Mace smiled in return, his heart squeezing at the thought of protecting a sister, but he pushed those thoughts down. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned his attention back to the other reports.
When the meeting came to an end, he settled into a chair next to Rank. Together, they began to look at what they could find on Ed. By lunchtime, they had a full dossier on him and he gave Rank the assignment of keeping track of him.
Grinning, Rank said, “No worries, boss. I’ll get to his place and get a tracer on his vehicle this afternoon, as well as keep tabs on his calls for a taxi.”
Standing and stretching his arms out to the side, he decided he would have just enough time to work out before going to lunch.
As he moved to walk out of the room, Babs looked up, her eyes wide. “Mace, wait. I’ve got Detective Martinez on the line.”
The group turned and listened as Babs put Roberto on speaker. “Mace? Just wanted to let you know, we found Charles Jefferson’s body. Someone tossed it into the city dump. Also, thought you’d want to know…he’d been strangled. And, from the initial report, it looks like it was with a rope…from behind.”
Heart dropping, he said, “I need to get to David.”
“We can pick he and his mother up—”
“No. They’re mine,” he rushed, not heeding the double meaning of the words.
“Okay,” Roberto agreed. “We’re working the murder, but we’re trusting our witness’ protection to you.”
Sylvie spent the morning scrubbing her house from top to bottom. Bathrooms, kitchen, dusting, vacuuming, she even managed to throw in a load of laundry. Frustration coursed through her veins, but the hard, physical labor did little to quell it.
Her thoughts were a tangled web. Her boss was threatening to fire her. Her ex-husband was threatening to take her to court. And out there, somewhere, was an unknown threat because of what her son had witnessed.
And, if all of that was not enough, the infuriating, albeit gorgeous, Mace had taken root in her mind. As angry as she had been that morning, when he put himself between her and Ed, forcing Ed to back down, she also realized she had never had a man do that for her. While it grated on her that he had not mentioned he knew Ed or had seen her before, she had to admit that it did not change what they had now.
Sighing, she took another swipe of the already clean kitchen counter before tossing her rag into the sink in frustration. How did my life get so out of control?
The phone rang and she was glad for the distraction. Seeing the school’s number on the ID, she hoped David had not gotten sick again. “Hello. This is Ms. Gardner.”
Hearing the principal’s voice, she startled, her heart pounding.
“Ms. Gardner, this is Mrs. Carnes. I need to let you know that a man just came into the office saying that he was here to speak to David. He claimed it was on official business.”
Gasping, she said, “No. No. You didn’t let anyone talk to him did you?”
“No. I assure you that David is safe in his classroom.”
Wondering if Ed had attempted to see or, God forbid, take David, she asked, “What did he look like? Medium height, light brown hair? I have full custody and his dad is not supposed to—”
“Yes, we know, Ms. Gardner. He did not show us identification, but even if he had, we would not let someone speak to your child without you being present. He was a larger man with dark hair. As soon as we informed him that he would not be able to speak to David, he left hurriedly.”
Slumping back against the counter, her heart racing, she said, “Thank you. Thank you. Please keep an eye on David. Do not let him outside, or out of your sight. I’ll be there. Give me just a few minutes. I have to get hold of someone, but I’ll be there.”
“Take your time, Ms. Gardner. David is safe, I assure you.”
Disconnecting, her hand shot to her trembling lips as she squeezed her eyes shut, her mind racing. All other thoughts other than David’s safety left her mind. Looking down at her phone, held in her shaking hand, she quickly dialed.
The phone rang several times before being answered. Not giving Mace a chance to speak, she plunged ahead. “Someone went to the school, tried to see David. They wouldn’t let him and the principal called me. Said the man left. It wasn’t Ed. I don’t know who it was. Mace, who would try to see him? They didn’t show ID—”
“Whoa, Sylvie, slow down. Take a breath and let it out slowly, then tell me what happened.” As Mace spoke, he looked up, seeing the others’ eyes on him, mirroring his concern.
Sylvie sucked in a gasp, forcing her words to slow as she grabbed her keys and walked toward the door. “I just got a call from David’s principal. She said a large man, with dark hair, came in and asked to speak to David. He said it was official, but did not show them any ID. As soon as they told him that a parent would need to be present, he left quickly. They’ve kept David in his classroom and they’re watching him—”
“Where are you now?” Mace asked, heading toward the elevator.
“I’m at home, but I’m getting ready to leave right now. I’m heading to the school.”
“No!” he shouted. “That might be exactly what someone’s hoping for. They probably knew the school would call you and you may be their target. Stay right there, I’m on my way.”
She protested, “I’m not just staying here. My son needs me and no one better get between me and my son! If you want to come, that’s fine. I’ll meet you at the school.” With that she disconnected and grabbed her purse. Stepping out, she set the alarm before shutting the door. Rushing to her car, she made sure to keep her eyes peeled, but saw nothing untoward. Slamming her car door shut, her heart still pounding, she steeled her resolve. No one threatens my child!
