Bought His Life by Aleka Nakis Tia Fanning Page B

kinds,” Jack said. “I’m too awake to sleep, so I’ll come by for a beer after I clean up.”
    “Good. The guys will love to speak with a pilot. I think Jared was in the Air Force when he was younger.”
    “The United States Air Force?”
    “Yeah, you know the part of the military flying those planes over our heads.” Michiel stopped walking and pointed to a door. “Well, here you are. Room thirteen. Catch you later.”
    United States Air Force? Interesting. Women walking home alone on a dark night. Hell, men in grass skirts yoo-hooing down the hall. Jack wondered what he’d see or hear next.
    He fumbled with the card until a tiny light glowed green and a click sounded. He moved the lever, and the lock gave way. Opening the door, Jack saw Lawson sprawled on a bed with two pillows over his head and the television blaring in the background. He wondered why Lawson hadn’t asked for a room with two bunks. This room had a bed the size of the Sahara.
    “It wouldn’t be bad if Emily was snuggling up in one. But there is no way I’m sleeping with you. You can have the floor.”
    Popping his head from under a pillow, Lawson laughed.“No need. I have another room. I came by for a quick briefing and to see what you have on Jones.”
    A man, one of his men, hadn’t made it to the beach, Jack sobered and immediately considered the possibility they’d never find him. “I have nothing on Jones. I asked around in the diner, but nobody knew about him. Any news at the base?”
    “No, sir.” Lawson sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “The base is no longer here. But Jones is a stronger swimmer than either one of us. He’ll show. He can’t walk forever. Plus, he knows where the lieutenant’s house was.”
    “The lieutenant—admiral—is gone. He can’t help us.” Jack pulled a wooden chair from the table by the mirror, turned it around and straddled the seat. “You get anywhere with your target?”
    “Kimber is a very interesting woman.” Lawson stood and reached for a fedora on the nightstand. “If there is nothing to discuss on Jones tonight, I’d like to get back to her. She doesn’t know I left.”
    “Stick around, Grey.”
    “I don’t want her to be alone… It’s a peculiar situation.”
    “Just for a few minutes. There’s food involved.” Jack tossed a bag of burgers at the other man and started to review the day’s findings.
    Once they’d discussed how the world had changed and how they needed to adjust their speech habits to blend in, Jack asked again about the base.
    “Everything’s changed. The base closed years ago. There are new agencies in the government and power is distributed accordingly. I’ll need a few days to see whom we can trust with our story. According to the all-knowing Internet, time travel is still fantasy.”
    “Understood. Stay focused. We need to notify our superiors that time travel is possible, just not in the way they’d believed.” Jack peeled off his T-shirt and headed to the lavatory. “I trust you’ll locate the appropriate resources.”
    Failure was a foreign concept to Jack, and he was not a gracious loser. Thinking of the alternative to their landing alive, even if they’d jumped into a place and time they hadn’t set out for, Jack nodded and resolved to take things slow. Regardless how huge a challenge it would be, he must concentrate on his and Lawson’s good fortune to be alive.
    “Thanks, Captain,” Grey called.
    Jack lifted his hand over his head and stepped into the claustrophobic space of the adjoining bathroom. The quiet grated on his nerves, and his control slipped as the reality of the situation materialized in the solitude of the tiny room. He wasn’t able to kid himself when he faced the truth in his head. Anger pulsed through him as the similarities of the cramped space and the bunkers, bunkers in which trainloads of Jews were rumored to be housed in while tortured, formed in his mind. “What the hell is