28. Chapter 28
Chapter twenty-eight
Day 11 Denali, Alaska
“Everything’s so pretty!” Demi stared out the window, soaking in the thick flock of snow weighing down the tree branches along the road. “You really do live in a winter wonderland.”
“I remind myself of that every December and January when the sun refuses to rise until 10:30 a.m. and then disappears again at 3:00 p.m.” Kait leaned forward in the driver's seat, staring intently at the snow packed road before them. “Or when I’m stuck at home for days on end because of an endless round of blizzards.”
“Like the storm that rolled in the day after I arrived.” Demi’s voice sounded sleepy to her own ears. The tall, thick snow berm that streamed past the car was hypnotizing. Did Alaskans imagine snow berms rather than sheep when they had trouble sleeping?
“Yeah. That’s why I rushed you into town so early the next morning, before the storm was due to hit. You needed clothes ASAP. Sure, you could have borrowed jeans and sweaters from me—but secondhand underwear and bras?” Kait shuddered, and then shot her a chiding glance. “And if you thank me again for funding that shopping expedition, I swear I’m gonna smack you.”
Demi made a zipping motion across her lips, even though she still felt uncomfortable with Kait paying for everything. As in everything .
The biggest challenge that accompanied running for your life—other than having no luggage, thus no change of clothes—was not being able to use debit or credit cards. Electronic transactions were easy to track. To avoid detection, she had to use cash. Which she couldn’t get without using her debit card.
Enter her best friend, who’d stepped in to cover all of Demi’s expenses.
“Just so you know,” Demi said. “I’m keeping track of every single penny you spend on me, and I will pay you back once I can access my bank accounts again.” She caught the frown pulling at Kait’s face and hurriedly added. “But that’s not me saying thank you or anything like that.”
“Right.” Kait rolled her eyes.
When they reached a fork in the road, they kept to the left.
Demi twisted to look behind her. “Isn’t that other fork the one we took when we went to Talkeetna the other day?”
As soon as Demi had awakened this morning, Kait had insisted on taking her out for breakfast, so she’d expected another trip to Talkeetna. Which, apparently, was the closest city.
“Yes. But we’re not headed to Talkeetna. The best breakfast in the universe is served at The Neighborhood’s Breakfast Bar.” She sent Demi a conspiratorial grin.
Kait had mentioned The Neighborhood several times, but Demi had assumed she was referring to the people and houses surrounding her and Cosky’s home.
“We’re almost there.” Kait’s voice vibrated with anticipation. “It’s around this next bend.”
Demi faced front again. Her chauffeur took the curve, straightened the Expedition out and rolled into an adorable, picture-perfect little village. The place was tiny, encompassing barely a block’s worth of buildings, all of which were made from whole logs. Some shops were bigger—like the grocery-hardware store at the end of the block and some smaller—like the bakery and bookstore. But they were all log cabins. They all had steep, A-frame roofs topped in a fluffy white cap of snow, and they all sported garish, blinking lights proclaiming the name of the establishment in exuberant flashing letters.
The blinking neon signs should have been ugly and out-of-place amid the village’s rustic charm. Yet they weren’t. Instead, they added an avant-garde kind of winkity-wink charm. Like the garish signs were a local joke, and everyone was having a good laugh at them.
The entire block looked adorable, like something pulled straight from a fairy tale.
“I wish you could see your face!” Kait crowed. “I knew you’d love it.”
They parked in front of The Breakfast Bar, which matched the log cabin theme. But with an extra twist of charm thanks to the painted windows that traveled the length of the building. Each window featured wilderness themes of mountains, rivers, and forests, along with the animals that called Alaska home. Demi recognized the impressionist touch of the landscapes along with the whimsical flair of the wildlife. But the random bursts of color were an artistic signature too.
“When did you find time to paint the windows?” Still staring at the colorful glass panes, Demi unbuckled her seatbelt. New images kept jumping out at her the longer she looked. Like the lynx lurking within the boughs of a spruce tree in the bottom corner of the first window, or the owl tucked behind a cluster of pinecones.
“It was a long, slow process. I had to fit the painting around my commissioned pieces, or when a project just wasn’t gelling, and I needed to rethink the design.” Kait pushed open the driver’s door and inhaled deeply. “My God, I never get tired of that smell.”
Demi could smell it, too, now that the door was open. She took a deep breath and groaned at the yeasty, buttery scents. Drool pooled in her mouth. “That’s got to be fresh bread. No wonder you’ve labeled this place as the best breakfast spot in the universe.”
Kait slid out of the SUV on a laugh. “That heavenly scent isn’t coming from Olivia’s kitchen. It’s coming from Mary’s.” She tilted her head toward the cabin to their left with its neon sign blinking BAKERY. “We’ll stop there after we’ve eaten. If we go now, we’ll be too stuffed for breakfast.”
