Sacrifice Love: Saints Protection & Investigations

by Maryann Jordan

  “Oh my God!” Dani burst out, sitting up straight, her expression openly distressed. She did not feel the squeeze of Chad’s arm until he repeated the action. Jerking her head toward Chad, she explained, “I work with him. Closely with him. Oh, Jesus,” she leaned back, “I thought something was off there but wondered if I was being biased. I even talked to Ethan about him.” The words came rushing out; the dam broke as she no longer held back.

  “Okay, Dani,” Mitch began, “let’s go back over this. Marsden is a huge company and I had no idea you might work with this guy. Start at the beginning and talk me through what you know.”

  Blowing out a deep breath to clear her mind, Dani placed her hand on Chad’s thigh, grateful when he clutched it in his own. “I don’t know much, but he mentioned the other day that we were hired about the same time, so he’s only been there a few months. He works in the military sales division, as do I. My work is more about ordinance safety and his is in the actual sales department. His office is across the hall and about two doors down. He’s punctual, efficient, mannerly, asks appropriate questions in meetings…I…uh…”

  “Dani, that’s good,” Monty said, knowing he was saying what Mitch was thinking, having been a former FBI agent himself. “What can you tell us that we won’t find on a dossier?”

  Sucking her lips in, Dani was suddenly self-conscious. “I…maybe I’m just…I…” she looked around the table at the other Saints before her eyes landed on Chad.

  He leaned over, touching his lips to her forehead. Murmuring on her skin, he said, “Just talk from your heart, babe. Anything you’ve thought.”

  “I don’t want to be wrong,” she said, her voice agonizing. “I mean, he gives me the creeps, but that doesn’t make him a terrorist. I don’t want to be ethnically profiling in a way that could ruin someone’s life.”

  “Okay, Dani, I’m getting that this is uncomfortable for you personally. Here’s what I want you to understand. He’s already a subject of interest because of the contact he had with Fazan. You’re not putting him on our profile list…you’re providing background information. That’s all. I promise.”

  Nodding her understanding, she said, “Now, this all may seem silly, but he’s given me reason to be suspicious. He seems to be outside my office door at times when I’m speaking with others. They’ll walk out and say, ‘Oh hi, Jahfar’, which lets me know he must have been lurking right there. Or I’ll hang up the phone and as soon as I do, he’ll walk in as though he’s been out in the hall listening. Maybe he’s just being polite and waiting his turn, but it makes me feel weird to think that someone…anyone…is right outside my office door listening.”

  “Good, this is good,” Mitch encouraged. “Keep going.”

  “He left a meeting earlier than I did one day and I thought I saw him coming out of my office when I went back, but I couldn’t be sure. Then as I opened my file drawer to get my purse for lunch, my purse had been rifled through.”

  Chad squeezed her arm, wanting to be supportive…and wanting to find this guy and confront him immediately. To hell with him being a possible FBI suspect…he’s fucking with the wrong girl if he thinks Dani is going to be a target.

  “Honey?”

  Dani’s voice broke through Chad’s thoughts. “Yeah, babe?”

  “You’re squeezing too tight,” she said, with a small smile.

  Loosening his grip instantly, he said, “Oh, shit, babe. Sorry.”

  “Is that it?” Mitch asked.

  Thinking for a moment, Dani said, “No. A couple of weeks ago, we had a new person promoted to Head of Production Security. He beat out a couple of others who wanted the position.” Her mind roamed to Aaron for a moment, but dismissed him as she had seen no professional jealousy from him at all. “Ethan Petit is his name. He’s good. Been there for a while, easy to work with. In fact, I’ve shared a few of my concerns about Jahfar with Ethan. Anyway, after Ethan was promoted, Jahfar gave me a warning.”

  “A warning?” Chad growled.

  “Yeah, he told me to watch out, there were snakes in the grass.”

  “What the fuck?” Bart asked, leaning back in his seat. His sentiments were echoed around the table.

