Nina gave her a playful cuff to the back of the head. “Seriously? Come on, you can do better than that, Probie.”
Rayne pushed her bottom lip out. “Like what?”
Lumin said, “Gosh, I wish Mattie were here. She’d come up with a great name.”
They were missing one member of their close-knit group—Mattie LaPierre. She hadn’t arrived at the barbeque by the time they’d left and although they’d made contact with her, it wasn’t safe for her to join them in case Dixie’s stalker had been watching.
Fox’s wife propped her cell against the crystal chip bowl.
Mattie appeared on the screen after one ring. She winked and put a finger to her lips for them to be quiet. The cell bounced as she moved through the darkness to a different position.
“Are you still at Rayne’s?” Kayla asked.
Mattie’s sleek brows came together. “Heck, yeah. There’s a lot of food to eat.” She gave them a toothy smile.
Fox’s wife said, “Give us some details, lady. What’s happening?”
Mattie turned her head for a quick shoulder check. “Not that I was eavesdropping.”
Nina snorted. “Once a journalist, always a journalist. Give us the headlines.”
“Dixie, you there?” She shoulder-checked one more time.
“I’m here.”
“The men figured out who your unwanted admirer is.”
A prattle of excited noises erupted around the table and Kayla shushed them. “Go on.”
“CDR Hunter wants to keep it under wraps until he’s a hundred percent sure. Tex found something online and the men shot out of here like their asses were on fire.”
“All of them?” Kayla asked.
“Well, Lydia and Red are still here, and so are your parents, Rayne. Your mom says she’ll call you tomorrow, by the way. Meanwhile, I’m eating my way through all your goodies. We’ll clean up later so don’t hurry home.”
“Thanks, Mattie,” Rayne said. “Is my dad still cranky?”
“Umm. Well…he’s…” Mattie squinted. “A little concerned.”
Rayne rolled her eyes. “About us running away?”
Mattie clenched her teeth. “Err, no. About you being pregnant.”
Rayne gasped. “My mother squealed. I can’t believe it!”
An instant uproar erupted at the table, followed by hugs.
When everything settled down, Rayne said, “I told my mom to keep her big mouth shut. Elijah doesn’t even know. I wanted to keep it as a surprise for when he leaves on deployment. The baby’s due after he gets back.”
Nina cleared her throat. “Okay let’s concentrate on the mission, ladies, then we can talk about diapers and stretch marks. Mattie, what did the guys find out about this asshat who’s after Dixie?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Dixie, you sitting down?”
“Uh-oh,” Lumin murmured.
Dix shifted in her seat when the weight of the gals’ gazes landed on her. “It’s been twelve years. How the heck did they figure it out so fast if the cops couldn’t?”
“They’re SEALs,” the table of women said in unison.
Mattie walked farther into the backyard and the darkness made it difficult to see her on the cell phone’s screen. “I hate to say this, but you know him, Dixie.”
She held her breath, her heart pounding. Was she ready for this? Could this actually come to an end? “Who?”
“You worked for his father. The guy sending you the notes is Chandler Kallis.”
“Oh my, God!” She shot to her feet. “Are you sure?” She picked up the phone and glared at the screen.
“Yes. Ditz reviewed the rest of the videos from the Erotic Bean. Your stalker’s been there, and he had the balls to walk up and hug you. Sick bastard.”
Nausea rolled up the back of Dixie’s throat and she covered her mouth.
“Oh, dear!” Kayla said. “Easy, Dixie. You knew it was probably someone you’d be familiar with.”
Lumin’s slender arm wrapped around Dixie’s shoulders and she took the phone. “Thanks Mattie. If you hear anything else, let us know.” The blonde gave Dixie a little shake and a squeeze.
Dixie couldn’t believe it. Chandler Kallis. Nearly all the women at Ardon Corporation had drooled when he’d walk through the departments. With classic masculine features—high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and piercing dark eyes—women literally gawked. He probably had the leading role in more than a few daydreams. The opposite of a pompous CEO’s son, Chandler spoke to everyone with respect. A smile from him caused an instant physical reaction, from a blush to a sigh. He’d never acted like an entitled jerk.
