She closed her computer, shifting it off her legs. “Let’s just chill for tonight and let more messages come in. Tomorrow we can work together on collating what we have with what we know.”
Grinning, he pulled her across his lap while turning the TV off. “That sounds good. Got anything in particular you’d like to do while we’re chillin’, sweetheart?”
Eyes sparkling, she dropped her eyes to his mouth as she ran her tongue over her lips. “Yeah, I can think of one or two things to occupy ourselves.”
With a whoop, he stood with her easily in his strong embrace and headed toward the bedroom.
*
Penny sat in the small lounge of the clinic, knowing this would be her last night to stay there. Two nights were all they would offer since she was not sick, unless David agreed to the surgery. Her heart ached over David’s decision to consider donating a kidney. Rubbing her hand over her face, she fought back the tears. Knowing she had no one to talk to about the decision since she was not supposed to know made it worse.
Tucking the wayward blond strands behind her ears, she moved to one of the computers for their use, pulling up a list of shelters in the area. Maybe I can find something for us. Clicking on several sites, she noticed that a few of them had a post referencing someone wanting to speak to anyone who had used a free clinic. Curious, she clicked on the pop-up.
Biting her lip, she sent a message about the clinic she was currently in. Her fingers hesitated, wondering how much she should say, but she finally decided that maybe if the person asking really cared they might give her some advice. Hitting send, she leaned back and clicked the computer off as the night nurse called for lights out. She walked swiftly to the dorm room, not wanting to give the night staff any reason to distrust her. Lying in bed, waiting until it was late enough to sneak another visit with David, she prayed someone would actually read her message before he had to make his decision about the surgery.
*
Jian Cheung sat in his opulent office, his email open to the latest missive from his superiors. Rubbing his hand over his face, he grimaced at the tone they had taken with him. Do they not realize who I am? That I am doing the best I can?
Irritated at the notification to increase the number of organs to transplant, he sat back heavily in his chair. His nostrils flared in anger at the impotence of his situation. He was torn between the different factions—some wanting more discretion and others wanting more organs. Slapping his hand down on his mahogany desk in frustration as he stood, he stalked over to the credenza. Pouring a drink, he walked over to the large window overlooking a nearby park. The street lamps provided an illuminated pathway that meandered through the area.
Heaving a sigh, he walked back to his desk and sent a cryptic email to his associate asking for more products to sell.
Finishing the rest of his drink, he wrote another email—this one to Yeng, demanding a meeting. His fingers hovered over the send button, twitching with indecision. Changing his mind, he altered the wording—instead of demanding, he wrote requesting. Afterall, Yeng was powerful, having the ear of the ambassador. And the ever-present threat toward his sons back in China. Pinching his lips together once more, he hit send.
Chapter 21
“Umph,” Charlie grunted, landing on her back on the mat. The wind was only slightly knocked out of her, but the early morning workout was rigorous. She had lost count of the number of times she had landed on her back.
A large hand came down toward her, palm up, and she eyed the huge man extending the invitation to assist her up. She considered refusing his offer, but as she stared into his twinkling eyes, she decided to take him up on it.
As he pulled her upward, she grabbed his wrist, quickly twisting around, and managed to kick the back of his knees, throwing him off balance.
As Marc’s laughter rang out, he tumbled forward onto the mat. Rolling over, his smile was even bigger than before. “Good job, Charlie.”
Grinning down at him, she allowed herself a little happy dance at finally besting him. Maybe it was a cheating maneuver, but he’s been telling me that in a real fight, use everything I have. Flinging her arms over her head as she jumped around, she shouted, “Got him!”
Marc stood up, taking in Charlie’s goofy dancing before glancing over to the door of the Saint’s workout room, noting Luke leaning against the doorframe. The two men shared a grin, before Luke stepped into the room.
Seeing him, Charlie took a flying leap, jumping into his arms. “Did you see me? I finally knocked him down! Well, not really knocked down…but I surprised him!”
