Soldiers of Pearl 1: Invasion of Hearts (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “She did. Whatever is going on she’s not able to take full care of herself. Maybe there’s more we can do,” Rex said.

  “I think we need to be cautious, too. We don’t know her situation. Whatever she told Millie, it upset her but she didn’t share it, not even with Marco, because she didn’t want Bella to think that she was talking about her. The whole confidentiality thing. But Millie did say she felt like she was on the run. She’s scared and she has a family,” Reno said.

  “That sounds like she’s providing for them. She works a lot, from what I was able to find out from Irene. Bella’s always asking the waitresses if they need shifts covered. Irene also said that Bella was taking on odd jobs during the day for cash,” Rex said.

  “Odd jobs? Like what?” Smith asked, sounding concerned.

  “Irene wasn’t specific,” Rex added.

  “Maybe she’ll come to her senses and head back to Pearl to talk with Millie?” Brock said.

  “I say we give her another week tops and then, I’m going to talk to her. Maybe if we come here a few times a week, she’ll get more comfortable with us?” Smith suggested.

  Rex smiled. “Goddamn, Smith. I have never seen you like this.”

  “Like what?” he asked, pulling open the passenger door on Brock’s truck, obviously trying to get away from the direction this conversation might go.

  “So enthralled in a woman. You actually sound nice, when you’re talking about her.” The others chuckled.

  “What does that mean?”

  Reno laughed. “It means you’re an ornery bastard who doesn’t give a shit about what anyone says or thinks. People get out of your way when you’re walking down Main Street. Hell, you’ve come across harder than Brock at business meetings from what I’ve heard. You’ve never been described as friendly. That’s all I’m saying,” Rex teased, raising his palms up before he got into the truck chuckling.

  “Fuck you. And just because you wear a badge, we’re all roommates, and we served together doesn’t mean I won’t knock you on your ass. Let’s head home.”

  Brock and Reno chuckled and Rex smiled wide.

  “This is going to get real interesting I see.”

  * * * *

  Millie, Lena, Kenny, and Marco were talking outside the main building at the shelter when Lena’s cell phone rang. She looked down and caught Kenny’s eye. “It’s Rocky,” she said, sounding surprised. Kenny squinted his eyes. She figured he would always hold something against Rocky because of her time there and the night the fight broke out and she was struck and injured.

  “Hello?” she asked and stepped away only for Kenny to place his hand on her waist and keep close.

  She covered her other ear so she could hear Rocky.

  “Hi, Lena, it’s Rocky. How are you, honey?”

  “I’m good. How are you?”

  “Well, pretty good. I’m calling for a reason. Um…well, hell, I don’t know why I feel compelled to call you, but I know you and your friends do great work at the shelter. I’m not sure what this young lady’s situation is, but I’ve been around the block a few times and can tell you she’s running from something.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “This young woman who has been working for me at the bar for the past couple of months. She’s real sweet, got a chip on her shoulder, but handles the assholes that come in here now and then fine. Heard from some of the girls that she takes on odd jobs for cash like cleaning houses, landscaping stuff, and whatever she can get during the day. But I’m worried. She’s getting thinner and thinner.”

  Lena looked at Millie.

  “Is her name Bella?” she asked. Millie stepped forward and placed her hand on Lena’s shoulder and moved her ear to the phone. Lena lifted it so Millie could hear.

  “How did you know?” he asked. Lena explained about last Saturday. “We really don’t know much about her and we can’t force the help on her.”

  “Well, I saw she hadn’t eaten all night, and to tell you the truth I don’t think she eats. She’s gotten pretty thin in the last week. I gave her something to eat tonight and I swear it was like she won the lottery.”

  “That was real nice of you to do that for her, Rocky. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you actually have a heart.”

  He chuckled. “You best not.”

  “I think maybe Millie and I will come by the bar tomorrow night. Is she working?”