  “Okay, settle,” Jack ordered, seeing Chad’s, as well as the others’, faces masked in anger. “Monty, Mitch, what do we need to do now?”

  “Jack, I’m going to need to process this information and get back with you. Dani, you did real good. For now, I can tell you that the best thing you can do is just keep a low profile at work and keep your eyes open.”

  Monty disconnected the conference with Mitch and turned back to the group. Looking at Jack, he said, “You’ve already had contact with the head of MES. Do you want us to focus on Jahfar?”

  Dani had grown quiet as the men discussed their options. Chad noticed her sitting still, but could tell her mind was racing. Just as he was going to ask how she was, she suddenly looked up and spoke.

  “You can focus on Jahfar outside of MES, but you can’t see what’s going on inside. I can. I can get to him. His office. His computer. I can do that.”

  Chad’s body involuntarily jerked as her words punched him. “Oh, fuckin’ hell no!” he said. He scooted her chair around so that it faced him, but her hand came up before he said a word.

  “I’m not talking about doing something dumb,” she explained. “But who better than me to keep an eye on him? That’s really nothing more than what I’d be doing anyway.”

  Before Chad could protest further, Monty interjected, “That’s not a bad idea.” Seeing the fury building in Chad’s face, he continued quickly, “I’m not saying she needs to investigate actively or do anything to tip him off. No subterfuge. Just watch. Keep a closer eye on him. Let us know anything that he’s doing out of the ordinary…or even what his ordinary is.”

  “I can pull up everything about him,” Luke said, his fingers flying. “Even more than what the FBI can get.” He looked up and said, “I should be able to get inside his computer…maybe.”

  “Maybe? Just maybe?” Cam joked. “Thought maybe wasn’t in your vocabulary.”

  “Yeah, well, not usually, but occasionally even I have trouble getting something.” After a pause, he looked around the table sheepishly, “Um, of course, if I had the direct info into his work computer, then I wouldn’t have to work around Marsden’s security.”

  “Like the drives we used when getting the access to the recruit’s computers?” asked Bart.

  “Oh, hell no,” Chad bit out, his eyes pinned on Luke. “The only way you could obtain that was if Dani did it herself. You’ve got balls asking—”

  “Chad, he didn’t ask me to do anything. He’s just throwing it out there.” Dani lifted her hand and cupped his tense jaw. “Honey, I’m not some wilting flower. If there’s something going on at MES… if one of my co-workers is a terrorist…or working with terrorists, then I want to know. If there’s anything I can do…active or passive…then I want to help.”

  Turning back to Luke, she asked, “What would this entail?”

  Luke, his eyes moving between Chad’s hard gaze and her focused one, said, “I would need you to insert a special thumb drive into Jahfar’s computer. Contact me by cell and let me know you have done it. It takes about five minutes and then I’ll tell you when to remove it.”

  “That’s all?” she asked, incredulously.

  “That’s it. It installs encryption that will keep him or anyone else from knowing the computer was compromised. It will allow me to see anything that has been on his computer, as well as give me a secure link to see what’s going on.”

  “Is it legal?” It only took a brief pause for her to immediately say, “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”

  Jack spoke up quickly. “Dani, no one here is asking you to do anything. Chad, you need to understand that. Not one of us would ask our woman to do anything that could cause her harm and we are not encouraging Dani to be the first.”

  The silence in the room settled over the
occupants, blanketing them in battling emotions. After a moment, Dani said, “How about this. Luke, you give me the drive and your number. If I think I’ll have an opportunity to use it, I’ll contact you first just to make sure the time is right for you. If not, I do nothing. If so, I’ll see what I can do. If I’m fearful or uncertain, I won’t do anything. If I can, I’ll get the information.”

  Nodding, Luke replied, “That’s fine with me if everyone is in agreement. I’ll continue to work on hacking in from here.”

  “What about his personal computer?” Cam asked. “I can get inside his house and take care of his personal one as well.”

