Free Diablo Blanco Club 2, Under Control by Qwillia Rain Page B

trying to get at, but he suspected he wasn‟t going to like the results. Even after a fourth time through, the only conclusion he could come to was the frightening thought that the note was some kind of final good-bye message. Who “she” was, he…
    The safe word floated into his mind. Aimee . But who was Aimee?
    Halfway down the steps, he stopped as the image of curly red hair and wide china blue eyes popped into his head. Was it possible Vance was talking about their Aimee when he mentioned keeping a promise to “her” and the pain he caused her? But how could a twelve year old missionaries‟ daughter they‟d befriended on their unit‟s first mission on foreign soil have anything to do with Vance‟s behavior last night? Aimee had sent him a brief letter just last year, but nothing since. And Vance‟s note this morning? Hell, Ben didn‟t even know where the girl was, so how could Vance…
    A quick calculation would put Aimeelya Kirk‟s age at around nineteen or twenty.
    Old enough to catch the eye of a man, even one who enjoyed both men and women like Vance did. But when would Vance have met her again? It was possible, considering Aimee‟s parents served their mission in some of the politically unstable countries in the Middle East, Vance could have run into her there. But how could he have hurt her?
    56
    Qwillia Rain
    Vance was the least likely person Ben knew to ever inflict harm on someone weaker than him, especially a woman or a child. There had to be answers. He just needed Vance to pick up his fucking phone so he could get them.
    A million questions whispered through Ben‟s mind as he continued down the rear staircase reserved for staff use only. He returned the keys to room three to the locked cabinet behind the bar and made his way out the back to his SUV. Beneath his breath, he swore again once he saw the time. As much as he‟d like to find the hardheaded bastard, tracking down Vance‟s whereabouts was going to have to wait.
    The trip back to base had helped him clear his mind. He‟d been reluctant to leave Ben‟s side when he woke. As he drove, Vance relived the soothing feel of his friend‟s arm around his waist, and the wash of Ben‟s breath over his shoulder and along his neck had been arousing. Regret at not allowing himself another leisurely bout of sex rippled through Vance, but this morning he‟d known it wouldn‟t get him any further in his plans. Now, as he headed back toward San Diablo, he wondered if last night would be all he‟d have to remember.
    Though he‟d forced himself to ease out of his lover‟s hold, re-dress in his slacks and shirt, and leave, a part of Vance had wanted to stay behind. He ached to ignore the task he‟d completed in his CO‟s office, but with that step taken, the second thing he had to do had knots forming in his belly. It was becoming more difficult to face with every mile he put beneath his wheels. He‟d rather be losing himself in the feel and taste of Ben. But he couldn‟t. He wouldn‟t. Not yet.
    The green jacket and khaki shirt and tie of his uniform were neatly laid out across the backseat. He‟d stripped out of them at a turnoff after leaving the base, which left him wearing only his olive green T-shirt and pants. When he bypassed the exit for his apartment, he knew a change of clothes was going to have to wait. Getting back to Ben came first. The catch of the inseam of his uniform slacks on the ankle holster as he shifted his foot on the gas pedal had his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.
    Diablo Blanco Club: Under Control
    57
    The gun was a familiar weight, something he‟d grown used to while serving overseas, but its purpose was no longer necessary. Pulling down an off-ramp, he slowed and entered a gas station. Removing the gun from its holster, he locked it in the center storage space between the bucket seats of his truck and climbed out. On autopilot, he slid his credit card into the reader, removed the gas cap, and fit