Wallflowers: One Heart Remains

by CP Smith

  “We could get a tattoo instead,” I blurted out. Their stunned faces dampened my excitement. “Or not.”

  Sienna had started to back out, but she stopped and put the car in park. Cali leaned forward and placed her hands on the back of my seat, her stunned features melting into a smile like I’d offered to clean her whole apartment for her. And maybe her laundry too.

  “A tattoo?” Sienna questioned.

  I nodded. Liking the idea more and more. “I think we should get matchin’ ones. Symbols of our unity as Wallflowers. My life has changed so much in the past two weeks, and it’s all because of you and our friendship. I want a constant reminder to be strong. To put myself out there. To love unconditionally like we love each other.”

  “That’s beautiful,” Sienna said. “I’ve always wanted a tattoo—I have a whole Pinterest page dedicated to it, in fact—and a symbol of our friendship would be perfect.”

  “Are we talkin’ about a Sons of Anarchy-type tattoo? Like huge on the back?” Cali asked cautiously.

  I shook my head in a rapid, jerky motion. Was she nuts?

  “No. Somethin’ small. A design that only we would understand or maybe a delicate flower. Somethin’ that says us.”

  “Delicate?” Sienna snorted.

  We burst out laughing. Wallflowers grow under any condition, they’re hardly petunias that need constant care to look good . . . We were wild and free. Sturdy. Driven to grab hold of life and see where it took us. Delicate wouldn’t be the first word I use to describe us. But, in a tattoo, it appealed.

  Sienna pulled out her phone. I watched as she pulled up her Pinterest app and opened her page. My heart began to pound with excitement, loving the idea of a permanent link with these women. No matter where life took us, we’d have a constant reminder of our bond as sisters.

  “Delicate tattoos I have. In fact, I think I have the perfect one. I found this designer and saved her work on my page. We’d need to pay her for her design, so we couldn’t get it done tonight.”

  “It doesn’t have to be today.” I murmured.

  “Are you likely to chicken out if we don’t do it tonight?” she questioned.

  I considered it, rolling it around in my brain. After that, I bounced the idea off the roof of the car, then tossed it like a salad—Caesar, of course—until I realized she was waiting for an answer. “I’m still thinkin’.”

  She kept scanning through images while I examined the deepest, darkest yearnings of my heart. Was a tattoo in there? Nope. No tattoo. I found Nate. Signed copies of the Crossfire Series by Sylvia Day, (because Gideon) and my beautiful Wallflower sisters. Hmmm. Would my life be incomplete if I didn’t get a—

  “It’s a yes or no question,” Sienna cut in, nudging my shoulder.

  I turned to stick my tongue out at her—I’ve heard this is what little sisters do—but gasped instead. She was holding up her phone, and the image on the screen was perfection.

  A simple hand-drawn W with curling swashes and a flower stared back at me. The designer’s name was Simple Sally, and that said it all. Less is more I’d always heard, and the simple but stylish W was exactly that.

  “A simple W for being a Wallflower. It’s perfect.”

  I turned the phone to show Cali. Her eyes lit up when she saw it. “It’s perfect. How long do you think it will take to get a copy of the design?”

  “I emailed her once and she said each design is custom and takes her about a week.”

  I looked at Cali then back at Sienna. “Are we in agreement? We’re gettin’ inked?”

  They both said, “Yes!” with an excitement that made my heart grow. These incredible women were my friends. My sisters. And soon we’d have a permanent reminder of our bond.

  “Are we still headin’ to Tybee?” Sienna asked, putting her car in reverse.

  “Might as well. I gave Nate Dragon’s name, so I have a feeling he’ll be tied up most of the night.”

  _______________

  Nate jerked his chin at Knox when he pulled a chair up to the booth. The man looked haunted. As if he’d aged ten years since he’d seen him the night before. Turning in his seat, Nate flagged a server and held up his beer, indicating he needed another round with four fingers. Though, from the look on Knox’s face, he probably needed something harder.

  “Bring me up to speed,” Knox ordered, no lead up with pleasantries. He was a trained agent, and he wanted the details and nothing else. That worked for Nate. Knox would never be his favorite person, so the quicker they dealt with him, the better.

