Devoted Defender

by Rachel Dylan

  “I don’t feel comfortable going down there to Sasha’s office again.”

  “No, that wouldn’t be the plan. First, we’ll call her. Try to gauge where she’s at. Then determine after she hears this information whether it would be appropriate to meet. Gabe said that Sasha has a very strong reputation as being ethical and being fair. I see no reason to think that she’d be out to get you.”

  “Unless Silva has gotten to her, too.”

  “Not everyone is on Silva’s payroll.”

  “But we know that there are at least some people in law enforcement who are.” She let out a breath. “Honestly, I feel like I’m reliving the nightmare of my past.”

  “The truth is on your side, Annie. It was back then and it still is today. Sasha will be able to see that.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “I’d like to make that call. But before we do, I could tell that you were very upset about what happened at the DA’s office.”

  “We’ve been over this already.” The thing was, that there was nothing Caleb could say to change the circumstances. Her point of view was shaped by her experiences just like his was. “I don’t feel like expending energy that neither one of us has arguing over our differences.”

  “Whoa.” He squeezed onto her hand. “How did we get from me making a mistake to us having differences?”

  “Caleb, I appreciate all you’re doing for me. You’ve saved my life countless times. You’ve proven to be a friend I could trust when there was no one to turn to. But as far as there being something more than friendship between us, I don’t see how we can find common ground. Your whole life revolves around law enforcement. You have a completely normal and loving family. A well-adjusted way of life. And then you have me, who has never had any of that.”

  “I think you’re looking at this all wrong.” His blue eyes locked onto hers. “Yes, you went through a terrible tragedy when you were seventeen. And it caused you a lot of heartache and pain. But I know what it’s like to live in the past. It will eat at you from the inside out. You need to try to find a pathway forward.”

  “Are you talking about the death of your parents?”

  “That definitely impacted me. Losing them was heartbreaking. But it’s more than just the loss of my parents that has made me the man I am today.”

  “You’re talking about what you experienced in the military.” He’d alluded to it before, but she didn’t have any specifics.

  “Yes. And I’d like to tell you about it.”

  **

  Caleb hadn’t discussed exactly what had happened in Afghanistan with anyone. But as he stared into Annie’s eyes and saw the pain she was going through and the struggles she was facing, it made him think that maybe if he shared his experience with her, that it could provide some small level of healing to them both.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “I’ve told you before that I was in the military, and that I did special ops. It’s a bit more than that. I was on a SEAL team.”

  “You were a Navy SEAL?” Her eyes widened.

  “Once a SEAL, always a SEAL. But yes. My team was on a special high value target mission in Afghanistan hunting down some really bad men. I can’t discuss the actual details of the operation because that’s still classified. But…” As he started to continue the story, he wondered for a moment if he would actually be able to get the words out.

  She grabbed onto his other hand, now holding them both. “Take your time. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” She gave him a slight smile, trying to encourage him.

  “One second everything was fine. The next, it was complete chaos. We were ambushed. I was with one other SEAL and we were cut off from the rest of our team.”

  “Oh no,” she said.

  “And to make matters worse, it had been my idea for the two of us to go ahead and do some advanced recon. I didn’t know that we were walking into a trap.”

  “There’s no way you could’ve known that, Caleb. You made the best decision you could at the time.”

  “And that decision—the decision I made as the leader of the Team—that decision got my fellow SEAL killed.”

  She flinched. “I am so sorry.”

  “I saw the bullets riddle his body. I watched him take his last breath.” He fought back tears as the pain seemed as real as it was that day years ago. “But somehow, someway, I survived. I pulled his body out of the line of fire when the rest of my team arrived to help. But it was too late. He was gone. And it was all because I’d made the decision for the two of us to go ahead of the rest of the team.”

  Annie’s eyes were filled with tears, and she kept her grip on his hands. “I can’t even imagine.”

  “I was never the same after that. A part of me died out there in the mountains of Afghanistan that day. A piece of me that I’ll never get back. So when I tell you I can empathize with what you went through, I believe that I can. And I went through a really dark period after that. I didn’t know why God had spared me and taken my friend. A man who in my opinion was a much better man than I’ll ever be. I questioned everything. I isolated myself from everyone—my SEAL buddies, my family.” He paused for a moment and figured if he was being brutally honest he should just put it all out there. “I even wondered if my life was worth living.”

  “How did you get through it?”

  “I’ll never get over it, Annie. But with God’s help, I have been able to live with it. I couldn’t do it on my own. By myself, I was a complete wreck. Depressed, lonely, angry. I was so mad at everything—mostly at myself. One day I just lost it and fell to my knees in prayer. It wasn’t an immediate solution. But day by day, I got stronger. I was able to use the emotions I had and channel them into something positive. Make no mistake though, I’m forever changed because of what happened. So when you talk about being damaged, Annie, I’m damaged, too. I’m just a man who has a past full of nightmares, but who is living each day by the grace of God.”

  Tears were falling down Annie’s face. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  “I haven’t ever told anyone else what I just told you.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Then why me?”

