Betrayal of the Dove (Men of Action)

by Montgomery, Capri

  “And it’s your assertion that she didn’t hire you because of the color of your skin?” Judge Parker adjusted his stylish silver frame glasses on his face. Alyssa always noticed details; maybe that’s why she became obsessed with making jewelry. The little things captivated her, but right now, even though Judge Parker had what she knew to be a Doyer original design sitting on his face she could barely focus. She knew it was original because Jodi Doyer had a special way of making her frames distinctive and even from across the table, Alyssa could see the design. That was at least an eight hundred dollar frame sitting on the judge’s face. She knew the design because she had had a chance to tour the shop where the frames were made. Being a designer herself gave her access to designers in many fields and she loved it because she found inspiration in the little things—not always from their designs either. While touring the Doyer frame shop she saw a triangular light feature followed by several rows of circular features and it gave her an idea for her pyramid collection of necklaces and bracelets. She found inspiration in everything, and she thought that maybe one day she might find inspiration in this too. Maybe, just maybe, she could venture into the dark side of design and make a piece that represented the rat faced weasel of a man sitting in the opposing chair. Maybe she could drive a nail through his eyes in her design. No, that wouldn’t be right. Just because she was angry now was no excuse for thinking of ways to torture a symbolic replica of the man.

  Gregory Alexander Dumas nodded affirmatively. “She’s prejudice,” he said. “Against black people.” Right, she was darker than he was. He was a high yellow, as some would call it. It was actually an attractive coloring for him because it made his chestnut colored eyes stand out. His eyes were one of the first things she had noticed about him after she spent some time looking over his resume. He had flecks of darker brown striations mixed in with the smooth chestnut color. They had a two minute conversation, if that, when he dropped off his resume. She remembered because he came in, he placed his resume on the counter and then told her he was there to apply for the job. He asked if there were any forms to fill out, which there weren’t because she didn’t have any applications she was just working off resumes. She told him she was still accepting resumes, but that she would have her decision made on whom to call back for interviews by the end of the following week. In fact, now that she thought about it, the conversation was probably only a minute long, at best.

  Alyssa refrained from rolling her eyes. She could tell the judge was also trying to wrap his brain around Gregory’s logic—if anybody could. Right now she was mentally kicking herself because she had actually put his resume in her “to be considered” pile. He didn’t have a lot of experience, three months and that was it, but he was affordable and he had presented himself moderately well. Quite frankly, she just wanted an extra qualified body in the store in case something did happen. Her concern wasn’t about the daily safety of her merchandise. She had caught a couple shoplifters herself once or twice. Usually they were sorority girls pledging, or socialites trying to get away with something even though they had money to pay for the product. She was more concerned with her safety than the safety of her products. She just wanted to make sure that if somebody was scoping out the Row and trying to find the most vulnerable store to hit next, that they didn’t pick her store. She lived above the place and anything that happened downstairs could potentially travel upstairs. She knew that before Shane pointed it out, she just tried not to focus in on it. There was something unsettling about living her life in fear, so she refused to do it.

  “What do you have to say about this Miss McGregor?” Judge Parker asked her. What she wanted to say, and what she could say, were two different things. Right now she had a few choice words that she wanted to say, but she didn’t exactly think the judge would be happy with her verbal assault of the man trying to ruin her financially. She didn’t need to curse; she had enough words in her vocabulary to inflict the same damage as some of those four letter words.

  Instead of saying what she felt, she stuck with using her brain to keep things legally professional here. They were, after all, still on the record. “Your Honor,” she stated calmly. “I had Mr. Dumas’ resume in my call back pile, but another gentleman walked into my store and he was more qualified so I hired him.”

  “And he’s white,” Gregory said and the judge cut him a look that told him he might want to shut up now.

  “Is this accurate?”

  “Yes; your Honor, he is white. However, that had nothing to do with my decision. Shane Maxwell is a retired Navy SEAL. He is a freelance security consultant and he came highly recommended. Since he’s been in my store we’ve brought my security out of the Dark Ages of technology and into the twenty-first century.” She quoted Shane to the letter. “He’s been a great asset to my business and that’s why I hired him.”

  Judge Parker looked over the paperwork she had brought. He nodded his head sporadically. “So let me get this straight, Mr. Dumas. You have three months experience in security. This man has over twenty years of protecting this country and securing encampments and you think she hired him because of the color of his skin.”

  Gregory nodded, “yes I do.” He shifted in his chair. “I mean look at her. Clearly she’s a mutt and she’s just unhappy that she can’t pass so she hired the cream sickle instead.”

  “Excuse me?” Alyssa felt her anger starting to rise. She wasn’t some dog that he could call a mutt just because she had a mix of blood running through her veins. Much like Eve, she looked more black than any of her other races, except for her hair, which most people assumed was fake anyway, and her eyes…she had her dad’s side of the family blue eyes—only a deeper blue than any of the others. Still, she was not a mutt. Her attorney put his hand on her forearm to silently tell her she needed to settle down. She knew she did, but right now she wanted to knock that man’s head off for insulting her family lineage.

