Sacrifice Love: Saints Protection & Investigations

by Maryann Jordan

  Fighting the urge to tell him to mind his own business, she forced herself to smile. “No, Mr. Tibbons. I promise you, I won’t regret this. To be honest, I was never very happy in this house.” Or marriage, she wanted to add, but refrained. “I have called the storage facility in Richland. Actually, it’s on the western side of town, near where my parents live so it should be convenient for you to get to. Once there, just place all of Adam’s belongings toward the back, if you will. The odds and end furniture can go in next and then anything labeled kitchen, books, or mine can be near the front.”

  Nodding, Mr. Tibbons stuck out his hand. “Will do.”

  “Thank you so much,” she said sincerely, her hand still grasped in his.

  “Miss Danielle, you don’t have to thank me. You did my family real good when momma had a stroke. My wife always said you were a saint.” With that, he turned and walked back to the truck. After securing the load, he climbed in. He and his assistant pulled out of her driveway, leaving her very much alone.

  Dani closed the front door before walking into the kitchen to pull out a lone water bottle from the refrigerator. The cold liquid poured down her raw-from-crying throat and soothed her nerves. She wandered through the house one last time, glancing into each room to make sure everything was gone. It was. Who am I kidding? I just want one more tortuous walk through to remind me of what I thought I had…and what a mess I’ve made of my life.

  She glanced out onto the small wooden deck, complete with an old gas grill provided by the owners of the house. Adam had sworn they would have lots of cookouts, but she only remembered one time he invited some buddies over. He preferred going out. The spare bedroom had rarely been used for anything other than storage. The bathroom had been cleaned—she threw his toiletries away last night in a fit of rage after the wake.

  She looked into the master bedroom, her eyes naturally going to the bed, stark and bare without the colorful comforter she had loved. Adam had been a gentle lover, if somewhat unadventurous. Must have saved that for his women on the side. She closed her eyes for a moment, the agony of what went on in that room threatening to overwhelm her to the point of falling, catatonic to the floor. In…out…in…out. She breathed deeply until the emotion passed, once more replaced with resolution.

  Checking the closets, she walked to the front of the house. The living room, kitchen, and dining room looked the same as the day they moved in. Adam had been full of promises. Shaking her head, she almost smiled. Why did I expect a leopard to change his spots? He had been full of it alright…just not full of promises he could keep.

  Closing the door behind her with a resounding click, she walked to her car refusing to look anymore at the memories and regret slamming into her. Pulling out of the driveway, she sucked in a deep breath once again battling the threatening tears. Dashing them away, she maneuvered to the highway taking her to her Richland, and her parents’ house, until she could find a new place to live. One devoid of any reminders of the past…and that includes Chad. At least the last part of that wish was what she tried to convince herself.

  Chapter 3

  Two days later Chad arrived at the Saints’ compound located on Jack’s property. Driving through the security gate after entering the code, he breathed deeply as the first peace in almost a week slid over him. The familiar long driveway through mature trees, then coming into the clearing where Jack’s house stood with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background, eased a tension headache he had sported since leaving Dani. Late winter gave way to early spring and the green buds on the trees mixed with the evergreens gave the land a fresh coat of green paint. Parking his old jalopy next to the other trucks and SUVs in front of Jack’s house, he bounded up the front steps to the wide porch.

  Jack’s wife, Bethany, looked up in surprise as he entered. “Chad, I didn’t expect you back so soon. Welcome home.” The pretty blonde, exuding a girl-next-door beauty, moved from her desk in the corner of the living room toward him, arms outstretched. She wrapped her arms around him in a genuine hug. “I’m so sorry about your friend,” she said, looking up into his face, her eyes searching. “I can tell how difficult this is for you.”

  Giving her a squeeze, he shook his head. “Just tired from a long, and not very pleasant, journey.”

  She moved to the kitchen where she plated some cobbler. “You can take it on down. They’ve already had theirs,” she grinned.

