Operation: Endeavor (When The Mission Ends)

by Christi Snow

  But he quickly turned his scowl back to Penelope. “We’re losing sight of the discussion. We were talking about Celeste DeMarco.”

  Cassie said, “I still don’t understand what the author has to do with any of this. She writes incredible sexy books, but why are you bringing her up?”

  His eyes never left Penelope’s as he raised an eyebrow in question. “Aren’t you going to answer her?”

  In his eyes, she could see his dare. The secret she’d kept since college was going to come out. He was going to make sure of it.

  She watched him, looking for a trace of anger, but she couldn’t get a read on what he felt. “He thinks it might be important because I’m Celeste DeMarco.”

  Cassie’s audible gasp finally drew Penelope from Colton’s navy blue gaze to Cassie’s shocked one.

  Cassie looked at her in complete disbelief. “No way. If that were true, why wouldn’t I know it? Why wouldn’t you tell me?” She looked and sounded hurt as the reality set in.

  “Until today,” she glanced back at Colton who still watched her closely, “no one knew the truth except Alix, my editor, and my lawyer.”

  “Is it possible that someone else found out and this can all be traced back to some sort of stalker?” He’d slowly started rubbing up and down her back, his warm hands reassuring her he wasn’t mad.

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head and looked back over at Cassie. “My best friends never even figured it out. Why would anybody else? And even if they did what could that possibly have to do with a gift?”

  “I figured it out.”

  “I know, but you’re different. You know me. You live with me.”

  “You’ve had other roommates. Maybe one of them figured it out. What about your last roommate? You said he left suddenly. Do you think maybe there was more to that situation than you were aware of?”

  “I don’t think so, besides Frankie’s not the type. He’s a complete pacifist.”

  “And listen, this is another possibility… the books you write are very sexual. A lot of times, a woman giving sexual favors is considered a gift. Could he be looking for something sexual from you since you write these books?”

  A chill rolled down her spine and Colton pulled her back into his embrace.

  His voice was soothing as he persisted, “We have no idea what the motivation is behind all this. We need to look at all the possibilities at this point.”

  “You’re right. This has just been a secret for so long. I’m not sure I’m ready to put it out there for everyone to know. This is why my mom and Aunt Alix don’t talk any longer. Alix covered for me and claimed she was Celeste DeMarco when my mom found one of my writing contracts. She was snooping around the bookstore and it resulted in a huge blow-out between mom and Alix. My parents are too rigid about these types of things. They might be able to forgive me becoming a theater major, instead of an academic, but they’d never understand my writing erotica. So I just kept it a secret,” she looked over worriedly at Cassie, “from everyone. I’m sorry.”

  “Sweetheart, we need to tell Brian.”

  Penelope nodded in agreement. “Do you really think this has something to do with the books I write? This all seems awfully serious for some erotica fiction. I mean honestly, we’re talking about someone getting shot.”

  “I just don’t know, but I think we need to look at all the angles.”

  Cassie had been quietly listening and absorbing their discussion. But now she looked at Penelope with curiosity and a touch of mischief. “Girl, I think we need to dish a bit about your research.”

  Colton launched up out of the chair and stalked to the back door. “I’m not listening to this. Have you already forgotten Life Rule #1? I’m gonna go out back to leave a message for Brian.” He slammed out of the house and left both girls dissolving into laughter.

  Just minutes before she had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This was what good friends did. They provided you with stress relief and a break to the mental stresses in life.

  * * *

  An hour and a half later, the laughter turned into tears as the call from Chris finally came. The victim was identified as Aaron. He’d been shot with a sniper rifle as he was leaving the hospital from the parking garage across the street. The shot had been to his head and he died instantly.

  Of course, Julie was devastated, but she insisted she didn’t want any of them coming over tonight. Chris was with her and had gotten her home. He planned to stay with her until her older sister arrived.

  “It doesn’t feel right for us to be here when Julie’s whole world has just fallen apart.” Cassie paced around the room in agitation.