  Nate looked at his friends then turned to Knox. “Poppy gave me a name.”

  Knox drew air deep into his lungs and held Nate’s eyes for a moment. He could tell Poppy’s father was hanging on by a thread. As misguided as his actions were, abandoning Poppy to keep her safe, it had to be eating away at the man. He’d missed out on watching her grow up, only to find out she’d been abused.

  “What’s his name?” Knox growled finally.

  Nate waited until Knox calmed down, then said one word. “Dragon.” He watched for signs of recognition on the older man’s face, but Knox looked confused instead.

  “Who the fuck is Dragon?” he bit out.

  Nate clenched his teeth. He’d hoped the name would spark recognition and they’d have a lock on the man.

  “Poppy thought it might be a biker name,” Nate stated. “But she’s not sure. She was young when it happened and said she could have given him that name because of the fear.”

  Knox brought both hands up to his face and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. “I will kill this fucker when we find him,” Knox mumbled low.

  Nate glanced at Bo. He’d heard Knox’s vow; his eyes were sharp. Assessing. “You kill this man, and you’ll end up leavin’ Poppy and Sienna all over again.”

  Knox lowered his hands and looked around the table, saying nothing. He almost looked arrogant when he held Strawn’s alert expression.

  “Don’t,” Strawn bit out. “You aren’t usin’ Sienna to get me to look the other way.”

  “I’ve been workin’ undercover for over twenty-five years. You’ll never be able to pin this on me.”

  “You keep talkin’, and I’ll put you behind bars now.”

  Knox sat back and took in Strawn’s measure. The admiration that normally showed on his face when he spoke with Sienna’s man was gone. “I left my daughter to protect her and placed her in the path of a monster.”

  The hardness in Bo’s expression shifted to compassion. “Blamin’ yourself and exactin’ revenge will only hurt Poppy and Sienna.”

  Frustration poured off of Knox. He slammed his fist down on the table. “He deserves worse than death!”

  The restaurant grew quiet at his outburst, and Martine began heading their way. Nate needed to contain him before he lost control. “Let’s move this to my office.”

  “Apartment’s better,” Devin said, jerking his head toward the door. “We can have the girls wait out here.”

  “The wee lassies left about twenty minutes ago,” Martine said as she walked up.

  “Left?” Nate, Bo, and Devin said in unison, pulling out their phones.

  “Aye. Saw them myself. Is that a problem?”

  “Depends on what they’re doin’,” Nate rumbled low.

  He hit Poppy’s number and waited for it to connect. A moment later it rang. In the bar. Shinedown’s cover of “Simple Man,” the ringtone Poppy had set for Nate’s number this morning, blared from behind a column to Nate’s left. He turned his head to search for her and heard Maroon 5’s “Sugar,” the ringtone Cali had set for Devin, join in.

  Devin shook his head at the song. “I haven’t ranked Skynyrd yet, but you have after one night?”

  Nate started to rise with the phone still at his ear. He smirked at Devin’s mock outrage, wondering why Poppy hadn’t answered, when Bo bit out, “You’re headed to Tybee with the girls?”

  Nate whipped around in time to see a flash of red hair and dark sungla
sses dash toward the exit.

  Natalie was back.

  And for some reason had two of the Wallflowers’ phones.

  She was halfway to the front door before Nate was in pursuit. He maneuvered around customers, dodging servers with food-laden trays. He wasn’t going to catch her before she made it out the door and into the crowded street, so he bellowed at the top of his lungs, “Stop the redhead. She’s tryin’ to leave without payin’,” at his hostess.

  Natalie looked over her shoulder at him with disgust but kept going, trying to dodge the hostess. Seconds later, Natalie was on the ground. His hostess was a SCAD student. One who’d studied karate since she was five. She’d dropped that nugget of information the first time he’d argued with her that she shouldn’t walk home on her own.

  The bar erupted into cheers when Lydia, his hostess, put her foot on Natalie’s back to hold her down while she struggled to get up.

  “Got it,” Bo said next to him, then leaned down over Natalie and pulled out his cuffs. “You have the right to remain silent.”

