Page 47 of Call Sign: Thunder
“I put a tiny copy of that photo in the locket too. I thought you might want to wear it sometimes.”
“I love it!” she said as she took the necklace out to put it on right away.
There was just one more box from him to open. He’d wrapped it before his flight with the thought of perhaps pulling it back out if things weren’t going well on his trip. But considering how he was already dreading having their vacation time end, he felt like this final gift to Allison was actually a gift he’d bought for himself.
Allison tore into the final box, taking a few long seconds to try to understand what she was looking at. She lifted the folded sheet of white paper out of the box to read, finally looking up with a grin.
“You bought me a plane ticket to come visit you for Valentine’s Day?”
“I did, although I need to preface this by saying that I don’t have a normal nine to five job, as you know. I’ve been doing more training these last few months, but I could get called out on a mission without warning or even sent to a different base. We’ll just have to play it by ear, but assuming I’m still in North Carolina, I’d love for you to come for a visit.”
Allison closed the distance between them, sitting in Zach’s lap to hug him tight. “Thank you so much. I’ve already been dreading saying goodbye when you go back. I’ve been worried you’d be ready to ditch me by then.”
The men’s gaze met behind Allison’s back. He waited for the senator’s disapproving glare, but it never came. Instead, the older man nodded his approval.
Before anyone could say anything else, the senator’s phone started ringing.
Glancing down at his cell, he said, “I need to get this.”
“Oh Daddy, it’s Christmas. You shouldn’t work today!” Allison complained.
She still had her back to her father so she couldn’t see the worried look on the senator’s face as he answered with a short, “Benson here.”
Zach couldn’t hear what the person at the other end of the phone was saying, but as the seconds passed, he could tell the call was important. Walter’s quipped answers of “Yes,” and “When?” made it sound like a business call. After a minute of listening, the senator ended the call with a, “Thank you and Helms… Merry Christmas.”
A pregnant silence fell on the room. Only the faint sound of Christmas music playing in the distance could be heard. Finally, the senator broke into a broad grin, making him look years younger than he had just minutes before.
“That was... “ He paused as if he were choosing his words carefully, finally adding, “good news.”
Allie wiggled around in Zach’s lap until she could see her father too. “That’s good, right?” she asked.
“Better than good. Miguel Blanco is dead.”
Zach somehow suspected the cartel leader’s wife and children might not agree that his death was good news, but Zach agreed with Allison’s father adding, “That’s the best Christmas gift any of us got this year. Thank goodness he’s no longer a threat.”
The surprised look on Allison’s face told Zach she’d almost forgotten about the danger she’d been in. The men and her guards had done a good job of shielding her from the upsetting details of his escape and their steps to keep her safe.
Allison pressed her father for more information, her voice shaky. “Who was that? Are they sure?”
Zach wanted to know who’d called as well. The day before when the men had spoken about the Blanco threat, he’d come to the conclusion Senator Benson had pulled some strings his powerful position on the Senate Armed Forces Committee gave him access to. Seeing the results just hours later made Zach grateful the senator no longer felt like an adversary since it appeared he had the connections to make his enemies disappear.
“Now that we’ve opened gifts, let’s go eat that wonderful brunch Maryanne prepared for us before she left for her holiday with her family.”
Based on the change in subject, it looked like Zach wouldn’t be getting answers today either.
Chapter Nineteen
ALLIE
Allison was exhausted by the time she reached the bottom of the mountain. As she got to the end of the run, she found Zach waiting, his skis and goggles already off.
“I can’t believe…” she gasped for more air before adding, “how fast you’ve become an expert skier.”
“I’m not an expert yet,” he corrected her as he reached out to pull her out of the main thoroughfare where other skiers kept threatening to mow them down. “But I am having fun. I’m also starving. Let’s grab some food before we go again.”
Allison still hadn’t fully caught her breath by the time she handed her equipment off to the ski concierge who would store all their gear for them until they were ready to go up for another run.
Zach grabbed her hand and pulled them into motion.