  Smiling in return, he took the offered treat and made his way down the stairs to the secure working area for the Saints. The compound consisted of a spacious conference room complete with computer equipment, monitoring screens for the security aspect of the business, secure video conferencing equipment used for the many virtual meetings with government officials, and then Luke’s station where he managed to hack into most systems needed. Smaller rooms were filled with ammunition, weapons, safety equipment, and just about anything else they might need. A locker room, complete with bunk beds, was in another area for times when they worked around the clock at the compound. The back stairs led to a garage entrance.

  The other Saints looked up as he came in. Jack, their no-nonsense leader, cocked his head in Chad’s direction. “You okay? You didn’t say much when you called to say you were back and would be here today.” The normally taciturn boss gazed at Chad with concern in his expression.

  Chad slid into his seat, his face filled with honest emotion. Raw. Painful.

  Cam, a former undercover police detective, leaned forward resting his forearms on the table as he peered at Chad. “Don’t play poker, bro. Your face tells a story and it’s not a good one.”

  Chad nodded, saying, “Yeah, well, when trying to defuse a bomb, you don’t exactly have to hide your intentions from it.” He chuckled as he thought of the different roles they played. Cam’s face gave away nothing. The large, Hispanic man had grown up in the gangs of El Paso and could break into any place needed. In contrast, his best friend Bart’s, easy-going manner belied the former SEAL’s stealth and strength.

  Luke poured Chad a cup of his potent coffee and, sitting it down in front of him, said, “Looks like you need my special brew.”

  “Jesus, Luke. That strong shit’ll keep him up for days,” Marc joked, “He looks like he needs sleep.” The former CIA pilot was at home in the wilds and had no trouble cooking over an open campfire, but he was awed and a little intimidated by Luke’s complicated coffee maker.

  “You’re just jealous because I brew the best shit, as you call it,” Luke retorted, his hair already ruffled from running his hand through it as the caffeine did its job. The former CIA computer analyst and resident hacker could find anything the Saints needed when it came to information. His people skills were slightly off kilter, but with a computer, he was a genius.

  Chad looked at Monty, the dapper, former FBI agent. “You and Angel okay?” When the call had come to Chad about Adam’s death, the Saints were just finishing an assignment involving three murdered women and the attempted murder of a fourth—Monty’s girlfriend.

  “Yeah, thanks, man,” Monty responded. “Her new bakery is up and running, and she moved into my place…for now.” The others laughed and Monty continued, “I know, I know. But we’ll wait a bit before looking to buy something.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Chad acknowledged. He looked around at his friends and co-workers. Only six months ago, they had all been single. Now Jack was married to Bethany, the cabin rental owner next door. Cam married Miriam, a nurse who was his rescue mission from last fall. Bart was now engaged to Faith, the pretty woman with the gift of sight that helped them on a kidnapping case last Christmas. Jude, another former SEAL, was engaged to Bart’s cousin, Sabrina. And Monty, the serious one of the group, was living with Angel, his exact opposite and owner of Angel’s Cupcake Heaven.

  Not many of us still single. Don’t think that’ll change for me anytime soon.

  Blaise walked into the room, his hands up in apology. “I’m sorry to be late. Daisy’s close to giving birth and I want
ed to make sure she was fine before I left.” He looked over, seeing Chad. “Hey, man. Sorry to hear about your friend.”

  Chad nodded once more, glad his friends truly cared, but thought, I’ll be glad when the condolences are over. Plastering on a smile, he acknowledged, “Your dog doing okay?”

  Blaise, a veterinarian, formerly with DEA, more at ease with animals than people, smiled. “Yeah, for a mutt found abandoned on my street, she’s a sweetie. Seems to be doing great and I should have puppies in the next day or so.”

  Jack, turning the conversation back to business, quickly went over the new assignments. When they were not involved in a case large enough for all of them to be working on, they divided the security installations and monitoring. The Saints did not handle personal or small-business security. They left that for the numerous other companies with the ability to perform the task. The Saints were called in when large companies or government agencies needed computer, building, or personnel security.

