“She doesn’t know what it feels like, watching your only daughter walk out into the world, knowing that there is someone out there trying to kill her. How in the hell can she know what we feel? Goddamn it, Anne,” Margaret shouted, slamming her hand down on the table, attracting the attention of those nearby. “Isa moved clear across the country to protect Emma, though the child doesn’t know it, but look what happened. Look what Emma has had to endure just to survive. Enough is enough! When I find them, I am going to kill them.”
“Do you know where they are?” Anne whispered.
“Last I heard she was in Boulder, Colorado, shacked up with some oil tycoon from Texas. As for her accomplice, I have no clue where he is at, and that scares me. He could be anywhere.”
“I still don’t know why she is doing this. It makes no sense.”
“Money, she wants the money.”
“But there is no money. There never was.”
“We know that, but she doesn’t. She is greedy, always has been and always will be.”
“I wish we could talk to her, make her see reason,” Anne whispered softly.
“There is no talking to the deranged. They only hear and see what they want.”
“Well, now that our family’s legacy is out in the open, and Annie’s has married Gabriel and Alex, she is going to push to eliminate them all. What do you have planned?”
“Other than corral the girls in a safe house and hire armed men to protect them, nothing. I still haven’t figured out how to tell Jeff and Caleb, because this will affect Janie if she has a daughter. I don’t want my daughter or granddaughter in danger from something that doesn’t exists.”
“Are we sure the family line is broke? Have you asked Matthew to check it out?”
“No, he is too closely related if I tell him. He will tell Emma’s husbands, and then it will all be over Treasure Cove before nightfall. No, I hired an outsider to investigate.”
“Who?”
“He lives close. You don’t need to know. The less you know about the situation, the safer you’ll be.”
“Margaret, I’m scared for you. I have already lost Isa. Please be careful. I don’t want to lose you, too.”
“Don’t worry about me. If anything happens to me, you have the documents. Just make sure Matthew gets them. He will know what to do next. In the meantime, I am going to protect my family, and no one is going to stop me.”
Margaret never said a word when Anne nodded silently and left the table. All she could see was the joy on her daughter’s face as Gabriel twirled her around the dance floor as she laughed and smiled with delight.
Knowing her family was safe for the night, she left the reception. What little consolation that information was did little to ease the tension in her body. When she received the phone call from her private investigator an hour before the wedding, telling her that the male accomplice was in the area, and that he would follow and proceed with caution, her anxiety sharply increased. If it were not for Antoinette getting married at the last minute, she would have been out there looking for the bastard with the private detective. Instead, she watched her only daughter marry the two men who loved her most. The wedding was beautiful, one that she would remember forever, but now it was up to Gabriel and Alexander to protect their wife.
She had notified Gabriel and Alexander discreetly about the danger surrounding their new wife. She knew as outsiders, and who were privy to all the information regarding the Charter and the Romanov family history, they would see to it that Antoinette stayed safe without alerting the others.
As for the others, that was where the private investigator came in. She lucked out when she met him. Worth every penny she was paying him, he was the most sought-after private investigator on the West Coast. Why he moved to Treasure Cove, she did not care, only that he accepted the job.
* * * *
Four months later, Treasure Cove, Montana,
Second Lieutenant Micah O’Brian stood on the back porch of his 1920s farmhouse watching the storm building over the rolling hills, and all he could think about was where he had left that damn bottle of whiskey.
He should have never come back home.
All of the reminders of why he left in the first place were burning nicely in the backyard. As he threw another piece of furniture into the fire, the burning embers flew around him like fireflies in the night. He noticed the missing bottle of whiskey on the table next to his chair. He grabbed it and took a sip. As the last bit of Jack hit his tongue, he threw the bottle into the fire, leaned over to the cooler, and grabbed another one. He made himself comfortable in the lawn chair and watched the fire blaze. The smoke filled the night sky.
Leaning his head back, he tried desperately not to remember that day. He could not figure out why he had such a hard time letting go of something that was out of his control.
Micah just shook his head, trying to stop those thoughts from his head and took another swig, and realized that he was going to need another bottle very soon.
Walking back into the house, he heard his cell phone ringing. He walked over to the kitchen counter and looked at the caller ID. “Hey, were you able to get me the info I asked for?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t easy, but I got it,” the gravelly voice said on the other line.
“When can you get it to me?”
“I will have it overnighted tomorrow.”
“Thanks, man, I owe you one.” Micah smiled and immediately hit the end button. He walked over to the cabinet, grabbed another bottle of Jack, and headed back outside to tend his fire.
“Hey, sailor, nice fire,” the man said, sitting in the lawn chair in front of the fire.
Walking up to the town’s deputy, Micah said, “There is no law stating that I can’t have a small fire burning in my backyard.”
“Oh, I know that, but you can’t leave it unattended, Micah, and you know that.”
“So did you come all the way out here to bust my balls, or is this a social visit? ’Cause if it’s social, the beer is in the cooler.”
Brannon Kincaid grabbed a beer from the cooler and took a swig.
