by Jordan Dane
Bram had my full attention until movement to my left caught my eye, a shadow under an oak tree. A lone woman walked aimlessly through the headstones under the trees on the pristine grounds, her face in shadows. I don’t know why I kept watch on her, but I did.
She had her eyes on us—on Bram.
The kid dropped to his knees at the markers for his family and placed flowers in the plastic containers planted in the ground. Jax ferried water from a nearby spigot and filled the vessels, but Bram didn’t look up from the graves. He traced his shaky fingers over his mother’s name until he broke down.
“It feels like I just…lost her again.” He sobbed. “I can’t believe I blamed her. She loved me and tried to protect us, but I…hated her.”
“You were hurt. You didn’t know what you saw.” Jax knelt beside him and put his arm around the kid.
Skye stood behind him and placed her hand on his head in a loving gesture.
“That’s over now,” Skye said. “We know what happened. Your mother was very brave…and she loved you.”
Jax and Skye held onto the kid as I stood beside them.
“She needs a headstone,” Bram said.
“Okay,” Jax said. “I can help you with that.”
“No. I mean, I have to do it.” Bram fixed his gaze on Malloy. “I’ll get a job and save money until I can afford it, but I have to do it myself.”
Fresh tears came with regrets I knew Bram would battle for the rest of his life, but buying his mother a headstone would be a good start.
When memories of my own mother flooded my mind, I quit fighting my pent up emotions and let her love into my heart. Bram’s tears were mine. Glimpses of my parents’ funeral came back, recollections I saw as if for the first time.
The pale blue dress my sister Sarah had picked for my mother to wear in the casket and the suit and tie my father wore came to me in a rush.
I understood what Bram meant when he said, ‘It feels like I just lost her again.’
As Jax and Skye comforted Bram, I looked for the woman I’d seen earlier. This time she let me see her face and she smiled. She wore the same blue dress Sarah had picked for her.
My mother had found me.
Chapter 12
FBI headquarters
Quantico, Virginia
Next morning
Ryker Townsend
After I grabbed my second cup of coffee for the morning, I settled behind my desk to catch up on emails after my trip to Dallas. When my phone rang, I didn’t take my eyes off the computer screen when I answered.
“Townsend.”
“Thank you for the flowers.”
I recognized the voice of my Unit Chief and if I trusted my ears, she had a smile on her face as she spoke to me. I shoved my computer keyboard away and sat back in my chair.
I had sent a different kind of thank you to Sinead Royce for her vital help on Bram’s case—a life-sized replica of Wonder Woman. I had it delivered to her house without a note giving me credit. If it gave her joy, that would be reward enough for me.
“How do you know the flowers are from me?” Yeah, I could do coy. “I didn’t send a card.”
“You’re the only one I’ve told my Gloriosa story to. You remembered.”
“You tell a good story.” I smiled.
My unit chief had steely eyes when she needed to make a point, but as a strong woman, she had a feminine side, too.
I wanted to show my gratitude for the trust she placed in me and make my appreciation personal. Unit Chief Reynolds had recruited me from UMD during the time I had lost my parents—my beloved mother—and without Reynolds knowing it, she’d become more to me than I would ever admit to her.
I don’t know what she saw in me during those days. I went through the motions of my existence and only marginally coped with my grief, but I didn’t often remember doing it. I lost countless days, yet I received a job offer from the FBI—from Anne Reynolds.
Hunting down a rare flower for my Unit Chief was the least I could do.
The Gloriosa originated in its native South Africa and Asia, a unique and rare find in D.C., but I knew a grower of rare hot house flowers. Long tendrils supported the weight of the showy bloom. Delicate petals changed colors from center to tip and came in deep reds, fiery oranges, and greenish-yellows.
“Are you done with your extra-curriculars?” she asked. “Is everything okay with you?”
I thought about my answer before I said the first trite thing that came to my mouth. I owed her honesty.
“It was a good trip,” I said. “But like most things, it’s a step in the journey.”
After I’d lost my mom and dad, I thought of my life as a journey that I had to continue on my own, but maybe I’d been wrong. Perhaps I needed to shed who I thought I was as their son and find a different path to become the man I was always meant to be.
“I hear that,” she said. “Thank you, Ryker.”
When I ended the call, flashes of my mother’s smile filled my mind and heart. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes, content to stay in her company.
***
Woodbridge, Virginia
South of Washington, D.C.
Evening
Ryker Townsend
My first clue had been finding flower petals on my front step. Red roses. My second clue was the heady intoxicating aroma of Lucinda’s Chicken Marsala and fresh garlic bread wafting from my kitchen as I opened my front door. Ivory candles lit the bedroom and the kitchen. Rose petals had been tossed onto the turned down bed linens. She’d set the stage and everything looked perfect.
She made me feel loved.
“Lucy, I’m home.” I did my best Ricky Ricardo as I shrugged out of my suit jacket and shoulder holster and set them aside.
