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CHAPTER 30
(November 17, one year ago)
"I just landed and I'm going to pick up my bag now. I'm in Terminal 3."
The bright-eyed, widely-smiling college student walked quickly down the concourse in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Her complexion suggested that she spent considerable time outdoors, but the parka she held over one arm stated otherwise. As she finished her call and shoved her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans, she flipped her hair to the other side of her head and ran a hand through the hair at her crown. Dark curls cascaded over one shoulder and across her back. She'd flown over two thousand miles that afternoon and her hair definitely showed it.When a car pulled up by the Terminal 3 exit doors, she was greeted enthusiastically by a middle-aged man wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cut-off jeans, and flip flops."What, no socks to complete the outfit?" she asked jokingly.Her father grinned at heRelated chapters
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 31
Ana POVA strange noise sounds in the kitchen. We both turn and stare at the satellite phone sitting on the kitchen counter. It's ringing. I've never heard the ringtone before. No one's ever called it. Ryan doesn't move, so I stand and pick it up. The number isn't one I recognize, though something seems vaguely familiar about it.I turn to look at Ryan, who hasn't moved an inch."It's for you," I say, holding it out to him.He hesitates before coming over to me, taking the phone, and answering it.I can't hear distinct words in the feminine voice on the other end, but clearly it's something or someone significant. Ryan's eyes flash with a burst of anger I've never seen in him before. The knuckles of his hand gripping the phone begin to turn white."Why are you calling me?" he says in a low, tight voice. He turns away from me, his shoulders
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 32
Six men trudged through the deserted streets of an abandoned Afghani village. A hot, dry desert wind blew intermittently, occasionally catching a tassel or an untucked corner of someone's shemagh and battering it about.This was just a routine reconnaissance mission. The bombed-out, deserted village had previously been occupied by the Taliban until an intense conflict had driven civilians from their homes and eventually left the town largely uninhabitable. No activity had been sighted here for months, but this small unit of soldiers had been deployed to examine the ghost town more thoroughly."Well, would you look at that, boys," said one of the soldiers who sported a cocky grin. "A whole lotta nothin'. Looks like the Chairborne Rangers have sent us on a fool's errand yet again.""Just because intelligence hasn't reported any activity out here, that doesn't mean there's nothing to find. Stay alert, Thompson.""Look around! There's NOTHING here."The soldier
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 33
RyanI watch the firelight flicker on Ana's face as she concentrates on the marshmallow at the end of her stick. The sun set about an hour ago and the shadows accentuate her coloring. Her hair is down, dark curls fading to black as they cascade over her shoulders. Her dark eyebrows and irises stand out against the golden glow on her face. Her lips curve into a small smile as she turns her marshmallow over.I still believe that you're a hero, Ryan Burke.Her words from five days ago haven't stopped echoing inside my head. I'd told her what happened the day all my friends died. How I couldn't save them. How they'd died waiting for me to bring them more ammunition. How their deaths were my fault. But despite all that, she still believed in me. Believes in me.I never could have imagined how much those words would affect me. After so many years blaming myself, I've found someone who knows the whole story and
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 34
Ana"Poor little girl."The man with the gun sneers at me. I try to run, but my legs won't move."You were too scared to save your family when they were still alive. Now they're dead and you're still too afraid. You can't even get justice for them. Poor, scared, little girl."He raises the gun and points it at my head."At first I was worried when I heard there was a witness. But now I see that I'll get no trouble from you. You're just a sad, scared little mouse. Pathetic."The gun fires.I wake up in a cold sweat. I cry quietly, not wanting to disturb Ryan again. Casper rolls over in his sleep.The man in the dream was right. It's my fault he's not in prison. All I want is to hide out in this cabin forever, but if I do that, the people responsible for my family's deaths will never pay. They could do this again. Kill some other girl's family. Make another me. The thought makes me physically sick. I k
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 35
Ryan"Damn it."I watch the screw fall and disappear somewhere on the ground. At this rate, I'll have to call Joe again and order more. I frown at that thought. I'd rather crawl around in the dirt searching for a screw than talk to that jerk.I descend the ladder carefully and sigh as I crouch, scanning the ground for the little piece of metal. I'm just one screw short of maybe being able to convince Ana to come outside again at dusk. After that incident with the bear three weeks ago, she strictly refuses to come outside after the sun has gone down. Which, by now, is just after 8 pm. The days will only continue to get shorter.A dim metallic wink catches my eye and I spot the screw. Finally. I shove it in my back pocket and risk life and limb once again to ascend the ladder. These floodlights better work. I hold the light, the bracket, and the screw in place with my right hand and fit the drill bit into the screw head w
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 36
AnaI creep out of the bedroom quietly. Ryan's still asleep, but I had a dream about waffles last night and I have the power to make those dreams come true. I open the cabinet and reach for the waffle iron up on the top shelf. Ryan must have been the one to put it away last, because it's just barely out of my reach. I stand up on tippy-toes, my fingers grasping for the handle on the end. My finger brushes it. So close! I close my eyes in concentration.Suddenly I intuitively know that someone is standing right behind me. I'm not sure exactly how I know that. Maybe I felt his body heat in the close proximity, or I felt the soft stirring of his breath on my cheek, or perhaps I heard him moving behind me. All I know is, Ryan is standing very, very close to me now.I open my eyes and see his hand brush mine as he reaches for the waffle iron, easily grabbing it and bringing it down for me. A sense of deja-vu settles over me, like
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 37
RyanI sit alone on the riverbank, watching the current sweep briskly past, pulling my fishing line along with it. The bright sunlight sparkles off the little crests and troughs of ripples in the water's surface. A light breeze teases the weeds at the edge of the riverbank and leaves in the trees of the forest beyond. Melodic strains of birdsong, sounds of the forest, and the water rushing quietly by all blend together into the soothing rhythm of peace.I've done this more times than I can count, spending hours and hours sitting by this river, reveling in the vastness of this place and the absolute solitude. The peace and stillness out here used to be my refuge. But at some point, that changed. Now it feels different. Something is missing.I'm not exactly certain when I started realizing I felt this way. I'd always felt a certain pang of despair anytime I'd caught myself thinking about Saph. Tha
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 38
AnaI look up at the overcast sky and feel a chill sinking into my bones as a cold wind blows through the clearing. What a perfect day to be outside , I think sarcastically, frowning as I pull my hat down to cover my ears."What happened? A week ago, it was perfect. Now it's like the North Pole has declared war."Ryan pauses, resting his shovel on the ground and turning to look at me with an expression of incredulity."You think this is bad? It's above freezing right now. This is nothing. Wait until it's 20 below as a daytime high. Then you can complain."I gape at him in horror."Twenty degrees below zero? Fahrenheit?""In January, this area spent over two weeks below zero. Got as cold as thirty-five below last winter."I look around at the wildlife surrounding the cabin. "How is anything still alive here? How is this not an Arctic wasteland?""The inhabitants have learned to adap
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