  “This is outrageous,” Natalie whined, as Bo pulled her to her feet. “I didn’t even order anything.”

  “I’m arresting you for theft,” Bo answered, opening her purse. He pulled out two cell phones.

  Nate grabbed Poppy’s. “Take her to my office.”

  Bo led the way, guiding Natalie through the tables. She still had her sunglasses on, unrecognizable to his patrons as Fox 28’s newest street reporter. Nate’s hand twitched to yank them off, so she’d be recognized.

  Knox and Devin were waiting for them, opening the door for Bo when they walked up. They escorted Natalie inside his office then shut the door. Bo dropped her gently into one of Nate’s chairs then crossed his arms and glared at her.

  “You’ve got five seconds to explain before I call this in.”

  Nate yanked her glasses off then. He wanted to see her eyes, so he’d know if she was lying.

  “Look, Hot Cop,” Natalie sighed, “you take these cuffs off me, and I’ll pretend I haven’t been unlawfully detained. Better yet, take the cuffs off me and escort me through the back, and I’ll promise not to do a whole segment on police brutality, featuring you.”

  “How did you steal their phones?” Nate asked, ignoring her threat.

  Her eyes drifted to his, and she deadpanned him. Gone was the flirt who’d spent a whole day trying to convince Nate she was still interested in him. “I found them. You can’t arrest me for finding a phone.” The last bit was directed at Bo.

  “What game are you playin’ at?” Devin asked.

  She shrugged a shoulder. “No idea what you mean.”

  Devin bent his knees, bracing his hands on them so he could look deeply into her eyes. He studied her for a moment then shook his head in disgust. “I was sure you’d never make it in this business, but you’re a fuckin’ natural, aren’t you?”

  Natalie crossed her arms. “If you mean I’ll stop at nothing to get a story, then yeah I am.”

  Nate sighed. “So the tears. The wantin’ to catch up. Your mother comin’ in and makin’ you apologize was what? Some game you were playin’ for a fuckin’ story?”

  She rolled her eyes with impatience and boredom. “Honestly, I figured if I came at you like I still had feelings, you might open up for old times’ sake. Momma was incensed that I would piss you off after looking out for me all through college, so yes, she made me apologize, pointing out that if I was doing this ‘cause of my old crush, it wouldn’t work.”

  “And why’s that?” Devin rumbled low.

  Natalie eyed him with indifference. “Because you’re in love with those women, so no amount of batting my eyes was gonna turn your attention. I went with a different approach to my story.”

  “Stealin’ their phones?” Bo supplied.

  “Why no, officer,” she smiled sweetly and batted her eyes, “I found them laying on the ground. I just haven’t had time to hunt down their owners yet.”

  “Explain to me why you’re still pursuin’ this story when the senator has already stepped down?” Nate questioned.

  Her eyes shot briefly to Knox then back to his, her face a mask of innocence. Nate froze where he stood. If she was sniffing around Knox and stealing the girls’ phones, that meant she was after a different story altogether.

  Knox caught the byplay, his body stiffening as the implication settled into his bones. He struck then, not hesitating to intimidate her with deadly intent. “You don’t know me,” he began with icy precision, “but I’ll clue you in. I don’t suffer fools. Back off whatever it is you think you know, or I’ll make you wish you never heard of my daughters.”

  Natalie looked amused, not frightened. “Right. Ever heard of the First Amendment? Oh wait, you have. We discussed this yesterday, didn’t we? When Poppy explained so eloquently how she could protect her family from enemies. Foreign or domestic.” Natalie chuckled at her joke. “So you know you can’t do jack to shut me up, Mister Agent Man.”

  Nate didn’t know what happened to that sweet kid from college, but the woman who replaced her curdled his stomach.

  Knox raked his attention across Natalie’s arrogant, confident exterior then leaned down and whispered, “I don’t suffer fools, Ms. Rhodes. I make them disappear. And for my daughters, I’d do whatever it takes and spend the rest of my life in prison without regret.”

  Natalie paled and swallowed hard. “D-did you just threaten me?”

