“Go on home. We’ll call you if there are any issues.”
“I would appreciate it.” She started to leave but turned back around. “Julia wanted me to let her know how Aurora’s doing.”
“I’ll give her a call,” Avery promised. “I want to thank her for contacting you to pick up Aurora. If she hadn’t…” She choked back a sob. Henry wrapped an arm around her in support. They’d come close to losing their daughter tonight. Peyton was so thankful she’d recover.
“Thank you both again for what you did for our daughter,” Henry said, shaking both of their hands.
Avery regained her composure and offered a watery smile. “Enjoy the wedding tomorrow.”
Peyton froze. Lotus’ wedding. She’d totally forgotten all about it. She’d let the Bentons know weeks ago that she’d be gone on Sunday morning. How could she have forgotten?
She said her goodbyes and then she and Noah were back inside the SUV. God, it had been the longest day. Was it only this morning that he’d appeared out of nowhere to flip her world on edge?
She wanted to forget everything that had happened, even for a little while. She needed a distraction. “You promised to tell me about your parents,” she reminded him.
“I did?”
“Yes. When I mentioned my friend’s wedding tomorrow. You said they were free spirits. Now spill.”
“Like I told you before, we lived in communes, grew our own food, made our own clothes. But our grandparents took my brother, sister and me several times a year and every summer so we had a healthy dose of normalcy. Eventually we moved in with them full-time so we could attend regular schools. Our parents visited often, so it wasn’t like they abandoned us or anything.”
“Tell me about your siblings.”
“Ethan is about thirteen months younger. He was also a SEAL, but we were on different teams. We both left at the same time to join COBRA Securities. Our younger sister Maggie managed the office, but she worked her tail off and became an agent.”
“Your sister’s an agent? Wow, that’s impressive.”
“Maggie is that,” he said fondly.
She wanted him to keep talking. The glimpses into his past were fascinating to her. “Tell me more about life on a commune.”
“It’s a long, boring story and we’re here.”
She tried not to let the disappointment show as he parked beside the garage and she led him to the pool house. It took no time to pack up her meager belongings. She’d acquired a few items during her stay, but she hadn’t brought much with her except for clothes. Most of her things were at the house she shared with Owen. It’d been the home they grew up in before and after their parents’ deaths. Though she didn’t think she’d ever live there again, the thought of selling was incomprehensible. Owen felt the same way, though he did use it as a base when he wasn’t overseas risking his life defending freedom.
She packed two bags, separating items that she wouldn’t use into one bag that could stay in her Navigator. The other held the personal items she’d need for the next week. Noah carried the bags outside and loaded the one she didn’t need in her vehicle and the other in his.
“I’ll go first and enter the code. Follow behind me and you shouldn’t have any problem.”
Peyton slid behind the wheel of her SUV and stuck the key in the ignition. She was going to be staying in a house with Noah Addison. Alone. Just the two of them. Alone. She was so nervous her hand shook when she shifted into reverse. She glanced in the rear-view mirror and screamed.
Chapter Eight
Peyton’s heart hammered in her chest as she focused on the two wide brown eyes staring back at her. She jammed the car into park and twisted in her seat. “Jamal!”
“Hey, Ms. Peyton.” He held up a hand in a small wave.
“I’ve been so worried about you. You weren’t at the graduation ceremony this morning and—ah!”
The rear passenger door ripped open and a gun appeared, trained on Jamal’s small head. “Freeze.”
Jamal whimpered and held up both hands in terror. Noah instantly dropped his gun and stood. He slapped a hand over his chest, muttered an oath then apologized. “I heard you scream,” he rationalized his behavior to Peyton. “Lost about ten years off my life.”
Her heart twisted at the words. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he had feelings for her. But no, he was just doing his job.
He stuffed the gun behind his back in the waistband of his pants. “You must be Jamal.”
Jamal’s mouth dropped open. “You’ve heard of me?”
Noah gripped the top of the SUV with both hands and leaned inside. “Sure have. The way I hear it, you’ll be winning gold medals soon, just like Ms. Durant.”
Jamal puffed out his chest. “Sure will.”
“What are you doing here, Jamal?” Peyton asked. “Better yet, how did you get here?”
“I’m on the run from my brother.”
She noticed a cut on his cheek. “Did he hit you?”
Jamal nodded weakly. “He wants me to take drugs to the community center and to my school. He told me I didn’t even need to sell them, that he already had buyers lined up. He got so mad when I said no, he hit me. I took off before he could strike me again.”
“When was this?” Noah’s voice was tight. She had the feeling he wanted to do the same thing to Jamal’s brother.
“Last night. He didn’t know about the ceremony today, but he knew I had a swim class. I was afraid he would look for me there, so I didn’t go.” His serious gaze met Peyton’s. “He’s mad at you, too. He thinks you brainwashed me. He said he was going to make you pay. That’s why I had to come here. To warn you.”
Peyton’s heart stuttered in genuine fear at the thought of a dangerous gang member—maybe the entire gang—coming after her.
Noah’s gaze met hers. He shook his head, as if saying they wouldn’t get to her. She believed him.
“Have you had anything to eat?” Noah asked Jamal.
