Striking Distance

That had been two weeks ago.

She’d been watching reports on the newswire since then, looking for international news that might indicate where U.S. SEAL teams might be deployed, but that had proven to be about as effective as consulting a crystal ball. She could do nothing for him but pray, and so she did, just as she’d done every night since her rescue. Only now she didn’t have to pray for “the tall SEAL,” because he had a name.

About Klara she’d heard nothing—not a single call from Erik in weeks.

She let herself into her loft, checked her e-mail for messages from Javier, then settled in for the night, fighting a growing sense of melancholy. She sank into a tub of hot lavender-scented water and tried to let her worries float away.

Four years ago, a day like today would have felt like a great success. She’d put together a feature story she was proud of, a story that had made a difference in someone’s life. And although it

did

mean a lot to her, there was a loneliness to her daily routine that she couldn’t ignore, an emptiness that stole the shine off even the most positive moments.

It wasn’t that she lacked friends. The ordeal with Kimball had brought her closer to her colleagues and opened the door to deep friendships with Sophie, Megan, and Janet. Laura was grateful to have them in her life, but friends couldn’t make up for the loved ones who were absent—Klara and Javier.

She’d always been comfortable in her solitude, but without Javier the loft now seemed empty. She missed his voice, the music he played on his guitar, the sound of his laughter. And sex. Yes, she missed that, too. Having the evenings and weekends free to do whatever she wanted—something she had once cherished about being single—wasn’t nearly as satisfying as doing those things with Javier.

But that’s what it meant to love a military man. Other women managed to cope with the long separations and periods of silence. So would Laura.

She closed her eyes, inhaled the soft scent of lavender, let her mind drift.

But rather than relaxing, she found herself wondering what it would be like to work and live in San Diego. She could get a journalism job pretty much anywhere in the world provided there was an opening. She liked the ocean, liked sunshine and palm trees. But was she willing to leave the paper, sell the loft, and move across the country just to be closer to a man?

As soon as she asked the question, she knew the answer.

Yes, she was. Oh, yes, she was—as long as that man was Javier.

But how would he feel about that? He’d never talked about living together or getting married. Then again, neither had she.

She soaked until the water was lukewarm, then dried off with a fluffy towel and slipped into her bathrobe. Out in the living room, she set her iPod to play the mix Javier made for her—a mix of the songs that he’d played for her and songs that they’d danced to. She hugged her arms around herself to ease the ache and, without realizing it, began to dance in slow circles where they had danced together that special night.

Her phone rang.

She jumped, startled, and ran to get it from her handbag. “This is Laura.”

“Erik here. Please don’t ask questions. Catch the next flight to Stockholm. E-mail me your itinerary, and I’ll send a car for you.”

Laura’s pulse raced. “Erik?”

Had they found Klara?

“I’ll see you when you get here.”

* * *

LAURA LEFT A message for Tom, telling him she had to fly to Sweden for a family emergency, then called Janet to cancel their visit this weekend. She was sorry to do that because Janet, who’d been much more seriously injured than anyone had told Laura, was still adjusting to her new life and needed both help and company.

Janet took it with good spirits. “Have a safe trip. I hope everything is okay.”

Laura managed to catch a late flight to New York, then flew standby to Reykjavik, Iceland. From there, she caught another flight to Sweden, arriving at Stockholm Arlanda Airport twenty hours after getting Erik’s call. As he’d promised, a car was waiting for her at the airport, even though it was only seven in the morning.

Sitting in the backseat, she called her mother, whose surprised squeal almost split Laura’s right eardrum. “I’m not sure why I’m here. He just told me to catch a flight, and so I came.”

“This must have to do with Klara. Do you think she’s here?”

Laura couldn’t fathom how that could be possible. “The last I heard from him, the Pakistani government had no idea where she’d been taken. Even if they’d found her again, it would take months to win custody of her.”

Still Laura dared to hope.

Was it possible that Klara would be flying home with her?

The thought made her pulse trip.

“Ring us as soon as you know.”

“I will.”

Pumped up on caffeine and adrenaline, she looked out the window, the familiar streets of Stockholm seeming strange to her, the city awash in the grays of clouds, sea, and rain. It was only when they passed Rosenbad, the street that was home to the foreign ministry, that she realized he wasn’t taking her to Erik’s office. He headed into Östermalm, passing Humlegården and the Royal Library before turning into a gate that led to a private courtyard of a three-story residence.

The car drew to a stop. “The minister is expecting you, Miss Nilsson.”

Laura thanked the driver and stepped out, the air chilly. She made her way to the black double doors and rang the bell, too tense to stand still.

If the Swedish government had somehow won Klara’s freedom, why couldn’t Erik simply tell her so over the phone? Why was it so essential that she come to Stockholm at once? Was it possible that something terrible had happened, that they’d discovered Klara had been killed or . . . ?

Laura’s stomach turned, even as her logical mind told her Erik wouldn’t have made her fly halfway around the world to get bad news. She drew a deep breath, tried to rein in her imagination.

The door opened.

Erik gave her a tired smile, lines of stress on his face, his blond hair looking like he hadn’t combed it since getting up. “Come in. Did you have a good flight?”

“Yes. All the co

“Let’s step into my office.” He motioned toward a closed door to her right.

She followed him inside—and froze.

“Javier?”

He stood by Erik’s desk wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, a smile on his handsome face. “Hey,

bella

.”

* * *

JAVIER WAS IN deep shit, but the moment he saw Laura, that no longer mattered. He couldn’t keep the stupid grin off his face. “God, it’s good to see you.”

She rushed into his arms and held him tight, as if she thought he might disappear. “What are you doing here?”

Had it been only two months since he’d seen her? It felt like an eternity.

“That’s a long story.”

Erik’s voice cut in. “Mr. Corbray is under house arrest. He claims he acted alone, but I find that rather hard to believe. He showed up on my doorstep early yesterday morning with Klara in his arms—”

“Klara is

here

?” Laura looked from Erik to Javier, eyes wide.

Javier nodded, unable to keep from smiling. “She’s a beautiful little girl, Laura. She has your face and the sweetest blue eyes—”

Erik interrupted. “Mr. Corbray took Klara by force and entered Sweden illegally. I should report him to police, but instead I’ve confined him to my home and am doing my best to keep this secret. On the one hand, I don’t want it to become an international incident. On the other, I don’t want to break the law. But if I follow official procedure, I would have to hand Klara over to the Pakistani delegation. That is the dilemma Mr. Corbray brought to my door.”