  Penelope agreed on one level, but she understood Julie’s reasoning. “You know how Julie is. She hates to be the center of attention. Tonight she just wants to grieve by herself. Chris is with her and he knows to call us if she needs us.”

  “I know. You’re right.” Cassie looked at them as she brushed the tears from her eyes. “Will you both stay here tonight? I don’t want to be alone and I don’t want you out on the street tonight while this madman is still free.”

  Penelope looked over at Colton and nodded her assent.

  He reached over to hug his little sister. He may be overbearing sometimes, but there was no doubt he loved his siblings deeply. “Sure Cass. The apartment is still a mess anyway so you’d be doing us a favor. Besides, I think we all need to stick close tonight. Why don’t you head to bed and try to get some sleep. Jake will be here in the morning and things will feel better.”

  “For me, maybe, but for Julie, her nightmare is just beginning.” Her voice was drenched in the sadness they all felt. For Julie. For Aaron. For his family. It was just such an incredible waste. He’d been a wonderful and talented man. It wasn’t fair that his life had been cut so short.

  Colton and Penelope watched Cassie walk down the hall. Penelope didn’t even realize she was crying again until he reached up to brush tears off her cheeks. He tilted her chin up and lightly brushed his lips across hers. It wasn’t a sexual kiss. It was soft and tender and filled with love. He led her down the hall into the bedroom and as they settled into bed, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her from behind. Gently, he leaned down to her ear and placed a tender kiss there.

  Her tears flowed hot and heavy from within her soul. If she’d learned nothing else from today it was this: Times like these were meant to be treasured because in this life there were no guarantees that they would be there tomorrow.

  Chapter 30

  Colton watched Penelope and Julie work in tandem in the kitchen. The weekend had passed in a blur of tears, hugs, and cooking. Aaron’s family was local, so they took over all the arrangements for the funeral and handling any family coming into town. That left Julie at loose ends. She was just the girlfriend and Aaron’s mother didn’t want her to be part of the process. So she did the only thing she could…she cooked. She’d taken over Cassie’s kitchen and made everything from breakfast muffins, to casseroles, to desserts. Jake and Colton took turns running the items over to Aaron’s mother’s home.

  A sniper shooting in Lubbock, TX was a rare thing. It hadn’t taken the media long to sniff out that Julie was Aaron’s girlfriend. His family lived in a gated community so the media hounds went after Julie. They’d taken to camping out in front of her townhouse hoping to sniff out any detail about the investigation. As a result, she’d moved in temporarily with Cassie, Jake, and Chris.

  Chris being at the hospital the day of the shooting bonded the two of them. He didn’t stray far from her side and hovered protectively when the others were around.

  Overall the group dynamic was strained, sad, and extremely reserved. What should have been a joyous weekend, with Jake coming home, had turned into just the opposite.

  For the moment, Jake and Cassie had run to the grocery store for more food ingredients, while Penelope and Julie cooked.

  As Colton watched the girls work in the kitchen, he frowned. Penelope looked c
lose to tears and this time, he didn’t think it was directly related to Aaron’s death. From the pained looks Pen kept throwing Julie when she wasn’t looking, he guessed something happened between the two of them, but he’d missed it.

  Colton caught Chris’s eye and raised an eyebrow in question. Chris gave a slight shrug and subtle shake of his head, before turning back to watch the girls again. He obviously didn’t know what happened between them either.

  Both men saw it coming and lunged forward yelling a warning, but it happened anyway. Julie turned away from the refrigerator with an uncooked casserole in her hands, just as Penelope swung around to take a dish to the sink. The two collided which resulted in the gooey, raw egg casserole sliding down Julie’s shirt and jeans.

  For a moment, time stood still. They both stood there stunned as the raw ingredients slipped off Julie’s body to plop to the floor. Pen was the first to recover. She scrambled over to grab a towel and started wiping off Julie’s ruined clothes.