  Jack saw acceptance from everyone except Chad. Piercing him with is steely gaze, he asked, “Chad?”

  Chad was still battling but knew that if anyone could pull it off, it would be Dani. Hell, she’s smart, resourceful, quick on her feet…and fuckin’ pregnant. “I know she can do it. I’m scared about the stress on the pregnancy,” he admitted.

  This reminder sent doubt across the faces of the others, but Dani responded to his concerns.

  “Right now, with the idea of Adam consorting with known terrorists, and a co-worker potentially doing the same, I’m about as stressed as I can be. If I can actually do something…I think it will get better.”

  Chad finally agreed, after obtaining her promise that she would do nothing unless she was certain she had a one-hundred percent chance of not getting caught. The group was silent for a moment, each to their own thoughts. Suddenly, Chad reached to his neck, removing the St. Chad pendant from around it. With the silver medallion dangling from his fingers, he held his hand out to Luke. “You know what to do.”

  With a nod, Luke took the medallion and left the room. Dani watched the exchange, her curiosity piqued, but she said nothing. The group continued to talk for several more minutes until Luke walked back into the room, handing the medallion to Chad.

  Chad would have preferred a private moment, but was aware that Dani watched every move. He turned and slipped the St. Chad necklace around her neck. Her face scrunched in question, but before she could speak, he explained, “Luke has fitted the medallion with a tracer. If, and I pray to God you never need it, but if you are ever in danger we can find you.”

  Cupping his face once more, she leaned in and said, “I’ll never do anything to put myself or the baby in harm’s way, I promise. But the only thing I’m one-hundred percent sure about in life is my love for you.”

  With a heartfelt kiss in front of the other grinning Saints, Chad agreed.

  Chapter 26

  For three days Dani had watched Jahfar as he went about his business, seeing nothing alarming. Neither had she found the opportunity to sneak into his office. With her division working on a project, most of them had worked through their lunch break and he never left early.

  On Wednesday, near the end of the day, Chad sent a text indicating he would be working late. Making the decision to use that time to try to out-stay Jahfar, she waited impatiently. He suddenly poked his head in her office door, causing her to jump.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I was a million miles away,” she answered, forcing a smile.

  “Then perhaps you should call it a day also,” he replied. “I’ll be happy to walk you out.”

  “I…uh…thought I’d finish this report before I left.”

  Nodding, he wished her a good night and she watched as he walked down the hall. Tiptoeing over to her door, she peeked around the doorframe, observing as he entered the elevator with others. Don’t rush. Take your time, girl, she told herself. Sitting back down at her desk, she fiddled with the report for fifteen more minutes, watching as the rest of the employees left their offices and headed home.

  Stealthily, she checked the hall, seeing all of the office doors closed. Listening intently, she heard no voices at all. Looking two doors down, she saw his closed door. I go up and down this hall all day long…so why am I fearful now? She took a deep cleansing breath before ordering her feet to move. With her fingers on his doorknob, she let out the breath as the cold metal turned. Pushing the door open slightly she saw his office appearing just as it always was—neat, clean—orderly. Thinking of her own somewhat messy office, she wondered how he kept it so neat. Does he actually do any work? Immediately chastising herself, she knew he did.

  With a last, nervous glance over her shoulder, she closed the door and moved to his computer. Texting Luke, she got his go-ahead. Placing the thumb drive into the computer, she texted Luke again to inform him she had done so.

  The next five minutes passed at a snail’s pace. While waiting, she looked around his office but found little to hold her interest. A family photograph was framed on his credenza. A wife and two children. Are they his? Is his family real or a front? Is he—

  “Mollie? You gonna clean the ones at the end of the hall now or wait?”

  Jumping at the voice, Dani ran to listen at the door and heard the voices of the night cleaning crew. Oh shit, I didn’t realize they got here at this time.

  “With Sally out sick, I’m gonna start in the conference room and hall bathroom and then make my way down the offices.”