When she’d worked there, his father was already gearing up to grab a seat as a senator and Chandler ran the company.
Dixie looked up, surprised to find herself standing at the far end of the swimming pool. Dainty patio lights illuminated the table where the women clustered.
“Shock to the system,” Kayla stated. The timbre of her voice on the low side, unlike most gals who spoke with a higher pitch.
“Yes and no,” she answered quietly.
“Did you have a suspicion it was him? Women have a sixth sense they often don’t listen to, but should.”
“I’ve run into him in every state I lived in. Ardon is a nationwide firm and has customers all over the country. I never put it together. Chandler never raised a red flag. It’s not like he followed me home or even asked me out. We’d bump into each other, talk for a few minutes and then he’d be gone.”
“He was at your shop recently.”
Dixie nodded. “Yes, not that long ago. He came in and acted totally shocked to see me.”
Kayla shifted to face her. “He wasn’t shocked, he needed a fix.” She paused. “You know, we all have skeletons we protect. Some…are more terrible than others.”
Dixie felt like the woman could see all her secrets. “Yeah, I guess we do.”
She stared into Kayla’s eyes, mesmerized by the depth, but unable to break open her personal Pandora’s Box and share.
The admiral’s wife’s brow creased with sympathy. “You’ve just met us, so I understand your reservations. I might be way off when I say victims, with time, become survivors. As we come to terms with what happened to us, we build an invisible shield that not only protects us, but hardens us. Makes us hyper-alert. Wary. Especially in the case of sexual assault.”
Dixie bowed her head, no longer willing to let Kayla see into her soul.
Kayla’s warm palm rested on her shoulder. “CDR Hunter knows about the notes, but that’s all he knows, isn’t it?”
She closed her eyes and nodded. “It happened a long time ago. I don’t let it define me.”
“I used to say the same thing, and to a point, it’s true. If you love Josh as much as I think you do, eventually he needs to know.”
Dix bit down on her bottom lip. “You…you were assaulted?”
“As a young girl. My uncle. After he finished, he passed me around to his friends. Then, my first husband went to prison for attempted murder. Of course, I let him beat me for ten years first.”
Dixie’s jaw dropped open. “And you were hunted by the Blood Shark.”
Kayla nodded slowly. “You’re wondering why I’m not curled into a ball, babbling and drooling.”
Embarrassed that her thoughts were so transparent, Dix toed the ground. “Maybe.”
Kayla turned her eyes skyward. “There were times when I did just that. Eventually, I learned to cope. Then I met Thane. Being the no-good SEAL that he is, that wasn’t good enough. He loved me so much, he pulverized my demons to ash. It wasn’t pleasant, nor easy. But I stand here today, alive, because of that man and for my two beautiful children.”
Dix swept a tear from the edge of her eye. “You’re lucky.”
“The way the color drained from your face when you heard Chandler’s name tells me this is more than shock. It’s an awakening. A truth you didn’t want to face.” Kayla’s warm palm slid down her arm. “There will be a few more rough
patches, but you’re not alone.”
Dixie smiled. “I wish that were true, but I am alone. You and all the rest of those women had men who loved you to lean against when things got tough.”
“Hey, Dix,” Rayne said sweetly, walking across the pool deck to join their conversation.
The sprinkler heads popped up and watered the lawn with a soft hiss.
“Sorry for butting in, but I just wanted to say you’re not alone. Nowhere near. Kayla, me and the rest of the ladies are gonna be there for you. But don’t forget about CDR Hunter. He loves you. It’s probably hard to see right now.” She folded her hands together. “If he loved that woman in Virginia, he would have stayed in Virginia.” Rayne shrugged a shoulder. “When I met Elijah, he liked hopping from bed to bed with random women. I couldn’t compete with those strong, sexually-charged gals he seemed to prefer.” She cleared her throat. “What I’m trying to say, is that until Elijah fell in love with me, he relieved his desires like any normal man would. But that stopped when we met. Now that you’re here, the commander doesn’t see anyone else.”
