“She’s twelve. She needs some people in her life helping her,” Clint interrupted. Lydia elbowed him in his ribs.
“Clint, she might look twelve, but I believe the girl I investigated was twenty-one,” Melvin said wryly.
“You’re right,” Lydia agreed. “But we met her. Rylie or Sylvia or whatever you want to call her is a force to be reckoned with. I was really impressed by her. But she was awfully alone. I think she could use some help.”
Again they were met by silence. Finally Melvin sighed. “Lydia, it’s all that testosterone isn’t it. They can’t help themselves.”
Lydia laughed. “That’s definitely part of it, put a bunch of them together and they start with the cavemen tactics.”
“Okay, I’ll start putting together everything I can on Rylie. To tell you the truth, I’ve been worried about her myself. Hey, I’ve got to go.” Melvin was gone.
“That was fast, was he upset?” Clint asked.
“Nah,” Lydia said as she went to get something decent to drink out of the hotel’s little refrigerator. “He probably had somebody else pinging him.” She grabbed the lemonade and poured herself a glass. She went back and settled onto the couch.
“Now I have one important question to ask you, Lydia.” Uh-oh, he sounded so serious.
“Okay.” She set down her lemonade, uncaring that it might leave a stain on the wood.
“Did you pack the angora sweater?”
****
“You two sure look chipper this morning,” Drake noted as he plowed into his omelet.
Clint eyed his two friends who arrived for breakfast a half hour ago. Darius was barely eating, which went against all of their training. You always took in food when it was available. Rylie had him tied up in knots, and he didn’t think it was just the foster kid connection. Darius looked up.
“Got something to say, Archer?”
“Nope, just enjoying my breakfast. Shouldn’t you be?”
“Not hungry. You know we have to leave this afternoon. I was hoping for an update.” Clint sighed inwardly, and then Lydia spoke up.
“Some info came in while Clint was in the shower. You know we figure she lives in Oklahoma because we tracked her to that Internet Provider. There have been some awfully large donations that have been happening for the last two years to a home for abused and neglected children in Fallon Springs, OK. The donations have been anonymous wire transfers. Over a half million.”
Drake whistled.
“The home went under investigation because of the money last year. Then miraculously the donor came to light. It all came from this old man in North Carolina who was known to contribute generously to charities. It stopped the investigation in its tracks. But when Melvin dug a little further he found that Mr. Curruthers had been in a nursing home for dementia for the last two years. It couldn’t have been him.”
“Okay, what is the name of this place in Fallon Springs?” Darius asked.
“Forever After. And before you ask Darius. I’ve checked the records of all the staff, Rylie doesn’t work there.”
“But it’s a damn good lead.” Darius smiled. “Who the hell is this guy Melvin?”
“Don’t ask. Lydia has the most eclectic group of friends you could ever imagine. Anyway, we’ll keep at this. One more thing to consider, Dare.”
“What?”
“Your girl has an anchor. This place, Forever After, is an anchor. She has ties to it, it’s someplace she wants to help and make a difference for.”
Darius considered his words and finally nodded. He started to eat the food in front of him.
Clint reached over and stroked Lydia’s hair, before grabbing her hand and kissing it.
They’d started making good headway on one of their priorities, he just wished they had some kind of lead on the second. Only he didn’t think the problem with Berto was going to be as easily solved.
“Lydia, I’m going to drive the guys to the airport this afternoon, is that okay?”
“Okay, I can also check a couple of other sources. I also want to start packing.”
“Hey man, we can catch a shuttle,” Drake said. Clint just raised his eyebrow and Drake shut up.
****
“Okay, what did you need to talk to us about without Lydia hearing?” Drake asked as he threw his duffle into the trunk of the rental car.
“Remember what we pulled off for Mason when he proposed to Sophia.”
“Oh hell no, you are not going to copy what Mason did! That is such a craptastic idea. Lydia finds out you did that and she’ll divorce your ass. Women talk.”
“Jesus, Drake, give me more credit than that.” Clint said as he got behind the wheel.
“No, I just meant I needed to pull off something. When I proposed I didn’t even have a ring. I need to pull out all the stops when we get to San Diego, and I’m going to be counting on you guys to help me.”
“You got it. What do you have in mind?” Drake asked.
“A couple of things. First and foremost is getting all of the Hidalgos to San Diego after the trial. I don’t care if Berto is still out there, I want Beth there. I want this to be a big surprise engagement party for Lydia. She hasn’t seen her family for a long time.”
“Gotchya.”
“Have any of you talked to Jack Preston?”
“Not since he was assigned to Beth,” Darius answered. “I know Finn has been keeping in touch, because I’ve been talking to Finn a lot. He’s been having me keep an eye on his mom.”
“Hey, why didn’t he ask me to keep an eye on her?” Drake protested.
“Mellow,” Darius said soothingly. “Finn knew if he asked you, you would have smothered her.”
“I would not have.”
“Yes you would have. I’ve been checking in on her twice a week.”
“Only twice a week? What the hell man? She’s a widow! Her dad just died. Finn just uprooted her from Minnesota to San Diego and then left on assignment. You can’t just let her fend for herself. You needed to be seeing her a hell of a lot more often than twice a week!”
