Spread Your Wings: Men in Blue, Book 4 (34 page)

“Really?” Matt’s eyes got as big as a kid’s in a candy store. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“I’ve got the phone manned, in case the guys call.” Jambrea wiggled the bulky communications device in the air. It reminded her of a cell from the 1980s.

“It might be nice to have a chance for some girl talk.” Shari rubbed her hands together. And that was all that needed to be said. The guys hightailed it out of there as if their asses were on fire. It was better than talking about any more emotional topics for a while.

From the porch swing, Jambrea and Shari had prime viewing of the guys as they ran together across the grassy area separating the outbuildings. Their coordinated strides and the flex of their muscled frames had both women practically drooling.

“You’re one lucky bitch, Jambrea Jones.” Shari surprised her by slapping Jambi’s thigh.

Jambrea couldn’t help but crack up. “I so am.”

“I know I’ve just met you, but to hear my brother talk I’m sure you deserve every ounce of happiness you can find in this world.” Shari smiled at her. “And with
two
guys. I’m pretty sure there’s plenty to spare.”

“Or extra headaches,” she grumbled.

“I bet.” Her friend chuckled. “But there have to be benefits too.”

“It hasn’t been easy getting here. Now that things are more settled, though, yeah, I think I could definitely get used to this.” Jambrea glanced sideways. “You don’t think it’s weird? I wasn’t sure if you could tell we were all together…”

 
“It’s pretty obvious when you’re sharing a bed.” She leaned in. “I think it’s hot, not odd. I mean, what about my life has been normal? If you’ve got two guys and they both care about you, I think that’s double the awesomeness. And frankly, my brother would have said the same because two guys means an extra set of eyes watching your back, too.”

“Uh, thanks.” Jambrea nodded. It was hard to speak through the knot of emotions in her throat.

“While we’re being all sappy, I thought I’d tell you I saw the note you left by John’s grave.” Shari’s voice cracked, but she kept going. Tough ran in the David family, apparently. “I’m going to have it engraved on his headstone permanently. It’s perfect. For you both.”

Jambrea hugged Shari, thankful to have some closure. “I’m so glad we got to meet, though I wish it hadn’t been under these circumstances.”

“Me too. And I want to say, I’m happy for you, Jambi.” Shari patted her hand. “It’s nice to see good people get what they deserve for once. Usually it’s the shit of the world piled on their heads because they’re the only ones who will tolerate it.”

Jambrea wondered where that left Shari. She didn’t care to draw a dark cloud over their sunshine, though. So instead they sat quietly together, enjoying the day. It wasn’t very long before they saw the partners carrying a rowboat inverted overhead.

They watched the guys launch the small craft through a row of cattails. A startled heron rose into the sky with agitated flaps of its huge blue-gray wings. Then the pair of men glided out onto the obsidian-mirrored surface, leaving only a faint silver V in their wake. When their oars dipped into the pristine lake water, they were in sync. They worked together, rowing as one, steadily progressing farther from shore.

Shari broke their mutual quiet time. “I wonder if they tried a few more combinations while they were out in the workshop gathering the rods and reels.”

“Maybe.” Jambrea figured it likely. The fact that they hadn’t come rushing back, excitement burning in their eyes, had her shoulders slumping. She hoped to see that thrill of a mystery solved—a case closed, bad guys put away where they couldn’t ruin innocent lives again—sometime soon.

It always gave her a rush when they charged into the hospital on a righteous high. Or when they celebrated with the whole team of Men in Blue. Not because they’d bested the criminals, but because they’d helped civilians and prevented anyone else from being harmed.

Their gallantry was their most attractive feature to her.

A half hour passed, or maybe a little longer. Jambrea had zoned out as she and Shari rocked in the swing. Her ankles were crossed where they rested on the railing. Something on the opposite bank caught her attention as it moved through her peripheral vision.

But when she tried to focus on the tiny motion, she didn’t see anything.

“What’s over there?” She pointed, the sound of her voice alien in the serenity they’d shared.

“I don’t see anything.” Shari yawned. She might have been half-asleep. “At least right now. There are a bunch of deer that come down that path to drink. Maybe you saw one of them? They could be staying barely out of sight because of your guys. They’re not used to other people. Especially not ones like them.”

She liked the way that sounded.
Her
guys.

“Yeah, that must be it,” Jambrea agreed. “We’ve seen some really big bucks since we’ve been here.”

“With no one to hunt them lately, they’ve been getting fat and happy.” Shari smiled.

Just then, Clint hooted and hollered loud enough that his cheers and their echoes reached the women, who giggled. He reeled in—fast and furious—a fish big enough to bow his rod to the extreme. As the fish cleared the side of the boat, Clint stood. He gave them a preview of his catch. It seemed everything came super-sized at Camp David.

They laughed twice as hard when Matt barked at him to sit his ass down. As if on cue, Clint’s arms windmilled, pitching their dinner back into the still waters of the lake. Concentric rings spread outward from the sizable splash their almost-catch made.

“The one that got away,” Shari murmured. “Always brutal, eh?”

“I suppose it is. So what about you, Shari?” Jambrea angled her torso toward her new friend. “What are your plans? Is this your home or was it John’s? I get the feeling that you’re a fantastic caretaker, but is this what you really want for yourself?”

“I guess. I’ve invested so much of myself in guarding this place—
his
future—that I never really made a life of my own.” Shari smiled. “That’s not to say I don’t love it here. I do. It’s just…this is a lot of solitude for one woman. Having you all here the past few days has been terrific. Even if I wish your visit were for different reasons.”

“Totally understand.” Jambrea reached over and held Shari’s hand. At least in all the time she’d spent alone she’d had the hospital and great friends like Lacey, not to mention Parker, to ease some of the stillness in her life. What if the quiet of her apartment had been her entire existence?