Dixie exhaled and hugged the gal for her kind words.
“All the team guys are like that,” Kayla said. “Until you really get a feel for what the NSW life is like, you can’t appreciate what they have to deal with.”
“What’s NSW?”
“Naval Special Warfare. The SEALs belong to that branch. Thane told me Josh has deployed nine times. Handled hundreds of missions. He’s only thirty-three, but already a commander. That’s huge, Dixie. Really huge. When it comes to Josh the man, he’s like all the Special Operators. When they come home, especially after a deployment, they have to fit into civilian life, which is extremely different than what consumed them twenty-four hours a day for months. They need a release and part of that is sex.” She nodded. “I think Rayne is spot on when she said Josh settled for Gesem, but I know—we all know—when a SEAL falls in love with a woman, he’ll move mountains to be with her. Right now, Josh is going to terminate the obstruction in your way, and he’s not doing it because he’s a hero. He’s doing it because he loves you and is afraid of losing you.”
“On one hand, I’m so relieved to have someone on my side for a change, but I don’t want him to get hurt.” She exhaled a small cry because she couldn’t hold the ache in her heart any longer. She covered her face, then Kayla and Rayne’s arms wrapped her in a hug of support.
Nina shouted from the patio. “Shooters!”
“She is such an animal.” Kayla snorted then chuckled.
Dixie swept her hair behind her ears. “I like her. She’s got balls.”
Rayne grinned. “You have no idea how right you are.”
They wandered back toward the group, answering Nina’s call for another round.
Near the middle of the pool’s edge Dixie stopped and so did the other ladies. “Should I confront Chandler? Tell him I know it’s him? Maybe that would put an end to all of this.”
Kayla paused before answering. “No, not yet. Right now, you have the upper hand. You need to hold that position until we can get solid evidence that points the finger at him. A bunch of notes and showing up once in a while to make contact with you isn’t enough to convict him.”
Lumin joined them. “Kayla’s right. It’s all circumstantial. I’ve dealt with plenty of abuse and assault trials. I just finished looking up Chandler on the internet. His father is a senator. A very wealthy family. That means you need indisputable evidence for a conviction.”
“He thinks I’m going to join him. Whatever that means,” Dixie said.
The slender blonde nodded. “That’s because he has a plan. For him to be trailing you this long, it’s highly likely that he’s relieved his sexual fantasies with other women along the way. Maybe even murder. He’s threatened by CDR Hunter. That’s why he made contact tonight.”
“I told Josh I didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. I don’t want him involved.”
All the women grinned.
“He’s involved up to his eyeballs,” Kayla stated. “And because he’s a no-good SEAL, he’s going to swim into shark-infested water if he has to. Accept it, Dix. Follow his lead. He’s smart, and his training gives him the tools to draw Chandler into a trap.”
“Are we drinking?” Nina shouted.
Kayla rolled her eyes. “Coming!”
Nina gave everyone a shooter of tequila when they rejoined the other women. “To you, Dixie Belle. I have a feeling you’re going to clean the floor with Chandler Kallis with the shrimp-sized phallus before long.”
The women chuckled, toasted, and downed their shots in one hearty swallow.
Chapter Fourteen
Just before sundown, Josh, Admiral Austen and the team guys took position on high ground to view the Kallis estate, a hundred-acre spread nestled among private wineries. If his instincts were correct, a predator hid within the walls of the lavish home.
Josh eyed the rolling hills and large properties dotting the rural area of Ramona. The terra-cotta tiled roof defended the single-story stucco home from the unrelenting sun. A luxurious swimming pool and patio were located behind the house. To the east of the house, grapevines covered fifty acres in neat lines across the sloping land.
Ditz’s research revealed the Kallis family weren’t vintners, so he’d probably leased the land to local growers.
From their vantage point, Josh didn’t see any security guards. White fences bordered the property line. Sugar Gum trees interspersed with Eucalyptus offered shade around the main house and would camouflage their approach.
