* * *
Lying in bed after BJ had worshiped her body into oblivion, Suzanne draped herself half over him, feeling boneless. Sleep was overtaking her and she did not even have the energy to move. She had talked to BJ over dinner about her conversations at the ER clinic, with both Dr. Marker and Ralph Ritchner.
He rested one hand on her ass and the other rubbed the smooth skin of her back. Smiling to himself, he shifted her so that she would be more comfortable. So far, the pregnancy hormones had her moods swinging from tearful to sex starved. He particularly liked the latter. Tucking her naked body in close to his, he wrapped his arm around her waist, splaying his fingers over her stomach. Can you feel me, little one? Do you know how much you are wanted and loved already?
His mind wandered back to the counseling he sought at the college after Suzy’s miscarriage and subsequent leaving. He knew there was no rhyme or reason to the loss of their other child, but he had to admit that he felt the same desperate hope that this child would make it full term. No matter what, I have to be strong for her. But I really want to hold you, little one.
Pulling her in tight, he allowed himself to join her in sleep.
Hours later, he awoke suddenly. Listening intently, he heard no sounds except for the soft snoring coming from her. His mind raced back to what thoughts had woken him up, remember the conversation that they had had in the evening. Something was in the back of his mind, just out of reach. Something she said? He went back over what Ralphie had said about Phil Ketchum. He’d never like the good doctor and disliked him even more now. He’d first pursued Annie and then Suzanne, not even realizing that if one of the women had liked him it would be awkward since they worked together. But being a prick didn’t make him a criminal. Unless, he’s the one who was destroying the reports to Animal Control.
Determined to get Shane and Matt to get their hands on the Animal Control records, he felt that was key. But as he drifted back to sleep he couldn’t help but feel that there was a piece of the puzzle that was just out of reach.
* * *
Several days later, Suzanne accompanied BJ to his work. Gabe was bringing the boys into the security agency for a few hours while their mother took care of more business. Their father had been buried with little ceremony, but she wanted to be there for the boys. She had managed to avoid Phil on the two other mornings that week that he had come in. He and Annie had gone over records, lab equipment, needs of the clinic and the clientele while she had managed to stay up front taking care of the appointments.
Each morning found her hanging over the toilet for a few minutes, but every time BJ held her hair back and wiped her face with a cool washcloth. He truly seems okay with this. Her hand found her stomach and she couldn’t hold back a smile. We’ve got to tell our parents soon. Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help but wonder how that would go.
“You’re quiet this morning, baby. Are you sure you feel up to this?” BJ asked.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to see the boys. Just a little tired.” Sneaking a look over at his profile, smiling as she perused his square jaw with its Saturday morning stubble. “Of course, if you hadn’t kept me up so late, I wouldn’t be so tired.”
“Me?” he joked. “If I recall correctly, it was you that was insatiable.”
“Hmmm, must be the pregnancy hormones kicking in.”
“Well let me just say they can kick in any time they want!”
Pulling into the underground parking garage, they saw Gabe driving in with the boys in tow at the same time. Getting out of their vehicles, they greeted each other enthusiastically.
Once BJ had Suzanne and the boys settled in one of the safe rooms, he went in search of Lily and the briefing they had with Tony.
Suzanne sat down on the sofa in the room and noticed that the boys ignored the large TV, but focused on her instead, as though they needed her connection. “How are you doing, guys?” she asked softly.
Dwayne, always stoic, looked at his brother. His hair was freshly washed and combed, his clothes neat and clean, but his face carried a worried look upon it. Chuckie piped up, “We were asked questions by the police about what we saw.”
“That’s not what she meant, Chuckie. She wants to know about dad,” Dwayne said.
“It’s okay, Chuckie. I want to know about everything. What you’re feeling. How you’re doing. If you want to talk about the funeral, that’s fine. If you want to talk about the police that’s fine too. Or if you just want to watch football, we can do that also.”