  “She works three nights, and Saturday is a double shift. She wants to work more, but I have my regular girls who’ve been here a while.”

  “Okay. We’ll see what we can do on our end. Thanks for the call.”

  “Lena, you, Millie, Anna, and the women really need to help her. I think she’s really a nice person but just on the defensive, untrusting and scared.”

  “You got it, Rocky. Thanks for the call.”

  Lena touched the end call button and looked at Millie, who appeared about to cry.

  “Well, what did he want?” Kenny asked, sounding concerned.

  Lena placed her palm against his chest. “It’s okay, Kenny. Rocky said that Bella, the woman who Millie talked to last week before she took off scared, works there. He’s concerned over her. Said she’s getting thinner and thinner. Maybe not eating but needs more hours. He thinks she’s in trouble or on the run. I think Millie and I are going to go to Rocky’s tonight and see if we can talk with her.”

  “You aren’t going there alone,” Kenny said, arms crossed in front of his chest.

  “Damn straight they aren’t. We’ll go with you. The guys can watch the kids,” Marco said. Lena shook her head at Kenny. He was always so protective of her. She loved him so much.

  “Okay, let’s make plans to do that. Right now we have a small family of four arriving from Dallas. Anna’s been on the phone with social services there the last few days confirming the family’s arrival.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Millie said. “Oh, Lena, what are you going to wear tonight?” She winked at Lena. Lena knew Millie wanted to tease Marco and Kenny.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe my short black skirt that hits yay high.” She placed her hand right below where her ass ended and her upper thighs started.

  “The hell you are, woman.” Kenny wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her against his chest. He placed his hand on her ass and squeezed her to him.

  “You feeling sassy, girl?”

  She nodded, trying to hide the laugh that was about to burst from her lips. He kissed her deeply and Lena felt that excitement and love she had envelop her entire body. When he finally released her lips, she placed her forehead against Kenny’s. “I love teasing you.”

  “I know you do. But payback’s a bitch, and Bryant, Blake, and Quinn get to punish you for that naughty behavior as well.”

  Her cheeks warmed and she turned away and locked gazes with Millie and Marco.

  “I’ve got one of those skirts, too,” Millie teased.

  “Looks like our women are going to be needing some serious discipline tonight, huh, Kenny?”

  “Looks that way, Marco. They’re adding up the points.”

  Lena looked at Millie and they both chuckled. Life was wonderful here in Pearl and in the arms of their lovers, their men. Lena thought about Bella and what her fears may be. That need to help a fellow woman on the run filled her mind. They would get through to her and make her see that Pearl and the local law were on her side. Bella needed them.

  Chapter 4

  “You don’t have anything on them? Not even a guess as to where they could possibly be right now, Kever?” Anthony asked him. He was calling from the prison. Another six weeks and Anthony would be out of jail.

  “Not a clue except the sighting six months ago in Arkansas. That info I got from the private detective I hired. You don’t think I’m trying my hardest? You don’t think I want to get my hands on Arabella.”

  “Fuck. They have two fucking babies with them and the old lady. How the hell can it be so difficult to find th
em? Those are my kids. That’s my woman and I don’t care about any judge’s ruling. I’ll make Cora pay for leaving me and I’ll make her see that staying with me. Keeping my kids and her in my life is going to be priority. As far as Arabella is concerned, she’s your problem. She took that thumb drive. I fucking know she did. We need that back pronto. You wanted her so badly, you can have her, make her see that she’ll have nothing if she doesn’t comply. Now what about Sotoro? Have you eased over his threats and accusations about the robbery?”

  “Anthony, now is not the time to discuss that. Just calm down or you’re going to get in trouble. Six weeks and you’ll be out. We’ll do a little partying, celebrate, and then pull together and track them. Arabella is a lot more capable than I gave her credit for. No offense, but Cora and their mom aren’t exactly the brightest. Plus, they’re both weak. I’m certain it was Arabella who set up that hidden camera with the recording of your phone call about the deal and of course you beating Cora, and knocking down the kid. Shit like that doesn’t go unpunished in the eyes of the law. She outsmarted you, us, and she’ll pay. Arabella will need to be taken down a few notches and I know exactly how to get my woman to comply, too.”