Arriving at the school ten minutes later, she jumped from her car and raced inside the building. Standing outside the office door, she counted to ten, breathing deeply. Not wanting David to see her upset, she plastered a smile on her face and walked in.
As soon as the principal saw her, she motioned for her to come into her office. Sitting down, she gratefully accepted the water bottle handed to her.
“What on earth is going on?” Mrs. Carnes asked.
Taking a long sip of the cool water, she tried to decide how much information she was allowed to give. Deciding that minimal was best, she replied, “My ex-husband has been a little threatening lately and my fear was that he may have come to the school.”
“I assure you, we know that he has no visitation rights and would never let him in to see David. But I don’t believe that this man today was your ex-husband.”
Fiddling with her purse strap, she said, “Well, I will also say, that we had an incident last week where our house was broken into.” She heard Mrs. Carnes gasp, and continued, “I have no idea what anyone would have been looking for, but it still makes me nervous.”
“The man said that it was official, so I suppose he could have been from the police,” Mrs. Carnes said, but her brow knit and doubt laced her words. “I just don’t know why he wouldn’t show us his ID.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t either. But, since this is the last full day of school, would it be all right if I took him with me now? I hate for him to miss the fun of the few half days next week, but I think perhaps I’d like to keep him with me.”
Mrs. Carnes nodded in understanding, and said, “I understand. If you would like to go ahead and check him out of school today, that would be fine. I’ll let his teacher know and she can simply grade him out for the year.” She stood and walked out of her office to the secretary, asking to have David dismissed for the day. Turning as Sylvie came out behind her, she placed her hand on Sylvie’s arm, and said, “Please take care of yourself.”
She blinked, fighting the tears that threatened to fall, wondering how their lives had become so overwhelming. Swiping her eyes quickly, she smiled as David walked through the door with his backpack. He looked up at her and she recognized confusion mixed with fear.
“Mom? Is everything alright?”
Kneeling in front of him, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tightly in for a hug. Forcing lightness into her voice, she replied, “Everything’s fine, sweetheart. I was just out this way and thought that I would pick you up from school a little early. Mrs. Carnes said it would be fine for you to come home now.”
She listened as he let out a heavy breath. Her heart ached for the fear that he had. Pulling back, she looked at him, his smile now wide.
“Cool! Is Mr. Hanover outside?”
“Uh...no. I just decided to come get you myself.” Standing, she took his hand and, with a nod toward Mrs. Carnes, they walked outside. On the way to her car, she heard the squealing of tires and jerked her head around.
Mace’s SUV pulled in next to her and she watched as he jumped from the vehicle, slamming his door, before stalking toward them, anger written in the hard set of his jaw. She immediately stepped slightly in front of David, putting her hand on him to gently push him back.
Mace, furious, saw the protective movement and locked down his emotion. Blowing out his breath, he smiled, “Hey, David.”
David pushed away from behind his mother and jogged up to him. “Hi Mr. Hanover. Mom picked me up a little early today.”
“I see that,” he said, placing his large hand affectionately on David’s shoulder. Lifting his gaze to Sylvie’s, he said, “You ready to go?”
Sylvie’s eyes darted to Mace’s SUV, where another man was climbing down from the passenger seat. Noting he was handsome, with tattoos showing, a little scruff on his face, and unbelievably fit, she also realized he did not make her pulse race the way Mace did. Curious, she shifted her gaze back to Mace, his hand held out.
“Tate will drive your car back to your house. You and David will ride with me.” Seeing her about to protest, he lowered his voice, and said, “Don’t fight me on this, Sylvie.”
Wanting to rail against his high-handedness, she glanced down at David, peering up at her expectantly. “Sure. That’ll be great.” After buckling David into the backseat of the SUV, she started to climb in with him when a large hand halted her progress. Twisting her head, she saw Mace close.
“When we get to your house, we need to talk.”
As much as she wanted to protest, she knew he was right. Someone had tried to get to David. They were lucky this time and she wanted to keep that luck with her.
14
Sylvie stood inside her living room, staring out the window, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. As soon as they had gotten home, she had sent David off to play, while Mace focused his attention on her. She had assumed he was going to chastise her for leaving the house and going to David’s school, but instead he placed his hands gently on her shoulders and held her gaze as he insisted that she and David needed to get away to a safe place.
All of her protestations had faded away as she was reminded of the fear that had gripped her heart when she first got the call from Mrs. Carnes. She had agreed, her head nodding in jerks, but she had no idea where they could go. His mind was working behind his eyes as she stared up into his face, but he remained silent.
With her agreement, he had walked back outside and was now talking to the man introduced as Tate. She watched as he paced, alternating between talking to his co-worker and then talking on the phone.
David came into the room and coming up behind her, said, “Whatcha looking at, Mom?”
She glanced down at him and smiled, ruffling her hand through his hair. “Mr. Hanover would like us to go on a little trip, but I’m not sure where we’ll go.”
He looked out the window and asked, “Is he going to take us somewhere? Like a vacation?”
She had already explained to him that he would not be going back to school next week for the last three half-days. Knowing he would be missing the end-of-year-party, she had convinced him that they could go somewhere fun.