Kissing her swiftly, he lifted his gaze to Marc. “She doin’ okay?”
Marc nodded, ruffling her hair as he walked past the couple. “Oh, yeah. Her teacher was good and I’m just showing her more street fighting moves.” He stopped and turned back to watch the couple as they kissed once more. Grinning at his friends, he turned and headed to the showers.
Later, Jack stepped into the conference room, not surprised to find Luke bent over his keyboard, but Charlie as well.
“You two are at it early today,” he said, carrying his cup of coffee over to his desk.
Luke looked up and explained, “Charlie’s been here practicing with Marc already,” pride evident in his voice. “Plus she had an idea yesterday and we’re following up on it.” He eyed his boss and added, “I hope it’s okay that she’s here.”
At that, Charlie’s head shot up, a slight blush creeping on her face as she stared at Jack as well. “I’m sorry if I shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re fine, Charlie,” Jack said, his voice warm. Settling down in his chair, he looked at the couple whose fingers appeared to be itching to continue their work. Chuckling, he continued, “I’ve got no problem with you working down here, Charlie. In fact, I suppose we need to talk about compensation.”
“Jack, I’m not doing this for money,” Charlie said quickly.
He lifted his hand in protest before continuing. “I know you’re invested in this case for personal reasons, and it’s safer for you to be here while you’re working…but essentially you are investigating for the Saints now on this case.”
Smiling, she replied, “I’m just glad to have your trust.”
The discussion was interrupted with the noise of others coming down the stairs, soon filling the room. Charlie threw a nervous glance toward Luke, who placed his hand on her shoulder as he leaned over.
“You’re fine, sweetheart. They all accept you down here.”
Sucking in a deep breath, she nodded and turned back to her computer to continue to sift through the messages that had come in while Luke shifted his seat over to the table.
After working alone for so many years, she was surprised to discover how easy it was to ignore the talk and banter at the table as she focused on her task at hand.
She continued to create a database of the clinics that some of the homeless had visited, including their comments, thoughts, complaints, and even praises. It did not take long to see a pattern of the clinics in the area that offered some free services, from the ones that appeared to be used more often to the ones that had the greatest concerns.
After sorting through most of the messages, she turned her attention to the database and began investigating the clinics individually. Tuning out the Saints’ meeting, she tucked her legs up under her in the small chair, only breaking to sip her coffee.
After another hour, she rubbed her eyes, blinking several times. Leaning back in the chair, she felt her back pop as she shifted her stiff muscles. She glanced toward the table as she heard chairs scraping on the floor, not realizing Jack’s meeting had ended.
Luke walked over as her hands were raised over her head in a stretch. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he leaned over placing a kiss on her forehead. “You need to move around,” he advised, his fingers digging into the deep muscle tissue, eliciting a moan from her lips. The sound jolted straight to his cock and he shot a glance out in the room to ensure no o
ne else was paying attention to them.
Whispering in her ear, he said, “Keep moaning like that and we’ll need to finish our work at home.”
Sitting up straight, her face flaming, Charlie sent him a reproving glare, although she was unable to keep her lips from curving in a smile.
“Okay, sweetheart,” he said, sliding into the chair next to her, “what have you found?”
“So far, there are only about six clinics in the D.C. and Baltimore area that advertise as having free services, but there are a lot more that are run on a sliding scale, which for some patients would mean free or almost free. I’m pulling up the info on those now, then I’ll start looking for any consistencies.”
“Well, let me know when you are finished, ’cause I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Twisting around, eyes wide, she repeated, “Surprise?”
His smile was the only answer, so she looked back at her computer screen. “The screen is blurry and I forgot my eye drops at your place.”
Sliding his hand down her arm, he linked fingers with hers and gently pulled her from the chair. As her knees buckled from having been tucked for so long, he grabbed her waist and supported her tightly until she held her own weight.
