Page 27 of Over the Edge

Trevor watchedtheir six o’clocks carefully when they landed in New York and transferred to the international terminal, but he didn’t spot anyone suspicious behind them.

By way of an operational pop quiz, he asked her as they cleared the TSA line, “Are we clear to head for our flight?”

She answered, “I haven’t seen anyone suspicious. But an ounce of caution is better than pound of lead.”

He smiled a little at having his own words given back to him. Might as well make this trip a training opportunity. He asked her, “Do you want to split up or stick together while we take evasive measures?”

“Stay together,” she answered quickly.

Good. He hated the idea of being away from her—

--Which was weird. Was he afraid for her safety? Nope, that wasn’t it. Did he think she would blow the evasion and tip off their hypothetical tail? Nope. That wasn’t it, either. Well, hell. The only reason left was that he didn’t want to separate because he would miss her.

“Together it is,” he mumbled, annoyed with himself.

They moved smoothly through a series of quick turns, detours, and double-backs guaranteed to expose anyone following them. He had to give Anna credit. She didn’t miss a single twitch, turn, or sideways jump he made over the next hour. She stuck to him like glue, and he never once had to tell her what direction he was heading next. Honestly, she anticipated him as well as a long-time teammate.

They stopped in a gift shop, pretending to browse overpriced T-shirts, and he asked under his breath, “Are we in the clear?”

“Yes. No one’s following us.”

“I concur. Our flight departs in just a few minutes.”

The final boarding call for the flight blared over the terminal’s loudspeaker, and they had to sprint for the opposite end of the sprawling terminal. He and Anna were among the last passengers to board, and they fell into their seats as the doors closed behind them.

They got settled, ate supper, and watched a movie. As interested as he was in continuing the discussion of Anna’s past, it would have to wait. He had to hit the ground running when they got to Zagistan. It was important to rest, now.

He put on noise canceling earphones, slapped on an eye mask, and spread a blanket over himself. This was it. He was headed out on what would likely be his final mission. The one he wouldn’t come home from. Man, he was going to miss the Reapers. They’d become family over the past couple of years.

Anna, most of all. When he left her in Karaken in a few days, he was going to be truly alone. He drifted off to sleep and dreamed…

It was dark and he was outside, climbing a rocky mountainside on a moonless night. High above him, the mountain’s peak was a black void against the starry night sky.

Stones rolled underfoot as he frantically climbed, and he was spending as much time on his knees as he was upright. Finally, he resorted to crawling up the steep incline. He’d done treks like this a hundred times, but tonight was different. He was lost, or maybe looking for something, someone. He had to get to the top of this mountain to find them.

Kenny. He was supposed to be rescuing Kenny…except that wasn’t who he was searching for, crawling toward on bloody hands and torn knees…

He scanned the slope above, hunting for lush, sable hair, a slender, athletic silhouette, dark eyes snapping with laughter. But he couldn’t find them. Desperation coursed through him. Must find her before something terrible happened to her. He couldn’t live without her!

He climbed faster, or at least he tried to. Every time he tried to speed up, the gravel rolled faster under him, pushing him two feet down the mountain for every one foot up that he climbed. The black peak, the unmoving embodiment of his hope and love and desperation, seemed further away every time he looked up at it.

He was sliding away from her. Losing her. Oh, God, failing her.

“Anna!” he shouted.

His heart pounded in urgent harmony with his frantic thoughts. Had to reach her. Had to find her. Had to save her….

“Anna!”

“Wake up, Trevor. You’re having a nightmare.” Someone was shaking his shoulder. He blinked awake and stared up at Anna’s familiar face.

Profound relief swept through him.Thank God. He’d found her. She was alive. Safe.

“You okay there, Buddy?” she asked in concern.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“Sounded like you were having a doozy of a nightmare.”

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