by J. L. Drake
“She’s my guardian angel,” I confessed.
“She looks a little dark and sad to be a guardian angel.”
“Well, perhaps I’m hers,” I whispered, and his eyes grew somber.
“May I?” I nodded and gathered my hair as he turned me around to study it better in the orange light of the evening sky. Again, his fingers swept across my skin and traced her battered wings. She was curled into a ball. Her wings were clipped and tucked in, and her head was turned to the side, looking down, so it was just her brittle profile. She was almost the length of my entire back with no color, just a black outline of a fallen angel.
“Beautiful.” He matched my tone, although I thought he was calling me beautiful, not her.
“Thank you.”
He eased my hair out of my hold and slowly ran his fingers through it as I turned to face him. It was an intensely intimate moment that caught me completely off guard. How could someone so big be so tender?
My sightline was at his chest level, and I wanted to reach up and feel how solid his body really was. He was a chiseled masterpiece.
“Are you dating anyone?” he asked quietly.
“No.”
“Good.”
I smirked. “If I was?”
“Then I’d have to find a way to get your attention away from him or her.”
“Him. You definitely have it.”
“And you have mine.”
The wind suddenly picked up, and goosebumps broke out across my skin, but it wasn’t from the cool air. I’d dated before, but no one had ever piqued my interest like Mike. He was kind and respectful but with mucho alpha.
“So, what now?” I playfully challenged him.
His mouth rose but immediately fell the moment her voice broke through our moment.
“Mikey?” Lizzy called, and we both dropped our hands. “Char was looking for you.”
“Okay.” He looked back at me and smiled. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit.” He began walking up toward the house.
Lizzy gave me a strange look. “I’m going to offer you a little advice, Catalina.” She folded her arms. All signs of sweetness evaporated, and I could see she wanted me to really hear her. “You’re new to the Irons world. We all have our place and know where we stand. It’s best for you to learn what you can touch and what you can’t.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning Mike is off-limits.”
Okay…
“Are you two dating?”
“He’s been in love with me for years. That’s a lot of history to sniff around in.” She held my gaze a little longer before she turned on her heel and raced to catch up with Mike.
She didn’t answer my question.
Once again, the feeling that I didn’t belong swept over me, so I hung back and waited until they disappeared from sight.
***
Something must have happened, because Mike didn’t reappear for the rest of the night, and I left disappointed. What made it worse was he never texted or called either. Maybe I was crazy, but he had seemed interested. Or was he a player? I pushed that thought away. That wasn’t fair. I might not know him, but I sure had never gotten that vibe from him.
The Brew was busy, and we didn’t stop once, but at least the tips were piling in.
“Catalina.” Char pulled me from my thoughts and eyed the beer I had overfilled. “I need two Blackbirds and a Stella.”
Sometimes we’d pick up extra shifts to help out Andy, the manager, when someone called in sick. Tonight was one of those nights, and frankly, I was more than happy about it because I really needed the money, and Andy needed me to train the newest member of the Brew Crew.
“Got it.” I shook my hands dry and pulled the beers before I entered the order into the system.
“Hey.” She came behind the counter and stood next to me. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I sighed inwardly, “I just have some stuff on my mind.”
“Well,” she handed me the cash for the drinks, “come by on Friday. We’re having a barbecue and a bonfire down on the beach.” When I didn’t bite, she wrapped her arm around me. “Come on, Cat, you’ve been stuck in a funk for a month now. Why won’t you share what’s going on?”
I wanted to cry. My life was so different from hers. What I wouldn’t do for some warm family moments of my own. A dark shiver went down my spine, and I scolded myself for thinking of them. I looked normal on the outside, but inside there was a constant war happening, one that chipped away at my strength.
Tears threatened to surface, and I felt my walls start to shift.
“Cat?” She studied my face. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s okay.” I sniffed and swallowed down my sadness. “I’d love to come. What time?”
“Yay!” She faked her excitement. I could tell she was worried about me. “Let’s say five?”
“I’ll be there.” As she went to leave, I hooked her arm and hugged her. “Thanks.”
“Of course.” Her arms tightened.
My shift was long, but I managed to get through it with very little interaction with Lizzy, though I caught her staring at me a few times.
Was she seriously still stuck on last week’s topic? No worry, he hasn’t called.
My walk home was nice, but damn, it was hot. I stopped in at the corner store and bought a three-color popsicle for fun and some relief. The ice felt wonderful inside but melted fast under the morning heat.
“Are you trying to get my attention?” Jeff, the jerk who owned the basement I rented, locked the door to the top floor where he lived. He was as sleazy as they came. I’d caught him in my place before, claiming he was checking a pipe, but later I found my underwear drawer had been tossed around.
“If you get bored with that treat, I have a different one for you.” He thrust his hips in my direction.
Yuck.
I pushed by him to get to the stairs that led to my door.
“Hey,” he grabbed my arm, “it’s rude to ignore me. You know I could jack your rent up at any point,” he snarled.
I ripped my arm away and fiddled with the key until it finally opened. I quickly secured all three locks and sagged against the cool brick wall. Why was I always surrounded by dicks? What was it about me that attracted them?