Demi followed her out of the SUV. They gingerly stepped up onto a plank sidewalk that had been scraped of snow and sprinkled with rock salt. The boards were surprisingly sturdy beneath her feet, with a light coat of grit. No slipping at all.
A bell pealed as they pushed open the solid wood door to The Breakfast Bar and stepped inside.
“I can’t believe you all named this cute little town The Neighborhood,” Demi said after they slid into a rustic-looking booth at the back of the restaurant. “That name has such an ominous vibe. Like The Stepford Wives or Get Out .”
With a rueful shake of her head, Kait turned her coffee cup over. “I wouldn’t say we named it, unless the naming came about because of indecision and apathy.” She shrugged. “Nobody could agree what to call our little slice of heaven. And while everyone was arguing, the shops started naming themselves. The Neighborhood this—or The Neighborhood that. By the time the fourth or fifth shop went in, The Neighborhood just stuck.”
Kait straightened, smiling as a tall, Native American woman with long black hair, two menus, and a coffee pot approached their table. “Demi, this is Olivia Holden, the best cook in the known universe. Olivia, this is Demi Barnes. She’s my best friend and visiting from California.”
Surprise widened Olivia’s mahogany brown eyes.
After a hesitation and an apologetic look across the table at Demi, Kait continued. “Demi’s been dating my brother. Aiden’s recent trouble found its way to her door, so he flew down to Coronado and brought her up here. Wolf approved her to stay until the danger passes.”
“Ah, I see.” Their hostess’s face cleared. “It’s nice to meet you, Demi. Whatever trouble Kait’s brother brought to your door won’t find you up here. You can count on that.” The smile that lit Olivia’s face turned her from beautiful to stunning. She placed a thick, one-page paper menu in front of each of them and filled the ceramic cups with coffee. “Holler when you’re ready to order.”
“Why was she so surprised to hear I was visiting?” Demi waited until their hostess had disappeared through the swinging door that led into the kitchen.
Kait toyed with her spoon, her face lined with conflict, as if she didn’t know what to say. She finally blew out a breath and raised her eyes, holding Demi’s gaze. “Remember how I told you Wolf was extra cautious about the security around Shadow Mountain, and by extension, The Neighborhood?”
Demi nodded. She would have described the precautions Wolf took as paranoidly anal, but what did she know?
“Well, there are reasons behind his caution.” Kait stirred cream and sugar into her coffee cup and set her spoon down. “Shadow Mountain and its warriors have been involved in dozens of global conflicts, few of which most people have even heard about. Like the situation Marcus and his teammates found themselves in three years ago. If the NRO had gotten their way, a good chunk of the world would have died. Shadow Mountain, along with the clones, stopped the massacre from happening.”
“What’s the NRO?” Demi lifted her cup, the ceramic warmth sinking into her palms, and took a small sip. The coffee was surprisingly smooth and flavorful for restaurant fare.
“They don’t exist anymore, but back then, they called themselves the New Ruling Order.” Kait grimaced. “In reality, they were just a bunch of one percenters who wanted to rule the world. The clones, along with Wolf and his warriors, neutralized them.”
Demi could almost hear Cosky’s tone and inflection in the word neutralized.
Kait picked her cup up and sighed. “The point is, Shadow Mountain has made some nasty enemies in the past. Chances are they’ll make even more in the future. Wolf’s men fight the kind of people who’d kill everyone on base and in The Neighborhood without a second thought. Wolf’s precautions are in place to keep his people safe. The only visitors allowed are close family members of Shadow Mountain personnel. Wolf and his team vet everyone. Nobody can access the base or The Neighborhood without authorization.”
Demi took another sip of coffee as she studied Kait’s shadowed face. What a strange and secretive world her friend had fallen into. Kait had told her about the force-field that supposedly encapsulated the entire community and prevented unauthorized visitors from entering. It sounded farfetched. But the concept certainly fit with the extreme security measures Wolf appeared to have implemented.
Olivia returned to the table, so Demi put her questions on hold. On Kait’s recommendation, she ordered the seafood omelet. Once Olivia had refilled their coffee cups and disappeared back into the kitchen, Demi launched her next question.
“Does everyone who lives in The Neighborhood have family on base?” She’d only seen the air hangar when she’d arrived, but Kait said over a thousand people worked there.
“Yes. Well, both base employees and their families. Or those with significant others, like Olivia.” She nodded toward the kitchen. “She’s Samuel’s fiancée. Samuel is Wolf’s second in command. Olivia is part of The Neighborhood’s book brigade—where we discuss romance novels and drink loads of wine. I think you’ll love her as much as the rest of us do.”