Darius didn’t say anything and Clint just concentrated on driving.
“Dare, are you listening to me?” Drake demanded.
Neither of them responded.
“Did you hear me?”
“Like I said Drake, you would have smothered her.” Darius sighed. “So Clint, I talked to Finn, it sounds like Jack might have taken a shine to Beth.”
“Yeah, something is definitely brewing. You heard she was in the hospital, right?” Clint asked.
“Yeah, Finn told me.”
“What the fuck, you never told me that!” Drake spun around in the passenger seat to glare at Darius in the back seat.
“Shit Drake, I’m sorry. Yeah, Beth was bit by a rattler, and it was touch and go. I didn’t hear until days later.”
“Anyway, I talked to Jack five hours after it happened,” Clint explained. “He was a basket case. I thought he would lose his shit. I just want to see how Beth is handling things with him. It will be good to see them together. We’re going to need a boatload of security unless we get Berto before then.”
“It’s possible we will find him,” Drake said in a hopeful tone, but he was aware of the truth, just like Clint. Berto was in the wind.
“Even if we don’t find him, we’ve got Beth covered. So when are you thinking for the shindig? Do you want to do this all elegant, rent out a room at a restaurant?” Darius questioned.
“Fuck that shit. I know the perfect thing.” Drake got out his phone and made a call. Clint listened and smiled. Drake was right, it was perfect.
Chapter Twelve
“Lydia, I need you in the living room. We have a problem.” Clint yelled from outside the bathroom door. She put down the mascara and willed herself to be calm. If something happened to her family Clint would not have sounded like that. This was just another problem. You can cope girl.
Clint was in front of his computer talking to someone. As she got closer she could
hear Mason’s voice.
“Why didn’t you call me first lieutenant?” Oh shit, Clint was pissed. He never called Mason by his rank.
“Because I didn’t want you to have to lie to Jack. I wanted to be the one to have to do it.”
Lydia came up behind Clint and looked over his shoulder. “Why did you have to lie to Jack?” Clint asked.
“It just pinged today that Beth Hidalgo was in the hospital in San Antonio, not Beth Ochoa. Beth’s cover has been blown.”
“Oh no. They’ve got to get out of there. Do you think they’ll figure out she’s at Jack’s ranch?” Lydia asked.
“It’s likely. Jack told everyone he was her fiancé. She has to get the hell out of San Antonio. I told him you wanted Beth to come stay with the two of you but that I said no,” Mason said.
“Why the fuck would you have said ‘no’?” Clint asked. “Beth staying with us would be perfect. With Berto after her, I can protect her. We’re going to be in San Diego tomorrow.”
“Think Clint, you haven’t told her about Berto have you? She still thinks that Guzman is out there after her whole family.”
“Fuck. You’re right. The whole idea is that the sisters need to be kept apart. Fuck me.” Clint nodded.
“This is my fault. I’ll call Beth right now and explain what I should have as soon as Guzman was captured. I’ll tell her about Berto and everything.”
“Hold up Lydia,” Mason said. “Another thing you need to know is I told Jack that I would be re-assigning Beth to someone else, and he basically told me it would be over his dead body.” Lydia felt her heart grow lighter.
“That’s a good thing Mason. From the conversations I’ve had with Beth, I think it would break her heart if they were parted.”
“Okay Mason, now that we know everything, what are you thinking we should do?”
“I think we should have Beth and Jack go undercover to Los Angeles. It’s close enough to San Diego and we can we can provide a rotation of people to help Jack out so he has plenty of back-up. It’s big enough that even the natives get lost, and Lydia and her parents will be close by.”
“When do I tell her about Berto?”
“We still don’t need to baby. Until the trial we still have time to find Berto without having to tell her or your parents, it’s still status quo. The day after your father testifies and he doesn’t have to go into the Witness Protection Program, then we have to tell them about Guzman being in custody, but Berto trying to kidnap your sister.”
“What a tangled web we weave, once we practice to deceive.” Lydia sighed out a deep breath. “Okay, I agree.”
“Mason, thanks for keeping us informed. Can you work out the details with Jack? I need to talk to Lydia.”
“Sure.”
The screen went blank.
“Hey lady, come here.” Clint reached around the back of the chair and pulled her down onto his lap. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” Lydia sank into his warmth, allowing him to comfort her. He pulled her tighter and tilted up her chin so that their eyes met.
“I mean that shit about the tangled web. You haven’t been lying to your family. You just haven’t told them something that would scare the hell out of them. Especially Beth. You know how vulnerable she is, and this is something that is going to really be difficult for her.”
“I know. I keep praying we’ll find Berto. Not just for Beth’s sake. I can’t stand the idea of his new business. How can someone do something so evil, Clint? I’ve been doing research on this at night. Do you know some of the horror stories about human trafficking? It breaks my heart. Some of these young women are even sold into by their families. I can’t imagine.” Clint pressed a kiss to the middle of her forehead.