Lt. Elijah Bach crouched next to him. “Those carriage homes at the back of the property are most likely for staff and grounds keepers, but they’re out of shouting distance from the estate house.”
Josh nodded in agreement. “Appreciate you being here, Eli, but you didn’t have to abandon your housewarming party.”
Lt. Bach shrugged. “Rayne’s really taken a liking to Dixie. She wants Chandler to back off and since my best friend wants the same thing, I’m here.”
Josh glanced across his shoulder and grinned. “Thanks, man.”
Prior to heading out for the hour’s drive to Ramona, Josh and the men made a quick stop at the base and geared up with comm and recon equipment. Josh’s main goal was to get a visual on Chandler and pinpoint his location.
Darkness would give them the cover they needed to get closer to the main house. With the sun nearly below the horizon, long shadows crept across the picturesque estate.
Mace held binoculars equipped with infrared. “Commander, I don’t see any vehicles.”
All the doors on the six-car garage remained closed. Palms lined the estate driveway. An auxiliary road traveled down the left side of the property toward the carriage houses, a large barn, and covered riding arena.
“He’ll have some kind of security system,” Josh said.
A silver Audi hugged the sweeping curves of the road below their position. As the vehicle approached the brick columns marking either side of the entry to the Kallis estate, the sports car slowed and turned right, into the driveway.
The admiral crouched next to Josh. “Cracker, can you make out the plate?”
Ed Saxton peered through his binoculars and said, “California 2GAT123. Looks like a woman driving. That’s a sweet ride.”
“Searching.” Ditz entered the license plate into a software program on his laptop. “Registered to a Vera Parker.” A few more strokes over the keyboard and their comm specialist had a description. “Brunette. Green eyes. Five-eight.”
Josh doubted it was just chance her features matched Dixie’s. He watched through his field glasses as the vehicle slowed and parked near the front door.
A long-legged woman wearing a tropical-blue evening dress exited the vehicle. She walked into the arched entry and knocked on the front door. They were too far away to make out facial details. Within a short time, the door opened, and she stepped inside. Whoever invited the woman in remained
out of sight.
Josh sat back on his haunches and the men formed a circle while Ghost continued to view the estate. “I have to go the rest of the way on my own, men. If anyone’s getting nailed for trespassing, it’s going to be me.”
The admiral lowered his binoculars. “Someone is leaving from the rear of the main house. Probably a staff member. They’re in a golf cart, heading toward the carriage houses.”
Ditz grunted, then surveyed the guys. Having their attention, he turned his laptop so they could see what he’d found.
The admiral glanced over his shoulder at the mobile computer. “Bet she’s expensive.”
Josh wasn’t surprised. The web page Ditz found was for an escort named Vera Parker. “So, he hires expensive women to vent his urges.”
Fox used a stick to scratch a diagram in the ground, commonly called a sand table, using T’s and X’s. “This is the house. To the west is a grove of trees. If he’s burying bodies, that’s where I’d hide them.”
Josh considered the same thing. “Women like Vera are on top of their game. Pun unintended. If she’s an independent contractor, she’ll have a system in place to make sure she doesn’t go missing without being noticed. If Kallis is in the habit of hiring high-priced professionals, he’ll know that.”
Mace, crouched next to Tinman, said, “Maybe Kallis doesn’t always pay to play. Dixie’s notes indicate a penchant for bondage and rough sex. If he picks up single women at a local bar to quench his sexual addiction, he might not be so careful. Question is whether he’d take the chance of burying a body on the property.”
Fox shook his head. “He’s got at least fifty acres in vineyards and there’s a lot of open ground. We can’t search it all.”
“Could have used a trained canine on this op.” Josh had to prioritize what he wanted most. A visual of Chandler Kallis topped the list. Tinman held a military-grade camera with night vision capability and up to 128X zoom. He’d already taken several shots of the property to inspect later.
“Tinman, you up for a field trip?”
He grinned. “My wife’s an attorney, Commander. It’s all about plausible deniability. I’m in.”
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