Page 8

By six, they were well past Dallas and in Abilene.

“Are we stopping here?” she asked.

“I thought we might since it’s a bigger city, but there’s a huge rodeo and horse show happening, and all the hotels are taken. Sly has found a room for us at a smaller hotel in Sweetwater.”

“It sounds like a nice place,” she smiled.

“It’s not very big, but it has some decent small hotel chains. We’ll grab a room and get something to eat.”

After securing a room with two double beds, the last one available at the hotel, they showered off, changed their clothes, and headed out to find something to eat. It was Texas, so the options were steak, barbecue, ribs, or more steak.

It turned out that steak was what you should eat in Abilene, Texas. The cuts of meat were so large even Nash wasn’t sure he could eat the whole thing.

Finally full beyond what was surely healthy for them, they walked back down the road to their hotel.

“Hey, look at that,” said Jenna. “The WASP WWII Museum. They were women in the military, right?”

“They were,” he smiled. “Women’s Airforce Service Pilots.

They were incredibly brave women doing the jobs of men because there were none here to do it.

They were all serving overseas. They would test planes, flying them from one location to another and interacting in maneuvers to prove the planes were flight-worthy.

Or they would fly a group of planes across the country to be sent to the men serving in WWII. ”

“That’s amazing. How unbelievably brave they were,” she smiled.

“It looks like it’s closed, but maybe we could visit if we come back through this way,” he said hopefully.

“Yeah. Yeah, maybe,” she nodded sadly. “I mean, I’m not sure I’ll come back this way.”

“I didn’t mean to imply anything, Jenna. Just know that I’m always willing to be your tour guide.”

Jenna said nothing as they continued toward the hotel. Once inside the room, he allowed her to change into her nightclothes first and crawl into her bed. He locked the door, then lay a pistol beside her.

“If anyone knocks, you pick that up and come and get me.”

“But you’ll be in the shower,” she frowned.

“I don’t care, Jenna. If you need me, you open that door and barge in. I’ll be there before you know it. I don’t want you scared.”

“It’s funny,” she mused as he gathered his change of clothing, “I don’t think I’ve been scared much at all since you’ve been with me.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Nash showered as quickly as he could, happy to be clean of the road dust and in clean clothing. When he opened the door, it wasn’t a surprise to find Jenna sound asleep, the television flickering in the room.

He turned the television off, cut off the lights, and crawled between his own sheets. Quickly, he sent a text to the team in Louisiana to let them know everything was fine. He knew they were tracking him, but sending a text was always preferred.

“Antoine and Luc are down the road in another hotel but can be there in minutes if you need them. Don’t worry, Nash. We’ve got you both.”

He texted back a thank you, then lay on his side, facing the sleeping Jenna. He watched her for what felt like hours, not recalling when or how he closed his eyes.

Shocked to jerk awake the next morning, light filtering into the room, he wasn’t shocked to see Jenna still sound asleep. It was as if she were catching up on twenty years of sleep.

As quietly as possible, he gathered his things and changed his clothing in the bathroom. When he emerged, she was waiting patiently for her turn.

“You’re awake,” he smiled.

“Yes. I seem to be sleeping more than usual,” she frowned.

“I think that’s a good sign,” he laughed. “You’re relaxed, you’re healing, and you’re safe.”

“Maybe. Or maybe there’s something wrong with me,” she frowned.

“Hey,” he said, slowly moving toward her. He raised his hands, placing them gently on her shoulders. She didn’t flinch, didn’t move, and he took that as a great sign.

“You’re not sick. There’s nothing wrong with you. Trauma takes its toll on the body, Jenna. Give yourself some grace, and you’ll be just fine.”

“Thank you, Nash.”

With their things packed in the car once again, breakfast done, and the car filled with gas, they were on their way to Arizona. It was going to be another scorcher of a day.

The stretch of highway between Sweetwater and Arizona was long, straight, empty, and way too open for Nash’s liking. With Jenna asleep once again, he was able to tap into comms and communicate with Antoine and Luc.

“ There’s nothing out here, brother. We’re about four miles behind you, but there is nothing between us and you. You’re all good. Just get to Arizona, and we can all rest for a few days.”

“Nash, this is Code. I’ve been trying to get some background information on Jenna and her family to be sure we’re not missing any living relatives.”

“ Okay. And what did you find?”

“Brother, was her father’s last name the same as hers?”

“As far as I know,” he said with a puzzled expression.

“She never mentioned anything different. I understood his name to be John Brooks. I think her mother’s name was Mary.

The sisters’ names were Jeannie, Jillian, and Jari.

She didn’t say what happened to Jeannie, but Jillian was killed by a drunk driver, and Jari died of a stroke. ”

“I’m not finding that at all, Nash. Jeannie Brooks was found dead in the desert, stripped, and two bullets placed in her forehead.

Jillian was killed in a head-on collision with a tow truck.

The driver was never found. Jari didn’t die of a stroke.

She had a massive heart attack due to a chemical ingestion. It doesn’t say of what.”

“None of that makes any sense. She never told me how her parents died, just that they were long gone.”

“ That’s the other thing. I can’t find any trace of them, living or dead. I don’t find a marriage record or a death record.”

“Shit,” muttered Nash.

“Are you cool with me continuing, Nash?”

“Yeah. I’m cool with that.”