Secret Guardian

by Jill Sanders

  “Okay, give me a few hours to round up some men.”

  “No, for what I have in mind, all we will need is you. Too many men will draw attention. This is going to be a more personal setting and I think someone with your skills will be just what we need.”

  “What kind of equipment shall I bring?”

  “Nothing. I’ll arrange for everything you will need here. There might even be a way that you can redeem yourself for letting Ann slip through your fingers in Rio. Just get here as quickly as you can.”

  After he hung up, he sat in the dark room and thought about the new plan. Letting her come home might not be the best plan, but having her close and having the possibility of personally getting his hands on her thrilled him.

  He’d wanted his hands on her since the first time he’d been introduced to her by her father. Being close to the family was a blessing. Hiding in plain sight had always been his specialty.

  Now he just needed to spin his web so he could sit back and wait for them to take the bait. He thought of all the hard work he’d done over the last year, all the lies, all the deceit, and smiled. He was good at his job.

  He’d embedded himself so far in the society that if he disappeared, it wouldn’t go unnoticed. Plus, he was in too good of a position to not be an asset.

  The goal was the same: stop the senator at any cost. So much money was riding on him doing his job well. Drug money ran through his veins. It was what drove him and the people he worked for.

  Power and wealth had become something easily obtained if you knew the right people and didn’t mind getting your hands dirty.

  He looked down at his manicured fingers and smiled knowing his hands were dirtier than most others. Just because he enjoyed the job didn’t mean he didn’t have the drive to someday be the one calling all the shots.

  He knew his boss wasn’t pleased that it had taken this long, but what could the old man do? It wasn’t like the man was around much anyway. When he was there, though, he was a force to be reckoned with.

  He was one step away from taking over. After all, the old man was very old and frail. He couldn’t live forever. Maybe after this job was over, he’d have to personally step in and see about the man’s health. He knew a few tricks for helping someone’s health deteriorate. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t get close to the man. He was a recluse after all.

  Yes, it would be nice to not have to worry about doing someone else’s dirty work. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms behind his head. Looking around the dark office, he could just imagine it all being his one day.

  After hanging up the phone with her father, Ann walked back into the living room feeling light headed. She found Ethan at the table on a laptop and talking on another phone. He looked busy, so she sat and zoned out while he talked. She was so busy thinking about the conversation she’d just had with her father, that when Ethan came and sat next to her she almost jumped.

  “Sorry, I know you were deep in thought. I didn’t mean to startle—”

  “It’s not my fault. The interview had nothing to do with what happened in Rio,” she blurted out.

  “Yeah. I just confirmed that, as well. It appears there’s a contract out on you. They’re after your father for his new bill that will make it harder for drugs to come into the US through Texas. Ann.” He waited until she turned and looked at him. “That’s why he hired me. Just in case this was going to come back to him, through you. My buddy Marco is watching Blake. And I have some of my other buddies watching your family back home. I knew it could be something like this, but I wasn’t sure.”

  He ran his hands through his hair and she could tell he was struggling. “I guess I should have told you. I didn’t think—”

  “You knew there was a chance that all this,” she said, waving her hands in the air wildly, “wasn’t my fault and you didn’t say anything?” She stood and looked down at him.

  The hurt and guilt she’d felt since seeing her friend’s body replayed in her mind. He could have spared her some of that. She walked from the room, heading out the glass doors towards the cliffs. When she reached the edge, she sat down in the grass and cried.

  When the sun started sinking below the water, Ethan walked out and sat next to her. His arms rested on his knees as he looked off towards the sunset.

  “Ann, there’s a lot about me that I haven’t told you. A lot of things I don’t want to tell you. A lot of things I can’t tell you.” He turned and looked at her. “If I kept something from you, it was for a reason. I didn’t know for sure it had anything to do with your father. I was under the same assumption as you were, that it had everything to do with this.” He pulled the black disk from his pocket and set it in her lap. “Javan sent a copy to Austin the morning after everything exploded. This is just your copy.”

  “You had this, the entire time?” She looked at him. When he nodded she felt even more betrayed.

  “Don’t,” he said and pulled her shoulders until she looked at him. “What I did, everything I did, was to protect you. You didn’t trust me when we first started this journey. I didn’t trust you. I needed that leverage over you, in case you tried to bolt. You were safer with me, and I needed you to have a reason to stay.”

  She looked down at the disk in her hands and remembered thinking about getting him fired from his job. Then she realized he was making sense.

  “What about now?” She looked at him and saw the confusion in his eyes.

  “You obviously trust me enough to give me this. Do you think I’ll take off?”

  “I hope you won’t for more reasons than I’m willing to admit to right now.” He looked back towards the sunset and pulled her into his arms. “I still want you to come to Washington, to meet my family.” He kissed the top of her head, “But I’d totally understand if you didn’t.”

