by T. K. Leigh
“Dad, you can’t blame yourself–”
“But I do, Serafina! Every day, I wake up wondering if I had opened my eyes sooner, had pressed the issue, had come out of hiding and followed my gut, maybe things wouldn’t have spiraled out of control. I know Charlie confronted Harrison about his investigation into the embassy attacks. This was just weeks before he was institutionalized. Then Charlie spoke with your mother. She told me about it, asking me whether she should tell him what she knew. I told her it was her decision but to be safe and meet in a neutral place. She never made it to that meeting. I know in my heart she didn’t have an accident. Someone didn’t want her to go to that meeting and give Charlie any information that could lead him on the right path. And now he’s on the chopping block, too.”
“So you think Charlie’s being set up?” I asked. From the beginning, Charlie had been a loose cannon to me, his intentions always confusing and open to several interpretations.
“I think this guy is ready to do anything, including killing, to silence anyone who could point a finger at him.”
“Like my mother?”
He nodded. “And Harrison.”
“Wait. What are you talking about?” Mackenzie asked loudly before lowering her voice. “So he’s not the one behind it all?”
“It would appear not. I think Harrison was just a puppet, doing what he had to in order to survive, including silencing anyone who could potentially incriminate him…until now.”
“So he is dead,” I stated.
“Possibly. He went missing back in March, so–”
“Wait a minute,” I interjected. “I thought you said he went missing shortly after your wife’s death.”
“That’s what I thought, as well,” Galloway said. “I was beside myself with remorse, thinking my only shot at some real answers was gone. I didn’t even consider the possibility that he made himself disappear.”
“How did you figure out he was still alive?”
“I didn’t. Father Slattery has been by my side since day one. He knew me probably better than anyone else at Fort Bragg. I grew up Catholic, but didn’t really follow the religion much until I met your mother, Serafina. She went to confession regularly on the base and grew close to Slattery. And so did I. He had been just as involved in trying to put the pieces together, although he still had connections at the base who could access the information needed. I didn’t have that luxury. I couldn’t stick my nose out too much for fear of being found.”
“So how did he find out Mills was still alive?” I asked.
“Charlie.”
“Charlie?!” Mackenzie exclaimed. “How?”
“I have no idea how he figured it out, considering he was locked up at Walter Reed at the time, but he did. He always was able to see things no one else could. Charlie’s therapist was a friend of Slattery’s and before Charlie escaped Walter Reed, he shared things. Notebooks full of what would appear to anyone else to be the scribblings of a mad man. But to a man trained in special ops, it was more than that. Charlie was suspicious of Mills and had been tracking him, probably because of the timing of his disappearance and Magdalena’s death. He had always seen patterns where no one else could and he saw this. He found that Mills was alive and had been recruited by the CIA to work a deep cover mission. The CIA made Mills disappear on paper and gave him a completely new identity. Even his family assumed he had died. He walked away from all of it. Why? He loved his family, so there must have been something going on to make him accept that mission and give up his life and family.”
“Doesn’t sound like it was too deep of a cover if you know who he is,” Mackenzie argued.
“And I would never have found out if it wasn’t for Charlie. He knew. I don’t know how, but he found out that Harrison disappeared for a year, reappearing as Benjamin Collins…”
My eyes flung to Francis, shock apparent at the mention of the man who had contacted our company to find Galloway in the first place. “What did you just say?”
“Name sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” he asked smugly.
All I could do was nod.
“Benjamin Collins is Harrison Mills, and he has done a damn good job of hiding his true identity. I watched him for weeks, in awe at how he had adapted to a new life. Hell, he must have even gone so far as to get plastic surgery on his face to hide his true identity. I’ve tried to figure out what his mission was, but his cover is so deep, it’s been nearly impossible to determine what it is. Finally, after months, I sent him an unmarked package with something in it that would tell him, without question, I was still on to him, I was alive, and I knew who he was. You could imagine his surprise when he opened it.”
“What was it?” Mackenzie asked.
“A package of Beeman’s bubble gum.”
“And what was the significance of that?” I asked.
“You know how in the field, rank is sometimes forgotten? Especially at night when you’re sleeping in shifts or you’re all eating, faced with the reality that no one is immune from a bullet, regardless of the number of stripes on your sleeves?”
I nodded.
“Well, one night, we were somewhere in the Middle East, staring at a cloudless desert sky. As we listened to shells being fired in the distance, he told me a story. He was a little kid, and he and a friend had shoplifted a pack of gum. He was caught and, instead of owning up to it, he told the shop owner his best friend said he had paid for it. He thought nothing would happen, that all the shop owner would want is for his friend to apologize. Well, the following day, his friend wasn’t in school. He had been detained for stealing a pack of gum. Apparently, his father was the police chief and wanted to make an example out of him. He told me how horrible he felt for betraying his best friend. The Beeman’s gum was a message saying I knew he was alive and I knew he had betrayed me. I didn’t know what I hoped to get out of it. Maybe I wanted him to come clean and finally grow the balls to name who had scared him to the point that he ruined his life, but that didn’t happen.”
