Chapter 10
Owen stood in the doorway of the barn and watched Natalie on the porch as an old mail Jeep pulled up. A moment later, Callie joined Natalie.
The two stood side by side, while Gertrude, the mail lady who had delivered mail to their ranch for as long as he could remember, climbed out of the vehicle with a friendly smile.
Even from the distance, he heard Gertrude’s ‘hello.’ He smiled because the woman had a whisper that could be heard for miles. And she could happily talk your ear off if you let her.
Gert was showing her age. Her hair was all white now and styled in a perpetual perm—flattened in the back from where she’d slept the night before. Her width had spread, and she wasn’t as spry. But the smile never wavered.
Owen wondered how people lived like that. Did they never experience pain or heartache? They could get past things easier than him that was for sure. Or perhaps they buried it with their smiles.
He observed Gert holding out the mail. Natalie walked down the steps and accepted the bundle—a grin tilting her lips.
God, she was gorgeous.
“Did I ever tell you that you were an idiot?” Cullen asked as he came to stand beside Owen. “At least you’ll get some time alone with her.”
“Shut up.”
“Everyone wanted Natalie. I’m still not sure how your ugly ass caught her.”
Owen wasn’t either. He’d been so happy she accepted when he asked her out. That had turned into a second date, and before either of them knew it, they were only seeing each other.
Those had been the happiest months Owen had ever known. When he’d first left for the University of Texas, he often thought about what life would be like had he remained and married Natalie.
Would they have ended up like most high school sweethearts and gotten divorced? No. Not him and Nat. Even at that age, he’d known she was the other piece of him, his soul mate.
His mother had told him there was one person for everyone. She’d cautioned him to be patient and keep his heart open, because when it happened, he’d know it. And he had.
“If there’s nothing more between you and Nat, I’d like a shot at her,” Cullen said.
Owen sipped his coffee, never taking his gaze from Natalie. “Stop thinking about her. Right now, or I’ll cut your balls off.”
Cullen laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. “You had your chance. I’m going to take mine. She’s only three years older than me.”
He was getting ready to punch Cullen when Gertrude drove away. There was something about the way Natalie held the small box that alerted Owen.
Tossing down his mug, he started toward the house. He was halfway there when Natalie looked up at him. Her face was pale. Callie was talking to her, but Natalie didn’t look away from him. Finally, Callie took the package from her hands.
“Oh, shit,” Callie said.
Owen lengthened his strides and hurriedly reached the porch. He searched Natalie’s face before he turned to Callie. She held out the box for him.
He took it and looked at the label. Even without a return address, he knew that handwriting. Perfect lettering, precise spacing.
“It’s from Orrin,” Callie said.
Owen returned his gaze to Natalie. “How did you know it was from my dad?”
“I didn’t,” she said. “I noticed the postmark. It’s from Delaware.”
“You two better come with me.”
He returned to the barn with the girls trailing behind him. Cullen’s cocky smile was gone. His face was impassive as he looked at the box. There was no need for words. Cullen saw the handwriting and knew just as Owen had.
The four then descended into the base where Wyatt waited. Callie took the box and went to her work area where she examined it for any type of explosives.
They all seemed eager to open it up, but Owen wasn’t. As he looked for Natalie, he noticed her standing by the stairs. Her arms were wrapped around her, as if she couldn’t get warm. Then her green eyes met his. He wanted to go to her, pull her against him, and simply hold her.
Alone. With Natalie. For days, possibly weeks. The ideas that sprang to mind about what he’d like to do to her were many—and various. Then he remembered why she was there, and how close she’d come to death.
“Hmm,” Callie said, breaking into his thoughts.
He turned his attention to Callie. She held a small, wand-like tool and slowly ran it over the package while she looked at the computer screen and the image that popped up.
“That’s a vial,” Wyatt said as he peered close to the monitor.
Callie set the instrument down and grabbed a box cutter.
Wyatt’s hand on her arm stilled her. “What are you doing?”
Without looking at him, she shook off his hold. “This is from Orrin. There’s nothing inside that could harm us.”
“Except that vial,” Cullen pointed out.
Owen agreed with Callie. It was time to open the package. “Dad is many things, but he wouldn’t send a package to kill us.”
“No, he endangers us just by remaining alive,” Wyatt muttered.
Cullen immediately took offense. “That’s enough.”
“What are you going to do, kid?” Wyatt demanded as he spun around.
“Enough!” Owen bellowed as he got between the two of them, a hand on each of their chests. He looked at Cullen then at Wyatt. “Whatever Dad is, he isn’t the kind of man who would kill us.”
Wyatt raised a brow. “Really? He killed Mom.”
The next second, Cullen shoved Owen to get to Wyatt. He did his best to keep his brothers apart, but punches were landed. When he was hit the second time, Owen had had enough. He rammed his shoulder into Cullen and slammed him to the floor.
Owen turned, ready to do the same to Wyatt, only Callie beat him to it. She stood and swiped her leg, knocking Wyatt flat on his back.
“Damn, that felt good,” Callie said as she looked down at Wyatt with her boot on his throat.
Owen wished he could smile, but he was too pissed. “You two want to fight, then take it upstairs and out into the yard. Not here.”
Callie removed her foot. “We’re here to work. If you aren’t going to help, then get your ass out.”
Owen was surprised to see that during the commotion, Natalie had walked around them and opened the box. She had a letter in her hand that she held out to Owen.
