of them are foreign fishing boats which shouldn’t be this close to the mainland. Maybe they are pushing their luck, or maybe they are suspect. We’ll stay on top of everything.”

“Right. I’ll contact you as soon as we leave.” Disconnecting, he turned to shout up the stairway again when her socked feet popped into view, quickly followed by the rest of her as she dashed down the steps.

“I’m ready,” she said as she rushed into the living level. “At least as ready as I’ll ever be. I’ve used artificial intelligence to set up the system to act like I’m here.” She continued to talk even as she jerked her pajama top off.

Jeb’s gaze shot to her naked breasts, and he had difficulty focusing on all the words coming out of her mouth.

She shoved the top into a small bag. Pulling on a bra and then a long-sleeved T-shirt and sweater, she continued. “Each computer is set to respond to basic demands or prompts. My phone will alert me to anything requiring more coding, which I can do remotely. The other programs will continue to run as though I’m here.”

She shoved her pajama bottoms off, stuffed them into the bag, and pulled on her jeans. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she jammed her socked feet into shoes and tied them while still rattling off what she had set up on the computers.

Bolting off the bed, she raced into the bathroom and closed the door. A minute later, the door opened, and she kept talking about her computer programming while she brushed her hair and braided it into a long tail down her back.

Stepping out, she looked up at him and finally stopped talking, focusing now on his face. Chuckling, he stepped closer. “I wondered when you might come up for air.”

She blinked, then grinned. “Sorry. I don’t usually chatter nonstop. I guess I’m just trying to reassure you that I got the programs coded correctly.”

Stepping closer, he leaned down and nuzzled her nose before kissing her. “It’s all good, Skylar. I know you got it taken care of.”

She pressed her lips together when he stepped back and nodded. “So… what do I need to do now?”

“Grab the rest of your things and your coat. We’ll be hiking for a bit.”

She thrust her arms into her coat. “We’re not taking the boat the two men came in?”

“The area is compromised. Some others are around, and we’re unsure if they’re just fishermen or interested in what’s happening here.”

“Shit,” she mumbled as she zipped her coat. “I wish I’d known I was going to be here for so long. I would have brought a heavier coat.” Looking at him, she gasped. “You don’t even have a heavy coat.”

He stared as though seeing what she was putting on had just struck him. “Don’t worry about me, but why don’t you put on another sweater before putting your coat on.”

She looked as though she might argue, then shrugged off her coat, grabbed another sweater, and pulled it over her other shirts. “I take it that you think we’re going to be outside for a while?“

“According to my boss, we have about three miles to get to a beach where we can be picked up.”

“Three miles?” She blinked, trying to think of the last time she’d walked very far. Coming up blank, she offered a nose-crinkled wince. “Oh, I hope we’re not going to have to run. I do a little yoga, but that’s about it. I’m not very athletic.”

He lifted his knuckle under her chin until he held her gaze. “You’re perfect the way you are, Skylar. Although, I’d like to see you eat healthier because I think some of the supplies they gave you were shit. But don’t worry about today. You weigh about what one of my rucksacks did when I was training the SEALs. If necessary, I can carry you anywhere we need to go.”

Her lips curved, and she laughed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” She looked around, then turned her attention back to him. “I’m not sorry to leave this place, but does it sound weird to say that it’s strange? I’ve lived in this tiny building for months. Alone. Well, alone until you came.“

“It’s okay. I understand what you’re saying. I’ve had a few places that I served while in the military, and even if I was only there for a few weeks or a few months, a part of me knew that I’d always remember it.“

“It’s like wherever you lived, you leave a little part of yourself there.”

“And maybe you take a little part of it with you when you leave,” he said.

“I like that idea better.” With a last look around, she looked up and said, “Okay, I’m ready.”

They slung their small bags onto their backs and slipped out the front door. He radioed LSIWC to let them know they were leaving and to get updated directions. Carson confirmed that the boats near the southern tip were still suspicious even though no one had tried to dock along the rocky coast.

Twisting around to look down at Skylar, he ordered, “Stay right with me and let me know if you have any problems. Don’t be afraid to tell me how you’re doing. We’ll start at a fast clip, but we can slow down when needed.”

She nodded and followed him as they started through the dense woods. There was no path, considering the entire island was uninhabited, except for the few small dwellings on the very most northern tip, but that was thirteen miles away.

Around them, the thick forests of Western Hemlock and majestic Western Redcedar towered, their branches interlocking in a canopy overhead. Below, the earth was blanketed with lush moss carpets covering the roots and fallen trees. The dense foliage diffused the morning light, casting a scattered pattern on the forest floor, making it difficult to traverse.

It didn’t take long for Skylar’s breathing to become labored, and her pace slowed. Jeb, sensing her struggle, adjusted his pace. Despite the absence of immediate danger, he didn’t want to take a chance on someone discovering that she was no longer at the lighthouse and start looking before they had a chance to get away.

Her voice, slightly breathless, broke the silence. “Jeb,” she called.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Her face was flush, and she begged, “I’m so sorry, but can we sit for a moment?”

“Absolutely,” he agreed, his eyes scanning the area. His attention snagged on a fallen tree, its trunk giving them a perfect seat. When they sat down, he reached into his pack and pulled out a canteen, passing it to her. “I filled it full of some of the filtered rainwater.”