“How long ago was this?”
“About two years.”
I nodded. “I can finish the story. Collins, or Mills, not knowing what else to do, eventually contacted my security company with the directive to find you and bring you to justice, knowing you could claim you weren’t responsible all you wanted, but all the physical evidence still pointed to you.”
“If he even wanted to bring me to justice,” Galloway said. “A desperate man will do whatever he needs to save his neck, and saving his neck may just mean slitting mine. Not to mention, this case was deemed closed years ago. I have a feeling he used his position in the CIA to get you to do his dirty work, then silence me.”
“You really think he would have killed you over this?” Mackenzie asked.
“I don’t think, little bug. I’m fairly certain of it. And that’s where we still are today. Unless I find who’s really pulling the strings here, it’s my word against what everyone’s been led to believe.”
“And where is Mills now?” I asked.
“That’s the million dollar question, son. His ex-wife and her husband have been murdered, their deaths attributed to Charlie. His son took a leave of absence from his job back in March…around the same time you lost contact with the man you knew to be Benjamin Collins, I presume.”
“Sounds about right,” I muttered.
“I just think there’s something fishy going on here, and that Mills isn’t the one ultimately responsible for all of this. I could be wrong, but I’ve learned to always trust my gut. Whenever I haven’t, I’ve regretted it. So if my gut tells me to look for someone other than Mills, we look for someone other than Mills, someone with tremendous resources to pull something like this off.”
“Who do you think it is?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but it must have some sort of connection to my time in Bosnia. I plan on going through my notes of everyone I ever came into contact with over there, every asset we had, to get to the bottom of this.”
/>
“So what do we do?” Mackenzie pushed.
“We don’t do anything. Tyler needs to focus on getting better after that nasty accident, and you need to focus on that baby.”
“I have a whole team of people who can help track this guy down,” I offered.
“And I appreciate that,” he replied calmly. “But I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“It isn’t? Why?” Mackenzie interjected.
“Because he’s looking for one person, and one person alone.”
“No,” she breathed, covering her mouth to hide her quivering chin.
“He wants me? Well, he can have me. I’m not going to remain hidden away and put anyone’s life at risk anymore.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “You know I love you very much, don’t you?”
“And I love you, too,” she choked out. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Dad.”
“And I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t, but nothing’s a guarantee. Just do your old man one favor first.”
“Anything.”
“Let me walk you down the aisle and see you get married.”
She nodded, wiping at her tears. “Of course.”
Mackenzie
I STOOD JUST INSIDE the foyer of the ridiculously opulent house in Palm Beach that Tyler and I had been staying at for the past several weeks. After he was discharged from the hospital, Eli returned to Texas to try and make sense of the story my father had told us. We, on the other hand, stayed away from home, away from any reminder of the bigger problems that we would soon have to face head-on.
“Is it time?” Melanie asked, looking back at me, her green eyes wide and rounded. Her dark hair was curled and styled for the occasion. She had been so excited when we asked her to fill this role for us today and had spent most of the morning practicing.
“It is. Go ahead, sweetie.” I smiled at her in her frilly white sundress with pink and yellow flowers adorning it.
She flashed her adorable smile, showing where she was missing a tooth, and walked out the front door and onto the picture-perfect white sand beach. Despite the jitters in my stomach, a sense of serenity washed over me as I glanced out the large floor-to-ceiling windows and absorbed the scene in front of me. The sun was setting behind the extravagant house on that late November day, casting the beach in a beautiful pinkish glow. There was barely a person in sight…except for the small group of friends and family who had dropped everything and flew out here to be with us.
“Are you ready, mi bichito?” a scruff voice asked, startling me.
I turned to him and smiled. “As ready as I’m going to be.”
Looking at me affectionately, moisture pooled in my father’s eyes. He placed his hands on my arms and surveyed me, his eyes growing bright. “For years, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, let alone be able to stand by your side during one of the most important days of your life.” Reaching up, he cupped my cheek. I leaned into his warmth, recalling all the times he would push me on a swing when I was a little girl. I didn’t remember much about my childhood, but that memory was strong.
“You look so much like your mother.” He let out a shallow sigh. “You always have, but today, it’s unmistakable that you are your mother’s daughter.”
“I’m your daughter, too, Dad.”
“I know, but I really see her in you today. She would have been so proud of the woman you’ve become. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I squeezed his hand gently as our eyes remained locked. It was taking everything I had not to break into tears, my emotions on overdrive.
“I want you to have this,” he said, breaking the tension. Reaching into the pocket of his linen pants, he pulled out a small box and handed it to me.
“What is it?” I asked, caressing the black velvet.
“If you open it, you’ll find out.” He winked.