“No. I couldn’t grab anything before I ran, so I don’t have money.”
Peyton gasped. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday? And you walked all the way here? How did you even know where I lived?”
“I saw Mr. Mark and he told me.”
Mark. Figured.
“How did you get inside the gate?” Noah questioned.
Jamal’s smile was a slash of white. “I climbed the brick wall. I felt like Spiderman. Easy peasy.”
“Great security,” Noah muttered. “Do you like pizza?”
“Is SpongeBob yellow?” Jamal scoffed.
Noah muttered something about Jamal getting along famously with Kai before he straightened. “Let’s head to the house and we can order a large with all the fixings.”
“No mushrooms,” Jamal insisted. “They’re just slimy.”
Noah held his hand out for a fist bump, which Jamal eagerly returned. “Totally agree. Buckle up,” he said as he closed the door and headed to his SUV. Peyton shifted to reverse and followed Noah’s vehicle down the street. The house was close enough to the Benton’s home for her to walk. She entered the gate and it slid closed behind them.
“Wow.” Jamal gaped as the house came into view. “Does he live here?”
She didn’t want to worry the boy about talk of stalkers, so she just said, “No, but he knows the owners.”
“Cool.”
Noah stopped at a four-car garage and jumped out to manually open the doors. Then he proceeded to back inside. That was too much effort for her, so she pulled straight in and killed the engine.
“Is there a pool?” Jamal asked as he leaped down.
“There is,” Noah agreed. “Indoor.”
“Woohoo,” Jamal whooped and then his smile dimmed. “I don’t have my suit with me. I didn’t have time to get it before I ran.”
“I have it on good authority that a young boy lives here. I bet we can find one you can wear.”
The smile that lit Jamal’s face made her heart squeeze. H
e was such a sweet boy despite his upbringing. A whore mother who’d sell him for drug money if possible. A gang-banging older brother who wanted him to follow in his footsteps. A father who abandoned them. Still, Jamal radiated happiness. She prayed he never lost his light.
Noah lifted her suitcase and led the way inside the house. He used a keypad to unlock the door from the garage that opened into the kitchen. Jamal raced through the house, peeking in every room. The house was a showpiece with expensive upgrades and top-of-the-line furnishings. There was indeed a pool, separated from the rest of the basement by a wall of glass. Noah found a suit for Jamal to wear. He wanted to swim now before the pizza arrived. It made Peyton so happy to see him fearlessly jump in and start paddling. He’d been terrified of the water his first day of lessons.
She watched him play with an inflatable dog float. He fell off more than he rode, but he was having a great time. Her mood dimmed when she thought of his brother Jamarcus. The fact that he wanted his younger brother to be a drug mule was disgusting. She wondered if he had been killed in the gunfire and then wondered if she should tell Jamal. She didn’t want him returning there, but then, it was his home and his brother. It wasn’t fair to keep the information from him if his brother was seriously wounded—or worse.
Another thought crept in regarding what they should do about his situation. As much as she would love for him to stay with her, she couldn’t hide him away and keep him from school. There were laws about that kind of thing. She was pretty sure it was called kidnapping, even though she hadn’t committed the napping part and the kid came to her.
He must’ve noticed her attention had wandered because he half paddled, half pushed the dog float to the side of the pool. “Ms. Peyton?”
“You can drop the miss. Just call me Peyton.”
“K. I have an aunt in Detroit. She wants me to live with her. She’s been trying to get me to stay with her for a couple of years, but my mom won’t let me.”
The words lifted a giant weight from her shoulders. “Do you want to call her?”
He nodded. “My mom won’t notice I’m gone. If I stay, Jamarcus will never leave me alone and that scares me.”
She decided he needed to know. “About your brother, Jamal. Noah and I stopped by your apartment this morning when you didn’t show up. There was a shoot-out.”
He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “Happens all the time, pretty much daily.”
How sad. She wished she’d known all this earlier. She’d have tried to do something before now. “Jamarcus was involved.”
“He usually is.”
“I think he might’ve been hit. I don’t know how bad, but he was bleeding.”
Another negligent shrug. “He’s not dead.”
“You talked to him?”
Jamal shook his head. “You can’t kill evil.”
#
Noah checked in with his office while he waited for the pizza to be delivered. He planned on meeting the delivery person at the gate instead of buzzing them in. Safer that way.
Jamal’s happy giggles floated up to him and he smiled. The kid was truly adorable. Despite the rotten home life, he had a positive attitude and infectious laugh. But he posed a problem. Noah’s job was to keep Peyton safe. It’d be harder to do with a child in the picture. He didn’t want Jamal in unnecessary danger.
Jamal’s earlier warning of his brother gunning for Peyton angered him. The brother should be happy that someone had taken an interest in Jamal and wanted him to succeed. Instead, he was pissed that Jamal wouldn’t do his bidding.
He texted the brother’s name to the office for a status update. Jamarcus had been shot earlier today. He might be seriously wounded. Or lying on a slab in the morgue.