  “You should have cut her deeper. Made her end up in the hospital for some time so she couldn’t take them all with her somewhere. That would have put the bitch in her place.”

  “Oh, I cut her. Right along her fucking groin by her pussy so she would never forget that I own that. That piece better stay untouched.”

  “You really think she’s still a virgin?”

  “She fucking better be. Listen, sit tight and don’t fuck this up. Six weeks left and you’re out of there. I’ve got a few of the crew on standby. They’re always looking for a hunt, something to do. They’ll help track our women down. We’ll work it out. When you get out, I’ll be there with a bottle of whiskey.”

  Anthony chuckled. “Great. I’ll just suck it up another six weeks and think about how it’s going to feel to have my woman and my babies back. You be sure to be ready to handle Arabella and the old lady.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got that covered, too.” Kever picked up the knife and waved it slowly through the air. Everything was going to work out just fine.

  * * * *

  Storm Jones sat in the boardroom in the main office of Walter Conrad’s security firm in Chicago. He was still trying to decide if he wanted to buy out the company, revamp it, and bring in his crew of men. Winter and Weston were in New York negotiating a deal there, while York and Zin were doing some crazy security job for Jax and Jameson Spalding. He was leaning back in his chair, catching the attention of the cute little brunette behind the desk when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and wondered what Winter was up to. Answering the call, he heard his friend’s angry tone.

  “Don’t close on that deal. Conrad’s running a dirty business with the Cuban, Sotoro. I’ve got the heads-up from our people in the Chicago P.D. They’ve got the Feds on them and I wouldn’t be surprised if the place is tapped with surveillance. Get your ass out of there.”

  Storm was already walking down the hall to the elevator. He was pissed off. Maybe it was better to keep their businesses to New York, Texas, and Europe. With their connections to retired soldiers like themselves and great resources, maybe focusing on the security firms they had as well as the missing persons programs they worked for hire was safer.

  “I appreciate the heads-up. I’m nearly out of the building.”

  “Good. Call Mark. He wants to know if we can all make it out there in a couple of weeks for Pearl’s Spring BBQ. He was thinking we could all take a trip into Salvation and see the guys at Casper’s, too,” Winter said.

  “That would be great. Especially right now. I think Jax, Jameson, and Mariana are supposed to be in Salvation for the month. She has some new art gala event happening. We could probably make it an extended vacation.”

  “I think that’s a wise idea. We need to talk about the direction this business is going in. With expanding so quickly we can’t even keep track of what searches are legit and which ones aren’t.”

  “Listen, Winter, sometimes people lie about their reasons for searching for someone. That’s why we have the employees go through intense training to decipher if it’s legit or just some psycho ex-boyfriends looking for their ex-girlfriends. It was one situation and we took care of it before it turned into something bad.”

  “It was too fucking close. I think we need retraining. When we get back, we’ll look into having Aspen lead the new training regimen.”

  “Aspen? Are you out of your mind?” Storm chuckled. Winter had the hots for Aspen just like the rest of them, but she was Porter’s sister. A close friend they were in the Navy Seals with.

  “I will definitely need that little vacation before we start dealing with Aspen. I won’t even be able to concentrate at the office.”

  Storm chuckled. He wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t be able to concentrate. But this needed to be done, and she had proven to run the best training service around Houston and Chicago.

  “I’ll touch base with you later once the plane lands.”

  “Sounds good. Stay out of trouble.”

  “What fun would that be?”

  As Storm headed toward his awaiting private car, he noticed the limo behind his and then the driver. Immediately he recognized him as Victor Sotoro’s driver. The window rolled down and Sotoro’s face came into view.

