Page 14 of Cooper's Salvation
“Frederick Rollins.” He held out a hand to Cooper.
“Master Sergeant Cooper MacDowell, sir.” Cooper’s eyes tracked to her. “Kara? You all right, sweetheart?”
Kara looked from one man to the other. Sure, the older officer’s question had her reeling, yet her gut still told her she could trust him. Taking a deep breath and pulling herself together, she nodded. “I – yes. Yes. Sure.”
“There’s a small reception area just down the hall, if you’ll both follow me.” His rigid posture screamed military as he preceded them down the passage.
She felt Cooper squeeze her hand. “You sure, sweetheart? You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
“I know. But I need to know what he wants from me.” Making a snap decision, she continued, “All evening I’ve had the sensation of being watched. I have a suspicion it might have been the colonel.”
“If you’re sure, I’ll stay with you for both our peace of mind.”
Nodding, Kara hastened to follow the other man, Cooper’s hand still clasped around hers. The firm grasp helped settle her. When they reached the colonel standing at the open door to the small reception room, he indicated for them to enter. Following them into the room, he closed the door behind him.
Before he could speak again, Kara straightened in her seat, and looking him in the eye, she asked, “Why do you think I might know this Clarissa Vance?”
Just as they had earlier, Colonel Rollins’s eyes roamed over her face. “Because you could almost be her twin. Your resemblance to Clarissa is quite startling.”
“And who is she to you?”
“I knew her years ago; we dated briefly before I deployed. By the time I came back, she’d disappeared without a trace. I’ve always wondered what happened to her.”
Kara’s heart clenched for this stranger as she tried to phrase what she had to say as gently as possible. To soften the blow of the news she needed to break to him. Eventually, she finally said, “I’m so sorry, Colonel. My mother passed away thirty-four years ago.”
The words felt like broken glass in her mouth, even after all these years. Clearly, their impact was devastating to him too. The color drained from his face, and he stumbled over to a nearby chair. Sitting heavily, he blinked at her, the handsome face haggard.
It was Kara’s turn to ask, “Are you all right, sir? Can I get you some water, or something a little stronger perhaps?”
Colonel Rollins shook his head. “No, thank you, Miss. I just need a moment.”
“Oh goodness, how rude of me. I never did give you my name. I’m Tekara Deane – Kara.”
“Tekara …” He repeated the name as if savoring it. He seemed about to say more, then thought better of it. For long moments he simply sat there, like he was unsure of what else to do. Finally, he spoke. “I have to leave.” He got to his feet and started for the door. When he reached it, he turned around to face Kara. “I would like to speak with you again. Would you be willing to meet with me at a later date?”
“Yes, sir. When and where?”
“I realize it might be a bit awkward for me to ask for your number” — he dug in his pocket — “but if you’re amenable, you can contact me in a few days.”
Taking the business card he held out to her, Kara nodded. “Thank you. I will do.”
With that, he spun back around and let himself out of the room, his rigid military posture a tiny bit less rigid.
Blowing a big breath out, she turned to Cooper.
“Wanna tell me what just happened?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure what the hell that was.” She took a seat in the chair next to him, angling her body toward him. “Stupid question. How did you know he was a colonel?”
“The insignia on his uniform.”
“Ah, of course. Makes sense you’d know.” She sighed, then continued, “Like I told you in the hall, I had the sensation of being watched, so I went to the powder room to get away from that feeling for a few moments. When I came out, he was waiting in the hallway. He asked to speak to me, and when I agreed, he asked if I knew a Clarissa Vance. I hadn’t heard that name in a lot of years, and it threw me, and that’s where you found us. You were privy to the rest of our conversation.”
Cooper reached over and took one of her ice-cold hands into his. He rubbed gentle circles to warm it, his gaze laser-focused on her as if he could see into her thoughts. “Do you want to talk about her?”
Playing dumb, she asked, “Talk about who?”
One side of his mouth quirked up. “I’m going to take that as a no.”
