The right of Gemma Mazurke to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author.
Copyright © Gemma Mazurke 2018
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Acknowledgment
As always, my utmost respect and heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Armed Forces who fight for our liberty. They put themselves at risk to protect the people they leave behind at home, and no amount of acknowledgments can convey my appreciation for their sacrifice.
The conspiracy detailed within this story is wholly fictional.
“I, Lucas Josiah Gray, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…”
Prologue
“Why didn’t you tell me, Bunnybear?”
Gina tucked herself into her mama’s side. The thin arms were surprisingly strong and never ceased to make her seven-year-old self feel safe. When Sara chucked her under the chin and tried to make Gina look her in the face, she refused, nuzzling her forehead against Sara’s throat instead.
“Gina, why didn’t you tell me?” This time, the question was a little harder. It was the tone that meant Gina had to get out of bed and that huddling deeper under the covers for the third time was a no-go.
She swallowed back her nerves and wished she didn’t have to answer. Mama wouldn’t like what she had to say, and though Sara was small, Gina’s daddy had once called her a firebrand. She hadn’t understood what it meant at the time, and she still didn’t, but she knew fire was hot. A brand burned. And the two fit her mama to perfection.
Not that Sara hurt Gina. But she could be strict, and Gina didn’t like it when she was strict.
Sometimes that meant she got a smacked bottom, and other times it meant no candy for a day. Worst of all was being made to go to bed, right after dinner, with no dessert. That was the worst punishment befitting the worst crime—when Gina told tales or eavesdropped on conversations she had no business listening in on.
At least, it had been the worst punishment until Giuseppe had come into their lives.
“Before Natale,” she whispered, her voice a fine quiver.
“Christmas?” Sara’s voice was a squeak now, but Gina heard the rage. It wasn’t aimed her way, but that didn’t stop her from huddling deeper into her mama’s arms. “You mean this has been going on for two months, and you didn’t think to tell me?”
“He doesn’t do it often.”
“That he does it at all is…” A low hiss escaped her. “I’ll kill him. I’ll. Kill. Him.”
Gina uncurled her arms and wrapped them tightly around Sara’s neck. The rigidity of her mother’s limbs terrified her. “No. Mama. No! That’s why I didn’t tell you. Please, don’t. Please.”
Sara grabbed her and pulled her away. “Gina, you leave this with me.”
That was what she was afraid of.
“No! It’s okay. They get better. Look.” She pulled up her sleeve and showed the puckered scar on her underarm she’d been hiding for the last month. “See, skin grows over it. They get better.”
That didn’t work. This time, Sara started shaking. Gina peered up at her, frightened by the motion, but more frightened by the sight of tears streaming down her mama’s face.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, reaching up with chubby fingers to wipe the moisture away.
“I’ll never let another man touch you, Bunnybear. Do you hear me?” she replied shakily.
Gina smiled as she patted Sara’s cheek. “That’s nice.”
“No. It’s not. It’s how it should be. I protect you, mia piccola. Not the other way around. You tell me if anything, anything like this happens again. Do you understand?
“Even if it’s at school and some little monster is tugging your hair, you tell me. Always. That’s how this works, Bunnybear. That’s how we work. We’re a team, you and I.
“You promise to tell me?”
“I promise, Mama.” She giggled, then hummed the tune to Star Wars. “We’re the force.”
“That we are, sweetheart.”
“Can we go to sleep now?” Gina’s sigh was filled with exhaustion.
Sara squeezed her a little. “You sleep, darling. It’s okay, Mama’s here to protect you.”
Gina nuzzled into her mother’s arm, wincing a little when the burn on her wrist scraped over Sara’s watch. She froze, not wanting to alert her already angry mama, but she didn’t think she got away with it. When Sara remained silent and instead started to stroke her hair, Gina began to relax.
Giuseppe had been angry at her since he’d collected her from school. The teacher had held her back, wanting to tell her off for not listening during class, and he’d had to wait for her.
But now, for the first time that evening, she felt safe. As she blinked sleepy eyes, she realized it was the first time she’d felt safe since Mama had brought Giuseppe home.
She’d tried to like him, only he wasn’t her daddy. But Mama had been so sad since Daddy had gone to heaven, and Giuseppe had made her smile. Seeing that had made Gina’s heart feel lighter even when she wanted to cry from missing her papa, and she’d always made sure to stay out of his way when she could.
He was always angry with her, though. Especially when Mama gave her attention instead of him, and if Sara made something Gina liked for dinner, then she tried to hide all the more. Daddy had once said that looks could kill, and Gina knew how that felt now.
It wasn’t fair. She was a good girl. She was. It was hard waking up in the morning, but she was two reading levels above the other kids in her class, and she’d won the science fair last year.
