The deputy had taken my phone when we’d left my house, so I hadn’t called or talked to anyone. Daisy would be worried when I didn’t show up. We had talked at lunch, and I’d told her about my plan to run home before I went to the shelter. I hoped the tabloids wouldn’t get the scent of the scandal before I could speak with her.
The door to the office opened, and a man who looked to be in his late sixties walked in and sat down on the leather high-back chair. He crossed his arms and leaned back. “Your alibi for today checks out, but the judge still thinks you had something to do with Nate missing.” I couldn’t help but grind my teeth. Nate’s dad was throwing his money around to get his way. “The judge has decided to pull your passport until we get more information on Nate’s whereabouts.”
“I don’t have my passport on me. The deputy made me leave everything at home.”
“You have forty-eight hours to bring your passport back here.” The sheriff sat back in his chair, watching my every move. I felt like he was waiting for me to make a move or confess to the murder.
“Can the deputy grab my passport when he takes me home? I don’t want to come back to the police station. The media is going to have a field day with this.”
The sound of him tapping his pencil on the desk echoed through the small office. “First off, we aren’t giving you a ride home. Secondly, you should’ve thought about the consequences when you killed Nate.”
I ground my teeth together. “I didn’t kill Nate. How am I supposed to get home? I don’t have my cell phone or purse.”
Sheriff Clark shrugged. “I will let you use my phone to call someone.”
Nate had changed his will two days prior to his disappearance, and because of that, the police thought I was the main suspect. He’d done it without telling his family. From what I’d overheard the deputies saying, his dad had seen the paperwork for the will earlier in the day then went looking for his son. When he couldn’t find him, he called the police.
Luckily, I found someone to come get me. “Can I go?”
Sheriff Clark studied me for a moment. “For now. Nevertheless, don’t go far and make sure you have your passport here within forty-eight hours, or we will issue a warrant for your arrest. We might have more questions.”
2
John
I groaned as my phone vibrated in my pocket. I considered ignoring the call, but I had already dismissed the last few calls. I knew my sister would show up outside my hotel room in Los Angeles if I didn’t answer soon. Last night, I’d slipped and said that Annabella Harper would be at Daisy’s grand opening. Normally, I would’ve done anything to make my baby sister happy, but I froze every time Annabella walked into the room. She was breathtaking. Luckily for me, she hadn’t shown up yet, so I wouldn’t have to approach her.
“Is she there?”
“Hey, pip-squeak. No, she is not here yet.”
Addie huffed on the other end of the phone. “I’m thirty-five years old. Stop calling me pip-squeak.”
“You are my baby sister and will always be a pip-squeak.”
“By two minutes. Two minutes doesn’t really count. I still think the doctor lied on who was born first.”
“The doctor didn’t lie.” I grabbed another balloon and filled it with helium. “I thought you were meeting a new client today.”
“I took the case, but I ended up interviewing him over the phone.” Addie owned a PI firm in Boston. A few weeks ago, a little girl had gone missing in the Boston area, and her dad had recently scheduled an appointment with Addie. We’d discussed the case last night when I called to tell her I was in Los Angeles for the grand opening of Daisy’s women’s shelter.
No matter how hard I tried to get Addie to change careers, she wouldn’t. When we were younger, our mother disappeared. We still didn’t know what had happened to her. Now my sister spent her time taking cases that required her to look for missing people. She used those cases to fund her search for our mother. No matter how many times I asked, she wouldn’t stop searching.
Our dad had turned to drugs and alcohol when our mom went missing. Addie and I had ended up raising ourselves. I’d gone into the military the day I turned eighteen so I could send Addie to college. I couldn’t be prouder of my sister, who had double majored in criminal justice and cybersecurity.
A few years ago, I worked an op, and an IUD exploded next to me. I reached up and ran my hand along the scar on my face. It wasn’t the only reminder of the day one of my men had betrayed me. My leg ached where the navy doctors had pulled out the shrapnel. The navy had discharged me when I lost part of the feeling in my leg. I joined Blackwood Security in Ft. Lauderdale after I received my discharge papers. I’d asked Addie to come work for Brock, but she wouldn’t leave Boston. She said she would move once she found out what had happened to our mom.
I missed being around my sister. “Are you still sure you won’t move to Ft. Lauderdale? I know Brock would love to have you.”
Addie let out an aggravated sigh. “You know I can’t move until I solve Mom’s case.” She took a deep breath. “Don’t start. I know Mom went missing twenty years ago.”
“Okay.” I blew up another balloon. Brock stood across from me, blowing up balloons. His wife, Jessica, sat in the chair next to us and tied the balloons after we filled them up. Brock raised a brow at my conversation, but I waved him off and continued. “I just miss my baby sister.”
Brock and I had gone through basic training together, and he knew how much my sister meant to me. Yes, our father was still alive, but neither of us had talked to him since the day we’d turned eighteen. Addie had used my signing bonus to head off to school, and I had gone into the navy.
“You act like we never talk,” Addie teased. “We talk every day, John. Now, don’t forget to FaceTime me when Annabella shows up.”