He had no idea what I was capable of, but I would never stoop that low. I would not give in. I was different.
I dropped my bag on the chair and headed for the shower.
“Dammit!” There wasn’t any hot water. Jeff often turned it off whenever we fought, or when he wanted me to come up and ask for it to be turned back on. He loved me at his mercy. I couldn’t wait to move, but right now it was all I could afford. Jeff was attractive and knew it. He was forceful and often tried to manhandle me, and not in a good way. I knew my time at this apartment was going to have to end, and soon.
The icy water woke me back up after my shift at the Brew. My bed looked inviting, but I had no time to waste. I quickly did my make-up, got dressed in a paisley sundress with a wraparound neckline, pulled on heels, and finger-combed my hair. It would have to dry on the way to job number two. I grabbed my keys and rushed out the door.
Charlotte was already at Duncan and Wayde Advertising when I arrived, on time by the skin of my teeth. Normally, I was an early bird, but today I was running behind, as Andy had begged me to teach the new guy how to do inventory at the Brew, and I couldn’t say no. He was, after all, the one who employed me when no one else would. I owed him a lot.
“Good morning, sunshine.” She handed me a cup of coffee as I hung my bag up and shook my mouse to wake up the computer.
“Thanks.” I sipped the delicious coffee and sank into the seat. I felt the lack of sleep tug at my chest.
“How was work?”
“Good. Just got off an hour ago.”
“Damn, girl.” She made a sad face. “Look, Duncan is here and looking for the mark-up on the gel line for Opal.”
I op
ened the bottom drawer and pulled the file free. “Here.”
“Is it finished?” She skimmed the pages. “When did you have a chance to finish it?”
“Remember when I disappeared last shift and missed lunch?”
“Yeah.”
I gave her a shrug. “I wouldn’t have had time to have finish, otherwise.”
She leaned her bottom on my desk and shook her head. “You’re a pretty impressive person, you know that, Cat?”
I squeezed her arm as a thank you.
My phone rang, and I snatched it to see an unknown number.
“Hello?”
Oh, please be him!
Silence.
“If it’s you, hit a key. You don’t have to say anything. Just tell me if you’re okay.”
Charlotte gave me a concerned look but kept her head down while I pleaded with whoever it was to give some indication it was Javier.
The line went dead, and so did my hope.
It wasn’t until the end of the day that Charlotte stopped by my desk again with her bag.
“Look,” she pulled her keys from her purse, “I know you like your privacy, but something is clearly going on, so I will only say this once. If you need anything or just someone to talk to, you know you can call me, right?”
I knew, and I wanted to so badly, but I wouldn’t burden anyone else with my problems.
“Thanks, Charlotte.” I gathered my things. I desperately needed some sleep.
“Can I drive you home?”
“Sure.” I smiled my thanks at her.
I didn’t remember crawling into bed or when I hit the pillow. I just let sleep carry me away.
CHAPTER THREE
Mike
Keith laid the laminated map on the conference room table then took a red Sharpie and started to outline our next trip, another attempt to locate Elena. Her mother was still mourning the death of her youngest daughter, and we promised her she could stay at our North Rock safe house until we were able to extract Elena. We would hit Salvador’s summer house, but not yet. Trigger informed me last night that they had changed their security. We would have to get our guy over in TJ to watch over the next few days until we knew their new schedule.
“There’s no reason to think Martina is playing us.” I turned to Keith as he answered Crawford’s question. Ben Crawford came in last year and had proven to be a great asset to the house.
“All I’m saying is most people would have gotten the hell out of Mexico, given how much trouble they were in, especially if Salvador finds out she was on his computer…”
“When you have a child, you’ll understand. I wouldn’t have left either.” Keith glanced outside to where Lexi and his son played on the swing set. Little Brandon was a great kid and had really tamed Lexi’s fight or flight behavior. Under her hard shell, she was really a sweet girl. She had just been through a lot of shit. Plus, Savi was good at getting through to the nitty-gritty of people’s problems. She was still in constant touch with Lexi on FaceTime calls.
“Mike, do you have what you need?”
“I do,” I nodded at Keith, “and I’m ready to go at oh-four-hundred.”
“Great. Get some sleep and see what we can find out tomorrow.”
Just as I arrived at my room, Mark called, “Hey, man.” He held up his radio. “Where are you keeping the extra batteries?”
“Crawford just ordered a new shipment. He’s charging them now.”
“Thanks.”
“Mia giving you shit for being gone so long?”
He laughed and pulled out his ringing phone and held it up. “Mainly because the boys are being little dicks again.”
“Well, they are part of you.”
“Touché.” He laughed and held the phone to his ear. “Wait, Mike!”
“Yeah?”
“Catalina…” His eyebrows pinched together while he thought. “Should I get Cole to vet her?”
I shrugged, knowing it was protocol, but I didn’t think we needed to go there yet. “Let me get back to you on that.”
He nodded before he pointed at his phone as Mia answered. “Hey, baby.” He cringed as the yelling from his boys rang out. “How are ya?”
