by D. K. Hood
What if she doesn’t want marriage so soon? Dave swallowed hard. “I guess I should propose first, and if she accepts, I’m sure Annie will decide the date and want a hand in the organization.”
“I’m sure she will.” The general smiled at him. “Tell her to call me, and we’ll get things rolling.”
Overwhelmed with joy, Dave grinned. “Thank you, sir.” He turned and left the room, his legs feeling a little wobbly for the first time in his life.
Chapter Twenty-One
At last it was Friday night, and Dave had asked Annie on a special date. The offer of a meal at her favorite restaurant was a nice surprise. As Dave usually didn’t have too much time for a romantic dinner, their relationship had taken a back seat to his work, but he’d spent every second of his downtime with her. Annie understood his workload, but over the past couple of weeks his protection detail had decreased and he’d wound up on a recent investigation into heaven knows what. He never discussed his work, apart from things like having an itchy back or other distractions when standing close to POTUS during a speech. Annie smiled at the memory. They’d laughed so hard, after catching a glimpse of him on the news, standing on an ant’s nest with an expression carved in stone, as POTUS planted a tree.
Excited to be going out with him, Annie dressed in a silk shirt under a figure-flattering black wool jacket and skirt. After selecting six-inch heels to accentuate her legs, she’d brushed her hair until it shone and left it loose about her shoulders. She only wore a hint of makeup and added a dab of the Chanel N° 5 he’d given her for her birthday. Her gaze moved to the clock. He’d arrive in a few minutes and she could set her watch by him. Pulling on her thick winter coat and gloves, she slipped her purse over one shoulder and headed for the door. Dave would likely be driving up outside her building by the time she hit the foyer. She waited for the elevator doors to open and rode it down. The doorman gave her a wave from behind the desk as she headed for the glass doors.
Outside, a blast of wind slapped her face and, wrapping her coat tight around her, she peered along the curb. Gray snow piled up along the sidewalk, filled with sticks and leaves, but a good coating of salt was keeping the ice away for now and at least it wasn’t snowing. Dave’s truck wasn’t easy to miss but vehicles crammed the street, making it difficult to make out his truck from a line of dark-colored vehicles. The popularity of the bistro on the next block often caused parking problems, but usually Dave parked in the space under her building. She’d gotten him his own swipe card for her building, which made life easier, but as they had reservations, she’d planned to meet him downstairs. Lights flashed in the line of vehicles and after giving a wave, Annie hurried along the slippery sidewalk. After a few yards she heard footsteps pounding behind her. As they slowed, pain slammed into her head and she tumbled face-first into the bushes. Grabbing hold of the bare sticks, she pushed back and tried to balance on her high heels. The next second someone took hold of her purse and dragged it from her shoulder. A dark figure loomed over her and she tightened her grip on the strap. The smell of bad breath and sweat filled her nostrils and she stared into the wild eyes of a heavily breathing stranger. “Get off me.” She swiped at his face.
As his hands closed around her throat, she heard the roar of an engine. It was like a kidnapping rerun, but this time she’d fight back and went for his eyes, digging her thumbs deep just as Dave had taught her. The man screamed and shook her, but suddenly, wasn’t there anymore. The weight of him vanished as he flew backward, landing on the sidewalk. The next second he was flat on his face with Dave’s knee in his back, his arms bent back almost to his shoulders. As a couple ran to help her, Annie staggered to her feet. The man had rescued her purse and handed it to her. “Thanks, I’ll be fine. The big guy is my boyfriend.”
“Lucky you.” The woman smiled. “We’ll wait for the cops. I caught everything on my phone.”
Annie brushed the snow off her coat. “Thank you.” She turned at Dave’s voice.
“Annie.” Dave’s eyes flashed with anger as he dragged the man back toward her. “Did he hurt you?” He had the man secured with flexicuffs and shoved him hard against a wall. His voice dropped low and menacing as he leaned into the man. “Don’t as much as blink.”