He took it and opened it. There were just five words.
“What does it say?” Wyatt asked as he got to his feet.
Cullen straightened his shirt and walked over to him. “Read it, Owen.”
He crumbled the paper. “You know what to do.”
“Excuse me?” Cullen asked with a chuckle. “What’s that mean?”
Wyatt shook his head and looked away. “That vial is Ragnarok. Orrin sent the biochemical to us. He wants us to fix his mess.”
“No.” Every head turned to Callie. Her face was set in determined lines. “When was the last time any of you spoke to Orrin?”
There was a long stretch of silence. Then Cullen said, “It’s been two years since my last phone call with him.”
Callie turned to him, but Owen couldn’t meet her gaze. “It’s been around five for me.”
“I won’t even bother to ask Wyatt because I know,” Callie stated in a harsh voice. “It’s been ten years since he last bothered to even acknowledge he had a father.”
Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest. “So we don’t get along with our dad. What’s your point?”
“My point,” Callie said, looking straight at Wyatt, “is that none of you know him. You don’t know how he thinks or how he operates. You certainly don’t know what kind of operative he is. None of you have the right to think you know what his motives are.”
“Um . . . just to point out something,” Natalie said as she held the box.
Owen saw Nat with the box in one hand and the vial in the other. “What is it?”
Natalie handed the small bottle to Callie before she held up the box for them to see. “I noticed the postmark when I first saw the box. All any of you noticed was the writing. I think there’s only one person who actually saw who it was addressed to.”
Owen read the name. Then his gaze slid to Callie. “Why didn’t you just tell us this was sent to you?”
“I may think of him as my father, but he’s not. He’s yours.” Callie gently set the vial down. “The government obviously wanted you three here, so it was only right the contents belong to y’all.”
“But it doesn’t.” Wyatt took a long measuring look at the vial. “It belongs to you.”
It was the first time since Callie had arrived at the ranch that Wyatt spoke in what some might describe as a tender voice. There wasn’t a gentle bone in Wyatt’s body, so the fact that he took care with Callie said a lot.
Callie swallowed and looked away.
He ran a hand down his face. “Dad knew you’d be here, Callie. He recognized that you’d understand what to do.”
“Owen’s right,” Natalie said.
“What we need to identify is if Dad knew something was going wrong before he sent the vial,” Cullen said.
Natalie set the box down on the table. “That note could go either way. It could mean for Callie to hold it just in case, or it could mean that something did go wrong and she needs to take the next step.”
“Either way, Dad wanted her to hide it,” Owen said.
Wyatt’s lip lifted in a sneer. “Just like him putting others in danger.”
Owen shot him a warning look, as did Callie, but Wyatt saw none of it. He had the vial in his hand and was looking at it. The liquid was clear and innocent looking.
But something that two countries were willing to kill for meant something. They would only be able to hide Ragnarok for so long before time ran out for them, as well.
“Take us through the assignment,” Cullen told Callie.
She nodded and wrinkled her forehead as she thought back. “The job came across our coded messages, as they always do. I decoded it and gave it to Orrin.”
“When?” Owen asked.
Callie looked at the calendar on the wall behind her. “It was Sunday afternoon. I did some digging into this biochemical to see if it was real, but found nothing substantial. Meanwhile, Orrin assembled the team and did his own research.”
“Where was the team?” Wyatt asked.
“They live around the area,” Callie responded. “It was part of agreeing to work with Orrin. They had to remain close for just such time-sensitive missions.”
Cullen nodded. “Go on.”
“It was three days later when I brought what I learned to Orrin. That’s when I noticed something was wrong. He wouldn’t tell me what. The next day, he went to Dallas to have lunch with Natalie.”
“Was it normal for Dad to keep things from you?” Owen asked.
Callie shook her head, her eyes going to the closed door that was Orrin’s office for a heartbeat.
“He usually told me what was on his mind. When he returned from Dallas, he agreed to take the job. Two days later at dawn, a chopper arrived to take them to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita where a plane waited to fly them to Dover AFB in Delaware.”
Owen listened with interest. “And from Dover?”
“A private flight from an ex-Air Force pilot who took them to Moscow via a brief landing in Dublin for fuel,” Callie explained.
“Who’s the pilot?” Wyatt asked.
Callie gave him a hard look. “Someone Orrin considers family and trusts implicitly. I was in contact with Orrin when they left Moscow with the vial. He sent me a quick message to let me know they were back in Delaware. The return flight to Texas was going to be tight, so I waited until I knew they should’ve landed in Wichita before I called. ”
Callie cleared her throat and turned her head away. “When I couldn’t get Orrin or any of the team, I contacted Carter, the pilot, but my call went unanswered. I was about to call our contact in DC when my phone rang.”
“And?” Natalie asked when Callie paused.
Callie tucked her hair behind her ears. “Carter found the team executed in the hangar.”
“Where was Carter during all of this?” Cullen demanded, his arms crossed over his chest.
“There was a problem with the engine. Carter took the plane to the mechanics’ hangar to have them look at it. Carter notified Dover’s military police when the bodies were found. Everyone was accounted for on the team but Orrin. Based on the type of ammunition used, it was the Russians.”
“That, along with Orrin’s kidnapping, had the government sending for us,” Wyatt stated with a grimace.
Natalie then asked, “So, where does that leave us?”
“It means someone needs to talk to this Carter,” Owen said.
Cullen glanced at the vial. “I’ll go.”