Facing Home (The Clover Series Book 4)

by Danielle Stewart

  “I wish you wouldn’t call him that,” my mother sulks as she leans a little lower in her chair.

  “That’s who he is now. It’s no different than me marrying Jonah and changing my last name. I grew up, found a new part of myself, and it changed parts of me. I don’t see you insisting on me using my maiden name just because you gave it to me at birth.” Damn, she’s good. Why have I never thought of that argument before? “If you keep trying to turn him into the baby boy he was before he left for boot camp, you’re going to lose the chance to know the really great man who’s come back.”

  “He won’t tell me anything, and now Jonah is doing something and he won’t tell me anything either. He just left us.” In my mother’s normal fashion, she’s somehow made Jonah’s abandonment of his wife and kids about her, but Bianca doesn’t take the bait.

  “Sometimes people feel like they don’t have a choice. Sometimes they think they’re protecting you, or maybe they’re protecting themselves.” She turns her head around halfway so her eyes meet Jonah’s for a brief second. In whatever language they’ve created between each other during their marriage, they exchange something that seems to resonate with both of them.

  “I want to take my pans, all of them. And my bowls, the yellow ones from Tuscany. I’m not leaving them here,” my mother insists as she gets to her feet and pulls me in for an unexpected hug. “Click, you go up to the attic and get our suitcases down while your dad gets Hemi ready to travel.” I try not to get distracted by the news that the damn dog is going with them, and instead just soak in the seemingly small step my mother has taken toward accepting the changes in me. She finally called me Click.

  “Come on, Hemi, let’s get your crate ready,” my dad says as he pats his legs and calls the dog over.

  “Really, Dad, the dog is going too? I don’t get this. You never liked dogs. Can’t you board him or something?” I ask, and I know my level of frustration doesn’t match the situation, but I’m so confused by this dog. She’s sweet and all, and I’ve wanted a dog since I was a little boy, but it makes no sense now.

  My father, whose face is usually pretty level, looks suddenly irritated. “She’s a part of our family. If we’re going, she’s going.”

  “I’m just wondering why you put yourself through it. You’re allergic. Even with the pills you’re taking I can see she still bothers you.” The room starts to clear out and, judging by the pace at which people are leaving, I can tell everyone knows something I don’t. And it has them scattering.

  “We’re going to our house to gather up our things. We’ll meet back here in an hour,” Tommy says, and everyone nods in agreement and leaves just my father, Jordan, and me in the den.

  “Keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. Jonah has done a good job keeping clear of everyone here and we didn’t have anyone tailing us today but still be cautious and get back here quickly,” I instruct everyone as they make their way to the door.

  “You’ve been really bugging me about this dog,” my dad says, grabbing my attention again. “I think it’s time we talk about it.” The discomfort on my father’s face has Jordan scrambling for a reason to leave, but she doesn’t find one in time to get out. He’s diving right in before she can escape. “I got Hemi about a month before your last tour was over. She was supposed to be a surprise.”

  “A surprise for who?” I ask, this still not sinking in.

  “She’s from Vets with Pets,” my dad says as he scratches Hemi’s ear. “She’s trained specifically to help returning military personnel transition back home.”

  “What?” I ask, hearing his words but still not understanding. My father moves toward the desk in the corner of the room and opens up the drawer. Pulling out a stack of books, he drops them down on the coffee table in front of me. “Some people come home and they struggle with loud noises or crowds. Hemi is trained to alert and help you stay calm in those situations as well as navigate you safely away. I didn’t know if you’d need her for those things, but I thought she’d be a good companion either way. A lot of the books suggest it.”

  I flop down onto the couch and start looking at the pile of books more closely. They’re all about being a military family and how to support soldiers and returning veterans. There must be a dozen of them, and they’re marked up with notes and highlighted passages.

  “The dog was for me?” I ask, scratching at my head and looking up at him in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “You weren’t here long enough for us to talk about it. I thought I better just keep her until you were ready.”

  “When did you read all these books?”

  “I’ve been reading them since you enlisted. Since we became a military family.”

  “A military family?” I know I sound like a jackass right now, but I can’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. “You’ve barely said anything about me being a Marine over the years. You act like I was on vacation.”

  “I know,” he admits as he takes a seat next to me. “Some of that is because I see how hard your mother is pushing you to talk about it and how uncomfortable it makes you. I guess I was trying to compensate for that. But I’m seeing now maybe there is some middle ground.”