I glanced toward the front doors of the women’s shelter. Six women who Daisy had helped rescue from a sex trade were assisting her in putting balloons around the entrance.
I had met Annabella a couple of times since flying out to Los Angeles to help Daisy with the new shelter. Daisy meant a lot to me. Five years ago, Brock, Sam, and I had rescued her from a man who’d held her captive for ten years. Three months ago was the first time Daisy had stepped foot back in California since she’d been rescued. Her time back hadn’t gone as planned, and someone from her past had tried to make her pay. She’d helped expose the sex-trade industry and was still running from her old captor. Because of her bravery, six women were safe, and now she was trying to help others.
I grabbed another balloon from the pile. If I didn’t cut the conversation with Addie soon, I would never get her off the phone. “Look, I need to help set up. If or when Annabella shows up, I will call you.”
Addie’s voice turned sweet. “You’re the best big brother.”
“You don’t need to suck up. I already told you I would call you when she shows up.” I would do anything to make my sister happy. Annabella was one of the people she looked up to for her charity work. One of Annabella’s charities donated money to people with agoraphobia. I couldn’t help but close my eyes as I thought of my mother, who’d suffered from agoraphobia. She’d barely been able to leave the house, and that was one of the reason’s Addie believed someone had taken Mom and she hadn’t run away.
The other reason Addie cared about the cause was because she had borderline agoraphobia. It was something she didn’t like to talk about, but I’d picked up the cues early. When we’d spoken the night before, she had said she planned to meet her new client at a local coffee shop. But that morning, she said she’d talked to him over the phone. Addie hired qualified people to collect data. She analyzed the cases and came up with scenarios.
Silence filled the line for a second. When Addie finally spoke, her voice shook slightly. “Um, John, I had someone else show up to the house today as well.”
The hairs on my neck instantly stood up. “Who?” It came out as more of a demand than a question.
&
nbsp; “Dad.”
I loosened my grip on the balloon, and it flew through the air, letting out a screeching noise. My words were stuck in the back of my throat.
“John?”
“What did he want?” I growled.
“To talk.” Addie’s voice was soft. “He’s sober now and wants to see you too.”
“Pass.” I ran my hand through my hair and noticed Brock had stopped blowing up balloons. In fact, everyone had stopped working and was staring at me. “Hey, Addie, I need to go. If Annabella shows up, I’ll call you.” I might’ve upset my sister, but I didn’t have time to process the info that my dad had shown back up after fifteen years. He had checked out many years before Addie and I left the house.
She sniffled. “Don’t be like that, John. He’s all the family we have left.”
It bothered me when she was upset. I sighed and rested my hip against the table. “I need time to process what you said. I’ll give you a call back soon, pip-squeak.”
“Okay, big bro. Talk to you soon.”
“Bye.” I clicked off the phone and shoved it in my pocket.
Brock was still staring at me. Jessica and everyone else had gone back to work. But my boss knew something was wrong. “What’s going on, John?”
“My dad showed up at Addie’s house this morning.”
“Fuck.” Brock’s voice was deep and full of concern. “Do you want me to send Mia up there? I know your sister knows who she is.” Everyone knew about my sister’s agoraphobia, and she was nervous around people she didn’t know.
“I will talk with her tonight, but we need to be here for Daisy. This is more important at the moment. When I talk to her later, I will ask her if she wants me to send someone up there. She probably won’t want anyone.”
“We could send someone just to keep an eye on her,” Brock suggested.
“I’m not going to lie to my sister. Maybe we start looking into my dad and see if he’s stopped drinking and gambling. I don’t want Addie to let him back into her life and for him to let her down again.” There were many times Dad’s bookies would show up to the house, demanding money. I worried Addie would fall for some sad story and give him any money he asked for.
Brock rolled his eyes. “Your dad has lived in the same house since you were a kid. He sobered up three years ago and works as an accountant for a locally owned firm. I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.”
I didn’t know if I should be happy or mad that my friend had looked into my dad. “Do you make it a habit of watching everyone’s family members?”
Jessica looked up. “Oh, he watches out for everyone he cares about. Haven’t you ever looked at his monitor on the right wall? It’s his running board of everyone. Last week, Mia had a date, and Brock checked him out. Mia cussed up a storm when she noticed his name on the monitor.”
Brock shrugged. “I’m not going to stop taking care of the people I care about.”
“Dude, a heads-up would be nice.”
“Oh, then you should know—I used your computer the other day and checked your internet history,” Jessica said. “You’re normally so quiet, and I wanted to know what to get you for your birthday. I found out you like to look up Annabella.”
Sometimes having close friends was a pain in the ass. “Dude, you both need to stay out of my personal life until I ask. You could’ve asked what I wanted. Guns, ammo, knives. See? The list is short. Furthermore, I only looked her up because Addie wouldn’t stop talking about her charity.”
“Are you talking about the charity she donates to that offers support to people with agoraphobia?” Jessica asked. “Did you know one point eight million Americans over the age of eighteen suffer? Does your sister have pain—”
Brock put a hand over his wife’s mouth. “Why don’t you go help Daisy out? People are starting to come in.” He took his hand away from her mouth, but Jessica just chewed on her lip and stared at him. “Jess, let me talk with John. I promise you can do research later.”