Brannon was a good as they come. A high school football star who had led the Treasure Blue Devils to their first state Championship in sixteen years, a devoted member of the community, and the town’s deputy. Brannon was also a close friend, who believed that a little mischief was okay as long as he did not have to get involved. Micah had tested that theory several times growing up, and never once was he caught.
Micah just smiled and walked over to the porch, grabbed another lawn chair, and placed it near the fire next to his trusty ole friend.
“So what are we celebrating?” Brannon asked.
“We’re not. I’m just cleaning up the house.”
“I was really sorry to hear about what happened. You okay?”
“I’m fine,” Micah whispered. That was his standard response to everything, “I’m fine.” What a crock of shit. He was not fine, and he knew it. He was barely hanging on by a thread. If he were fine, he still would not be having nightmares every damn night. If he was fine, he would be on a damn aircraft carrier somewhere out in the middle of an ocean with his flying privileges intact. If he were so damn fine, then he would not be in this god-forsaken town attending weekly therapy secessions with a woman he could not stop thinking about. If he were fine, then his life would not be in the crapper.
“So why are you really here, Brannon?”
“What? I can’t come see my friend?”
Micah looked over at Brannon, who was smiling. He had known him his entire life, and never once had Brannon just come over to see an old friend. “Forget it, Brannon. I already told them no.”
“What? Did I say anything?” Brannon grinned. “Nope, just drivin’ by, saw the fire, and thought I would come and check on ya. That’s all. Scout’s Honor,” he finished, raising his left hand.
“It’s the other hand, you moron.” Micah grinned.
“Well now, if you ar
e goin’ to be treatin’ company this way, I might just head on home. On the other hand, I can give Kelly a call and let her know that you are drinking. I’m pretty sure she would have something to say about that.”
Micah turned and shot him an annoyed look. “Kelly has a lot to say about everything. Besides, I am sure she would love to hear about what you and your brothers do behind closed doors. What was it last time, pigs in a blanket?”
“You wouldn’t dare. That’s blackmail!”
Micah knew that some freaky shit went on behind closed doors in Treasure Cove. That was nothing new, but the Kincaid Brothers were beyond anything conceivable.
Traveling the world courtesy of the United States Navy, Micah believed he had seen and done pretty much everything, but what Brannon and his brothers were into, well, that was another story. Micah looked at Brannon and wondered if there was even a word for what his kink was. Was it even legal? Most importantly, were they even sane?
“So what really brings you out this way?” Micah smiled, knowing he won the argument, but when Brannon got quiet for a minute, the silence became too much for him and he threw a stick at him to urge him along.
“The whole town is talking about what happened the other night. Thought you should know.”
“Let them talk,” Micah said, taking a drink from the bottle of Jack.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Nope.”
“Well, just thought I’d let ya know that Daniel isn’t helping the situation,” Brannon said, eyeing the bottle in his friend’s hand.
“What’s he done now?”
Micah sat there listening to Brannon talk about the town and what was going on, and all he could think about was that night.
“Oh, we finally got ourselves a new kindergarten teacher. Figure with all the women around here poppin’ out brats like crazy, there was a need for one.”
“Better not let those women hear you say that. They will skin your ass alive.”
“Don’t I know it? To make matter worse, Braxton and Jordan just found out the other day that Charlotte made it to the reproductive list. My God, can you imagine the monster she is gonna have?”
Smiling, Micah nodded in agreement. There was not much to their tiny little town. However, what they lacked in accommodations, they definitely made up for with spirit, and Charlotte Connelly sure did have character. Whew, just thinking about the woman made Micah exhausted.
“So how’d ya snag the new teacher?”
“Aw, you know, a little sweet talk, a little finesse, mixed in with a lot of bribery.”
“And they say I am crooked.”
“Well, she comes recommended.”
“I’m sure the kids will love her,” Micah said, walking over to grab the kitchen table, throwing it into the fire. He stood there and watched the flames shoot up higher and higher. He was not listening to Brannon talk about the new teacher anymore. Looking into the flames, he remembered that terrible night.
The seas were rough, and the ship rocked back and forth like a kid on a seesaw. The moon, hidden behind the clouds, made the night as black as coal. The winds were really messing with his ability to control the helicopter. He had made several night landings, and in rougher weather than this. Tonight should have not been different.
“Tower, there is zero visibility. Zero visibility,” he shouted into his headset.
“We have you on radar.”
“Coming in at heading zero-one-four-niner”
“Copy that, Seahawk. Looking good.”
The tropical storm winds were playing havoc against the helicopter. Micah tried to level the chopper, but nothing seemed to work.
“Oh, just a little wind, that’s all,” Micah said to his co-pilot.
“Aw, this is nothing, O’Brian. You should live on the outer banks of North Carolina when a hurricane come a-rollin’ in. Now that’s some decent wind.”
Micah just looked over at his friend and brother-in-law, Lucas, and smiled.
“Let’s just land this damn thing and go get something to eat.”
“Good idea, buddy, I need to talk with my sexy wife anyway.”
“Dude, that’s my sister you’re salivating over. Not cool!”
“Yeah, but what a pretty woman.”