Shaken and a little bruised, Annie nodded her head. “I’m okay. He grabbed my purse and then tried to strangle me.”
“I’ll call it in.” Dave’s gaze moved over her. “You’d better go back inside in the warm. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Annie shook her head. “I’d rather be out here with you.”
She leaned against the wall as Dave made the call, and in a few minutes the blacktop flashed blue and red as it filled with cop cars. A detective spoke to Dave, and when he showed his cred pack, everything went into fast-forward. The moment the man was bundled into a cruiser, Dave came to her side. She leaned into him, as his arms came around her. The expression on his face was one she’d seen in Syria. He’d become remote and distant as if he’d become a robot. She looked up at him. “I’m okay. He was just trying to steal my purse.”
“Yeah, I can see that by the bruises on your neck.” Dave touched her cheek. “I wanted to tear him apart. Will you be okay? I’ll need to speak to the detective again.”
Annie gripped his arm. “I know I’ll have to give a statement. I guess we’ll be missing our dinner?”
“Do you still want to go?” Dave met her gaze. “He tried to kill you.”
Annie touched her neck. “We’ve been through worse than this together. I’m not going to allow that piece of garbage to spoil our night.”
“We’ll still have time. I booked the table for nine.” Dave rubbed her back. “It will be hours before they get to him. It’s Friday night and they’ll place him in a holding cell until the paperwork is completed. They have eyewitnesses and video footage to process. I’ll tell the detective we’ll drop by later.”
They spoke to the detective, a man in his fifties, his nose red from the cold, and Annie listened to everything he had to say and answered his questions. The man who’d attacked her was known to police and had previous convictions for purse snatching and assault. She noticed the tension ease from Dave’s expression on hearing this information. She’d have to get him out of the habit of blaming himself for everything that happened around him. The icy wind cut through her clothes and she just wanted to get warm, but she agreed to allow the paramedics on scene to check her over. Once everyone was satisfied, she climbed into Dave’s truck and peered at herself in her compact mirror. She combed her hair and turned to look at him. “My clothes are fine and my neck looks okay. Can we go eat now?”
“Yeah, but my plans are shot to hell.” Dave gave her a rueful smile. “I wanted to drop by early and take you to a romantic spot, a place we could keep in our memories.” He sighed. “Don’t worry, there is another nice place nearby.”
Annie’s stomach gave a little flip when he drove to a spot alongside the Potomac and parked. The lights of the city looked magical, reflected in the wide river and coloring the recent covering of snow. “That’s a beautiful view.”
“Mine is better.” He took her hand and stared into her eyes. His anger had vanished, replaced by a softness he always had when he looked at her. “You know, since Syria I’ve had a bounty on my head?”
Suddenly afraid, Annie nodded. “Yeah, but that was over two years ago and nothing has happened. Why?”
“What happened tonight might not have been a purse snatching. It could be someone trying to get to me by hurting you.” Dave searched her face. “Honestly, I figure they’d use a professional. But taking all this into consideration and the possible threat to our lives, will you marry me?”
Astonished, Annie stared at him trying to process his words. She couldn’t answer and just kissed him and then raised her head. “A million times, yes.” She cupped his face. “I know you’ll keep me safe, Dave. There is only one thing. Will you tell me your real name?”
When Dave whispered in her e
ar, she blinked at him. “Like the general?”
“Yeah, he was my dad.” Dave shrugged. “Go figure, two general’s kids deciding to get married.” He laughed. “Your dad suggested we use your last name to keep mine secure. I can take any identity, but we’ll have to marry under my real name to make it legal.”
Annie looked at him and smiled. “Can I still call you Dave? I think it suits you. Being named after your father must have been terrible growing up?”
“Yeah, well they never used my name; they called me Junior most times.” He reached into his pocket. “So, Dave is fine by me and I’ve gotten used to it. It’s our special name.” He opened a ring box. “I hope you don’t want a long engagement. I’ve purchased matching sets of wedding rings to go with this.”
