“I can see why.” Nissa nodded and turned back to Tommy. “She was at fault. I had some time to poke around in Bogota while I waited for the transport arrangements for her body. She wasn’t even trying to be covert down there. She walked into clubs and asked to speak to her mark.”
“What the hell was she up to?” Tommy froze, and Evie could practically see his heart rate triple.
Nissa bit her lower lip. “I’m not one hundred percent sure, but Aaron told me that his friend who’s in Colombia helping him had planned a three-week trip to Costa Rica with some guys from his unit before they shipped out for Iraq. Aaron either invited himself along or Beau invited him; I’m not sure, but Aaron told Paula he was going, and they had a huge fight about it. The only time Aaron refuses to give in to her is when it concerns Beau.”
“Why is that?” Evie raised her eyebrow, curious about what it was about this guy that Aaron was more loyal to him than he was to his wife.
“Because Aaron was very unpopular all through elementary and most of high school,” Nissa explained. “He says his friendship with this guy saved his life. I don’t think Beau did anything besides be friends with him, and I don’t believe Aaron would ever have actually hurt himself; he’s just dramatic. And obviously, I don’t have Beau’s side of things, so I don’t have thewhole story.” She shrugged as Tommy got out of his chair and began to pace around the office.
“But, to get back to Paula, I think she was trying to teach Aaron a lesson. I don’t think she thought her mark would kill her. I think she thought she would be captured and ransomed. Then Aaron would come flying in to rescue her and not go to Costa Rica with Beau.”
“This is all speculation?” Tommy asked, agitation clear in his voice and every line of his body.
“Yes.” Nissa nodded as she stood up and stretched. “I never included any of that in the report, just that she was not adhering to the script and what witnesses told me.”
“Alright. This doesn’t go beyond this office. I’ll let Aaron read the report, and he can conclude from there.” Tommy shook his head. “Fuck.”
Chapter Fifty-Two: Ashes & Glass
All of June and most of July passed with only two very brief check-ins from Aaron. Tommy was growing concerned and was seriously considering sending Cole down to find him and his friend and pull them out. He had reached out to his contacts in the Colombian government to see if they could provide him with any intel on their last rumoured location, so Cole at least had a decent starting point, but had instructed him to begin planning to go to Bogotá and start there just in case.
Evie was in her office very early, ten days before Cole was supposed to fly out, working on a way to integrate a micro camera into a pair of glasses that would also connect to HELIX via satellite link. She was there early because she wanted to get the specifications to the tech department with as much information as possible so they would have a prototype ready and tested before Cole left, and because she was tired of arguing with Alex.
After weeks of him complaining about Evie making excuses so she wouldn’t have to go on their hiking date, she went to Tommy and asked for permission to tell Alex about Paula so he would drop it and leave her alone. Instead of being understanding, he turned it around, saying she could have just told him her uptick in work was because of a death, and then turned it on her again, saying she wasn’t communicating with him.
She tried to tell him that she was communicating. She had told him that work was extremely busy and that she hadabout twenty things she was trying to do at once. She told him that she was exhausted and emotional, that she wanted to do things in her limited downtime that made her happy because everything was so stressful and sad, and that hiking did not make her happy.
He’d stopped talking to her after that, which would typically have sent her into overdrive to fix things, but she was so annoyed with his response that she just walked out. She was dwelling on what his reaction would be later and didn’t even notice that someone was standing in her doorway watching her.
“This is why you’re the tech girl and not a field operative. No situational awareness at all.”
Evie’s head snapped up in shock as she recognized the voice, and she froze as she met Aaron’s blue eyes and sardonic smile. “Aaron?”
“In the flesh.” He came over and laid his jacket on the chair, still smiling at her. “No hug? I’ve been gone for close to two months.”
Evie got up, walked around the desk, and poked him in the arm. “Huh. Just wanted to be sure I wasn’t hallucinating.” She grinned in response to his raised eyebrow, then hugged him. He held on just a little too long, and she had to make a move to do the awkward breakaway. “How are you?”
“Good. I guess.” He shrugged and sat down. “Alive, and since I could access the contractor dorms last night and this floor this morning, I’m assuming I still have a job.”
Evie looked him over. He’d lost a little weight and looked like bugs had happily feasted on him, but otherwise, he looked perfectly fine and healthy. He was tanned, and his typically dark blonde hair had been sun-bleached to a light blonde.
“Tommy wasn’t going to fire you for what you did; he understood. He was worried, that’s all. We all were.” She hesitated, wondering if they’d actually gotten the guy or just given up because his friend had to come back for his deployment. “Did you…?”
He nodded, smiling faintly. “Yeah, we got him a week ago. It took us a while to get out of the jungle and to the nearest airport, that’s all.”
“Good.” Evie nodded and moved back to her chair. “When you’re ready, we can sit and discuss everything regarding Paula’s funeral.”
“Might as well get it over with unless you’re busy.” He stretched, eyeing her curiously. “You’re here awfully early.”
“I have a project I’m working on.” She gestured to her tablet, where the schematics were still displayed, and dug out the folder with the paperwork, handing it over with a pen. “Read through everything and sign wherever there’s a sticker.” She hesitated, wondering if it was the right time to ask. “We were wondering if you’d be okay with us doing a memorial wall with her picture.”
Aaron’s expression dropped, but he nodded as he opened the folder, avoiding her eyes. “Yeah, go ahead.”
“Are you sure?” She didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, since the wall they’d chosen was near the front entrance. “We wanted to honour her memory without it being too upsetting for you, assuming you plan to stay.”
“I’m sure. I would actually really appreciate it.” He flashed her a quick grin and then focused back on the folder. “And yes, I’m planning to stay. Sorry, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“Who said I wanted to get rid of you?” Evie rolled her eyes, picked up her tablet, and went back to her schematics. Same old Aaron. It was both comforting and annoying.
