Escape To Sunset - Sharon Hamilton Page 0,16

going to get beautiful out there in about an hour.”

“Yesterday was breathtaking.” Jason could still see the bright orange glow in the back of his mind. He was anxious to replay, if not relive some of that encounter.

Aimee broke away from the kitchen to lead him upstairs, giving him one of the two rooms on the Gulf side. “Cory will either sleep on the couch downstairs or up here in the other guest room. But I’m warning you. He snores, although maybe now not so much. He’s stopped drinking.”

“So I’ve heard. Good for him. That’s not an easy thing to do. You and Andy must have helped with that.”

“Timing. Everything is timing,” she said before she left the room.

Jason hung up a shirt he’d brought, laid out his shaving gear, then put on a light-weight windbreaker, and headed to the surf.

He thought about Aimee’s comment.

Everything is timing, isn’t it, Thomas?

Instantly, he was transported to Africa, the Nigerian village that caused all the carnage. The mission suddenly became doomed in failure when an elder objected to the SEALs evacuating young girls who had essentially been brought to the village as slaves and were to be married off to some of the older, more wealthy members. The “brides” were a gift from a local warlord, in exchange for their cooperation.

State didn’t have all their facts in order. He’d been told it wouldn’t be the last time they’d sacrifice their lives for faulty intel. But, at best, what had been a very tricky op, now ratcheted up ten clicks, with no one to help the little squad who had been sent out to pick up the girls. They’d learned, in a life or death situation not to rely on the local Afrika Corps. And since it was thought that too much of a show of force would draw out the bad guys, they had a skeleton crew. That meant shooters and medics.

But in fact, the opposite turned out to be true that day. In the shootout that occurred, two girls were re-captured, two others were killed, half of Kwanda Freescott’s men were incapacitated, while the leader and the two girls retreated back into the brush and disappeared.

Afterwards, Thomas was helping one of the girls into the back of the van they were using when a sniper picked him off with a glancing shot to the head that did enough damage to end his life. Jason was there within seconds, regardless of his own safety. He held Thomas, told him the evac team was on its way, described the land where he was going and how there would be greeters to welcome him, and urged him not to be afraid.

As his best friend’s life drifted away, Jason wept. Even in the community of brothers so tightly woven together into the tapestry of that force for good, he felt all alone for the first time.

He’d been sitting just past the surf, watching the oranges swirl and outline the billowy clouds. Jason could see how Thomas would love it here. It wouldn’t bring his friend back, but he decided to explore the community, just as if his friend was doing it himself. He owed that to him. The two of them had talked about spending some time on Kauai, but Jason never got the chance to share his ancestral home.

Another lifetime, brother.

He sensed someone was behind him and turned, finding the woman he was hoping to see at the beach tonight.

He scrambled to stand, but she stopped him.

“No! Don’t get up,” she said. Her nerves were still on edge. But, without the floppy hat and the huge sunglasses, the woman he saw in front of him was a vibrant, natural beauty. His body immediately warmed to her presence, as it had done last night.

“Then come, join me,” he said in a whisper.

She halted and, thinking better of it, slowly took a seat where he’d been sitting. He gave her space right next to him.

“I’m Kiley,” she said as she extended her hand.

He placed one palm beneath hers and then the other on top. “I’m Jason.” After giving her a slight squeeze, he withdrew, placing his hands in his lap. He was going to move very slowly, since he didn’t want to raise her fears again.

“I came down here when I saw you, because I still feel I need to apologize for my behavior last night.”

“Don’t worry. You don’t owe me anything. I probably came on too strong, but I wanted to convince you that I had