“I don’t know, sweetie.” Longing to offer assurances, for once, she had no idea what to tell him. Turning her attention back outside the window, she watched as Mace continued talking to his friend, and wondered if their lives would ever get back to normal.
“Boss, I think you’ve got the answer staring you right in the face. I just don’t know what you’re hesitant about.” Tate, his hands on his hips, stared at Mace.
He scrubbed his hand over his face before sliding it around to squeeze the tension at the back of his neck. “I need to do this right. I need to keep them safe from whatever threat is out there, but…”
“But, you’ve got feelings for her.”
Surprised, he jerked his eyes up to Tate’s.
“Look, Mace. You can fight it all you want, but it’s plain to the rest of us that you have feelings for Sylvie. I don’t see that there’s any conflict of interest here. You’ve got a place, you’ve got the room, and they need to get out of here. I think you’re making it more difficult than it needs to be.”
Blowing out his breath, he planted his hands on his hips. Unable to think of a better plan, he knew he wanted them with him. Nodding, he agreed. “Okay. Let’s get them packed up. We’ll leave her car here, parked in her garage, and only take our vehicle.”
Stepping back inside, he saw Sylvie and David standing in the living room, David looking excited and Sylvie looking as though she might throw up.
“Mom says you’re going to take us on a trip!” David piped up, his smile wide.
Grinning in return he said, “Yeah. I’ve got a great place to take you to, to get away from here for a little while. I just need you two to pack. My friend, Tate, will help.”
“Show me to your room, little man,” Tate said, as he walked into the house and slid his sunglasses up on his forehead. “We’ll make sure to get everything you’ll need.”
After watching the two of them climb the stairs, Mace swung his gaze back to Sylvie. Walking toward her, he noted her stiff posture. “Look, I know this isn’t what you’d like to do, but the danger is getting closer. I can get you to a safe house. I can make sure you and David are out of harm’s way.”
Saying nothing, she nodded, but began walking past him toward the stairs. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her gently toward him. Wrapping his arms around her, he rested his chin on her head, feeling her body shiver slightly.
“What about my job?” she whispered. “I’ve thought about quitting a hundred times, but I don’t have that luxury. It pays the bills and—”
“Do you trust me, Sylvie?”
Sylvie leaned her head way back as Mace dropped his chin to peer into her eyes. Allowing his strength to seep into her, warming the places that had grown cold, she nodded. “Yes, I do. In the middle of my world going crazy, I do trust you.”
Releasing a breath Mace had not realized he had been holding, he kissed the top of Sylvie’s head. “We’ll figure this out…together. Go pack your bags, enough for a few weeks, and we’ll head out.”
Thirty minutes later, with Mace’s SUV packed with her and David’s suitcases, they pulled out onto the road. Sylvie sat in the back with David and watched the two men in the front. Though they were silent, they appeared to be communicating. She wondered where they were going, but did not ask. She should have realized David would have no such filter.
Bouncing in the back seat, he asked outright, “Where are we going?”
Smiling, as he looked in the rearview mirror, before casting his eyes to the side, toward her, Mace said, “I’m taking you to a place that means a lot to me.”
As crazy as it seemed to be driving off toward the unknown, she met his smile. I’ve got to treat this like an adventure…at least for David’s sake. Leaning her head back against the headrest, she tried to relax, welcoming the chance to be safe and spending more time with the handsome man at the wheel.
As Mace neared the property, he glanced into the rearview mirror, seeing David’s head turned, eagerly looking at the scenery. Glancing over to Sylvie, he observed her eyes were closed, her head gently roc
king back and forth against the headrest. I wonder when was the last time she got a full night’s sleep?
Driving through the forest of Eastern White Pines and Junipers, they finally came out along the coast. He heard David gasp as the view of the ocean could be seen in the distance. He smiled, seeing the enthusiasm on the young boy’s face.
Speaking softly, so as not to wake Sylvie, he asked, “Have you spent much time on the water?”
David shook his head, his eyes never leaving the window. “No. We’ve gone to the beach a couple of times, but that’s all.”
Driving closer to the coast, his lighthouse could be seen in the distance, but he turned the SUV onto a road just short of it. Driving along a narrow lane, they came to a small cottage, about a hundred feet from the edge of the rocky border of the ocean.
Tate climbed down from the SUV and said, “I’ll call someone to come get me while you show them around. We’ll help get them settled.” With a wink toward David and a two-fingered wave toward him, he moved to the side and pulled out his phone.
Knowing David was itching to get out of the car, he twisted around, reaching between the front seats, placing his hand on Sylvie’s thigh and giving a gentle shake. “Hey, we’re here.”
She blinked her eyes open and looked around, for a moment seeming to forget where she was. Lifting her hand, she pushed her hair back from her face as she looked out the window and spied the small house. White-washed on the outside with a dark brown roof and sporting blue shutters and a blue front door, she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, is this where we’re staying?”
She jerked her head around to him and he smiled and nodded. “It’s beautiful, Mace! Absolutely charming!”
Vote Then Read: Volume III Page 300