  “You got a minute?” he asked and Winter scrunched his eyes together. He no longer dealt in the underworld of illegal criminal elements. That was when he and his buddies first came out of the service and didn’t have a pot to piss in. That was years ago.

  “I don’t think we have anything to talk about anymore, Sotoro.”

  “I think we do. Perrone is getting out of jail.”

  Storm already knew that. He had the fucking date circled on his calendar. Someone had set his ass up good. Storm and his team hated Anthony and Kever. They were dirty soldiers, dirty cops, and scuzzy low-life criminals who stole business from other people right out from under their noses. They were heading to high places in the underworld until someone got them jammed up good and Anthony took the fall. His partner Kever was smarter and stayed in the shadows. But that man had issues. He was a hired hit man and torturer. The things he did were barbaric.

  Not that Storm was one to point fingers. He, Winter, and Weston had done a lot of illegal stuff and messed people up good for loan sharks. It was good money, and they’d had a lot of fucked-up emotions in their heads when they first returned to civilian life. Things were different now. They were eighty-five percent legit.

  “That’s old water under the bridge, Sotoro.”

  “Bullshit, old water. He killed your buddy Parker.”

  “What is it that you want?”

  “I’ve been searching for someone. I can’t seem to find her anywhere. It’s like she disappeared, vanished.”

  “Do what other men do and move on, find another bimbo to bend over.”

  Sotoro chuckled. “This is different. She was different. I’ve been searching for three years. I’ve used other services and they’ve come up with shit. Your companies are the best.”

  “Quit blowing smoke. Why would I even consider helping you with this? Why do you want to find her?”

  “She can confirm whether it was Anthony and Kever who did that hit on me in the club that night. I’ve got nothing but my gut instincts here, and since you hate those fuckers, I figured you would do your best to assist me.”

  “What are you going to do with the woman when we find her?”

  “That sounded cocky.”

  “You’re the one blowing smoke about my abilities. What’s going to happen to her?”

  “I won’t hurt her. I just need the information confirmed. It’s that simple. What do you say? We can both get some revenge on Anthony Perrone.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Storm said and then walked toward his car. It had been
years since he needed a guard with him, but with people like Sotoro knowing where he was and just showing up, it made him wish he was still involved with the criminals so they knew something like this was overstepping the boundaries. He would like nothing more than to see a little revenge on Anthony, but he liked a little bit of danger every now and then. He’d talk to Winter and then make a decision.

  Chapter 5

  “I’m worried about this place. It doesn’t seem so safe anymore. Maybe we should move on,” her mother said and Arabella nodded her head.

  “Give me until the weekend. I am checking into some other possibilities, plus Rocky gave me a double shift for Saturday. Saturdays are crazy busy from opening until closing. I should make some serious cash. That ought to help a lot. I haven’t been able to pick up any odd jobs during the day all week. I was thinking about trying some of the restaurants, but if we’re planning on moving on, then it doesn’t make sense. The rent on this is due soon, too. We can make a decision on Sunday. We’ll sit down as a family and discuss it.”

  Her mom gave a soft smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She was getting older. Her hair was nearly completely gray. Arabella could remember her mom taking such pride in her hair, her beauty. She even colored her hair to hide the grays. She couldn’t do that anymore. They couldn’t afford such things. She was so worried about her daughters and the grandkids.

  Kever would have definitely tried to hurt their mother for information. Arabella wouldn’t have been able to live with that. They were better off together. She’d insisted upon coming but it seemed her asthma was getting worse without her medication. They had to get to some kind of clinic soon to get her checked out. Add that to the list. The kids needed their vaccines, too, but documenting their names in a computer system, or any recording process, could bring danger straight to them.

  “You look so tired and you’re losing weight, baby,” her mom whispered as she reached out and placed her hand on Arabella’s waist. Her expression of disappointment and sadness bothered Arabella. She was doing her best, but feeding everyone else and limiting her intake of food was starting to affect Arabella’s energy and appearance.