  “After solving Senator Creston’s daughter’s murder and the subsequent murders that went along with that case, we have some down time. Work on your assignments as they come and we’ll meet back here at the end of the week.”

  Chad spoke up, “Before we leave, Jack, I wanted to ask if you had an objection to me investigating a little into the explosion that killed my friend.” He hastened to say, “I know the FBI and ATF are on it, obviously, but I’d like to keep up on their investigation.”

  Jack eyed the Saint with the biggest heart, seeing the pain etched on his face. “I’ve got no objection at all. I’ve read the preliminary report…”

  Chad nodded, continuing, “The initial investigation puts it squarely in the terrorist camp. It’s one thing to know ISIS has a long arm into this country, with cells everywhere. But it’s different when someone you know was killed by them. And in this country. The agencies are looking to find out what they can about whoever was in that house and what other places they may be located waiting to blow the shit out of the next unsuspecting person.” His passionate speech over, he leaned heavily back in his chair, rubbing his hand over his face.

  “You mentioned your friend had a wife. How’s she holding up?” Marc asked.

  Chad looked around the table seeing nothing but concerned faces. He shook his head, “I honestly don’t know. I fucked things up a long time ago with her and it doesn’t look like I’ll be unfucking them anytime soon.”

  The others wisely kept quiet, knowing Chad would share more, if and when, he decided to. Walking over to Luke as the group headed up the stairs, he asked, “Can you set me up with some general surveillance on my laptop?”

  “Sure,” Luke answered, not questioning why Chad made such a request. “What do you need?”

  “I’d like to be able to keep tabs on Danielle Houston Turner. Nothing too intrusive, just…” he shook his head, “I guess that’s an oxymoron, right? Non-intrusive surveillance.”

  Chuckling, Luke agreed. “No worries, man. You want to make sure Adam’s widow is okay. What are you looking for?”

  “Just her address and if she changes her phone number. And employment. Our friendship is…I guess you could say strained at best. I want to make sure she’s okay even if I’m the last person on earth she wants to be around.”

  Luke peered closely at his friend, seeing grief as well as regret. “You got it, man. I’ll get it set up today.”

  Slapping Luke’s shoulder in thanks, Chad headed up the stairs after the others.

  *

  “Honey, are you sure you don’t want any dinner?”

  Dani closed her eyes for a moment, loving her parents’ concern…and hating her parents’ concern. She would have never considered moving back into her childhood home if she had not been desperate to get out of the house she shared with Adam.

  Taking a deep breath, she replied, “I’m sure, mom. I’ll eat a bite later when I feel like it.” The truth was her stomach had been churning since she first received the call about Adam’s death. Moving from the den, out to the sunporch, she sat on the glider letting the swaying motion ease her tension.

  She loved the glassed-in porch, the sun beating down creating a warmth enveloping her even though the early spring day was cool. It seemed she was unable to get warm. The cold of the funeral had seeped into her bones and nothing gave comfort. Sipping a cup of hot tea, she closed her eyes, allowing her mind to flow with thoughts…memories.

  Had it only been less than two years since she, Chad, and Adam met and formed the odd Three Musketeers? At first, it was so obvious Adam wanted to get into her pants and equally as obvious Chad did not want him to. Once she made sure Adam knew that was not going to happen, the three became friends. Her office was not in the same location as theirs, but she lived close enough for them to hang out whenever they could.

  Turning her face up to the sun, she remembered the day Chad told her he was going to take a six-month overseas assignment. Sighing, the crushing weight of the day he left, as though it was yesterday, pressed down on her.

  Taking him to the airport that morning, my heart ached. Six months! Why did that seem like forever? He turned and smiled, giving me that endearing expression of his. I cared for him as a good friend. As a fellow ATF agent. And more? Yeah, I wish there was more. Sometimes I would look at him and be almost certain he felt something for me as well. But Chad was so goddamn cautious. At least emotionally. The first to put his life on the line in his job with ATF…but not his heart.

