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She took a French fry. “This is going to be the hard part, isn’t it?”
“You mean the rest of this wasn’t hard?” he asked, trying to joke with her but she didn’t even crack a smile. He sighed. “Yes, this is going to be the hard part. I’ve been trying to come up with some other way, but unless you want to involve other people, we’ve got no choice.”
“No. No other people. I feel bad enough about Gunther, Lena and…you.” She met his gaze. “If these guys are the killers you think they are, I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to anyone because of my…situation.”
“I know. We’re going to do everything we can to keep everyone else safe. And for the record, you didn’t involve me in this. Simon did. But that fucker wanted me dead, so you can’t take that on. You are as much a victim as I am in all this. So, we’ll stick together and stick to the plan. Hopefully, luck will stay on our side.”
He tossed a French fry into his mouth and then grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. He didn’t tell her, but he was worried. They’d been extremely lucky so far. At some point their luck had to run out. The odds were not in their favor.
* * *
Xavier gotup from the couch and adjusted the blanket on Allegra. She was still fast asleep. Then he walked over to the kitchen area and looked out the window. It was after midnight. He jammed his hands in his pockets. Surely they had the road cleared by now. The faster they got on the road, the more likely they could get through without being seen.
He stared into the darkness. The churn in his gut told him that time was running out. Maybe it was the negative thought patterns that had started since the helicopter crash, but he didn’t think so. Jamie used to kid him about his hunches but more often than not, they’d proved to be right. Except the day of the crash. Not one inkling of what was to come. Not one. He swallowed.
Growing up he’d been an only child. He loved his parents and they were amazing in so many ways. They let him do almost anything he wanted. Hell, they’d let him get his pilot’s license at sixteen and then they’d let him fly all over the ranch whenever he wanted. He’d had an idyllic childhood. But the one thing he’d never had was a brother. Jamie had filled that void. He hadn’t known that he was missing anything until he’d joined the Rangers and met the man.
They had been inseparable. The other guys on the team used to tease them about being attached at the hip, and one even suggested they were more than friends. Xavier had gotten angry but Jamie just smiled and said they were born to be brothers, probably a past life thing and let it go. He was the easygoing one. Losing him was beyond devastating. Xavier had lost part of himself. He was still trying to figure out how to forgive himself for not being able to save Jamie and worse…for surviving when his best friend hadn’t.
Allegra made a sound in her sleep. He turned and studied her for a second. She seemed to settle again. She’d been a hell of a surprise. He hadn’t been prepared for her at all. His protective instincts were on overdrive all the time when it came to her. Her touch had reawakened something in him. The desire to live, not just survive. She was lessening his guilt and breathing life back into him. He needed that so much more than he’d realized.
A flash of light put him on alert. Headlights bounced off the house and then came down the driveway. John Luca was finally here, or so he hoped. He’d have felt a lot better about things if he had a gun but he’d make do. Pulling on his jacket, he quickly got situated and grabbed a small knife, tucking it up his sleeve. Then he quietly slid out the door and went over to the truck. It was dark, the moon only a sliver, but Xavier stuck to the shadows.
The man in the driver’s seat slid out and then reached back in and pulled on his parka. He closed the door and moved to stand beside the tire. He flicked on a flashlight but the beam was low. He turned it upward and shook it. The beam illuminated his face. He was older, with gray hair and a lined face. Not one of the gunmen.
“John Luca?” Xavier asked from the shadows.
The man swore and whirled the flashlight around until he found Xavier. “You scared me. You are the friend Gunther told me of?”
Xavier came forward, hand extended. “Yes, Xavier. Nice to meet you.”
John Luca shook his hand and then stepped back. “The truck is ready. I put diesel in. You can leave it in Bern at the Bellevue Palace Hotel. Tell the concierge there where you parked it, and I will come get it.”
“The road is open?”
“Ya, but is very slippery. Are you…” his voice faded as he searched for the right words. “Sorry. My English is not so good.”
Xavier smiled. “Your English is much better than my German will ever be. If you’re wondering if I can drive in snow, the answer is yes. I grew up on a ranch in Colorado. Spent lots of time driving in the mountains.”
“Good. Good.” He handed Xavier the keys.
“Can I drop you somewhere?” he offered.
John Luca shook his head. “I live just down the street. You need to pay me now though and for the guest house.”
“Of course.” Xavier produced his credit card and the older man pulled out his phone.
“Technology is amazing,ya?” John Luca said.
Once they’d finished, Xavier extended his hand once more. “I can’t thank you enough. If you could just keep this all to yourself…” He needed the man to stay quiet about their use of his truck.
“Ya, good. I will not say a word. Gunther explained. Good luck.” With that, the older man turned and disappeared down the driveway.
Xavier slipped back into the house and went upstairs throwing everything into the shopping bags they’d gotten from Lena. He woke Allegra and ten minutes later they got in the old truck.
“You ready?” he asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” she responded and buckled her seat belt.