  I shake my head in disbelief and look up at Jordan whose eyes are wet from impending tears. “The dog’s for you,” she says quietly.

  “Thank you, Dad.” I pull him in for a tight hug, slapping his back hard and never wanting to let go. I’ve thought for so long that his silence was from not caring about what I was doing. Now I feel my chest filling with emotion as I realize how much he really does care. How proud he is.

  “Are you having any trouble, son? I’ve had the feeling you are, but I didn’t want to confront you about it until you were ready to talk. The books say that. Do you think Hemi could help you?” The hopefulness in his eyes solidifies it for me. He really has been trying, and it makes me want to be honest with him.

  “I’ve been having a little trouble. Maybe not stuff Hemi can help with, but when all this is settled with Jonah I think I’d like to spend some time with her.”

  “Vitty, do you want your blue suit or black suit?” my mother shouts down from upstairs, and the moment of calm connection evaporates as my father engages her craziness.

  “Corinne, why on earth would I need a suit? You can’t pack everything under the sun. We don’t have time.” He stands and hustles toward the stairs, ready to argue.

  Jordan and I are left alone with Hemi, whose sweet face is staring up at me. “The dog is for me,” I whisper as I put my hand out and she obediently comes up under it with a light nudge.

  “They really are trying.” Jordan sits down next to me on the couch and I wrap my free arm around her. Hemi’s big head flops down on my lap and her eyes turn up toward me.

  “I better start trying too, then.” I look into Jordan’s face and wonder what the future might hold for me after all this is over with Jonah. I do think I need some help, but will I be brave enough to face that when the time comes?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jordan

  As a caravan of cars, weighed down by far too much luggage, pulled out of the driveway I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I’ve overseen dozens of multimillion dollar mergers and acquisitions yet the last hour of my life might go down as the most stressful to date. There were crying kids and people arguing over why some people had three suitcases but they only got one. Click’s dad backed his car into Mick’s car by accident and you’d think the small scratch was the same as totaling it.

  “It’s like the circus train pulling out,” Jonah laughs as he waves a final goodbye to his daughters who are yelling out the window that they love him. He and Bianca didn’t exchange many words but their brief hug before she got into the car spoke volumes.

  “We need to get on the road ourselves. I didn’t think it was a good idea to book flights to New York. If we drive we’ll stay under the radar. Do you have your contacts lined up?” Click asks me as he keeps
his eye on the tree line around us, looking like he’s ready for something to strike.

  “No. I’ll have no problem getting face-time with these people. It’s better if we keep our next move quiet.”

  “Do you know them that well?” Click inquires, and my face flushes a little. Again, if I were going to mention my history with Wes, now would be a great time. But I don’t.

  “First we need to pick up the flash drives from the places I’ve hidden them,” Jonah says as he hops in the driver’s seat of the car.

  “I hope they’ll be okay. I don’t want to see any of them get hurt,” Click says as we travel down the road in the opposite direction his entire family went.

  “I’m sure none of this will impact them at all. We’ve got a good plan,” I reassure him.

  “I’m more worried they’re going to kill each other,” Click smirks. “The whole Coglinaese family stuck in a new place, living under one roof. It’s going to be like a reality show down there.”

  “Hey Click, the closest flash drive is in a planter at Wheatley Market. You probably haven’t been there since you were a kid. We can order those sandwiches we used to get. The ones with all the garlic,” Jonah says with an excited smile.

  “Great, I’ll be stuck in the car with a couple of smelly guys for fourteen hours,” I joke, but I stop short of laughing when I see the ominous look on Click’s face.

  “I can’t go to that market. Skip that one and get the other flash drives.” The blood has drained from his face and he’s shaking his head, no.

  “Why? You used to love it there. Plus it’s the closest and most accessible one,” Jonah argues, clearly missing the reason Click is asking for an alternative.

  “It’s an open air market with huge crowds and too much going on. I can’t go there. It’ll put me in a bad spot.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jonah asks, wrinkling his forehead as he tries to understand.

  “I’m trying not to trigger too much stuff that bothers me. And that market will mess me up.”

  “Is this how you plan to live your life? Just avoiding everything that triggers bad memories for you?” Jonah’s tone is harsher than I think necessary and it elicits the same response from Click.

  “This from the guy who was on the verge of walking away from his entire life. You really want to have this argument.”

  “No, but I really want to get this flash drive, so you can stay in the car and I’ll run in and get it. If you’re good I’ll bring you back a sandwich,” Jonah jokes as he pulls the car into the busy parking lot of the market.

