Page 19 of Degrees of Control
“Mom is clearly a little excited,” I say.
“She’s not the only one. I could hardly get Carlos off the phone,” Chase says.
“What were you talking to my dad about, besides Mom?” I ask.
“Intel was able to get some leads during the night, so we are deploying teams outside of the country,” he says.
“They found Alfreita that fast?” I ask.
“No, Baby. He’s more careful than that. The information is getting moved around and scrambled, but we have an excellent team and our equipment is superior to most. We’ll find him,” he says confidently.
My mom enters the room carrying a small overnight and her laptop bag. I hug her tight. We’ve gotten to know each other so much better the last couple weeks and now she will be living in New York and I’ll see her even more. She pulls Chase into a big hug and thanks him for his hospitality and everything that he did to save her from her captors.
“Will we see you soon?” she asks.
“It won’t be long, Karissa. We’ll be out in the next week or so and plan to get together then,” he says.
I look up in surprise. Chase hasn’t mentioned a trip to New York that soon.
“The helicopter has been cleared and ready to take off whenever you are,” Jay says, walking into the dining room. I hug my mom one last time and Chase puts his arm around me when they leave.
“It’s going to be a little quieter around here,” Gaby says, clearing the table as she talks.
“Indeed, but I’m pretty sure we can count on having company more often,” Chase says, kissing the top of my head.
“Katarina and I are going to take a tour. I spoke with the president of the Boys and Girls Club earlier and it sounds as though it will be a full house this year,” he says to Gaby.
I laugh as we go outside. Chase has had two bright shiny red bicycles brought around for us. “And just what are these for?” I ask, eyeing the contraptions warily.
“I thought we’d ride to the camps,” he says.
“I haven’t been on one of these things for years,” I say.
“It will come back to you,” he says.
I narrow my eyes at Chase’s unsuccessful attempt to disguise his laughter at my awkwardness as we reach four identical two-story wooden cabins. “I’ll give you a quick tour,” he says, showing me into a living area that has a stone fireplace on one wall, a small kitchen off the main living room and four couches and a sectional. There is a big screen TV, a bookcase filled with books and board games.
“The cabins were built for the Boys and Girls Club in addition to the local bonfires and salmon fishing events we hold for the community,” he says, guiding me down a long hallway and opening another door.
“This is one of the units,” he says, leading me into a large room with four wooden bunk bed sets, overhead large screen monitor and adjoining bathroom.
“We try to keep the kids busy with activities like boating, kayaking, swimming, biking, and riding ATV, but sometimes, if we get bad weather it’s nice to have movies to fall back on,” he says.
“Incredible,” I say, taking it all in.
“We have four chaperone rooms in each cabin, but furnished with double beds instead of the bunks,” he says, guiding me downstairs, through another living space and into a large game room. It is equipped with foosball, pool and ping-pong tables, in addition to various electronic stations and a popcorn maker in the corner.
“Chase it’s amazing. Are the other cabins the same?” I ask.
“Identical, except for mine. Each can house up to sixteen youth and four chaperones. In total, we can accommodate sixty-four children, and I’m inclined to add another unit or two based on the overlapping requests lately,” he says, taking my hand and guiding me outside and towards another small cabin.
It is simplistic, furnished with a large brown overstuffed leather sofa and matching recliner with quilts adorned with bear and deer patterns lying on the backs of both.
He waves his hand around. “All you need,” he says, gesturing to the kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, coffee pot, stove and microwave before leading me to the master bedroom. There is a whirlpool in the corner with a stone ledge.
Chase turns me around and kisses me. “The bonfires tend to go late sometimes and we routinely have early morning activities planned. I like to stay in the cabin and give the counselors an extra hand,” he says. “Right now, though, I would like to show you my bed.”
We are lying naked curled in each other’s arms after our mid-day tryst. My head is on his chest, and his arm is wrapped protectively around me. I can still feel the faint pounding of his heart. “So what future did you want to talk about before Gaby walked in, Katarina?” he asks, before the sound of his cell phone interrupts us.