A smile curled along her lips at the memory. The science fair had been the best day of her life. Mama had taken her out for pizza and ice cream, and they’d gone to the arcade too.
Sighing blissfully at the thought of three scoops of mint chocolate chip, she let herself fall asleep.
All wasn’t right with the world, but her mama was close and had made her a promise. Plus, she’d done all her homework for the week, and tomorrow was a new day.
She didn’t know what the new day bit meant, but it was something her nonna said. And after mama, nonna was always right.
If she could have seen her mama’s face, she might not have been hopeful for tomorrow to come, but Gina was safely cocooned.
Sleep soon settled upon her as she was lulled by the gentle stroking of her hair and the steady thump-thump of her madre’s heart.
Chapter One
“Goddammit.”
Gia glowered down at the cheap cell phone she’d bought from a stand on the sidewalk moments ago and tried, with fumbling fingers, to slot a SIM card into the back.
She wasn’t normally this shaky, but ever since she’d set off from home three hours ago, she’d been on edge.
Hell, who could blame her?
Banished.
That was the only way to describe it. Even if it was a temporary measure.
Her husband, Lucas, was currently appealing his Other Than Honorable dismissal from the army, and Josh, her other husband, had become involved in the case.
Thanks to Josh’s meddling, he’d uncovered a scandal that could rock the Forces and simultaneously clear Lucas’s good name.
It was great news.
Fabulous.
Her husband’s stellar reputation had been protected, and Gia wanted nothing more for the man she loved. But it sucked being the lamb at the altar. The sacrifice.
In the grand scheme of things, she didn’t mind. Not really.
Sure, she was a bit peeved. Who wouldn’t be?
She wasn’t a pervert, a murderer, or even a Democrat—which, in this part of Texas, was as big a crime as the other two. She’d had the fortune to meet two men, fall in love with them, and start a family. But being exiled to ensure Lucas’s appeal remained focused on the rights and wrongs of the case, and not the unusualness of his living situation, was the price she had to pay for being unorthodox.
Since Josh had made the suggestion, well, she’d gotten accustomed to the notion, and her nerves and shaking fingers were unrelated to her inner umbrage at having to leave her family home.
No. The anxiety stemmed from the idea that had popped into her head as she showered this morning. The idea that could endanger her mother but enable Gia to see her for the first time in seven years.
And when Gia said “endanger,” she meant it.
She was putting Sandra’s life on the line by doing this, but she needed to see her. To talk to her.
Ever since they had been placed in witness protection, with separate, unrelated identities, Gia had had to remain out of contact with her. Zero communication. Nada. Nothing.
It was a slow death to be denied any and all access to her mother, something only Luke’s and Josh’s presence in her life had stymied. She’d spent the past three hours of traveling trying to figure out how to contact Sandra and had come up with a rough plan.
Her own cell phone rang, and she hit the Connect button without checking the ID as she finally fitted the SIM card. “Hello?” she asked distractedly.
“Gia? It’s Lou.”
She blinked in surprise at her mother-in-law’s voice. “Lou? Is everything okay?”
An amused laugh bubbled down the line. “Yes. You wouldn’t think so, though. Luke asked me to call you. He wants to make sure you’re all right.”
Despite herself and her nerves, Gia grinned. Touched that he was concerned, already, she murmured, “I’m fine, Lou. You can report back that I’ve managed to drive three hours without crashing the car.”
“God forbid I mention the word crash. They’re living on their nerves as it is.”
“I haven’t been gone half a day,” she retorted, an exasperated edge to her tone. Still, they loved her. And when you loved, you worried. They didn’t think she was some incompetent fool, incapable of putting one foot in front of the other.
It just felt like that sometimes.
“That doesn’t mean they’re not worried.” Lou gave a half sigh. “I often wondered how you dealt with that.”
“Dealt with what?”
“One male in your personal space, wanting to know if you’re safe or all right, is bad enough sometimes. But two of them? I’m not sure whether to commend you or pity you.”
Gia snickered. “You get used to it.”
“I doubt that. Nearly fifty years of marriage, and I’m not used to it.”
“Yeah, but you’re married to Robert.”
She half cringed at the loaded insult, which had slipped out unintentionally, but Lou took it in her stride. “True. But you’re with my son. He can’t have escaped the Gray taint totally.”
The taint? Though Gia knew Luke’s parents’ relationship was rocky, it was unlike his mother to say something so pointed.
“Lou, is everything fine with you and Robert?”
“Yes, dear. As fine as it can be married to a bigoted snob,” came the saccharine-sweet retort. It was so damned sweet Gia had to shake her head, certain her ears were suddenly overloaded with water or something. That this was totally out of character was an understatement.
“I’m here to talk. If you need to…” she mumbled uncomfortably. They’d never had that kind of relationship, but over the past year, things had been changing between them. If Lou needed someone to talk to, then Gia would willingly listen.
