Questions

Ashlyn cocks her head at Misty, giving her a wary stare. “Oh, honey.” Her laugh rings out. “If you think Carson’s a bore, then you must not know him that well.”

The guys ignore the women’s talk, and Travis grabs a deck of cards. “I’m in.”

Mark nods. “Me too.”

Within minutes, all the guys are involved with Misty, playing cards and listening to the pouring rain. It’s warm and stuffy in the cabin, the cigarette smoke and cent of beer filling the room. Ashlyn retreats down the hall, avoiding the guys.


Carson pulls up on the side of the road, seeing the jeep in the ditch. Was this related to his search? He stares through the rain-streaked windshield at the log in the road. If someone from the Agency had gone in the ditch here, where would they have gone? The cabin.

Carson knows good and well that the clues he’s following might not be clues at all…he could be on the wrong trail completely. But he had nothing else to go on.

Steering around the downed tree, he makes it slowly down the road. He passes the dirt road that is now mud, and goes half a mile further to the gravel that will also take him to his destination.

Within minutes, the cabin comes into view, and Carson sees lights on. At the very least, someone was here. He parks and takes a deep breath. He had to do this right. No fear. No hesitance. He was not on the defense. He had done nothing against the Agency. That is the attitude he assumes, stepping into the role he needed to play…the role he knew so well…the role that had shaped him.


The door is kicked open with a bang, startling those in the room. Drew looks up quickly from the table, his hand on his gun.

Carson holds out his hands to the side and cocks his head, rain dripping off the brim of his baseball cap. “Little jumpy aren’t we?” He sees Misty out of the corner of his eye, but pays her no heed. He casually shuts the door behind himself and takes off his jacket to hang it up. “Having a party?”

Drew looks at him with a bit of suspicion. “Heard you were dead. Then heard you’d gotten nabbed by us. What’s going on?”

Carson laughs. “Rumors can be quite amusing, can’t they?” he scans the room, setting his hands on his hips. Finally his eyes land on Misty. “Ah, the little traitor herself.”

“So you do know each other,” Drew comments.

Carson quirks an eyebrow. He had no idea what Misty had said, but had to risk playing along. “Doesn’t everybody know Misty?”

“What are you doing now?” Drew’s skepticism is obvious, as is Mark’s, Travis’ and Leon’s as they look at him from the table, all of them ready to draw weapons.

Carson shrugs. “Nice night for a drive, don’t you think?” He scoffs. “I dumped them idiots back in Nevada, piled up enough info to tear ‘em apart and started my way to headquarters. Weather got bad so I decided to see if anyone was home. And, whatdya know…I find a party.”

“Carson?” Ashlyn comes from down the hall. She stops for a moment, her arms crossed as gives Carson a once over. “You dog, I thought for sure you’d died.”

“You know me. I’m too mean to die.”

“Well I miss that meanness.” Ashlyn approaches him slyly, reaching out to run her hands down the sides of Carson’s neck, then down his arms. “Maybe it won’t be so boring around here after all, hmm?” She rests her hand on Carson’s chest and leans in, pressing her lips to his.

Carson reacts by returning the kiss with passion, wrapping his arms around Ashlyn’s model-like frame.

The guys at the table don’t seem to notice, starting to relax and going back to their card game and potato chips as if this was an everyday occurrence. It was obvious that they were used to seeing Carson and Ashlyn together.

Ashlyn withdraws, a seductive smile on her face and she reaches up to take off Carson’s dripping hat. “You, uh…planning on staying long?”

Carson’s eyes don’t move from her face, his own grin playing on his face. “Maybe. If it’s worth my time.”

“Oh, it’ll be worth it.”

Drew lifts his eyes from his hand of cards to follow Carson and Ashlyn to the bedroom where the door is closed behind them. He shakes his head, and throws down a card. “Some guys got all the luck, boys.”

“And some guys got real bad hands.” Travis tosses his whole hand onto the table. “This is ridiculous. Aren't we ever gonna get out of here?"

Mark chuckles and puts out his cigarette in the ashtray. “"Not until we get that call. As far as this game goes, maybe you just don’t know how to play.”

Drew leans back in his chair, studying the rest of his own cards. “So, Misty…what is it exactly that you’ve got on this place in Nevada? Who’s the ringleader of that bunch anyway?”