Dwayne’s eyes cut over to the TV that was larger than any he had probably seen. Finding the remote, she turned it on, finding a game for them to watch. Chuckie settled in quickly on the floor, his head propped up on his hands and his face glued to the screen. Dwayne made his way over to the sofa sitting near Suzanne. After a few minutes, he said quietly, “Dad was messed up wasn’t he?”
Trying to word her thoughts carefully, she began, “Well, I think that he may have gotten himself in some difficulty –”
“You don’t have to make it sound better than it is. Just say it. He was messed up and then got killed for it.”
Sighing, she agreed. “Dwayne, in talking to your mom, it sounds like your dad was a good man once. He loved her and he loved you boys. But yes, he got messed up in something and made some bad choices. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t love you.”
“The police think he was gambling and I heard mom talk about dog fighting.” He turned his face up to hers. “I looked that up on the internet at school.”
Seeing his tortured face, she pulled him in for a hug not caring if it embarrassed him or not. “Oh, honey. You shouldn’t have.”
She felt wetness against her neck and hugged him tighter.
“Do you think that was what he did to our dog? The pictures on the computer were awful.”
Just then, Gabe stuck his head in the door. He looked over at the scene in front of him and mouthed, “Are you all right?” to her. She nodded and he slipped back out. She knew Gabe was going to tell BJ, but she desperately wanted a few more minutes alone with the boys. They’ve been questioned so much. I just want to give them a few minutes of comfort.
Lifting his head away from her so that she could see into his eyes, she said, “Dwayne, listen to me.” Glancing over she saw that Chuckie had stopped watching the TV and had moved toward her feet. She leaned down to gather him up on the sofa as well. With her arms around both boys, she said, “Yes, there are people who do bad things to each other and to animals as well. I know Pepper looked bad when you brought him in to see Doc Annie, but your dog knew a lot of love from you boys. Most dogs in fights don’t get that and you gave that love to him.”
She saw their tear-filled eyes meet hers and she continued, “As badly as he was hurt that morning, he came home to you two. He wanted your love and felt safe with you.”
Chuckie’s eyes spilled over with tears, but Dwayne dashed his away, saying, “Yeah, but dad had him doin’ stuff that hurt him.”
“It couldn’t have been that bad, Dwayne. Not for your dog to come back to you. That means that your love was stronger than anything else Pepper knew and he was coming back. Back to where he felt safe and where he felt love.”
Squeezing them tight, she said it again, “He just wanted to come to where he felt love. And that boys, is a gift that not everyone can give. But you did. You gave it to him. And you’ve got all that love inside of you to give again.”
* * *
In the briefing room, the employees of Tony’s security team were assembled, along with Matt and Shane, around a large wooden table, all listening to the conversation happening in the safe room. Lily wept unashamedly.
Tony looked across the table and said, “That’s quite a woman you’ve got there, BJ. But then, we all knew that.”
BJ simply nodded, not trusting his voice.
Gabe spoke up, “I think those boys’ll be all right. Their mom seems like good people and with support like Suzanne…I think they’ll make i
t through and maybe not turn out like their dad.”
The group got down to business, discussing the latest on the dog fights and gambling. Tony looked over to Matt and Shane. “What’ve you got?”
Shane spoke first, saying, “Vice has been looking at Marcel Washington. So far, he’s kept the business clean. Lives in one of those big houses over in the Bel Grande Estates. But his right-hand man is Jorge Hernandez. Came up from the ranks of the Richland underbelly. Gangs, fights, gambling, drugs, prostitution. Came from a shit home and joined a gang when he was only eleven.
Matt continued, “Smart though. Not just street smart. Worked his way up the chain and it appears that he is now an associate of Marcel. The goddamn dog fights have been a thorn in the side of the street cops, gang detectives, and Vice for years now. They find and shut down the small ones, but new ones crop up continually. What we’re looking at now is a big operation. Big stakes. Big money.”