Glancing down, he asked, “Why do you always tuck your legs up under you when you sit?” Her brow crinkled adorably and he chuckled. “You don’t even realize you’re doing it, do you?”
Shaking her head, she smiled. “I guess I don’t.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here. Your eyes and your legs need a break.”
Thirty minutes later, they were on the road. Two hours later they pulled into the driveway of a neat, small Colonial in an older neighborhood. Charlie turned to see the smile on Luke’s face as he viewed the home in front of him before glancing to the house next door.
Eyes wide, she gasped, “Did you bring me to your parents’ house? Without preparing me?”
“Yep,” he said, getting out and walking around to the passenger side. As soon as he opened the door, she was already fussing.
“But why?”
Leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips, he said, “Sweetheart, if I had told you where we were going you would have made yourself sick with worry. Now, you can relax.”
She knew his explanation sounded reasonable to him as she wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans before taking his proffered hand. Oh God, I’m in jeans. Shouldn’t I be wearing a dress or something fancier?
Before she could protest further, he was guiding her to the front door. Opening it, he ushered her in with his hand on the small of her back.
“Mom? Dad? I’ve got someone I want you to meet,” he called out.
Her eyes bugged out further as she twisted around. “You didn’t tell them we were coming?” she hissed.
Continuing to guide her forward, he said, “They would have probably forgotten…believe me, this is better.”
Uncertainty flashed through her eyes as they rounded the corner from the living room and walked into a study. At least Charlie thought it was a study. Two walls were lined with floor to ceiling bookcases, filled to capacity. Another wall sported two long, narrow wooden tables, covered in yellowed pieces of paper. The floor contained an equal amount of open books and papers as it did exposed wood. A tall, silver-haired man was standing at a desk, bent from the waist, peering at an old parchment through a magnifying glass. A delicate looking woman sat at an opposing desk, tapping energetically on a laptop. Her hair was still dark with only hints of silver threads running through it. Both looked up, their faces blank for a few seconds until they suddenly morphed into huge smiles.
“Luke!” they both cried out at the same time, moving faster than the clutter would allow. His father tripped over a book but quickly righted himself. By the time he made it to his son’s embrace, Luke’s mother was already wrapped around her son.
Luke kissed his mother’s smooth cheek before moving to hug his father. “Mom, dad, this is my girlfriend, Charlotte Trivett. Charlie, these are my parents, Corban and Phoebe Costas.”
Phoebe’s eye widened at Luke’s introduction and she immediately wrapped Charlie in a hug. “Oh, my dear, how nice to meet you!” Looking back at Luke, she wrinkled her brow as she asked, “Had you already told me about her?”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, mom. This is the first you’re hearing about it.”
Her pretty face smoothed out the concern as she smiled back at Charlie. “Oh, thank goodness. Sometimes I get a little forgetful, but I hoped that I had not forgotten something as important as this.”
“Trivett? A Saxon name, I believe. Originally from the—”
“Dad,” Luke interrupted. “I don’t think that Charlie needs a genealogy lesson at the moment.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Charlie rushed to say, hoping to spare Luke’s father any embarrassment. He did not seem fazed though, as he pushed his glasses up on his nose and smiled at her.
“I wish you had told us you were coming,” Phoebe said. “I would have lunch prepared.”
Luke grinned, knowing his mother would have forgotten all about trying to fix lunch anyway. “It’s all good, mom. I talked to Chris and Tina the other day and they invited us over so that you didn’t have to worry about fixing anything.”
“Oh, that’s perfect,” Phoebe said, clapping her hands. “If you two want to run on over, we’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
“I’ll come back over and get you,” Luke promised, his hand now resting on Charlie’s back again as he maneuvered out of the room.
Walking through the rather bland kitchen, Charlie’s gaze shot sideways toward Luke, her eyes full of questions. “Luke,” she hissed in a whisper. “Wasn’t that rude to tell your neighbors and not your parents?”