  He searched her eyes like a predator stalking his prey, letting his answer draw out until Natalie was shaking with fear. The federal agent, one capable of letting his daughter go all those years ago, was not a man you pushed. And Natalie had pushed the wrong fucking button on the wrong fucking day. “I threaten fools,” Knox answered, his tone melodic yet infinitely intimidating. “Tell me, Natalie, are you a fool?”

  Her head shook rapidly. Knox smiled and put out his hand to shake hers. She looked at it as if it would strike her, then placed hers in his and shook it. “Can I go now?”

  “That depends,” Bo said. “Are you done hidin’ around corners, lookin’ for a story that involves my friends?”

  Natalie nodded emphatically. “Then you’re free to go.”

  Nate hid a smile when she bolted out of her chair. “Later,” he said when she donned her sunglasses.

  “Not likely,” she mumbled, then threw open the office door and hightailed it out.

  “She’s a good actress,” Bo commented. “I would have laid down money she was genuine when she was flirtin’ with you, Nate.”

  “I knew,” Knox said. “She was too calculating. For every reaction Poppy had, she countered it with something to incite her fears. It was classic manipulation. One I’ve used on many occasions.”

  “Includin’ today?” Bo questioned.

  Knox inclined his head in agreement.

  “Back to the matter at hand,” Nate said. “You don’t know anyone with the nickname Dragon, so we need to talk to Shirley. She’s more likely to open up to you, so call her and see if she’ll come down here.”

  Knox pulled out his phone and exited the office. Nate watched him leave, glad he’d calmed down. “So the girls said they’re in Tybee?” he asked Devin.

  Devin pulled out his phone and opened an app. “I hid the GPS units where they won’t find them this time.”

  “You’re a paranoid bastard,” Nate chuckled.

  Devin ignored him. “You both should be thankin’ me with the amount of time your women spend with mine. Calla’s a fuckin’ heiress with enemies. This way we don’t have to wait on the FBI if they go missin’.”

  Nate didn’t argue, and neither did Bo. Not with their history. “Where are they now?”

  Devin punched more buttons. “Tybee. Just like they said.”

  “Do we trust them not to cause trouble?” Bo asked.

  “We’ve got shit to do, so we don’t have a choice,” Nate answered.

  “Fuckin’ headache,” Bo sighed.

  “Pain in th
e ass,” Devin agreed.

  “Wallflowers,” Nate reminded them. “It goes without sayin’.”

  Fourteen

  DRAGON

  A RELUCTANT SHIRLEY GENTRY showed up at Nate’s apartment thirty minutes after Knox called her. They gathered in Nate’s living room, the tension so thick it was suffocating. Nate leaned against a wall closest to Knox, Devin on the other side, and listened while Strawn asked the questions they needed answers to—keeping an eye on Knox at the same time—in case he lost his composure again.

  “Do you know a man from your past who goes by the name Dragon?” Bo asked without prelude.

  Shirley glanced at Knox with confusion. “What’s this about?”

  “Just answer the question,” Knox said briskly.

  She jerked at his tone. “No. I don’t know anyone named Dragon.”

  Knox pushed off the wall but held his composure. “We need to find this man, so if you have the slightest clue about his identity, we need to know.”

  Her eyes shifted to Nate then back to Knox. “What’s this about, and why’s he here?” she asked with derision.

  “This is about Poppy,” Nate answered. “I’m here because I protect what’s mine.”

  “Like you protected your mother?” she spit out with venom. “Are you gonna kill me too if you don’t like my answers?”

  “Enough!” Knox barked. “This isn’t about Jacobs.”

  Shirley shrank back at Knox’s anger. “Then tell me what this is about. You’re askin’ about a dragon, so I can only assume it’s about the bad dreams Poppy used to have.”

  Knox grew deathly calm, and his voice became like ice. “You never told me she was having bad dreams when I checked in. But then I’m learning there was a lot you left out.”

  Nate took a step closer to Shirley, prepared to stand between the two if need be.

  “She was a child. They all have bad dreams,” she answered, but she looked nervous.

  “Ms. Gentry.” Strawn drew her attention to defuse the tension in the room. “What were her dreams about?”

  Her brows pulled low on her forehead, frustration etched like a map across her face. “What does it matter?”