Page 14 of Max's Mission

Margot scurried around to the driver’s side and got in. Stepping on the brake, she pushed the start button. The enginestarted without a hiccup. She fiddled with the dials on the dash and soon had the heat on high. The back hatch closed as she got out. Just because she signed the contract didn’t mean she wanted to drive.

Rounding the rear of the car, she practically dove into the passenger seat. She shut her door with a slam and lifted her hands to her mouth to blow on them. “I’m gonna need a heavier coat. This one’s for Ohio cold, not North Dakota cold.”

“You need gloves too.”

“They’re in my bag. I forgot to get them out.”

“I’m betting they’re not warm enough, either. But hang in there. You’ll be standing in a hot shower in just a few minutes. Minot’s not that large.”

She buckled her seatbelt as he pulled out of the parking space, then pulled her hands inside her coat sleeves. “Did you look it up before we came?”

“No. I’ve been here before.”

“You have? When?”

“Maybe seven or eight years ago. There’s an Air Force base here. It was for an exercise we ran with their bomber wing. It was cold, then, too.”

“I know we just talked about it on the plane, but I still always forget you were military. And elite military at that. You scream rich island boy now. No offense.”

“None taken. I’m retired and enjoying the slower life.” He turned out of the lot and onto the main road.

“I’d be so bored if I retired at your age. I don’t know what it’s like to not be busy.”

“I’m not exactly idle.” He glanced side to side at the end of the road, then turned onto the highway.

“That’s true.” He had his business, and there were all the protection jobs he took on with his friends.

“It is different, though; you’re right. I have time to be lazy, but the biggest change is that the work isn’t as strenuous or stressful. Don’t get me wrong. I’m an adrenaline junkie, but I just reached a point where I couldn’t do it anymore. That accident had a lot to do with it. I could still jump, but some of the thrill was gone. I’d been in over twenty years by then, so retiring made sense.”

“Is that why you went to Costa Rica too? Everyone else ended up down there to deal with emotional trauma, it seems.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Sort of. I went back to North Carolina, where I’m from, first. Then my mom died. There wasn’t anything to hold me to anyplace anymore. Ford’s an old friend from a joint op, and we’d kept in touch. He sent flowers when my mom passed away and an email extending an invitation to come visit him whenever I wanted. I took him up on it and I just found… peace. The next thing I knew, I was applying for residency status down there and selling everything.”

“It’s a giant leap of faith, isn’t it? Moving to another country.”

“Hell yes. But it was the right decision.” He glanced at her. “Has it been for you?”

Margot shrugged one shoulder and looked out her window at the darkened city. “So far, yes.” Her daughters were happy and thriving, she had a career that looked nothing like she planned, but she loved it anyway, and she had Annabeth and all their other friends. But there was still a piece of her that was bruised. She didn’t think she’d fully mourned the life she’d given up. One day, she would. But she needed time and answers. Hopefully, she’d get the latter tomorrow.

Max turned into a well-lit parking lot of an extended-stay hotel. He found a space as close to the door as possible, and they hurried through the frigid winter air to the front door.

She sighed as they stepped inside. The lobby was toasty warm. She unzipped her coat.

A middle-aged woman came out from the office behind the front desk and offered them a cheery smile. “Hello. Checking in?”

“Yes.” Max stepped forward. “We have reservations. Max Carson?”

The woman typed his name into the computer. “Yep. Two king rooms?”

“Yes.” Max reached into his pocket for his wallet and handed her his ID. “Can they be adjoining or very close to each other?”

“Let me check.” The woman turned back to her computer. A few moments later, she nodded. “That won’t be a problem.”

Margot breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know why, but the thought of being on another floor or the opposite end of the hall from Max bugged her. It was probably just the circumstances of the trip. The whole situation had her weirded out.

The check-in process was a quick one, and soon they had their keys and were on the elevator, heading up to their rooms.

Every step Margot took as they walked down the hall made the fatigue she’d banished grow heavier. It was like her body and brain knew that the sweet bliss of sleep was only feet away now.

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