As they stepped out onto the neglected back deck, their senses were assaulted with the smell of grilled steaks. Looking over, Charlie saw a handsome man at the grill with a beautiful woman next to him holding a platter.
Stepping down into the yard, Luke explained. “Sweetheart, my parents are wonderful people, but they are so into their books and studies that everything else gets forgotten. I love them, but believe me, if it wasn’t for Chris and Tina…my upbringing would have been very different. Come on, come meet them.”
Without giving her a choice, he linked fingers with her and they walked over to the neighbors’ yard. The man at the grill was just as handsome up close as he was from a distance. Charlie could see the beginnings of crow’s feet coming from his eyes and a few silver hairs amongst the sandy blond, but his muscles were well defined on his arms, tattoos peeking out from his t-shirt. The pretty woman set the plate down and rushed over, throwing her arms around Luke.
“Oh, honey, we were so glad to get your call.” Stepping back, she grabbed Charlie’s hands in her own and smiled warmly. “And you must be Charlie. We’re so excited to meet you.”
Returning the warm greeting, Charlie was introduced to Chris and Tina. “Come on,” Tina said, “you can help me in the kitchen. I’m almost finished, but you can help carry things out.”
As Charlie left Chris and Luke out by the grill to catch up, she found herself in a delightfully decorated kitchen. “Your house is lovely,” she said, looking around and realizing it was a carbon copy of Luke’s parents’ house. Well, a decorated version of their house.
“Thank you,” Tina smiled, carefully observing Charlie. “I can’t tell you how excited we were to find out that Luke had someone special in his life.”
“He’s told me how good you and your husband were to him when he was growing up,” Charlie said.
Shrugging, Tina responded, “He was always such a good kid.” Her eyes glazed for a moment, lost in memories. “I have to tell you that when we first moved in, I was ready to call social services, thinking his parents neglected him. But they didn’t. They were loving, but honest to God, I’ve never met two more absent-minded people in my life. So Luke hung out at our house all the time and we loved having him. He and
Chris really bonded.”
Outside, Chris smiled at his friend and protégé. “She’s beautiful, man.”
Luke grinned, nodding. “Smart, tenacious, resilient, hell…she even knows karate. Can’t figure out what she’s doing with me.”
Chuckling, Chris was visibly impressed. “Damn, then you really did hook a good one. But, gotta say, she’s one lucky woman to have you. Tina always said that when you settled down, it would be with someone worthy. Glad to see she was right.”
Inside the house, Tina moved over to the stove while Charlie turned her head to look into the back yard, seeing the two men laughing and talking as only old friends can do. Old friends. A sudden longing pang shot through her as she realized that with Hai out of the country, Eli deceased, and Tim with his family in Boston, she had no old friends to hang with.
A touch on her arm brought her back to the present and she startled. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Lost in thought.”
Laughing, Tina handed her a platter of vegetables and the two walked out to the picnic table. A few minutes later, after Luke had gone to retrieve his parents, the six sat down to a friendly lunch.
It did not take long for Charlie to see that Luke’s parents were very proud of their son, if a bit forgetful as to who he worked for. And the friendship with his former neighbors had made all the difference in the world to what he had once described as the childhood of a very nerdy little boy.
On the drive back home, Luke looked over at the thoughtful expression on Charlie’s face. Nervously he asked, “You okay, sweetheart? Was this too much?”
Still leaning on the headrest, she rolled around to smile at him. “No, it was great. I was nervous at first, but it was a small group and they were all delightful. You have sweet parents and really nice friends.”
Luke was pleased she liked them but heard the wistful note in her voice. “You’re thinking about your friends aren’t you?”
Nodding slowly, she rolled her head back to face the windshield. “Yeah. I look back and understand how much I kept to myself and how, now that those friends are gone, I have been very alone.”
Discover Love: Saints Protection & Investigations Page 17