A twinge of jealousy shot through Demi upon hearing the affection in Kait’s voice. Kait’s circle of close friends had obviously widened after moving to Denali, while her own had dwindled to zero. At least locally.
Still, the book brigade club sounded like a blast. She’d happily join in while she was here. An evening spent discussing favorite books while drinking gallons of wine? Not much could beat that.
“Anyway,” Kait cleared her throat. “Everyone who lives here is connected to someone working at the base. Even the shopkeepers. When the stores first went in, I didn’t think they could survive. But they’re doing okay. Shadow Mountain supplements them, and we all shop locally. The owners will never get rich, but they don’t seem to care. I think they just want something to keep them busy. Olivia, for example, is only open for breakfast—and even then, only on weekdays, while Samuel is at base. She takes evenings and weekends off. Her schedule is perfect for me. You know how much I hate cooking. And Marcus leaves for the base so stinking early, I barely get to kiss him goodbye, let alone cook breakfast for him.”
“Still not a morning person, I see.” Demi’s lips twitched at the disgust in Kait’s voice. It was nice to see that some things hadn’t changed. “And you’ve told me dozens of times that Cosky took over all the cooking since you kept getting distracted by a new idea and leaving for your workshop while the oven or burner was on.”
Kait tried to look offended but collapsed into giggles. “Marcus forbids me from cooking if I’m by myself. He says I’m dangerous in the kitchen.”
A man forbidding his wife to do anything would normally raise Demi’s hackles. But she didn’t want to lose her best friend to a home fire any more than Cosky did.
“Ah…he knows you well.” Demi sent her a teasing smile, but it slowly died. Aiden still didn’t know her routines. But then, they hadn’t spent enough time together to settle into habits.
“It must be nice having Cosky home nights, weekends, and holidays. But from what you said earlier about Shadow Mountain’s enemies, his job must still be dangerous.” Demi stopped to sniff. Some delicious scents were drifting out of the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled. “How do you handle that?”
Kait was silent, her gaze intense as it searched Demi’s face. “Things have been pretty quiet since they defeated the NRO. He’s been gone on training missions, mostly. But it looks like things are about to heat up again, if this weapon Aiden stumbled into gets loose in the world.” Her face pinched with anxiety, only to smooth again.
Demi shifted uneasily in her chair. If the weapon used on Aiden’s team was behind things heating up, then Aiden would be in danger too. He’d go after the people who’d killed his teammates.
“But won’t you be scared for Cosky while he’s off fighting this weapon?”
She’d be a nervous wreck when Aiden went after it.
“Of course, but I’ll do what I did with Dad and Aiden. I’ll keep busy, distract myself with work. It helps that I trust Marcus to do everything possible to stay safe and return to me. He’s well-trained. He’s smart. And he has dozens of well-trained, smart men surrounding him. He won’t be alone out there. And I won’t be alone back here, either. It helps to have Faith, Beth, Amy, Olivia and Mary around. When the guys are gone, we’ll band together, form our own little posse.”
“It would be nice to have a posse.” Demi’s voice turned wistful.
“You know…” Kait’s voice was careful, her face cautious. “Marcus says Aiden can’t go back to the SEALs. He lost trust in the command structure. He suspects they’re behind what happened in Karaveht.” She searched Demi’s face, then leaned across the table, reaching for her hand. “Maybe you should wait to break things off with him. If Marcus is right, those long deployments might be in Aiden’s past.”
Demi thought about that, only to shake her head. “He’ll just move on to another career, one just as dangerous. I think he thrives on the adrenaline.” She shook her head again. “Besides, I’m not as brave as you and the other women in your posse. Waiting at home for news would kill me. The stress. The fear. I couldn’t do it. I don’t want to do it.”
Kait accepted her answer with a small sigh. “Well, it was just a thought. I keep hoping he’ll join Shadow Mountain. If he did, he’d be home most nights and weekends after this new danger has passed. And if you two stayed together, we could be neighbors again. Only this time, forever.”
Demi’s smile was wobbly. That sounded wonderful, and completely unrealistic. According to Kait, Aiden had known about the Shadow Mountain base for years. Yet he’d shown no interest in joining his brother’s team. She doubted that would change anytime soon.
And even if it did, she hated the thought of him going off to war. Shadow Mountain might not be SEALs, but according to Kait, the men who manned it were still soldiers. They had enemies. They left their homes to fight evil. And evil fought back. Every time they left base, there was a chance someone’s husband or father or fiancé wouldn’t make it back home.
She refused to spend the rest of her life agonizing over Aiden. Whether he was alive. Whether he was dead. Whether he’d been one of the many sacrificed to keep evil in check.