Vinny looked over. “What about the peons who handle the dogs and have petty bets? Won’t they roll over on the others?”
Lifting an eyebrow Shane answered, “And end up like Joe Johnson?” He looked around the table, “The fuckers have the backing of one of the most notorious, organized gangs around. Fear, drugs, money, and threats keep ’em in line.”
Gabe shared a look with Tony, receiving a slight nod. Gabe turned back to the group saying, “We set up the security wiring in a home recently. Owner was Marcel Washington.”
“Are they wired into your security system?” Matt asked with renewed interest.
Tony shook his head. “They only wanted internal visual. So he could use his own security people to watch the feeds.”
BJ wondered out loud, “Could we get back in? Say that they needed maintenance?”
Tony shook his head. “Normally, I’d say yes. But not this guy. If he’s as big as you say he is then he’s smart too. He’d never fall for that.”
“But, it is possible to reprogram,” a soft voice came from the end of the table.
The mountain of testosterone that sat around the table focused their attention on Lily, sitting quietly at the end.
“I’ve been working on the programming that BJ set up and while the original programming and feeds were for internal monitoring, it’s possible to tap into what they’re seeing.” Looking over at Matt and Shane, she quickly added, “But nothing would be admissible in a court. Wiretapping, you know?” she said with a little shrug.
Tony nodded his approval. “Keep working on that angle.”
“I’m also talking to one of my old professors to see if he knows who would have the skills to streamfeed the dogfights with a secure line that we can’t tap into. I met with him last week and he gave me some ideas. I’m checking into a couple of them to see if they are still in the area and if so, who they’re working for.”
“Damn, girl,” Gabe said. “You’re putting the rest of us to shame.”
She blushed as Matt winked at her. BJ filled them in on the information that Suzanne had received from Ralph and her suspicions about Dr. Ketchum.
Shane growled, knowing that Phil was working in the clinic for another couple of weeks with Annie and Suzanne. “Gonna check that bastard out. If he has his own clinic then he is free to do what he wants.”
BJ sat silently for a moment, frustrated as the feeling that a tiny piece of the puzzle was hovering just out of his reach. “Tony, how about you reassign me to working with Lily again. With the two of us working on the programming, we should be able to figure out something.” Looking over at Shane he added, “Know you can’t use it, but just in case we need it, we’ll be able to tap into Marcel’s place.”
The meeting quickly came to a close and BJ headed down the hall to find Suzanne. Stepping into the room, he was greeted by the sounds of laughter as she and the boys were watching TV. Dwayne was sitting next to her, his head on her shoulder, while Chuckie was on the floor between her legs with his head against her knees. Looking up, she smiled at him and his heart pounded in his chest. Beautiful. So goddamn beautiful. She looks like a mother there. He found it hard to breathe for a moment as he took her in. Strong, caring, and loving. She’ll be perfect. The perfect mother. Please God, he prayed, let this child live. Let her hold this one in her arms. And I’ll do everything I can every day to be worthy of them.
His eyes moved back to hers and saw questions there. Smiling, he just shook his head. “You ’bout ready to go, babe? Gabe’ll be coming for the boys in just a few minutes.”
Nodding, she said goodbye to the boys, lingering a moment in their embraces. Chuckie quickly kissed her and turned back to his movie. Dwayne moved in for a real hug then pulled back, embarrassed as he looked up at BJ.
BJ kissed the top of her head and motioned for her to go on ahead of him. Nodding her understanding, she left with a glance back over her shoulder as she reached the door. BJ had leaned down to Dwayne’s level with his hand on the back of Dwayne’s neck, looking him in the eye and was saying, “You’re not too young to understand that you want to be a different kind of man than your dad was. You find a woman, you take care of her. Always. But you’re also not too old to accept the hugs from a good woman who wants to help you. So don’t ever be embarrassed.”