  “Because you matter to me, Annie. Like no other woman ever has.”

  “You could do so much better than me, Caleb.”

  He shook his head. “No. I like you just the way you are. The way I see it, we’re perfectly matched.”

  “Even with all my issues?”

  “Your issues make you who you are. I’m not looking for perfection. I’m looking for a real connection. And I believe that you feel it between us, too. Something strong and real.”

  “I do. But…”

  He lifted his finger to her lips to stop her. “No buts. Not right now.”

  She nodded and looked up at him. And he could see in her eyes that she felt something for him as well. He leaned down and kissed her gently, realizing he had already given this woman his heart.

  **

  The next day Annie sat anxiously waiting for him to make the call to Sasha. Annie was still reeling from what Caleb had told her yesterday. He’d opened up to her in a way that he hadn’t with anyone else. And she knew that meant something.

  But she was still scared to death about her own feelings. Even if he said that he accepted her as she was, did he really know what that would entail? And yes, he had a traumatic past, too, but there was a big difference. He was stronger than she was. He had a rough time and he came through it on the other side. She didn’t know if she ever would fully be the woman she wanted to be.

  She was always bouncing back to her childhood. The lack of love and security. The lack of a father. A mother with addiction issues. And that was on top of the entire shooting episode. She’d survived this long because she insulated herself from others. She didn’t rely upon anyone else for anything. Her way of self-sufficiency was how she managed.

  But now she had this man in her life who was wanting more. Wanting her to step out of the shadows of
her past. Even if she wanted to, could she?

  “You ready to do this?” Caleb asked.

  “Not really, but I realize we don’t have much of an alternative.” And that was true. She was boxed into a corner. After having slept on it, she realized her best option was to try to get on the good side of the prosecutor. And pray that Sasha wasn’t bought off by Silva. Hope’s insight had also provided her a small measure of comfort that talking to Sasha was the best option.

  He dialed Sasha’s direct office line on speaker and they waited.

  “This is Sasha Derring,” she answered.

  “Sasha, this is Caleb Winters and Annie Thomas.”

  “Ah. I was hoping that I would hear from you. Annie, I’m so sorry that things got a little out of control when we met. That was never my intention. I really want to finish our discussion.”

  “That’s why we’re calling,” he said. “Annie filled me in on what McCoy’s accusation was, and we have some information about why he would have a motivation to lie about Annie.”

  “All right. I’m listening,” Sasha said.

  “I’ll let Annie tell you,” he said.

  She wanted to be able to provide the information to Sasha herself. “Sasha, when I was seventeen I shot my mom’s boyfriend in self defense. Did you know that?”

  “No. I didn’t.”

  “I just recently found out that the man I shot, Damon Vaughn, is Tim Silva’s cousin.”

  “He runs the Florida part of the Silva enterprise,” Caleb added.

  “Well, that’s an interesting turn of events,” Sasha said.

  “We believe that Silva has targeted Annie not just because she witnessed McCoy shoot and kill Doc Perry, but because his cousin Vaughn wants revenge.”

  Annie realized she was holding her breath as she waited to hear Sasha’s reaction.

  “And you’re implying that McCoy would lie about Annie killing Doc because he’s gotten the order to do so from Silva or Vaughn.”

  “Exactly,” Caleb said. “Annie isn’t a killer. She’s an upstanding citizen. It’s her word versus a mercenary hit man who has already confessed to killing Phil Perry.”

  Sasha sighed loudly. “If you two hadn’t run out the other day, I would’ve told you myself that I didn’t think there was merit to McCoy’s allegation. But the police can’t just ignore his statements.”

  “I don’t trust the police,” Annie said. “We don’t know who Silva has in his back pocket.”

  “Annie’s right. We have narrowly escaped with our lives multiple times now. We’re coming to you because we don’t believe that Silva has influence over you. But at this point, I no longer feel confident I can say the same thing about the Atlanta police or the FBI.”

  “I understand your fears,” Sasha said. “Let me do some digging on my end including interviewing McCoy again. I appreciate you reaching out. But know that I can’t control the actions of the Atlanta police.”

  “Understood. Thanks.” He hung up the phone and looked at her.

  “Do you think she believes me?” she asked.

  “I do. She’s a smart prosecutor. She knows better than to believe a totally concocted story. It’s just a matter, like she said, that the police have different obligations and interests. They like to question everyone.”

  A loud knock on the door had her jumping.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m sure it’s one of the guys.”

  She trailed him as he went to open the door.

  Mac walked in the door.

  “How did you find us?” Caleb asked. “No offense, but we were supposed to be completely off the grid.”

  “Listen to me, bro. We’ve got a problem.”

  “Come on in and tell me what’s going on.” They walked into the living room.

  Mac turned and looked at Caleb. “Gabby’s missing.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Caleb thought he heard his brother wrong. “Missing? What do you mean?”

  “She’s gone dark. Completely. No contact from her cell. I went to her apartment and checked your house. She’s nowhere to be found.”