Chuckling, Micah got ready to make his descent, when they both saw the large swell rolling toward the ship.
“Hey, Micah, did you hear me?” Brannon said, throwing a stick at him.
“What?”
“There is an opening at the hospital for a pilot.”
“No,” Micah replied a little louder than he should have as he got up and added the kitchen chairs to the fire.
“Just askin’, bud. The hospital wanted me to try since you and I are good buddies an’ all.”
“I have already told them my answer.”
Micah grabbed his bottle that he had been nursing for the last thirty minutes and sat back down. They sat there in silence watching the flames shoot higher and higher. Brannon took the last swig of his beer, threw it into the fire, and stood up. He looked over at Micah, who was still drinking from the bottle of Jack, before heading back to his squad car. As he reached the door, he turned.
“Make sure that fire is out before you pass out, Micah,” he yelled. “By the way, Kelly informed me that you missed the meeting tonight. She looked pissed.”
Micah took a long swig of Jack and threw the rest of the bottle into the flames, watching as they shot up another fifteen feet.
* * * *
Kelly sat across the table bored. How in the hell she ever let Emma talk her into this, she did not know, but now she was with what had to be the most uninteresting person on the planet. To make matters worse, he smelled of BENGAY and formaldehyde.
The smell was making her stomach turn.
She listened to him talk about his work as a funeral home director in Silver Springs, his coin collection, and his mother. It was strange to find a grown man living at home with his momma. Now that irked her to death. No pun intended, she thought to herself, but damn, could this momma’s boy get any worse?
“So, Kelly, do you like World of Warcraft?”
“The game?”
“Yeah, I am part of a fantasy group. Once a week we get together and act out our destinies.”
Okay, he just got worse.
Sitting across from this grown child talking about his adventures in an imaginary fictional game world, and all she could think about was why Micah missed the meeting.
He still had yet to open up about the accident that took his copilot’s life. She knew he blamed himself. She read the accident report. It was a horrible accident, nothing more, but she could not ease his guilt. That was something he was going to have to deal with. However, even though it was ruled an accident and not pilot error, the death of his copilot and friend weighed heavily on Micah.
Kelly did not claim to know what went on in the minds of these military people she helped. To her, they were all some of the bravest men and women on the planet. They were heroes. Nevertheless, even a hero needed someone, and she just hoped that Micah would soon open up and allow her to help him recover.
Her attention diverted back to her date as he jumped from his chair arm rose, proclaiming, “Sorith of the Fairies shall endeavor to remain king, m’lady.”
Embarrassment unlike she had ever experienced filled her body. If she could fade into a dust particle, she would. Her face heated as she shrank into her chair. She tried to hide and stop the other patrons in the restaurant from laughing at her. Looking around the room, it was not laughter she saw, but pity.
Hell, she even felt sorry for herself.
This was a colossal mistake on a massive scale, and right now, her first thought was to abandon the pathetic loser and hightail it back to Treasure Cove. This man needed good psychiatric help, and her plate was already full.
Picking up her purse, she went to rise when a man walked up to the table. He flipped the chair around and sat down right next to
her. As she turned to look, she fell into a sea of blue-green eyes.
She knew those eyes.
Smiling, her face heated even more.
Oh, kill me now! Why now did he have to show up here?
“Hi, angel, some date you have there,” he said as his warm Texas drawl slithered over her body. God, just listening to this man say hi made her panties instantly wet.
“Hello, Daniel,” she whispered, watching her date spout incoherent words as if he were lost in some delusional subspace.
“And the Marines Corp said I need therapy,” Daniel murmured, looking at the buffoon who was her date.
“You never needed therapy Daniel. You just needed someone to talk to who would listen and give you his or her honest opinions. Why are you here, anyway?”
“Oh, saw you through the window. Thought you might need some rescuing, seeing as you have that perfect damsel-in-distress look on your face.”
“I do not!”
“Sure, and I’m Han Solo. Come on. Let me take you home before Igor over there starts singing ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,’” he said, rising to his feet, holding the back of her chair.
Kelly watched her date for another second as he was lost in his own performance. Without further ado, she stood and let Daniel Meyer accompany her out of the restaurant.
She never said a word when Daniel helped her into the truck, nor when he reached across and buckled her seatbelt. She just sat there, relieved. The night was a total bust. Tired of these blind dates, she wanted nothing more to do with them. Now, all she needed to do was figure out a way to get Emma to stop setting her up. Enough was enough.
Kelly could not blame her friend for setting her up. Lately, even she could admit her life had gotten into a funk. She needed to get out more and stop relying on her job as some sort of entertainment.
For the last three months, Emma subjected Kelly to the worst blind dates in the history of blind dates. Realizing that Emma had made it her new goal in life to get her a new man, Kelly went along with it, never saying how she genuinely felt.
Honestly, all she wanted was peace and quiet. She was tired most days, not just physically, but mentally. Working with PTSD warriors and civilians who had suffered traumatic events was beginning to take its toll, but Kelly did not care. She loved her job.
Kelly's Heroes [The Men of Treasure Cove 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2