Letting out a small laugh, I shook my head. “I know where I got my sarcasm from, I guess,” I retorted, opening the box to see a beautiful turquoise bracelet. It looked to be an antique, the gold holding the turquoise stones together almost tarnished. I picked it up and felt its weight, wondering how he had come to own such a remarkable piece of jewelry. I looked up at my dad, my brows furrowed.
“Your mother wore that on the day we got married, as did her mother, and her mother, and so on. It’s been in your family for centuries, its roots dating all the way back to the Guaymi tribe in Panama. Ages ago, I promised her you would wear it on your wedding day, as well.” He reached for the bracelet and unclasped it.
“I’d be honored.” A lump formed in my throat as I held my arm toward my father and allowed him to secure the bracelet around my wrist. His fingers lingered on my skin and our eyes met. I had gone years without my father’s touch, and all I could do was pray that this wasn’t the last time I’d ever feel it. This moment was bittersweet for me, the reminder of all the troubles I had tried to ignore the past several weeks rushing forward. I didn’t want this to be goodbye between us, but I couldn’t help but shake the feeling it would be.
“Well…” My dad cleared his throat and I snapped out of it, adjusting my composure as best I could. “We better get going. We don’t want to keep the groom waiting.” He held out his elbow for me to grab on to. “Ready, mi bichito?”
I nodded. “Always, Papa.” I placed my hand in his arm and he escorted me out the front door and onto the large deck of the beach house. I lifted my floor length champagne-colored dress so as to not trip on it and made my way down the short steps onto the beach, trying to savor the moment of feeling my father’s warmth next to me.
With each step I took past the handful of people we invited, I grew more at ease. The nervous jitters that overwhelmed me just moments ago were absent, and I knew this was where I was meant to be…making this journey with my father at my side, my eyes glued to Tyler’s, the sea breeze blowing his white linen shirt just slightly.
“Hey,” Tyler said as I approached him.
“Hey,” I replied.
“Hey…,” he said once more, his eyes roaming to my cleavage that the halter top of my dress made more voluptuous.
“Hey,” I repeated.
“Hey,” Jenna said, giggling as she and Brayden stood next to Father Slattery, both of them grinning.
My father grabbed my hand, snapping me out of my daze, and placed it in Tyler’s.
“Take care of my girl,” he said with a slight quiver in his voice. “You’re her family now. Treat her like the princess she is.”
“Always, sir,” Tyler responded as my father leaned down and kissed me gently on my temple.
“Te quiero, mi bichito. Siempre.”
“Siempre,” I replied, wiping at the tear that had fallen down my cheek.
My father retreated from me, taking his place among our few guests, and I faced Tyler, unable to comprehend that we were finally here. Every little girl dreamt of the big extravagant wedding with the Cinderella gown and the posh reception, and I was no different, but I wouldn’t give this moment up for anything. Instead of a room full of distant relatives I only saw during weddings and funerals, I was surrounded by the handful of people I cared about the most. It was perfect.
“Now, it’s my understanding you two have written your own vows, correct?” Father Slattery said, breaking into my thoughts.
“Yes,” we responded in unison.
“Well, then, I’ll give you the floor. Age before beauty, so Tyler first.” He nodded at him to proceed, a low chuckle echoing around us.
With eager eyes, Tyler took a deep breath, his smile perfect, showing his brilliant white teeth. His bruises and scars had mostly healed over the past several weeks that he spent in the hospital and then recuperating here, soaking up the late autumn rays. His skin was tanned, his dark hair disheveled in the way that had attracted me to him from the very beginning.
“Mackenzie,” he began before leaning in and whispering, his voice ba
rely audible, “Serafina…”
I warmed when my name rolled off his tongue in such a delicate manner.
“The last thing I was looking for when I took an assignment a little over a year ago was to fall in love, especially with the woman who was supposed to be the asset.”
Polite laughter sounded around us.
“And I am certain I was the last person you wanted to infiltrate your perfectly ordered life, but then something magical happened. We both let down our guard. I stopped caring about my job, and you finally threw out that blasted timetable. We finally did something we both thought we’d never do again. We loved… And that love has only grown stronger through the truth, lies, tears, miles, and heartache. And I know it will only continue to grow with every day that passes.
“I’m not perfect. I make mistakes. I can be stubborn as hell. I have good days and bad. I lose my temper. I can be completely irrational at times. However, you chose to look past all my faults and love me anyway. Every day from this day forward, I promise to do everything I can to make you fall in love with me all over again. You deserve the fairytale, princess, and that’s what I intend to give you each and every day until I’m turned into dust.” He closed the distance between us once more. “Serafina Galloway,” he whispered so no one else could hear him, “I love you.”
He pulled back and I met his eyes, nodding. I love you, too, I mouthed as I tried to maintain my composure, but it was impossible.
“How do you expect me to follow that?” I said through my tears.
Everyone laughed politely.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath before focusing them on Tyler, the one man who had seen my demons and had embraced the darkness within. And he would always be at my side. With him, I could get through everything, no matter what the future held.