“Thank you! You were so smart to think of this.” She took the canteen from him, then added, “I guess this is all second nature to you, isn’t it?”

He surveyed the thick forest teeming with birds and mammals, not to mention the sea life offshore. He’d traveled to many places as a SEAL and even as a Keeper, always loving the chase to discover a new place. Looking over at her, he replied, “The dedication to a mission or rescue is second nature. But as much as I love traveling to new places, I admit that seeing a place where so few humans have been is one of my favorites.”

“I did some research when I was first brought here,” she said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “There are ten mammals on these islands, and six of them are found nowhere else on earth!”

Brows lifted, he shook his head. “I had no idea.”

“I remember one is a kind of black bear.” Suddenly, eyes wide, she blurted, “Um… that’s one I hope we don’t meet!” She paused, biting her lip thoughtfully. “There are a couple of bats, a shrew, a type of otter, and a few others that I can’t remember. A particular caribou used to roam these islands, but they”re now extinct. That seems sad, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does. A friend of mine… a fellow Keeper, is dating a woman who’s a scientist who studies how global warming affects plants. I’m sure some of that affects the animals that are this far north.”

“That’s interesting! I’ve never met anyone in that line of academia.”

“You’ll get to meet her.”

She hesitated, then asked, “Will I?”

“Sure.” He twisted on the log to face her more fully. “You’ll get to meet all the Keepers and their wives and girlfriends.”

“Oh.” She pressed her lips together, rubbing them back and forth, now silent.

“Unless… well, I guess you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But… I just thought…” His voice trailed off, uncertain of her reaction.

“I just didn’t know if I’d see you again after all this.” Her voice was tinged with a vulnerability that hung heavily in the air between them. Her hand gestured vaguely as she finished. “You know… the rescue.”

He was silent for a moment, painfully conscious of the pressing need to continue moving to the rendezvous point. He yearned for a moment to talk about what they meant to each other. Even though they’d had sex, they were interrupted before having the opportunity to settle anything. Part of him feared she might not want more after their escape.

The timing was shit… something that had occurred to them many years ago. Clearing his throat, he reminded, “We’ll be working together as we figure out how to help the feds bring down the black-market tank parts scheme.”

Her cheeks flushed a light pink. “Oh, right. Yes, of course. I… um… yeah…” She turned up the canteen and took a healthy sip. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she handed the canteen back to him. “I hope I didn’t drink too much. I know we’ll need more later.”

He immediately felt a pang of regret. He’d just fucked up by not taking time to talk about their reconnection. Not just a reunion of old friends but a rekindling of long-buried emotions that had surged like a storm. His fingers lingered on hers as they passed the canteen, and the electricity between them only solidified his knowledge that what they had was real.

“I can go on now,” she announced, breaking into his inner turmoil.

There was so much he wanted—no, needed to say, but now was not the time. He stood and offered her a hand as she slipped off the large tree trunk seat. He loved the feel of her hand in his but needed to clear away some of the underbrush as they walked. Reluctantly letting go of her fingers, he forged ahead while using his watch as a compass and radio to his coworkers.

“If all goes as planned, we’ll get picked up from the beach. First, we have to make it past the cliffs.”

“Cliffs?” she repeated, her eyes reflecting a flicker of concern.

“No worries. We’ll bypass them. We should have a good view of the shoreline and maybe some seals—the wildlife variety.”

Her laughter filled the air. “So you weren’t the wild-life kind of SEAL?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “I was probably a tame SEAL compared to a few of my single team members. A few of them would shut down a bar and then go home with someone they’d met. Me? I was more likely to leave early, alone, and spend time reading a book.”

A gentle smile curved her lips. “I can see that,” she said softly.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. I know people can change, but what you described was much like the Jeb I knew growing up. It’s easy to see you being less… um… wild.”

Continuing onward, he checked his phone. With maps and satellite images sent to him, he looked over his shoulder again. “We don’t have much farther.”

The gratitude on Skylar’s face was palpable, and he slowed his steps, reaching his hand out toward her. She stared for just a few seconds and then slipped her hand against his palm. He closed his fingers around hers and filled with resolve. The first chance he could, they would continue their conversation about who they were now and what they meant to each other.

Turning to look ahead at the path now flooded with more light as the trees became sparse, they came to a grass-covered area that led to tall cliffs overlooking the ocean. The water crashed upon the rocks below.

“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “It’s beautiful and scary!”

“We’ll stay at the line of trees and not get too close to the edge of the cliffs.” He lifted his hand and pointed ahead. “Look, there are seals on the rocks.”

She gasped and leaned forward. “Oh, I wish I could take a picture!”

He pulled out his phone and snapped a few downward where the seals lounged in the morning sun on the rocks. Selfies weren’t his thing, but he wanted to capture this moment. Tugging on her hand, he held the phone in the other hand and snapped several pictures of them together with the ocean in the background. The smile on her face was worth the moment it took out of their journey. Skirting the cliffs again, he said, “You can see the beach where we’re heading.”

Skylar nodded and looked up at him. “It’s still a ways off, but I have this.”

He could have made the trip much quicker and easier if he had been alone. But he knew this was not easy for her. But he couldn”t be more proud of her hiking along the rough terrain, keeping a smile on her face.

“You’re right, Skylar. We’ve got this.”