Page 52 of Unintended Love

“Some of the Ladies are going out tomorrow night,” Ashlin mentioned then corrected herself, “make that tonight. Do you want to get invited?”

“I should be rested by then.” A slow smile slid over Van’s face. “I can sleep all day Sunday since we aren’t flying until after dark. Sure. Just let me know when to be ready to roll.”

“Ashlin and I have other plans.” Clint’s blue eyes looked nearly black in the darkness of the SUV. “It’s my wife’s birthday, and I have something very special planned since our Michelin-starred restaurant back in D.C. had to be canceled.”

“Ooh. What is it?” Ashlin couldn’t withhold the excitement in her voice. “Are we still going out to dinner?”

Clint’s grin looked almost evil. “Definitely. It will be a birthday to remember.”

They pulled off the interstate, and within a few blocks, the GPS directed them through the perfect grid of a middle-class neighborhood, where all the houses were the same white brick with a squat pyramid roof. Every fifth home was a repeat. On the next street, the homes were a mirrored version. The neighborhood seemed to go on for miles. Since the homes were built about ten years ago, their lawns and shrubbery were well established, but there wasn’t a tree in sight.

Van turned into the driveway of a smaller version of the cookie-cutter homes. “This is you two.” He handed Clint a small keychain with a garage door opener attached. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

Ashlin’s bags were easy to grab because they were on top, but Clint had to dig for a few minutes to retrieve both of his. He hit the garage door opener, and the lights inside came on as the door lifted. They waved goodbye as they practically dragged their bags into the house.

“I hope to hell the beds are made because I am just too damn exhausted to do anything but crash,” Ashlin informed him, standing in the kitchen. She didn’t know why she felt so tired. They had slept on and off all afternoon. Yes, it was between several wells of sex, but she felt like it was quality sleep. True, it wasn’t eight straight, but it was sleep.

“Which of these are your weapons?”

She pointed to a large black bag next to her boot. Out of habit, since they all looked exactly alike, she looked for the black embroidered tiger next to the zipper on top.

“Do you want this in the bedroom with you, or for tonight, can it live right here?”

“We usually leave them next to the door. We’ll probably go out through the garage, so this will be fine for tonight.” Her voice was so tired, it was barely audible.

Clint picked her up with one arm under her legs and the other around her back, and carried her to the master bedroom. He was lucky. He found it immediately and placed her on the bed. He unlaced her boots and pulled them off. She stood in her stocking feet and unzipped her flight suit, tossing it on a nearby chair. In nothing but her bra and panties, and socks, she crawled into the bed. “Can you please check the house?”

Clint returned to the kitchen to grab his gear and personal bags. He took them into the bedroom and laid them on the floor next to what in the last few days had become his side of the bed. More out of habit than Ashlin’s request, he walked through the house, checking every window lock and door. As with most safe houses, the drapes and curtains had already been closed. He stopped in the kitchen to see what they’d left them for breakfast. In the light of the refrigerator door, he grinned from ear to ear. These guys were good. They understood safe houses. The refrigerator was stocked with bacon, eggs, bread, sandwich meats, sliced cheeses, sodas, and even beer. There were three bottles of unopened wine on the door.

His phone vibrated with a new encrypted email. He grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs in the living room. Dell had confirmed that the latest version of their favorite brand of surveillance equipment had been delivered to Theodora’s house around five the previous evening. Everything he needed for installation tomorrow was already on-site, including drills with extra bits, hammers, nails, wire, and even an instruction booklet. Everything was itemized in the email.

Clint saw a text from Theodora, confirming that several boxes had arrived. She’d also answered his other questions, such as what time she woke up in the morning. He then decided it would be best if their entourage arrived about nine thirty. He sent a text to the entire team announcing that they needed to leave around eight thirty.

So Theodora wasn’t overwhelmed in the morning, he sent her a text to be delivered around eight o’clock, letting her know how many people would be descending on her home.

He glanced at a few other emails and decided they could wait until the morning, or maybe the afternoon. His eyes were starting to droop.

He staggered to the bedroom and stripped to his boxers. He didn’t realize how tired he was until he crawled into bed and spooned his wife. He snuggled into her neck and inhaled deeply. The sweet-spice scent of her shampoo and body wash mixed with something that was uniquely Ashlin relaxed every muscle in his body. She was in bed with him. Safe. Not thousands of miles away on a mission. He could relax and go to sleep.

The smell of bacon frying tickled his sleeping brain. With his eyes still closed, he reached across the sheets, intending on to pull her close to him. He wanted to put a smile on her face before they got up.

But she wasn’t there.

He slid out of bed and wandered into the kitchen. The sight of Ashlin cooking, with several pans on the stove in their home, albeit temporary, was burned into his brain. He wanted this forever.

“You’d better get dressed,” she warned. “The car will be here in fifteen minutes.”

Only then did he notice that she was fully dressed in jeans and a light green blouse that softly hugged her breasts.

“Breakfast will be ready in five minutes.” She turned and gave him a peck on the cheek. “The clock is ticking.”

Like most men, Clint could get dressed in less than a minute. Two minutes, including boots. They had just enough time to eat in the breakfast nook, rinse the dishes, and put them in the dishwasher before Boomer and Coyote pulled into the driveway.

An hour later, the three men and Ashlin pulled into Theodora’s driveway, followed by the Ladies of Black Swan Team 2.

Theodora was on the porch before the team was out of the vehicles. “Clint, you really didn’t have to come all the way here to do this. I could have hired someone.”

He shook his head. “If you want a job done right, you do it yourself.” He looked around at his mostly new teammates. “With a little help from your friends.” The whole group walked up the sidewalk to the small porch.