  She sighed and thought about it, then leaned into his shoulder even more. “Ethan, I trust you completely. I’d still love to go with you to meet your family.”

  They sat there watching the sun set together and she knew without a doubt that she’d fallen hard for him. And there was no way she would ever turn back.

  Chapter Eleven

  That night Ethan didn’t get much sleep. The fact that he never really slept the whole night through didn’t normally bother him. But that night he wanted nothing more than to lay there holding Ann and doze off peacefully. But his mind just wouldn’t shut down, so he gently moved her off his chest and went into the living room to work on his laptop. He checked their travel arrangements and chatted online with his contacts. Then he emailed his sister, Roberta, and told her they were going to be in town.

  He checked the news in Rio and checked in with his sources there. When he got in touch with Javan, he was shocked to hear that he’d had to disappear for a while and was now back in Jamaica. Evidently word had gotten out that he’d helped them escape, and he was blacklisted around Brazil. So he’d hightailed it back home to lay low. He’d ended up doing some more research on Ann’s father. Trying to find out who was after him was like finding a needle in a haystack. There were too many drug lords out there that would want to see the Senator’s new bill fail.

  Just as the sun was rising, Ethan walked in and woke Ann so they could start their journey to the States. By the time they were showered and dressed, Raul was driving up to the house and they loaded their new luggage filled with their new clothes in the back of the van.

  “No crate this time?” Ann asked as they sat in the back of the plush van. Ethan laughed.

  “No, this time we ride in style.”

  The private jet left the small airport less than an hour later, its pilot another one of Ethan’s trusted buddies from his Special Forces days.

  “I could get used to this,” Ann said, leaning back in the leather chair. The private cabin was not only plush, but packed with a few extra benefits as well. The gourmet food brought out by the flight attendant was of the highest quality.

  “Okay,” Ann asked after eating
baked salmon and fresh vegetables, “who did you have to rescue to use this?”

  He just chuckled and shook his head. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” He leaned over and kissed her nose as she pouted.

  This flight seemed to go a lot faster than the one they’d taken a few days ago. Maybe because this time they actually talked and enjoyed each other’s company, which always seemed to make the time fly by. He just couldn’t keep his eyes from her face as she talked about her life and family.

  Her eyes seemed to sparkle when she talked about her little brother, who was almost half her age. He did see some hesitation when she talked about her stepmother, Coleen. She didn’t go into detail about the woman, but Ethan had met her once already. He remembered a very tan, toned, young woman who had hugged him excessively to thank him for returning her son. Her jet black hair had matched that of the young boy’s. It hadn’t escaped Ethan’s noticed that the young boy had held onto his father longer than his mother.

  Ann seemed to enjoy talking about her life and career choices. Ethan thought she was making up for lost time in getting to know each other, or maybe it was just nervous chatter. He knew he felt a little nervous about bringing her to meet his family. After all, he’d never brought someone home before, ever.

  He was pretty sure at one point his father had just assumed he was gay. He’d laughed about it then, but it had made him start to wonder if he’d ever find someone he’d actually want to bring home.

  Looking over at Ann, again, he realized there was no doubt in his mind that she was the one. He knew his parents would accept her immediately. After all, they had taken Roberta in with open arms after she’d visited them for the first time a few years back. It was the first time his mother had seen her daughter since she was a few days old. Meeting your son’s girlfriend seemed like a much smaller step than finding your long-lost daughter.

  He felt the plane slowing and starting its descent.

  “I haven’t been to Portland before. I’ve been to Seattle, but never to Oregon,” Ann said, sounding eager as she leaned to get a better look out the window. “Oh my God!” she said and turned so her shoulders were facing the window. Her hands went to either side of the small window. “Is that Mt. Hood? It’s so close and big.”

  He chuckled. Most people flying into Portland for the first time had the same thought. He looked out his window and seeing the large, white peak hovering over the city made him feel like he was home. He missed it. He missed his family. He missed just relaxing and not being on the run. Looking over at Ann, he realized she was the reason.

  “Yes, it’s over eleven thousand feet. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  She turned and smiled at him. “Where is it you’re from again?”

  “Cathlamet, Washington. It’s a very small town about an hour and a half from Portland. We’ll spend the night at my sister Roberta’s place in town tonight. Then we’ll drive over tomorrow to visit my folks and my grandma.”

  When the plane finished taxiing, the doors were opened and he smiled as the cool air hit him in the face. The smell of home made him want to close his eyes and take it all in.

  After getting their luggage, they grabbed a taxi and less than thirty minutes later were walking up to his sister’s front door. The newer stone home was in an older part of town, and he knew they’d just finished renovating the whole thing. It was where they stayed while they were in town, but their larger full-time home was in a small town called Pride almost two hours away.