She probably would be insane by now.

“I’ve dreamt lots of times of running a resort instead of a fort. There’s even more land here than we use today, since I can’t monitor it all. If I could wipe away the need to look over my shoulder all the time. Well, maybe after we resolve this…”

“You’ll be able to make some major changes.” Jambrea could see it now. “Hell, I’d gladly be one of your first customers. Matt and Clint would go crazy for a getaway place like this.”

“I’d love to have you. Anytime.” Shari smiled.

Jambrea jumped when the phone rang beside her, shattering the tranquility of the mountain air. She bolted to her feet, with the secure satellite device clutched in her hand. “Hello?”

“Hey, Jambi. How’re you feeling today?” Jeremy inquired.

“Pretty good.” She smirked. “Kind of sore, but in a nice way.”

He laughed. “Atta girl. Can I talk to the guys? Or have you totally exhausted them?”

She turned with one arm raised and waving, to signal them to return, but they were already halfway to the shore. “I did my best, but actually, they were distracted by the prospect of great fishing.”

“Rough life on this job.” He joked though they both knew the gut-wrenching tension that came from having a loved one in danger. It hadn’t been so long ago that Lily was threatened.

“We’re going to be okay.” She told him.

“I think that’s what I’m supposed to say.” He grunted. “But I know you are.”

“All right, incoming,” Jambrea prepared him for the two men blazing a path like a tornado across the wide, natural lawn. “I’m putting you on speaker.”

“Turn on the video screen too.” Jeremy proved he knew more about her technology than she did. Eventually she found the button and mashed it.

Matt reached them first, with Clint a step behind. He held out his hand, pausing to kiss her quickly before getting down to business. She handed him the device though they all gathered around. So Matt went ahead, “Hey, JRad. How—”

“Clint’s right,” Jeremy said in a rush before Matt had even finished answering. “There’s a third star.”

“Did you hear that? You guys are my witnesses.” Clint’s chest puffed up. “I’m right about something.”

“The code, dumbass. There have to be three stars.” She caught Jeremy rolling his eyes as he kept going. “And sorry, but there’s no one here to hear.”

“Where is everyone?” Clint asked. The room Jeremy occupied at the station was curiously empty. Usually a half dozen or so cops would be bustling around on their various shifts.

His question got drowned out when Matt stuck to important business.

“What makes you say that?” Matt came close enough that his voice would carry on speaker phone.

“Look at where they are.” The Dom turned computer nerd turned reformed Dom counted out the letters with taps of his fingers on a printout of the image they’d emailed to him. “
I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
The first star is over the V and the second star is below the D in wild, right?

The stars still didn’t show up well in the visual, although they’d circled the appropriate places for him in the image based on their manual manipulations.

“Yeah.” Jambrea nodded.

“Those are the fourth and fourteenth letters in the quote.” Jeremy cursed. “I’d almost think this was a standard alphanumeric code, a simple conversion once you have all the pieces of the puzzle. But, what the hell does fifty point to?
4-14-50.
”

“Are you supposed to wrap the text around and start again from the beginning?” Clint wondered.

“It’s as good a guess as any.” JRad blew out an extended breath as he paced the room, trying to sort through the clues that had stumped them. “If so, that would make the I in
thing
the last digit. Go try 23-4-9 in the safe.”

Clint didn’t hesitate. He hopped the porch railing and sprinted for the boathouse workshop without asking why. The Men in Blue trusted each other and knew the strengths of each team member. Jeremy understood data. Patterns. Analysis.

“You picked those numbers because…” Jambrea gave in to curiosity.

“V is the twenty-third letter of the alphabet, D is the fourth and I is the ninth,” he explained. “It’s one of the most basic codes out there, though some professionals would never think to look at it because of its simplicity.”

“Nothing’s been easy about putting all these bits of intel together.” Matt groaned. “Motherfucker!”

“I take it that didn’t work?” A bang sounded from the other end of the line as JRad kicked a metal filing cabinet. It wasn’t like him to lose his temper.

“Nope. Clint is flashing us a thumbs-down. He’s on his way back.” Jambrea took a moment to admire his long legs as he ate up the distance between them then settled into his place beside her, hardly winded.

“Damn it.” Jeremy tried again. “You’re sure there’s no more…”

“Oh my God.” Jambrea smacked her forehead.

“What?” Matt, Clint and Shari said in unison.

“There
is
more. It’s just not here. Not written down or on the box. It didn’t fit on my wrist either.” She wracked her brain. “Shit. The quote is longer than this. I’m not sure I can remember it verbatim, though. The beginning was my favorite part. It gets the point across well enough.”

Jeremy typed away in the background, probably looking it up on the web. “Yes! I’ve got it. The second line is, ‘A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.’”

“That’s it.” Jambrea clapped.

“So that gives us a couple possibilities. It could be the fiftieth character of the second line converted into a number. Or the fiftieth character if you put both lines together… those would be 23-4-9 again, so that’s out, or 23-4-15.” Jeremy spit out possibilities like water splashing from a fountain as he mumbled to himself. “Do you have a piece of paper to write these down?”

“How about we all head over to the boathouse,” Clint suggested instead. “I haven’t been hitting the gym like I should lately.”

“More like you’re tired from your all-night romps.” Shari wiggled her brows at the three of them.

“That too.” He grinned. “Gotta keep my endurance high, you know? Come on.”

They all jogged for the building on the edge of the lake.

When they got there, they trekked down the ladder single-file and huddled around the safe the guys had uncovered the previous day. They tried the first suggestion Jeremy read off to them…no luck.

So they attempted a couple other possibilities using permutations of the second half of the quote. Everyone held their breath as Clint spun the dial. With the numbers input, his hand hovered over the latch.

“Do it.” Matt urged.