  Just before moving on to his transport, he turned and looked at me, his blue eyes capturing my complete attention. It was as though there was something on his mind. Something he wanted to say. I hoped. I waited, desperate for him to tell me he cared. To ask me to wait for him. Please, anything to give me an indication that he wanted more than friendship. But nothing. Not a word.

  Pulling me in tightly he kissed me on the head and said, “I’ll see you in six months. Then…well, then…maybe—”

  The announcement for his flight interrupted what he was saying and he just smiled and walked away. I stood watching until I could no longer see his large body moving away from me. The cold seeped into my soul, not knowing if I would ever see him again. My heart broke, watching the man I love leave.

  Dani startled as her mother walked into the sunroom, a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich in her hand. “I know you’re twenty-seven years old, hardly a child, and the last thing you need is an overbearing mom. I just thought some comfort food might taste good.”

  Dani had to admit the smell of the food made her stomach rumble and not in a bad way. Smiling, she took the plate from her mom’s hands. “You’re right, mom, this’ll be perfect. I guess I was hungry after all.”

  Her mom sat on the lounger opposite of the glider and looked out over the yard. “The flowers should be blooming in another month. That’ll be nice. I love the color and it gets your father out of the house and tinkering in the shed.”

  The two women shared a chuckle at the thought of her father putzing in his shed with his tools. Usually something needed working on, whether it was the mower, blower, chainsaw, or some other garden implement.

  The sandwich was quickly devoured and Dani laid the plate on the glass-topped, end table beside the glider. She and her mother continued to sit in companionable silence for a few minutes.

  “Do you want to talk about anything?” her mother asked, worry lacing her features. An older version of Dani, she and her daughter had always been close. But the past several months Dani had distanced herself from her family.

  Dani smiled wanly, taking a deep breath. “Mom, things are so messed up right now, I don’t even know what to do.” Her parents had been at the wake, but left with Adam’s parents right before the disaster. She had not explained anything that occurred after that. They were curious, but willing to wait.

  Dani’s father wandered out to the sunroom, seeing his daughter and wife sitting there. He had heard the last thing Dani said and sat down quietly, ready to listen…an
d support.

  “I knew Adam had his issues when we married, but I believed him when said he cared for me. That I was good for him. That we could have the life I envisioned. I was wrong. He was wrong. At the wake, I found out that he was very much the same as before we married…which should not surprise me. I think I’m more disappointed in myself for believing that things would be different.”

  Dani’s parents sat, neither saying a word, just glad their daughter was finally talking.

  “I was angry and mortified to find that I seemed to be the only one who didn’t realize what was going on. I have no idea when he started stepping out on me. Did I drive him to it because of my sadness?” She jerked her hand up when her parents began to protest. “I know that’s no excuse…but I was so sad and Adam just was not the type of man to want to stay down.” She stopped, her voice choking as she remembered the look on Chad’s face. Even he knew my shame and said nothing. Nothing.

  “I suddenly could not stand being in that house. Thank God it was only a rental and most of the furniture belonged there. I called in a favor with a neighbor who had a moving business. Packed it all up, had it delivered to a storage facility near here and got the hell out.”

  She looked over to her mom and dad, appreciating their earnest expressions. “I feel the need for a life change. I’ve resigned from the ATF and am looking for work nearer here. I want to find a new place to live and sort out my life.”

  Her father stood, walked over to Dani and took her hand in his older, weathered one. “Danielle, take as long as you need. You’ll always have a home…and acceptance here.”

  Her mother followed suit and walked out with her father. Dani continued to sit in the sun for a few more hours, her life plan now needing adjusting.

  Lying in bed that night, she twisted and turned, her life with Adam melding into what she had hoped would have been her life. Rolling over, punching the pillow, she grew angry. Tomorrow, I’ll go to Marsden Energy Systems and Munitions Plant to talk to their HR department. Then I’ll call a realtor and see if I can find a place to rent. Flopping over one more time, she huffed loudly before getting out of bed. Not wanting to wake her parents, she tiptoed out to their garage where the boxes she brought in her car had been stored. Digging through one of them, she came across what she was looking for.