Dwayne looked at BJ in awe, nodding as he smiled over at Suzanne when she turned and left the room. Her mind wandered and took her to a place that touched deep inside of her. I can see him talking to our child like that. Please God let me give him this child.
Looking up, she saw Gabe coming. Stopping in front of her, he stood silently. Hands on his hips. Towering over her. Waiting.
“Hey Gabe,” she said reaching out to lay her hand on his arm. He’d been like a brother to her for the past year.
“That’s all you got to say to me? Hey?”
“Um…Merry Christmas?” she said, uncertainty filling her mind. “Oh!” she said suddenly. “You know?”
“And just what am I supposed to know, darlin’? Since you haven’t told me shit, just what am I supposed to know?”
“That I’m…um…pregnant?” she said hesitantly, looking up into his dark brown eyes.
His face broke out in a huge grin as he grabbed her up and swung her around in circles. “It’s ’bout time you told me yourself. Got tired of waitin’ when I heard it from everyone else.”
“Put her down you big dickhead,” BJ warned as he came out into the hall. Pulling her out of Gabe’s arms, he looked her over. “You don’t twirl an expecting woman around in circles.”
“Honey, I’m fine,” she giggled as BJ tucked her into his side.
Gabe looked at her with affection. “You look real good sweetheart.” Looking over at BJ, he said, “Congratulations, BJ. You both deserve all the happiness you can get.”
With a wink he headed into the safe room to collect the boys as BJ and she headed home.
Chapter 20
Several days later, Suzanne knocked on Mr. Charleston’s door once again. He answered with a smile on his face, but still had a wary look in his eyes.
“Hi Petunia,” she effused as Mr. Charleston opened the door for her to enter. Standing, she looked at him saying, “Dr. Donavan, Leon, and myself are making the rounds to some of our favorite clients just to let you know about the changes that are going to be happening.” At least that is not a lie, she said to herself, not letting him know that she had chosen him especially to visit.
“Dr. Donavan is selling the practice and another veterinarian will be taking over.”
Her words were met with shock and dismay as he immediately grabbed her hand. “You’re leaving? But you know Petunia so well. You’ve always looked after her.”
“I know, Mr. Charleston. But it’ll be fine, I promise.” Now that may be a lie. “Dr. Phil Ketchum will be taking over the practice and he’s very excited to be there.”
Mr. Charleston’s sharp eyes held hers. “Dr. Ketchum…where have I heard that name before?”
“Well, he currently works in the ER clinic that is a
few blocks over. He seems to be a very capable veterinarian.”
“Bah! I’ve been there. Not impressed with that clinic.”
“Well, it won’t be the ER clinic. It’ll be his own clinic like Dr. Donavan’s.”
Not convinced, they continued to chat for a couple of minutes while she reassured him that Petunia would receive the finest care.
As she walked to the door, she turned as he called out to her, his voice shaky. “It’s good you are leaving. I will miss you. But…you are not…safe. It’s good that you…well, it is good.”
Confused, she asked, “What do you mean? I’m not safe?”
He hurried to the door and hustled her out. “I’m sorry Ms. Suzanne. I’ve said too much. Ignore this old man’s ramblings. You go and know that you will be missed.”
With nothing else to say, she turned and started down the stairs from his apartment. The sound of his voice whispered so softly that she wasn’t sure she heard. “Stay safe, Miss Suzanne. Stay safe.”
After a few more stops she was heading to Mr. Marchelli’s place. On her way, she called BJ. “Hey sweetie, I’m just letting you know that I’m almost finished with our house visits. I’m going to see Chaucer and Mr. Marchelli.”
“Suzy, isn’t that the apartment where you said the creepy nephew was visiting?”
“Yes, but I’ll –”
“Stop right there. You do not go in by yourself. Can’t Leon go too?”
“He’s got his own list of clients that he’s seeing. Besides, it’s broad daylight. Nothing’s going to happen in the middle of the day. There are lots of people around.”
Love's Trusting (The Love's Series) Page 21