Jessica leaned in a gave Brock a kiss before she went to the front to help women check in.
Brock looked after his wife then turned and smirked at me. “She means well, man. When she finds something new to research, she wants to ask more questions to compile with the research she finds.”
I was used to Jessica’s quirks. The woman knew more about numbers and statistics than I could’ve ever imagined. Her need for knowledge sometimes took over, and she didn’t filter her words. “It’s no problem, but you need to stay out of my private life.”
Brock gave me a brotherly pat on the back. “Let’s grab a soda and get out of the way.”
I glanced around as the room started to fill up. A new woman walking into the center was giving Brock and me an odd look. I was used to it with the scar that ran down the side of my face.
Brock led us over to the kitchen in the back. “You know you could talk to her. She will be here today.”
“I wasn’t stalking her. Addie wants to meet her. I researched her a little so I could ask her to FaceTime with Addie. Secondly, she’s getting married.”
“Not so sure she’s marrying Nate for the right reasons.” When I leveled a look at Brock, he continued. “Daisy mentioned something the other day about how she was worried, so I might’ve looked into it.”
I didn’t care what her reason was for marrying Nate. I would never go after a woman if she were engaged, even if it was for convenience. Plus, Annabella was a drop-dead gorgeous superstar. I couldn’t think of one reason why she would like a scarred ex-seal.
“Doesn’t matter. She’s engaged.”
Brock took a sip of his Coke and glanced over to where Jessica was laughing with two women I’d never met. “When you find the one, things change. And I want you to have that. You deserve to be happy.”
Jessica glanced in our direction and waved Brock over.
He set his drink down. “Don’t let life pass you by.” Brock turned and walked toward Jessica with a smile across his face.
I realized I had gone through the motions of life the past few years. I knew sleeping with a new sub at Club Sanctorum every time I went left me empty. Maybe I would take Brock up on his advice and find someone.
A picture of Annabella in a silver dress flashed through my mind. Her blond locks fell past her shoulders. The woman was gorgeous, and her fiancé was equally handsome. Nate stood next to her in the photo, dressed in a black tux. His blue eyes were piercing. No matter how hot she was, though, she was off-limits and out of my league. My hands started to sweat as I thought about approaching her and asking her to talk to my sister.
Fuck that. I was an ex-SEAL, and she was a woman. I would ask her the quick favor. The worst she could say was no. Daisy always talked about how nice she was. But she’d said Annabella was going to show up earlier. The doors had opened an hour ago, and the sexy actress still wasn’t there.
The words “drama queen” came to mind. I might’ve cyberstalked her a little, and people reported that she had to have things her way, or she would throw a fit. Maybe she wasn’t all Daisy had talked her up to be.
As if she knew I was thinking about her, Daisy caught sight of me and headed over. She wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my chest. “Have I ever said how much I appreciated you over the years, John?”
I awkwardly patted her back as her two men, Neal and Aaron, shot daggers in my direction. “Anyone would’ve done what I did. Now, you want to tell me what brought on the hug. Don’t get me wrong—I like it—but I think your men are going to be over here soon if you don’t let go.”
Daisy stepped back and rolled her eyes. “This wouldn’t have been possible if you and Sam hadn’t rescued me from that asshole five years ago. And you flew across the country to help me with the opening.”
The place looked amazing. The ten-thousand-foot building had classrooms, play areas, and sleeping quarters for women and kids trying to get back on their feet. I remembered times when my dad would lock Addie and me out
of the house, and we would end up at a shelter. This place was like the Hilton compared to where we’d stayed.
I cleared my throat. “I will always be there for you, Daisy.”
She started to reply, but her phone rang. She pulled it out and frowned as she looked at the screen. Then she tapped the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Where are you, Annabella?”
I couldn’t hear the reply, but Daisy’s eyes went wide. “They took you downtown?” she screeched.
By the time Daisy was done with her brief conversation, Neal, Brock, and Aaron stood around the kitchen island. Daisy told us that her friend was at the sheriff’s station. Annabella’s fiancé might be dead.
3
Annabella
I could always count on Daisy. Uber had been my first idea, but I already heard the clicks of the cameras outside. Daisy’s friend and ex-boss who owns a mercenary company was in town, and she’d told me he would send someone to help get me through the crowds. Now I just had to sit and wait, which wasn’t easy to do given my location and the circumstances. I wasn’t on some Hollywood set. There were genuine criminals in this place. But I wasn’t one of them.
The sheriff had kicked me out of his office as soon as I finished making my call. The deputy from earlier had then escorted me to the waiting area. Everyone was staring at me, wondering why I was there. Deputy Charles hadn’t let me grab my purse or phone before we’d left my house. Now I sat there, waiting for Daisy. I was not ready to face the million or so reporters on the other side of the door, who were anticipating my exit.
At one point I snapped at a little kid running around the waiting area. The mother whipped around and glared at me. As a star, I was unaccustomed to that kind of treatment. People regularly went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Instead, the sheriff was trying to make an example out of me.
Hacker Salvation: White Hat Security, Book 7 Page 2