Lucinda grinned and rolled her eyes as she reached for me. Her fingers tugged at my tie and slipped it off, inch by inch, to toss it over her shoulder. Without a word, she pulled me into her arms and held me.
Crowley knew how to hug.
“I made your favorite.” She nuzzled my neck. Her tongue drove me crazy. “I turned off the burner. We can heat it up…after.”
I didn’t have to ask, ‘After what?’
“I missed you.” She held my face in her hands and kissed my lips, deep and slow. When she felt my body react to her ministrations, she lowered her voice and said, “I can see you missed me, too.”
I lifted Lucinda off the floor and carried her to my bathroom. Piece by piece, I removed every garment she wore and took my time. We made love under a hot stream of water, lathering our bodies with silky soap suds. My hands caressed and pleasured her body and when I entered her, I never wanted our love to end.
Lucinda Crowley had become my home.
For More Stories of Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue Series with Amazon Kindle Worlds, visit her site for other authors in the series at this link:
http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com/BooksDallasFireAndRescueKindleWorld.html
More from Jordan Dane
https://www.amazon.com/Jordan-Dane/e/B001IGUQPO/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Mercer’s War Series:
Mr. January (Book 1)
Out for Blood (Book 2)
Crossover with Sable Hunter’s Hell Yeah Amazon Kindle World
Vigilante Justice (Book 3)
Crossover with Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors Series
Ryker Townsend FBI Profiler Series:
The Last Victim (Book 1-Novel)
Redemption for Avery (Book 2)
Crossover Special Forces: Operation Alpha Novella – Susan Stoker Amazon Kindle World
In the Eyes of the Dead (Book 3)
Crossover with Desiree Holt’s Omega Team Amazon Kindle World
The Darkness within Him (Book 4)
Crossover with Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue Series (July 20)
Coming 2017
Jordan Dane will be writing for these great Amazon Kindle Worlds:
Susan Stoker’
s Special Forces: Operation Alpha (Fall 2017)
Desiree Holt’s Phoenix Agency (Nov 2017)
About the Author
Bestselling, critically-acclaimed author Jordan Dane’s gritty thrillers are ripped from the headlines with vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor. Publishers Weekly compared her intense novels to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag, naming her debut novel NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM as Best Books of 2008. She also pens young-adult novels for Harlequin Teen. Formerly an energy sales manager, she writes full time and shares her Texas residence with two lucky rescue dogs.
Connect with Jordan Dane:
Social Media Links:
Website http://www.JordanDane.com
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/JordanDane
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JordanDaneAuthor
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/jordandane/
Thriller/Crime Fiction Blogs:
The Kill Zone https://killzoneblog.com/
Sign Up for Jordan Dane’s Mailing List for Exclusive Content:
http://www.jordandane.com/mailing.php
Bibliography
Avon/HarperCollins Titles:
NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM – No One Standalone
NO ONE LEFT TO TELL – No One Series Book 1
NO ONE LIVES FOREVER – No One Series Book 2
EVIL WITHOUT A FACE – Sweet Justice Series Book 1
THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD – Sweet Justice Series Book 2
THE ECHO OF VIOLENCE – Sweet Justice Series Book 3
RECKONING FOR THE DEAD – Sweet Justice Series Book 4
The Omega Team Novella Series – Desiree Holt’s Amazon Kindle World:
HOT TARGET (Novella 1 of 2)
TOUGH TARGET (Novella 2 of 2)
IN THE EYES OF THE DEAD (Crossover: Jordan Dane’s Ryker Townsend Series-Book 3)
The Special Forces: Operation Alpha Series – Susan Stoker’s Amazon Kindle World:
REDEMPTION FOR AVERY (Crossover: Jordan Dane’s Ryker Townsend series-Book 2)
Dallas Fire & Rescue – Paige Tyler’s Amazon Kindle World:
THE DARKNESS WITHIN HIM (Crossover: Jordan Dane’s Ryker Townsend series-Book 4)
Ryker Townsend – FBI Profiler Series – In Order
THE LAST VICTIM (A Ryker Townsend Novel-Book 1)
REDEMPTION FOR AVERY (A Ryker Townsend Novella-Book 2)
IN THE EYES OF THE DEAD (A Ryker Townsend Novella-Book 3)
THE DARKNESS WITHIN HIM (A Ryker Townsend Novella-Book 4)
Mercer War Series:
MR. JANUARY–Book #1
OUT FOR BLOOD–Book #2 (Crossover: Sable Hunter’s Hell Yeah! Amazon Kindle World)
VIGILANTE JUSTICE–Book #3 (Crossover: Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors Amazon Kindle World)
Harlequin Teen Young Adult Novels:
IN THE ARMS OF STONE ANGELS
ON A DARK WING
INDIGO AWAKENING – The Hunted Series Book 1 of 2
CRYSTAL STORM – The Hunted Series Book 2 of 2
Cosas Finas Publications – Crime:
BLOOD SCORE (A Gabe Cronan Novel)
THE LAST VICTIM (A Ryker Townsend Novel-Book 1)