  Julie forcefully grabbed hold of her hands and quietly said, “Stop. Just stop.”

  From Colton’s position, he could see Penelope’s stricken face. She whispered in a broken voice, “I’m so sorry, Julie.”

  Julie closed her eyes for a moment, but when they opened back up again, they were blazing in anger. “It’s too late for that, isn’t it?” She wasn’t yelling, but the recrimination coming through her low-pitched voice hit Penelope like a physical blow, as she flinched backwards.

  Everyone in the room knew they weren’t talking about the casserole mess.

  “I want you to leave.” Julie ground out, fists clenched.

  Penelope shook her head. “I’m sorry. Please let me…”

  “No!” Julie finally lost it and screamed, “I need you to leave! Now, Penelope! Leave!” She sank to the floor sobbing. “Please just leave.”

  Penelope was crying just as hard as Julie, but Colton knew they needed to separate before one or both of them said something they’d really regret. He picked Pen up by her waist and walked out of the room with her, just as Chris made it to Julie’s side and pulled her sobbing form into his shoulder.

  As Colton exited the kitchen, Chris said to him, “Take the truck,” and tossed his keys at him. Colton never slowed down as he caught them and carried the sobbing Penelope out the door.

  * * *

  The morning dawned soggy and overcast. It seemed appropriate for Aaron’s funeral.

  Ever since her confrontation with Julie, Penelope had withdrawn into herself. Colton didn’t know what to do to help. She was quiet and closed-off. She’d taken to writing in her notebook, but did little else. She refused to talk to anyone on the phone. The shooter hadn’t been caught, so Colton remained vigilant and at her side.

  She was hurting and he didn’t know how to fix it, besides simply be there for her and try to make sure the madman didn’t get hold of her. They continued to sleep together, but that’s all they were doing, sleeping. They hadn’t had sex since before the loft had been destroyed.

  As they left for the cemetery, Penelope began to fidget. Colton laid his hand across her’s. “It’s going to be okay,” he reassured her. “Julie’s grieving right now. Just give her a little bit of time and space.”

  “Do you honestly think it will make the difference? If they didn’t know me, Aaron would still be alive today. Because of me, her boyfriend is dead. She’s lost their future. How can she forgive me for that?” She looked out the truck window watching the West Texas landscape roll by, but Colton knew she wasn’t seeing any of it.

  “She’ll forgive you because you haven’t done anything that needs forgiveness. Julie knows that, but she needs someone to blame right now. Until they catch this guy, you’re the only one she can focus on.”

  She nodded mutely, but still wouldn’t meet his eye. Unfortunately, the police department didn’t have any more leads than they had before the shooting. Every day that went by, Colton could feel the danger to Penelope getting closer, but he didn’t know where it was coming from so they could protect her from it.

  Even more worrisome, other people seemed to be disappearing without a trace from Penelope’s life. Hannah was still missing and, over the weekend, Damon never showed up in Lubbock. His associates at the dig said he’d left according to schedule and the airline showed he made the flight. But from there he disappeared without a trace. There was no way to know what happened.

  No one knew whether these disappearances were related or just really strange coincidences. All of it gave Colton a really bad feeling.

  They pulled up to the cemetery and before they got out of the car, Colton tugged Penelope’s hand up to his mouth and kissed it. “It’s going to be fine.”

  She gave him a soft smile. “I’m so glad you’re with me today. I know why Julie is so upset. I think about what she’s going through.” Her eyes filled with tears. “If anything happened to you, I don’t know how I’d be able to go on.”

  He reached across and pulled her to him so he could kiss her. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, sweetheart. Nothing.”

  She wanted to be able to believe him.

  They made their way over to the chairs set up around the gravesite. The family decided to thumb their nose at the shooter by doing a graveside service out in the wide open rather than a more protected church service. The Lubbock PD was there in full-force to keep the media, unwanted guests, and random shooters away.