Annie gaped at an exquisite diamond ring. A simple pear-shaped diamond set in yellow gold. “I’d have been happy with a cigar wrapper.” She held out her hand as he slipped it on her finger. “Wow! I love it and I don’t want to wait either.” She giggled. “How about tomorrow?”
“As soon as we can get things organized, works for me, but I have another confession.” Dave pressed kisses to her cheek. “I’m loaded.”
Laughing, Annie hugged him. “I have one too. You do know I want a dozen kids?”
“Me too and we’ll get a dog. Kids need a dog.” Dave let out a long sigh and looked chagrined. “I already asked for your dad’s blessing. I didn’t want any complications. He figures, because of my past, a secret wedding will be safer. So, if you really don’t want to wait, call your dad. He wants to be involved.”
Annie laughed. “My dad is a teddy bear, isn’t he?” She looked at him. “My parents have a lovely home with a pergola. I’m happy with a marriage celebrant or a trip to Vegas, whenever we can arrange it.”
“Okay.” He grinned at her. “Let’s go and celebrate.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
After dinner, Dave had gotten as far as the elevator in Annie’s apartment building on the way from dinner when his phone chimed. “Yeah?”
“This is the dean of Georgetown University. I have your number down as the next of kin contact for Professor Josephine Henley. Am I speaking to Mr. Henley?”
An uneasy feeling crept over Dave. They’d used his sister’s married name and assumed they’d contacted her ex-husband. “I’m Josie’s brother. Is she okay? What’s happened?”
“I’m sorry to call so late, but she was due to drop by this week and we haven’t heard from her. The new semester starts on Monday. I’ve called her cell and home with no response. I became worried, so asked the local police to drop by. They spoke to the neighbors and one of them mentioned she planned to go by your grandparents’ house. She’d received a call about a tree down from a storm. It seems so strange she wouldn’t return my messages. As she still hasn’t called, I thought I should contact you.”
Why wouldn’t Josie call him about the tree? It was his house. Not that he ever went there. It held too many sad memories. The smell of death still lingered after his grandma died there and being the one to find her at just sixteen years old, hadn’t endeared him to the place. He’d planned to sell it long before now. However, because of Josie he’d delayed the sale. She had a habit of visiting the old place, switching off her phone, and just chilling for days without informing anyone. He’d left the power connected and found the supplies she’d left for her visits in the freezer and pantry. Being at the house obviously offered her some comfort in times of stress, but when he’d offered to give her the house she’d refused.
Although the home had passed to his father, Dave’s parents hadn’t raised their kids there. Like most military brats they’d been raised all over the world, but Josie had often spent summers with their grandparents. Her memories were obviously different from his own. He drew in a deep breath. “Okay, leave it with me. I’ll track her down. Thanks for calling.” He disconnected.
“What’s happened?” Annie gripped his arm.
Dave shook his head. “Maybe nothing. My sister isn’t picking up her phone and her work is trying to get in contact with her, so they called me.” He sighed. “This isn’t unusual for her but I’ll try and track her down.”
Dave called the local general store close to his grandparent’s house. The family had owned the store for as long as he remembered and lived above the store. Josie could have dropped by for supplies or information. The number picked up after a minute or so. “Hi, Mrs. Philibert. I’m really sorry to disturb you so late. This is Junior, the general’s son. Remember me?”
“I sure do, Junior, and it’s no trouble. We always stay up and watch the movie on Friday nights.” The old lady sounded happy to speak to him. “I was just talking to Josie about the tree that came down in the storm. There’s many around here who could make use of the wood.”
Dave smiled to himself. “When did you last speak with her?”
“That would be Thursday morning.” Mrs. Philibert paused a beat. “She’s stressed out about something at work and will be staying a few days. She posted a sign in my window to give away the wood. She had the tree service cut it up for her. It must have cost a pretty penny. I told her she should sell it but she’d have none of it. She made up the notice right there and then.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Philibert. I’ll drop by tomorrow and give her a hand.” Dave disconnected and contacted Terabyte. “My sister has gone AWOL. I’ll need a couple of days to go and check if she’s okay. I’m on duty this weekend but one of the guys will cover for me.” He explained the situation. “Can you do what’s necessary to clear it with the boss?”
“Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem. Where are you heading?”
“Virginia, to my grandparents’ old home.” Dave rubbed his chin. “It’s not going to be fun driving there in the snow, but my truck has snow tires, so I don’t think it will be too much of a problem. It’s too late to leave now and we’ve been out celebrating our engagement, so it will be safer if we head out first thing in the morning.”
“Congratulations! I’ll clear it with everyone. Take your com and stay in contact. I react faster than the local cops if there are any concerns.” Terabyte cleared his throat. “You don’t sound too worried.”
Dave shrugged as he pushed the buttons inside the elevator. “I’m not. She goes AWOL all the time, and if she’d been in an accident, the cops would have called me. I’m down as her next of kin. Josie often takes off for days. She turns off her phone when she doesn’t want to be disturbed. I couldn’t reach her for a full week one time. She considers cellphones an invasion of privacy. This is the problem with geniuses; they live in their world of academia and forget we all live on the outside.”
“Okay, I’m here if you need me.”
Dave thought for a minute. He’d broken protocol one time when Terabyte went missing for days and asked after his health on his return. He’d discovered his handler’s wife had died, leaving him with three kids to raise. That’s all the information he had about him but as Terabyte knew what he ate for breakfast, knowing this small part of his handler’s life wasn’t going to cause a national security breach. “Hey, how are things at home now? Are you coping okay with the kids?”
“Yeah, I’m working hard to keep sane. My ma helps with the kids. I’ll never get over losing my wife but I’m taking it one day at a time. It’s all we can do, right?”
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Dave slid one arm around Annie and stepped from the elevator. “Yeah. One day at a time.” He disconnected.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was close to eleven by the time Dave arrived in Virginia on Saturday morning. With Annie to keep him company even the snow hadn’t spoiled the drive through the picturesque towns. It would be a good opportunity for him to introduce Annie to his last remaining family member. Although for all he knew, Josie could have driven home last night. He’d called his sister numerous times with no luck and left messages to ask her to call him. Problem was, she hated him checking up on her, and he’d probably re
ceive the usual eyeroll and lecture she gave him about being capable of looking after herself. Even without taking a call, she should have checked her messages by now. Something didn’t feel right and if he disturbed her tranquility, it was just too bad. He never ignored his gut feeling and it had saved his life many a time. He glanced at Annie as they turned onto the long road that led to the old house. Snow had fallen overnight, turning the surrounding landscape into a picture worthy of a Christmas card. It sure was beautiful out here. “That’s the old place up ahead.”
He drove through the open gate and spotted the pile of wood covered with snow. Ahead, the garage doors stood open to the weather and snowflakes dusted his sister’s blue SUV. Relieved to see she hadn’t left already, he drove in and parked beside it. “Well, it looks like she’s here.”
“Is she tall like you?” Annie pulled on her gloves.
Dave shook his head. “Nope, she’s more like you. Small and blonde. My mom had Swedish parents. She was tall and fair but her father was my size. I figure the genes missed a female generation with Josie. My dad was much like me, dark hair, blue eyes.”
“Was he as big as you?” Annie smiled at him.
“No, about six feet.” He laughed. “I take after my grandfather in everything but hair color. I have his eyes and physique. Like him, I was this size at fourteen, so I never had a problem with bullies at school.”
“Well, you know my dad is over six feet, so maybe our sons will be like you. I hope so.” Annie squeezed his arm and giggled. “Although, if we’re making wishes, I hope the girls take after me.”
Dave cupped her cheek and kissed her. “I’ll be happy no matter who they take after.” He shook his head, so incredibly happy he choked up. “I can’t believe I found you again and you want to marry me. In my line of work, I never thought I deserved a chance of happiness… it’s like an incredible dream.”