“I know. You and I have probably read some of the same articles. We’re going to find him. The US and Mexican authorities have a joint task force on this. What’s more, you, me, and Melvin are on the case.” He tugged on one of her curls and she gave him a half-hearted smile.
“I can’t make you feel better about this, can I?” he finally asked.
“Probably not. But seeing where you live. Finally meeting Mason in person, and his Sophia will help. I also really like the idea of Beth living close to us…”
“What?”
“It just seems like a lot. Let me up. I have to finish packing.”
“What seems like a lot?”
“Well for one thing, where are Mama and Papa going to live? Thank God my grandparents will help them a little bit financially.”
“Lydia, let’s get one thing straight. They are your parents, I would also help them financially. As a matter of fact, we haven’t talked about it, but I’ve already have something in the works.
Mason’s dad is a contractor up in Portland and he’s been working to find a fixer-upper. It’s a duplex. I thought us each having our own space would be best, but it’s a way to help them out until they can find a place of their own. I’m handy, and the team has said they would help out, so we should have it in great shape in no time.”
The world stopped. She looked at the gray green eyes of her lover. This man she was going to marry. He turned shiny, then blurry. She wiped the tears out of her eyes.
“You didn’t have to do that. I know how you must feel about my father.”
“I thought about this a lot. I don’t think I would have made the choices he made. But I understand a man who was trying to keep his family safe. He and I will be able to be neighbors.”
She threw her arms around him.
After everything she had gone through in the last year, it was all worth it, because it brought her to this moment.
Epilogue
“Are you laughing at me again?”
“I don’t know, did you make me drive on Pacific Coast Highway even though the freeway would have taken half the time today?” Clint teased.
“I love that stretch of road.”
What Lydia really loved was that Clint was back home.
Almost as soon as they moved into the small duplex in San Diego, he and his team mates shipped out for nine days. During those days she and her parents had time to get to know Jack Preston. Beth seemed to have flowered under his attention, but their time with Jack and Beth was too short. Berto was still out there and they had to leave. Lydia prayed she would see her little sister again soon. In the meantime, she savored the things she did have in her life.
She loved living in San Diego. Not only did she have her parents, but found herself immersed in a whole new family. Mason’s fiancée Sophia, and her little brother Billy were absolute loves. They welcomed the Hidalgos with open arms. Sophia and Lydia bonded over a quart of Baskin and Robbins ice cream the first night their men shipped off.
Sophia was surrounded by feisty senior citizens who even held card games. Her father was reluctant to join, but her mother had gone to the last one. But all of that was eclipsed by Clint being back.
“I missed you, Mr. Archer.” Clint grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips and kissed her palm.
“I missed you more, Miss Hidalgo.” Lydia was sure they were wearing silly grins on their faces as they got out of Clint’s truck. Tonight was a potluck for Tony and Frannie, two of Sophia’s older friends.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t have brought something for the potluck?” Lydia asked as they walked to the front door.
“Nah, they always have too much food. Frannie and Tony always cook a lot.”
“Even for their own anniversary celebration? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Hmmm, yeah, I guess that is weird, but they do like to cook. Wait ‘til you try Tony’s cannoli.”
Sophia answered the door.
“Hello you two,” she said giving Lydia a big hug. She winked at Clint over Lydia’s shoulder. “People are in the backyard. Follow me.”
Lydia stepped out into a wonderland. Above her head lights were suspended between the trees, and in the trees, there were tiny twinkling lights. Eve
rywhere she looked the world glowed. They had outdone themselves for Tony and Frannie.
Clint guided her to the middle of the backyard where a small arbor was set up. There was a prettily decorated chair with a bouquet of red roses. She looked around for Frannie.
Music started, and a song from her childhood started to play. It was the one she told Clint always made her smile. It made her believe in miracles. She swayed a little as Louis Armstrong sang.
“Lydia Rose, take a seat.”
“Clint?” He picked up the roses off the chair, and placed them in her arms, and guided her to sit.
“But Frannie–”
“I lied, this is your night.” Clint brushed a soft kiss on her lips. She looked around, and everyone was standing around smiling at her. Her Mama was crying.
Oh God. Oh God.
Clint got gracefully down on one knee in front of her as Louis sang about red roses, sacred nights, and rainbows. This man who meant the world to her was holding a ring that outshone the stars in the sky.
“Lydia Rose, will you marry me?” She searched eyes the color of grass. She would never love anyone more than she loved Clint Archer.
She set aside the flowers, and sank to her knees, and held out her hand so that he could slip the ring onto her finger.
“To you Clint, my answer will always be yes. You’re my hero.”
“I love you Lydia, and you’ve got it wrong. You’re the one who’s the hero.”
THE END
If you enjoyed this book, or any book, please consider leaving a review. It’s appreciated by authors more than you know. Thank You! Caitlyn
Biography
Caitlyn O’Leary was raised in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. She has always been an avid reader. Her earliest creative writing endeavors consisted of “ghost writing” exercises where she pretended to be her younger brothers and sister when she did their homework assignments.
Years in corporate America honed her ability to manipulate words by day and at night she read everything she could get her hands on, including many steamy romances.
Her Loyal Seal Page 18