  Caleb started thinking. A bad feeling swelled through his gut. “Did Gabby talk to you about Silva’s drug operations in Maxwell?”

  “No. Not a word. Was she supposed to?” Mac asked.

  “This is all my fault,” Annie said. “I bet she was trying to help us.”

  “This isn’t your fault, Annie,” he responded.

  Mac crossed his arms. “Please fill me in on what you’re talking about.”

  Caleb could tell by the look on his brother’s face, that Mac wasn’t going to like what he had to tell him. “Gabby called me and told me that Silva had moved some drug ops into Maxwell. Specifically, she said there was some type of warehouse she wanted to investigate.”

  “What? And you encouraged her?” Mac asked in a raised voice.

  “Absolutely not. Just the opposite. I told her to step back. That things had gotten far too dangerous.”

  “And she promised she would,” Annie added. “I heard her say that she would.”

  “Well, it looks like she didn’t. And now she’s gone.” Mac started pacing back and forth.

  “Maybe she’s on another job,” Caleb said.

  “And not answering her phone or email? No way,” Mac said. “We’ve always stayed in contact regardless of the job. You know that’s how we operate.”

  “Then we need to consider that this is Silva’s doing.” Caleb didn’t want to say the words because then that made it seem more real. But he didn’t see any other alternative that made sense given all the facts.

  “He’s trying to get to you, to me through your sister. Once again, this is my fault,” Annie said. “What can I do? We’ve got to find her.”

  “Let’s think this through,” Caleb said. They needed all the help they could get, as they were fighting this battle on multiple fronts. The thought of Silva having his little sister made him sick. And angry. But getting mad wasn’t going to solve their problem. No, he had to act smart right now. Gabby’s life might depend on it.

  “I’m going to go start the search for her. I need to find this warehouse you’re talking about. What if they’re holding her there?” Mac asked. “Any idea where it could be?”

  Caleb was trying to keep his cool because Mac was close to losing it. “Just that it was supposed to be in Maxwell. Contact Mike. He offered to keep an eye out for her. Maybe he’s seen something that can give us some leads on her whereabouts. Also bring Gabe in and get him to help you. I can’t leave Annie alone here.”

  Mac nodded. “Yeah, we can use all the help we can get. Bro, if something happens to Gabby, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  “We can’t think like that right now. Gabby’s strong and resourceful. We need to stay positive and think clearly if we want to do our best to help her.”

  “I’ll be fine if you need to go, Caleb.” Annie stepped forward. “No one knows that we’re here.”

  “Absolutely not. I’m not going to leave you here by yourself. We don’t have any guarantee that this location is one hundred percent secure.”

  Annie took a step toward him. “Well, then take me with you and I can help.”

  Caleb shook his head. “Annie, taking you into the unknown is also not an option at this point. We don’t need more problems than we already have.”

  “Armed with this intel about the storage facility in Maxwell that she told you about, I’m going to go back to town and start searching for her. I’ll keep you updated. I don’t want to waste any time. Each minute could matter,” Mac said. He walked toward the door. “I’ll call Gabe from the road.”

  “Keep me posted,” he replied.

  Once Mac closed the door and left, he turned around and faced Annie.

  “I’m so sorry. This is my fault. The only reason she was doing any work related to Silva was because of me.”

  “No, Annie. The responsibility lies with Silva, not you. He’s the criminal here.”
<
br />   “You need to be out there looking for Gabby. Not here babysitting me. She’s your sister, Caleb. She needs you right now, and I don’t want to be the one standing in the way of you getting to her.”

  “Don’t you see, Annie? Losing you would be unbearable for me. Mac and Gabe will find Gabby. I’m not going to leave you here like a sitting duck by yourself with no protection at all. That would be foolish. And it would be the last thing in the world that Gabby would want. Remember how seriously she took her protective detail of you?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “No. Gabby would not want me to forsake you to help her. Yes, she’s my sister and I love her. But she’s also a trained private investigator. So are we on the same page?”

  Annie looked up at him. “Yes,” she said softly. “I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

  He reached out and cradled her face with his hands. “We’ll get through this together.”

  She took another step forward and he wrapped his arms around her.

  **

  That night Annie sat in the living room with the TV on but not really paying attention to whatever show was on. She was becoming far too attached to Caleb. But as much as she kept telling herself that she wasn’t capable of having a regular relationship with someone, she couldn’t give up hope. What if there was even a one percent chance that her life could be different? That she could take a different path than her mom had?

  And Caleb was the main reason for her having those feelings. After listening to what he had gone through in Afghanistan, she would be forever changed. The hurt and pain that he had experienced was something she would never be able to fully comprehend. But the fact that he had shared his journey made a huge difference to her. It made her think that maybe they weren’t all that different after all. Maybe they both had their pain and past, but they could grow together.

  But that would still mean that she would have to get over herself. Her doubts about whether she’d end up just like her mother. Her fears about being codependent on a man. Maybe God was providing her a way to break through it all.

  “Hey.” Caleb walked into the room breaking her out of her thoughts.