“Thanks, dear, but all’s well. I’m used to it.”
“Stockholm syndrome,” she remarked, tone wry. “Yeah, you definitely need to talk to someone.”
Lou chortled. “That’s sounds about right. Well, I’ll let the boys know you’re in one piece.
“I’d expect more calls from me, and probably Josh’s mother too. I’m not sure if they’ll be able to cope now that you’re out of that house.”
Gia frowned at yet another pointed statement. That house? What the heck did she mean by that?
“I like being at home,” she mumbled, feeling defensive and not entirely sure why.
“Probably a good thing. Now that Lexi is being homeschooled, I think you go out for groceries and errands. That’s it. You should negotiate some shore leave when you get back. They’ll probably give you your weight in gold they’re feeling so guilty.”
Still taken aback at Lou’s assessment of her life, she fumbled with the battery as she slotted it into the new phone. “I’m happy, Lou. They don’t make me stay at home.”
The older woman sighed. “I’m not the only one with Stockholm syndrome. They’ve done a good job of convincing you.”
“No, they haven’t. I do what I want to do.”
“They’re trying to protect you. It’s out of the kindness of their hearts.”
“It isn’t, Lou. Honestly.” She huffed. “I mean, I do what I want. I have more freedom than most because I don’t have a work schedule.”
The silence down the line was telling, and it irked Gia all the damn more. It was a ‘you keep on believing that or bless her heart, she really believes what she’s saying.’
“Anyway, I have to get on,” she muttered, pissed at having her lifestyle choices questioned and more pissed still that Lou was pitying her. Hell, if anyone needed pity, it was the woman married to Robert Gray! Rather than cause more offense, and deciding it was easier to lie, she murmured, “I took a coffee break, and I need to start moving if I’m going to reach my hotel today.”
“Where are you going? Luke never said.”
“It’s a place on the state line.” She pursed her lips, deciding that was more than enough information to hand over. “I’ll talk to you later. Tell them I love them.”
“I will. I still think this is all rather ridiculous. People already know about you three. It isn’t like you’ve been overly discreet with your relationship, not that you’ve been overt either.
“Still, complete radio silence seems nuts. You’d think they were back in a war zone again.” She released an irritated breath.
“Well, you won’t hear me disagreeing, but if it keeps Luke safe, then that’s how I want it.”
“Josh seems to think he’ll be able to correct Luke’s dismissal with this evidence he has…” Lou’s hesitation was loaded with a quivering hope. “I pray that’s the case. Luke’s always been so highly commended. It’s such a shame for him to bow out with this on his record.”
“It’s more than a shame. It’s a disgrace.” With the battery finally slotted in and the back cover in place, Gia put the cheap phone on the p
assenger seat. She reached for her water bottle, took a deep sip, and asked, “Could you make sure Luke’s checking his dressings?”
“Of course I will.”
“I know it seems ridiculous. He’s an adult, for God’s sake. But I don’t trust him with it. He won’t let me do it, but you’re his mom. You can be a pain in his ass.”
Lou sniggered. “I’ll do my best, fear not. Speak to you later, dear. Drive safely.”
“Will do, Lou. Bye.”
Gia cut the call, then stared with a frown at her cell phone. That had been bizarre. More bizarre than usual, and Lou, an ex-flower-power child, had her oddities.
“Trouble in paradise,” she commented as she switched on the burner cell, keyed her own number into the contacts, and then reached for the next part of her scheme: an envelope.
Tucking the phone inside, she grabbed her notepad and wrote, From Bunnybear. Hope to hear from you soon.
As codes went, it wasn’t the most complex one to crack. If Giuseppe’s family was still hunting them down, which was how the mob worked, then someone somewhere would remember the slightly peculiar nickname if questioned.
She was running a risk, but the lengths she’d gone to to protect her mother were extensive.
Nerves flooded her, but she supposed they were natural in the circumstances. She was about to contact her mother for the first time in years, and it wasn’t an emergency. Technically, it wasn’t justified, but that wasn’t stopping her.
She needed to hear her mother’s voice like she needed to go home.
The urge was deep. Close to desperate.
Over the years, on the birthday with which the government had Gia listed on their databases, her new birthday, she received a bunch of flowers.
Always the same kind: magnolias.
Even though they were out of season.
There was always a little symbol of a small red bat and then, To Cecily Drive, celebrating your anniversary. 4/12/86 will always be a special day.
It hadn’t taken her long to figure out exactly who was sending the bunch of flowers and what the message was. Magnolias were the state flower of Louisiana. The red bat… Baton Rouge. April 12 held no special anniversary in their family, nor was Cecily Drive a relative, so she had to assume Sandra lived at 41286 Cecily Drive.
The Strength of Love: Happily Ever Menage (The Luck of Love Book 3) Page 1