  It wasn’t enough for Colton to feel safe having Penelope there. But there’d been no dissuading her from coming to support their friend and say goodbye to Aaron. He hovered over her protectively, sharing his warmth in the cold air and hoping the bulk of his body would shield her in case anyone tried to shoot at her.

  Julie sat two rows back from the family with Chris close to her side. The rest of their friends stood in the back of the gathering. As they walked up, Cassie enveloped Penelope into a big hug. Colton couldn’t hear what she said, but Penelope nodded and then turned back toward him.

  It wasn’t raining, but there was a definite heaviness to the air that wasn’t caused only by the grief. It seemed at any moment the heavens were going to open up, mourning the loss of Aaron too. During the middle of the ceremony, Colton heard Penelope gasp. He followed her gaze, his defenses immediately up and poised to drag her to the truck if need be.

  A huge white butterfly had landed on Julie’s shoulder. It was springtime in West Texas. It was damp and cold. There shouldn’t have been butterflies out, but there was most definitely a huge snow white one on Julie’s shoulder. It stood in contrast to her black suit jacket. She must have seen something from the corner of her eye because she looked over her shoulder at it. It simply sat there slowly moving its wings back and forth. By this point, almost everyone at the funeral had seen it.

  It was beautiful and eerie. It sat there a full three to four minutes before it flew off. As it did, Julie watched it fly away, her eyes filling with tears. She looked to the crowd standing around the chairs. Colton could see her searching. Finally her gaze found Penelope’s and she gave her a soft smile. They were going to be okay.

  Afterwards, it was Julie who approached Penelope. After giving her a long, tight hug, she smiled up at Penelope with watery eyes. “Come back to Cassie’s house. We’re celebrating Aaron’s life with margaritas and beer tonight.”

  Penelope searched Julie’s eyes. “Are you sure you want me there?”

  Julie nodded. “Absolutely.”

  * * *

  After the damp and dreary morning, the afternoon turned out warm and sunny, so when the group got back to Cassie’s house, they quickly retreated out to her backyard oasis, drinks in hand. It had been a while since the six of them had gotten to hang out and despite the somberness of the day, the gathering quickly dissolved into more of a party atmosphere. The drinking definitely helped with that development.

  As they sat there, Colton looked around the group. Jake and Cassie were snuggled up into one of the outdoor lounge chairs. Chris and
Julie sat at the little bistro table under the umbrella. Penelope leaned up against him and they both had their feet in the warm water of the hot tub. Everyone had been drinking and relaxing together for a couple of hours so most of their group was feeling no pain.

  Julie lifted her margarita glass to Jake and Cassie. “So, put us out of our misery. Let’s have some fun news today. Please tell us you’ve set your wedding date.”

  Cassie was sitting in front of Jake in between his legs on the lounger and she leaned back to share a private smile with him. He could see the mischievous sparkle in his little sister’s eye as she asked Jake, “Should we tell them?”

  “I think we probably should, especially since it’s not very far away.”

  They both looked back at the group and then they zeroed in on at the table where Chris and Julie sat. Jake said, “This past year has been tough and it started out with the worst thing we ever could imagine experiencing, Chris’s death. Thankfully, the news of his death was greatly exaggerated.” He lifted his beer to Chris who smiled and rolled his hand to keep Jake talking. “As awful as that was, it was the beginning of what brought us together. We want to be able to move through May without revisiting the sadness of that day. Soooo, we plan to get married on May 10th, the day Chris died. We want to make it into a day of celebration instead.”

  “Wait a minute.” Julie eyes widened and her hands started flying through the air. Her OCD was showing. “Are we talking about the May 10th that’s happening in just a little bit over six weeks?” She looked mortified at simply the idea of it.

  “It’s okay, Julie. We’re going to do a very small wedding so it will be easily done.”

  She still looked disbelieving. “While you’re finishing up the semester at Tech?” Cassie taught military history for Texas Tech University and the end of the semester was notoriously crazy, for both staff and students alike.