His phone buzzed a message from Detective Blake Caldwell. The party had been raided and the occupants arrested, but there was no sign of a Clark Madden or Richie Fenster, the names of the two men Aurora’s friend Julia thought organized the bash. Though on the market, the home belonged to the parents of one of the kids who’d been arrested, so Madden and Fenster were off the hook, at least for the party. Aurora’s parents might press charges for statutory rape, assuming Aurora and Clark had been having sex.
He thanked Caldwell for the information and asked if he knew about the fire at the community center and if anyone was hurt in the blaze. Caldwell texted back a few minutes later that there were no serious injuries and no structural fire. Someone had managed to roll the overflowing dumpster from behind the building inside and light it on fire, causing the smoke.
There was no putting it off…it was time to call in back-up. Someone shooting at him and then the community center smoke-out were too coincidental and he didn’t believe in coincidences.
They were slammed with work at the offices, along with rebuilding a substantial portion of the compound. Plus, he was doing this pro bono with his bosses blessing. He didn’t want to ask them to cover the cost of another agent, but he knew Ethan would insist on coming. He considered another idea.
His first call was to Dante Costa, requesting that he be cleared for active duty. He was doing this with or without Dante’s blessing. Peyton needed protection. He’d been prepared to beg if necessary, but thankfully, Dante readily agreed.
Before he called his boss, he dialed Tyler and asked him to run a name. Even though it was late, Tyler was never far from his computer. Noah waited until he read him the file. Just as he expected. Then he called his boss Logan Bradley at home and apologized for taking time from his family. He explained everything that happened, starting with the sniper, followed by the fire and then Jamal’s appearance. Logan agreed that Noah needed backup and suggested Ethan before Noah could ask.
“I have something to float by you,” Noah said.
“Go for it,” Logan encouraged.
“I told you that someone took a shot at me today. I would’ve probably been hit if not for a good Samaritan who spotted the gunman and tackled me to the ground. Declan Elliot. He’s special ops, just recently honorably discharged.”
“A fellow SEAL?”
Noah winced. This would hurt. “No. Marine.”
“You, a Navy SEAL like me, the best of the best, were saved by a jarhead?” Logan tsked. “That’s got to be so embarrassing for you.”
Noah gritted his teeth. He knew Logan was teasing but it did grate. He was used to being the one doing the saving.
“Is he interested in a job?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t ask. But I think he’d be an asset. I had Tyler run a background check and he’s highly decorated. Several commendations with never so much as a reprimand. No police record of any kind, not even a parking ticket. I was thinking that I’d ask if he was interested in helping out with protection on this case and then he could consider applying for a job.”
“If you trust him, that sounds like a great idea. See if he wants the job. I’ll make sure Ethan brings equipment and supplies for him.”
“Thanks, and I want to make it clear I’m paying him.”
“No, you won’t. We’ll hire him for the job as an independent contractor. If he’s interested, have him call me and we’ll work out the details.”
Noah felt a rush of pride at how lucky he’d been to have met Logan in the military and now had the immense pleasure of working for him. He disconnected and then called Ethan and asked about the basketball game he missed, happy to discover they’d won. Then he instructed him to drive to Chicago in the morning after he picked up supplies. Next, he dialed the number Declan Elliot had given him. It was late, but hopefully he’d still be up.
“Elliot.”
“This is Noah Addison. You saved my life this afternoon in the community center parking lot.”
“I remember,” he said drily. “Did you find the shooter?”
“No, and that’s one of the reasons I’m calling you. I told you that I work for COBRA Securities. I’m currently on a case. I’ve got another agent coming in the morning, but I wondered if you’d be interest
ed in assisting?”
“Me? Why?”
“Because I saw you in action and your instincts are stellar. I also ran a background check and you passed with flying colors.”
“What’s the job?”
“Protecting a client from a potential stalker. I believe that the shot at me today was to eliminate me from the picture. She’s been receiving strange notes and this evening, after the shooting, the community center caught fire while we were attending a banquet.”
“Too many coincidences,” Declan agreed.
“If you’re interested, I’ll have you talk to my boss to work out details. You’d be hired as an independent contractor for the job.”
“Why are you doing this for me?”
“You saved my life today. Plus, veterans need to stick together.”
“You were military?”
“Navy. A SEAL.”
“No shit?” There was amusement in his voice that Noah didn’t care one bit for. “I saved a frogman? Marines rule.” He chuckled, but Noah didn’t see anything remotely humorous about it.
#
Noah was glad he ordered two large pizzas because Jamal practically inhaled one all by himself. He scarfed down sausage and pepperoni slices practically without chewing. He had to have been so hungry on his trek across town, plus he was a growing boy. If his home life was as bad as Peyton said, he might not get too many decent meals. That made him sad.
Peyton ate a few bites of one slice, but she was still coming off an adrenalin rush from the fire and then Aurora’s hospitalization. When he informed her he was bringing in two other agents, her face had paled dangerously. She finally understood the seriousness of the situation.
His phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen to see Declan Elliot’s number. He walked into the two-story living room to take the call.
“You in?” He asked in lieu of a greeting.
“I’m outside the gate.”
Noah spun around to peer out the window. “Here? Now?”
Golden Girl (COBRA Security Book 16) Page 10