  As they approached, the blue front door swung open and a small girl with dark hair came running towards them.

  “Efan, Efan,” she said over and over again. He laughed and pulled her up into a tight hug. She’d grown so much since he’d seen her four months ago. Her little chubby cheeks were still as kissable. But when she started talking, he noticed a few more teeth in her mouth.

  “How’s my Rose-petal?” He swung her in a circle and kissed her all over her face, causing her to giggle.

  He looked over and saw his sister and brother-in-law, Ric, standing in the front doorway.

  His sister walked up and gave him a hug. He kissed the top of her dark head while still holding Rose. Rose was lucky enough to have gotten the best of both of her parents. Her big blue eyes she’d gotten from her dad. Her long dark hair and cute button nose she’d gotten from her mother.

  “Ann, this is my sister Roberta and her husband Ric. And this,” he tickled the little girl in his arms, “is my Rose-petal.” The girl giggled and he watched Ann smile and shake his sister’s hand, then Ric’s.

  Ann felt a little overwhelmed. Ethan had told her about his sister, that she was an ex-detective. But the thing that really loomed over Ann’s mind was the fact that Roberta had been stolen as a child and raised by a thief. She didn’t know exactly what had turned her life around, but she knew that Roberta had become a cop early on. After retiring young she’d become head of security for her husband who owned one of the largest growing franchises of art galleries in the US.

  The couple was nothing like she had imagined. They were both fit and very tan, almost like they spent more time outside than inside. Gauging the amount of clouds she’d seen on the short taxi ride over here, she doubted they got so tan from the sun around here.

  She could see some similarity between Roberta and Ethan. They had matching eyes and hair. But Roberta was very petite and a whole lot shorter. Ric was tall and blonde, and his smile was almost infectious as he chatted with Ethan.

  Their townhouse was gorgeous. Its tall ceilings and light tan walls made her feel almost at home. Ethan carried their luggage up to the room they’d be staying in while Ann excused herself and freshened up in the small powder bathroom.

  She’d never had a problem talking with people before, but for some reason, it really mattered to her what this couple thought of her. She tried to be smooth around them, but her nerves were showing. Finally, Roberta pulled her aside and asked for her help in the kitchen.

  Ann looked around the large kitchen as the men talked in the living room area. Roberta was just putting the finishing touches on a big pan of lasagna while Ann finished fixing the salad.

  “You know, I didn’t meet my brother until a few years ago, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love him.”

  Ann looked over at Roberta. The woman was leaning against the countertop, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched her finishing the salad.

  “I understand. I have a half brother that’s half my age. I can’t stand his mother, but the kid just gets to me.” She smiled, thinking of Blake’s face.

  Roberta smiled. “You know, Ann, I think I like you. It was hard to tell at first. There’s just something about reporters that gets under my skin. But you…” Roberta nodded her head. “There’s this realness underneath it all that I’ve never seen in one of your kind before.”

  Ann laughed. “One of my kind. I like that. I’ve never been associated as a “Kind” before.”

  Roberta laughed. “You know, when I worked the force, I thought of your kind as a bunch of zombies, sucking the stories from the humans by any means possible.”

  They both laughed as they carried the food into the dining room.

  Ann couldn’t get over how comfortable Ethan was around Rose. The little two-year-old hung on him and when her little head started nodding off after dinner, he gently carried her upstairs and was gone for a while. After their talk in the kitchen, Ann had relaxed around Ric and Roberta, so the conversations flowed at a comfortable pace.

  She learned all about his sister’s childhood, how she’d grown up in a gang, how she’d become a detective. The way Roberta told the story, Ann could just imagine it all happening and felt even more respect for the woman sitting in front of her.

  She loved hearing the adventure Ric and Roberta had gone through together a few years back. How it had all been caused because of Ric’s friend Mitchell, when he’d asked Ethan to bring Sandi to America.

  “Actually,” Ethan said looking at his s
ister, “the first day I saw you in Portland, I was at the hospital that day because of that case. I’d just brought Sandi into the US. How we got here—that’s another story—but I’d just dropped her off at the safe point when Javan, who was working the case with me, got sick. Appendicitis.” He chuckled remembering how the big man had been taken down so quickly by the pains.

  “You know, in a roundabout way, if it wasn’t for you, Rob and I would have never met.” Ric smiled at his wife.

  “Yeah, thanks little brother. You do remember I was shot near the end there.”

  “I know,” Ethan looked sad. “You scared us all.”

  “Was it worth it?” Ann asked over her glass of wine.

  “Yes, I did get my man.” She smiled and snuggled closer to her husband’s side on the couch.

  When Ann was lying next to Ethan a few hours later, she rolled over and looked at him, resting her chin in her hands on his chest.