  Dani’s phone vibrated, causing her to jump again. Heart pounding, she thought, Little one, your mama is going to have a heart attack. I’ve got to get out of here! Checking her phone, she saw that Luke was finished so she raced over to jerk the drive out of Jahfar’s computer. Making sure his office was left exactly as she found it, she moved to the door. Opening it slightly, she heard noises around the corner. Slipping out unnoticed, she walked a few steps toward her office when the two women from the cleaning crew came around the corner.

  “Ms. Turner, we didn’t know you were still here.”

  “Oh, I needed to get some files copied before I left. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can grab my purse.”

  “When’s that baby coming?”

  Her hand automatically going to her stomach, she smiled. “Not for several more months.”

  “Well, have a good night, Ms. Turner.”

  With a smile and a wave, Dani walked into her office and slipped the drive into her purse. Closing her computer, she headed out to her car. The parking lot was far from empty with the shift workers filling many spaces. As she pulled out, she noticed another car leaving at the same time. Oh, my God, not again! Before she could panic, the other car turned to another street soon after leaving the parking lot. Oh, baby girl, your mom is truly becoming a nervous Nellie! Driving to Jack’s compound to drop off the drive, she wished once again for the investigation to be over.

  *

  The cloudy night cloaked the two men in total darkness as they made their way inside Jahfar’s house. Reconnaissance proved the whole family had left for the evening. Bart searched the rooms while Cam inserted the drive into the computer in the office.

  Bart slipped back into the room and said, “Both kids have laptops and it appears there’s a desktop in the family room.”

  “Get ’em all,” Cam said. “No reason to think that he only uses this one.”

  Within ten minutes the men were finished with the computers and continued to look around. The house appeared precisely what it looked like from the outside—a family’s home, filled with photographs, kids’ drawings on the refrigerator, clothes in the closets, toys scattered around, and a cat wandering the rooms. As Bart and Cam left, they remained silent until driving away.

  “What are you thinking?” Cam asked, noting Bart’s quiet, circumspect demeanor.

  “House was just what it should be. Not one thing that gave the indication that he’s not what he says he is. Nothing that says that isn’t a real family.”

  “You think we’re wrong about him?”

  “Don’t know. We do know he’s been in contact with Fazan and there’s no doubt he’s in with the big terrorists.”

  “Something bothers you, though, I can tell.”

  “If that house was
a front, they did a damn perfect job making it look right.”

  “Hopefully, with these drives and what Dani got from his office computer, we’ll get a better idea of who we’re dealing with.”

  The two men continued to drive in silence for several more minutes until Cam pulled into Bart’s driveway.

  “You know, I really love investigating…but I hate like fuck some of these long-ass cases that seem to have no end…and make no fuckin’ sense,” Bart confessed.

  Nodding, Cam agreed. “Yeah, this one keeps going in too many directions for me. But maybe it’ll be over soon.”

  The two friends parted, each with the uncomfortable feeling that the investigation would become worse before getting better.

  *

  Swush, swush, swush…the baby’s heartbeat sounded loud and strong as Chad and Dani looked toward the sonogram monitor. Unable to keep the smile off her face, her hand gripped his. Turning away from the monitor for only a moment, she sought Chad’s face, catching his expression of wonder.

  “All right, everything is on schedule. Baby’s size is good, head size is within the normal range, and as you can see, there are the fingers and toes.”

  Dani and Chad looked on in amazement at the limbs and digits waving about.

  “Is it still a little girl?” Dani asked.

  Laughing, the sonographer replied, “Sex doesn’t change, sweetie.”

  Dani blushed and explained, “Well, last time they were pretty sure but not absolute.”

  “Oh, gotcha. Well, yes, by now we can see she is definitely a girl.”

  Feeling her fingers squeezed, she looked over at Chad once again. “You okay?” he whispered.

  She nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I’m great. Perfect, in fact. I’ve got a perfectly healthy baby girl growing in me…a man I love by my side…and a future together.”