  The judge took one hard knock of his gavel on the wooden base on his desk. “There won’t be any racial bigotry in my chambers,” he said. The stenographer was swiftly typing. Alyssa was sure she, too, was silently shaking her head just from the look of shock on her face. Gregory might have had a chance before he threw in that bit of an insult, but now, she was sure he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in a four alarm fire of painting her as the racist. At least she hoped he didn’t.

  “From careful consideration of the evidence and facts presented to me,” she heard the judge say and right now her heart was beating so hard in her chest that the sound of it almost seemed to drown out his voice. She wanted this over and she was praying the judge would make a decision to end this case today instead of making them take it inside the courtroom. “Therefore,” he said. “I find in favor of the defendant.” She felt overcome with joy. It was over. The judge had sided in her favor. He rambled on several other words, words that basically chastised Gregory for bringing a frivolous suit before him, but she wasn’t paying any of it too much attention. She had won. Thank goodness for that because had she lost the man obviously had a mean streak that told her he would go for her entire bank account in court.

  The judge had dismissed them, but that hadn’t stopped Gregory from inflicting one last threat before they were out of the courthouse. He narrowed his eyes, his lips thin and brittle with disdain and he said, loud and clear, “this isn’t over,” before turning on his heels and exiting the courthouse. Her attorney assured her they could get a TRO if Gregory tried anything, but right now there wasn’t anything she could do.

  “Yes there is,” she smiled. “I can go home.” And that’s exactly what she did, taking the journey out of Phoenix and back into Scottsdale.

  Her case had been delayed for several hours before they even made it before the judge. There were three cases before them and even though she had to be at the courthouse by nine that morning, her case hadn’t actually been scheduled to go before the judge until almost eleven. One delayed case led to another and it was three o’clo
ck before she even set foot in chambers. She needed to get back and tell Eve and Shane the good news, but she was also starving. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she drove past Fidora’s Sweets, which just happened to be one of the best bakeries off the Row. Deciding she needed more than just a delicious apple fritter she bypassed Fidora’s. She could eat something when she got home. A quick salad and sandwich and then she would rescue Eve from the duties of the store. She could handle the store for the remainder of the open hours and let her sister get some rest.

  She was going to have to give Eve something for her help. She had saved her—big time, and she wanted to repay her for that. Eve had been eyeing a few of the summer dresses in her closet, maybe she would let her take the few she liked the most. They had a distinct habit of sharing clothes after Eve hit high school and wanted to look more business adult than “teeny bopper” high school. She never let her borrow anything that was too grown up, but a shirt here, or a vest there, never hurt.

  Within seconds of entering the store she saw the chaos Eve had probably been dealing with all day. There were ten shoppers demanding attention so Alyssa tossed her bag behind the counter with her keys and she jumped right in. Her late lunch mixed with dinner could wait until things settled. She grabbed her spare set of casing keys from a drawer behind the counter and she started showing the requested pieces. Six sales later and the store had finally cleared out.

  “Whew! Was it like that all day?” Alyssa tossed the spare keys back in the drawer.

  “Off and on, but most of the people weren’t that pushy.” She shook her head. Alyssa understood, her day crowd was moderately milder tempered than the people who came in at night. She assumed maybe they were on their way home after a long day at work and they were just cranky as a rabid skunk. “Forget about it,” Eve waved her hand dismissingly. “How did it go today? It took you so long. Was it bad?”

  She smiled. “We got delayed. My case didn’t get before the judge until three o’clock, and it wasn’t a wham bam thank you ma’am kind of hearing, but we won.” She laughed. “It’s over, at least legally. Mr. Dumas assures me it’s not over yet.” She hadn’t even heard Shane come out of the office. The man was too good at sneaking up on people. He alerted her to his presence with a firm, “he tries anything and it’ll be the last time he does it,” remark that was uttered with such conviction that she knew it wasn’t a threat; it was a promise.

  “Are you okay?” He asked sincerely. She was okay. Her stomach was a complete mess because her nerves had been on edge since she received those papers, and that nervous tension had increased by a thousand when the day actually came.

  Her stomach growled. Eve laughed. “You’re hungry obviously.”

  “Starving,” she laughed. “I have not eaten since breakfast. I didn’t know it was going to be an all day thing or I would have taken some snacks or something.” Once she had arrived in the courthouse she stayed firmly planted on the bench outside the judge’s chambers. Her attorney had told her they should stay put because that door could open any second and if she wasn’t there then she would automatically forfeit her case. Actually, thinking about how long she stayed in one place reminded her of another problem, she really needed to use the bathroom.

  “Go on up. Get some rest and I’ll close up.” Eve offered.

  “I’ll just freshen up and come down to relieve you for the close,” she protested. There was no way she was going to leave Eve to work the entire time. She wanted her sister to have some time to herself while she was there too.

