6. Chapter 6 #2
“No, the cabin’s not in my name. It was owned by my maternal grandfather and the deed’s in his name.
There wouldn’t be a paper trail because the electric and gas receipts are in my sister’s married name.
I made it so no one can find the place. In this business, you want a safe place.
There’s always a possibility someone’s out for revenge.
I may be paranoid, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Lara, stay vigilant. Someone’s on our scent and I don’t like it. ”
Lara took a sip of coffee. “I’m on it,” she said. “And who knows, I just might be able to pinpoint our informant. Every hacker thinks they’re the best—including me.” She gave a sly grin and the mood lightened just a bit.
“Breakfast is ready,” Isla said as she opened the fridge to get the syrup and the butter. “Anyone want juice?”
Lara jumped up from the table. “I’ll get it, Molly. You’ve done enough. You don’t need to do everything on your own.” Isla didn’t want to tell them that it had always been that way. She did everything on her own—it’s just how things were.
Instead, Isla pulled the platters out of the oven and set them on the kitchen island. “I don’t mind, really. Now eat!” The agents stood and filled their plates.
In between mouthfuls, Colt said, “I’m taking the ATV out and checking out the perimeter. One of the cameras needs adjusting on the south side of the property and I want to make sure we haven’t had any more visitors we weren’t aware of.”
“Thanks, Colt,” Mitch said. “I’m going to work out at the gym. I’ll check out things there. Molly, would you like to come? Curt has everything a first-class gym has and then some.”
“I’d like to,” she said. “I was going to the gym three times a week before this whole debacle. I could destress a little, that’s for sure.”
“Will ten minutes be enough time to get ready?” Mitch asked.
Lara stood up. “Molly, I’ll clean breakfast. You go.”
Isla smiled. “Thanks, Lara. Give me five, Mitch.” She ran upstairs to change.
Isla walked out onto the deck in a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt. Maybe a workout was what she needed to get the cloud of doom surrounding her head out of her mind. Her body was wound so tight right now she felt like she was ready to break.
Mitch stood studying the landscape. He turned and smiled that lazy smile Isla was becoming addicted too.
“Let’s go then,” he said, then turned and walked down the stairs.
“It’s this way, on the other side of these trees.
Wait till you see this place. It’s better than any gym I’ve ever seen, even when I was in the Navy or training for the Agency.
When I’m here on vacation, Curt lets me use the facility. You’re going to enjoy this.”
“So, you were in the Navy?” Isla asked. “Were you a SEAL, like Curt?”
“Yeah, that’s where we became friends,” Mitch answered.
“I knew him before, but he was younger than me by five years. I hung out with his brother, Kane, growing up. When he joined the Navy, I took him under my wing as a favor to Kane. We got really close, especially when he became a SEAL. We worked on the same team till I retired.”
“Why’d you retire?”
“On my last assignment, I got shot for the third time in my career and survived. Thank God it wasn’t life-threatening.
I thought I was pressing my luck, so I retired.
Then after a year of feeling sorry for myself and not knowing where I was going with my life, I got a call from a buddy who I’d worked with in the beginning of my career.
He encouraged me to join the Agency, so here I am.
Growing up, being a special agent was cool—I wanted to be like James Bond. ”
“I’m glad you did. I feel safe with you,” Isla said shyly.
“Molly, I won’t let anything happen to you. I give you my word. I’d rather die than let that bastard get to you.” The last sentence came out in a growl that surprised Isla.
“Thanks, Mitch, but I don’t want anyone getting hurt or killed because of me. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you or anyone else. Just…promise me you’ll be careful.”
They stood in front of a large, rectangular building made entirely of logs. Mitch turned to her. “We’ll be careful, Molly. We won’t take any unnecessary chances. Our main concern is your safety. Let us do our job. Okay?” He threw his arms wide. “Here we are. What do you think?”
Isla smiled. It was impressive. “Is everything made of log around here? This is huge!”
“It’s got a lap pool in it,” said Mitch. “Come on, let’s go inside.” He unlocked the doors and they walked in.
The ceilings soared to over twenty feet in the center.
A lap pool sat to the left surrounded by a glass wall.
Ropes hung from the ceiling along with a rock wall.
Huge curtains of netting you’d see on a ship went straight up walls for an extra climbing challenge.
To the right, exercise machines stood like silent sentries in the darkness of the room.
“I’ll show you around.” Mitch walked to the light switches, and the lights popped on one at a time in each section.
“Curt’s family comes from old money. They own one of the most respected law firms in the world.
Curt didn’t want to be a lawyer. He’s not one to sit behind a desk.
So he’s opening a security company and training facility.
He’ll cater to specialized training for specialized services for national agencies and other security companies.
He plans on opening as soon as this mission he’s on right now is completed and his retirement is approved.
The guys you met the other day are his team of instructors.
They’re the best of the best. Every one of them have relocated here with their families to work for Curt.
Curt handpicked each one of them for their special talents. ”
“Have you ever thought about joining his team?” Isla asked. “I mean, it’d keep you in one place more often.”
“I’ve thought about it,” Mitch said. “You never know, I might someday when this job starts getting old. Now, should we get started?”
Mitch and Isla headed toward the treadmills and other equipment. She stepped onto the treadmill while Mitch hopped onto the elliptical. Isla and Mitch worked out together comfortably, teasing banter passing between them. But neither of them mentioned the kiss.
Ninety minutes later, they headed back to the house. Isla wanted to take a quick shower and get started on lunch. They’d climbed the stairs to the back door when Isla turned and said, “Thank you…I really needed that. I had so much pent-up energy, I thought I was going to burst.”
Mitch smiled her way. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Same time tomorrow?”
At last, Isla had something to look forward to.