I chuckled and headed inside my room. Once I was packed and had my things by the door, I opened my closet and peeled back the wooden panel. I wanted to add the newest addition to my collection. My mother, who still insisted on buying me trolls, had gotten me the Bravery edition. Careful not to knock over the rest, I set him on the shelf next to his new friends. I smiled at how funny it would be if anyone ever found out my secret. Sixty-five trolls stood in their places waiting for me to return. That was the point; they would always be there for me. My mind slipped back to how my childhood was anything but free.
“Hey, Lurch!” A neighborhood boy and his stupid friends chucked a soda can at my back. “What’s it like being a giant? Can the giant even run, or does your head get stuck in the clouds and you lose your way?”
I rolled my eyes and ate my lunch alone, like always. I was in fourth grade and was almost five-one. My father was six-three, and my mother was six feet, so I was bound to be one tall human. I was the butt of a lot of kids’ mean tricks and comments over the years.
I didn’t have many friends, and the ones I did have, I didn’t trust to have my back.
“Andre the Giant is coming!” one of the little brats called as I jumped off the step from the school bus. “Quick, he’s going to eat us!” The kids scattered and screamed, and once again I walked home alone.
I never had to say anything when I got home; my mom just knew.
“Mike, look at what I found today.” She turned a box around and showed me the Bruce Banner edition of the troll dolls. “You know who that is, right?”
“The Hulk.” I held it in between my hands and studied the little monster.
“Why don’t you go introduce him to his new friends?”
I dropped my book bag and grabbed the snack she had made me and headed to my room.
I sat on the floor and inhaled my cookies while I ripped open the box. “Guys, meet Bruce Banner. He will be head of security while I’m at school. No one messes with him.”
“Do they like Banner?” my mother asked from the hallway. I grinned at her.
“Of course. They don’t have a choice. He’d crush them all.”
“Right, but he only hurts the ones who hurt him. He was misunderstood because of his size, but he has a huge heart. Just like you.” She took a seat on the floor and started to play with me. “I guess we should call you Banner.”
I shrugged, but a smile crept over my lips. The name stuck.
***
My boots sank into the thick mud as we raced along the back of the property. Normally, we’d attack at night with the darkness on our side, but our sources confirmed that between thirteen-hundred hours and thirteen-thirty-five, they left to do a check-in, and we’d be clear to enter the house. We weren’t ready to storm Salvador’s summer house yet; we wanted to clear the others first. Elena could be anywhere, so we’d start small, then work our way to the big house later. Besides, Cole mentioned possibly going in undercover to see what we could find out if Elena still came up MIA.
Keith signaled for me to enter through the back of the house. I kicked in the door and used my laser to sweep the place and check for any cartel.
“Laundry room clear,” I whispered into my radio. I moved around to a small room and checked the closet. “Room in back clear.”
“Livingroom and family room clear,” Mark checked in.
“Barn clear.” Keith followed suit. “Hawk, check in.”
Crawford was quiet. Where the hell was he? He was new but understood the rules, and we didn’t have time to waste.
Without moving, I glanced at my watch. 13:14.
“Bedroom’s clear.” I moved about but stopped when a dusting of stucco landed on my shoulder from where Mark was above me on the second floor. Water damage, most likely from a pipe.
&nb
sp; “Raven Two, the floor is weak where you are.”
“Ten-four, Delta Six, floor is weak,” Mark repeated. “This house is in bad shape.”
A cold rush swept down my back under my gear, almost like an invisible warning something was wrong.
“Beta Seven and Raven Two, do you feel that?”
“Delta Six, share.” Mark caught my tone.
“Something feels off,” I whispered. “Hawk, click your radio.”
A single click cracked over the radio, and along with it, the realization that my gut was once again correct.
I moved to the bottom of the stairs and nodded at Mark. He joined my six, and we slowly moved around the corner and caught sight of Keith about to join us from outdoors.
“Hawk, stay put. We’re making our way to you.” My heart thumped in my throat. I wasn’t scared. I was just hyperaware of my sixth sense and what it was telling me.
I blinked to better my vision and carefully opened the door the rest of the way.
“Hawk,” I whispered to his back, “I’m coming up on your left.” I raised my fist to tell Mark to wait. “I’m at your eight.” I reassured him he wasn’t alone. “Moving to your nine.” I was good at walking people through my process. It was something Cole prided me on, and he often used me in situations with children.
As soon as I was at Crawford’s side, I scanned his rigid body.
“Okay,” I kept my tone light, “tell me what’s going on.”
“I heard a click,” he whispered. “Not a click from stepping on the floorboards, a heavier click.”
“’Kay.” I glanced around the room, moving only my eyes in case I triggered another device.
“I kept waiting for a boom, but it never came. We learned about landmines in training, and that even the slightest movement could set it off.”
“Yeah.” I listened, but my mind was elsewhere. Mark checked his radio, and I knew the clock was ticking. If we were found, the hunt for Elena could be deadly. Sooner or later, Salvador would make her pay her family’s debt for leaving. That was what they did. If someone left a debt, it had to be paid, no matter what cost. Needless to say, we were running out of time.