  “No. You rest. I bought you a spa voucher too, so you can use it tomorrow.” Alyssa started to protest and Eve held up her hand, stopping any dissent within seconds. “I’m going to work the store. Since everything is settled I’m going to leave day after tomorrow.”

  “So soon? Why?”

  “I have to get my stuff ready to be shipped and I have a new job I have to start in two weeks.”

  “London?”

  “Hawaii,” she smiled. “I didn’t take the London job. You all wore me down,” she shook her head. Alyssa smiled and threw her arms around her sister. She was so happy that she wasn’t leaving the country. Hawaii was far, but somehow it just felt better knowing she would be there. Not much could go wrong in paradise, she initially thought until she realized she was dealing with Eve McGregor here and if anything was wrong, Eve was probably going to be the first person on board to uncover it.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to move to Arizona?”

  “Positive,” she chuckled before ushering Alyssa out of the store and back up to her place. “Go,” she had said, and so Alyssa went. She needed a bathroom, and she needed food, in that order. She would have time later to lecture her sister on being safe in paradise, and staying in touch once she got there.

  Chapter Seven

  “There’s a meteor shower tonight,” Shane said. “Would you like to come watch it with me?”

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “I mean, no.” She corrected herself. She was still his boss. She wouldn’t even be entertaining the idea if Eve hadn’t sprinkled her words of wisdom on her before she left for South Dakota. She was determined to get her things out of the cabin and packaged securely for shipping. There wasn’t much to be done, but she did need to put things in the sturdier crates that were being delivered to the ranch before she arrived. She said she was going to make another stop in Boston to see Thomas, and that Adam’s brother, Chase, had asked her to stop in and see them. His brother was gone, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still be a part of their family, at least that’s what he had said to her. Alyssa could tell Eve wasn’t really enthused about going. She had told her that she felt guilty every day, but even more so whenever she got an email from Chase. Trent, the oldest brother, seemed to hate her and she really couldn’t figure out why Chase tried to keep in touch.

  “You were a part of their family,” Alyssa had told her.

  “Yeah, and I destroyed it,” she had said. “I got Adam killed. He died because of me, and I know that, and I think Trent knows that too. I don’t know why Chase doesn’t hate me just the same as his brother. He would have every right to.”

  Alyssa had tried to reason with her and help her understand that it wasn’t her fault, but she, like the rest of the family, knew Sabian had been behind Adam’s not so accidental work accident and she blamed herself. It wasn’t her fault; they had all tried to show her that and Alyssa hoped, and prayed, that one day she would believe it.

  Eve’s heartache hadn’t stopped her from trying to encourage her big sister to take a chance on love again. “He’s a good guy and you’re a fabulous woman. He’d be lucky to have you.” She had said before she hugged her goodbye. Alyssa had used that hug as an opportunity to do two things; one, say bye with love until she would be able to hold her sister in her arms again. And two, put the money Eve had snuck back into her cash register back in her baby sister’s open purse. The moment she knew Shane was buying the white gold and sapphire bracelet on Eve’s behalf she had insisted her sister take the money back. Eve had refused, of course, so Alyssa not so gracefully shoved it into her sister’s bra. Shane had laughed hysterically at the crazy sibling struggle in front of him. Alyssa had come out the victor before a customer walked in.

  She knew Eve had snuck the money back inside the cash register that morning and she also knew that she wasn’t going to take it. This was her sister and she wasn’t going to charge her or anybody else in her family for anything. She hadn’t even charged Thomas for Thena’s wedding necklace gift. Family was family and in her book that meant her brothers and sisters didn’t buy anything from her. If they abused that belief of hers she would probably go bankrupt, but it seemed to bother them to take something for free from her just as much as it bothered her to have them pay for anything so she knew she would never have to worry about them trying to take advantage of her.

  In that hug, Eve had whispered in her ear. “Life is too short. Don’t let the opportunity pass you
buy. He’s a good a man.” And with one final wave to the man in topic she had left for her next destination. Clearly, she had left behind confusion because even though Alyssa wanted to say yes to this man she knew she should say no.

  “Funny. The way you looked at me when you saw me without my shirt that day I assumed maybe you wanted to.”

  She had looked longer than she should have. She had desired when she shouldn’t have. “I’m your boss. It wouldn’t be appropriate if I went out with you.” No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t.

  He shrugged. “I could quit, and then you won’t be my boss and we can go out.”

  “No! I like…that is I…you’re a valued employee.”

  He laughed. “Go out with me tonight, Alyssa. The sky is going to be clear. We can lay out in the cab of my truck on my property and watch the show.”

  She knew she should say no, but the thought of being with him, in his arms, watching the majestic show…she couldn’t pass that up. “Okay,” she said. “It doesn’t start until two in the morning so I can drive out—”

  “I’ll take you out to my place after work. We can have dinner. We can watch the show and I’ll bring you back here after that—unless you want to stay over.”