  Click’s right; it’s busy here. The tents are all clumped together and people are walking shoulder to shoulder through the small aisles. I can imagine the anxiety this could bring on especially if he has a memory from an area like this where something happened.

  “I’ll go with you,” I say as I unbuckle my seat belt and hop out of the car. “You’re going to be digging around a planter, someone should be the lookout.”

  “No sandwiches,” Click asserts. “Just the flash drive and come right back.”

  Jonah and I make our way through the market, weaving around the herds of people all loading their bags with vegetables, local honey, and crafts. He leads us to a slightly quieter area and takes a seat on a low brick wall that is full of green bushes with buds ready to bloom. Leaning back slightly he digs his hand into the dirt and pulls out a plastic bag and inside I can see the flash drive looking safe and intact.

  “Shit,” he gulps as he jumps to his feet. “That’s one of the guys from my motel.” He points to a lumpy faced man with broad shoulders and a scowl. He’s about thirty yards from us but his glare is locked on Jonah.

  “What do we do?” I ask, frozen for a second wondering if the number of people in this crowd is enough to keep us safe. Surely we can’t get killed right here in public.

  “Run,” Jonah shouts as he clutches my arm and yanks me along behind him. I turn my head to see the man shoving people aside and breaking into a run himself. Jonah is hesitating to make sure I’m at his side but I charge forward, blowing past him. When he realizes I’m fully capable of maintaining this speed, he catches up and we haul ass back toward the car. I see Click standing against the side of the vehicle looking like he might throw up.

  “Click,” I yell, my breath nearly gone. “They’re here.” It’s all I can muster but it’s all he needs. I can hear the thudding steps of the man behind me getting closer and, as I look back to see how much distance I have between us, I stumble and slide forward, my palms and knees skidding painfully against the gravel. Jonah stops and turns toward me but I try to wave him off. “Go, don’t let him get the drive,” I demand as I try to get back to my feet quickly. Jonah ignores me and grabs me by the arm, lifting me in one fluid motion. But it’s too late. I feel a handful of my hair along with the sleeve of my shirt get yanked backward as the lumpy faced man’s hands clamp down on me. He pulls me to his body and wraps his enormous hairy arm around my neck. I kick him feverishly with my heel to his shin, but to no avail. I see Jonah pull the small clear bag from his pocket and hold it up so the man can see the flash drive inside.

  “Take it,” he says pleadingly. “Just let her go and you can have it.”

  “We know there’s more,” the man hisses and jerks my body slightly. “I’ll trade her for you. That’s it.”

  “Fine,” Jonah says, raising his hands and walking toward us. “I’ll go with you. I’ll bring you to the copies I’ve made. Just let her go.”

  I expected more of a fight out of Jonah but maybe I’ve just been skewed from spending too much time with Click. Then I see it, Jonah’s eyes flash with some kind of message for me that this is all under control.

  As the large arm around my neck loosens I stumble forward and put my hands instantly to my throat, still gasping. I fall into Jonah’s arms and try to tell him to run, that we could possibly get to the car and to Click but instead Jonah slides me behind him and as I peek around his shoulder I see the scene unfolding. Click has come up behind this man and puts him quickly in the exact same position he’s just had me in.

  “You like to choke women, huh?” he asks through gritted teeth as he bears down on the man, clenching his neck tighter and tighter until the man’s body falls limp and Click releases him.

  “Let’s go,” Jonah says, nudging me toward the car as I continue to hold my neck and try to right my breathing.

  We spill into the car, my body shaking from my toes to my chattering lips. Jonah puts the car in reverse and skids out of the parking lot as Click turns around to look me over. When he sees the fear in my eyes he climbs over the center of the seats and drops down next to me in the back.

  “I’m so sorry, that’s my fault. I was so distracted by this damn place that I missed the guy tailing us.” Click’s face is wrought with guilt as he silently berates himself.

  “I don’t think he was tailing us. I guess thugs have to shop too sometimes. He had an arm full of bags that he dropped when he saw me. I think it was just a coincidence.”

  “I should have gone in there, not you. I’m so sorry,” Click says again as he wraps his arms around me and I rest my head on his chest, letting the thumping of his heart remind me we’re both still alive.

  After a few silent minutes of driving, Jonah turns his eyes to the rearview mirror and looks at us. “Do we go get the next flash drive or just head for New York.”

  I feel slightly better now as I sit up and try to flatten my messy hair. “They know you’re making a move now. All bets will be off. We need to get to New York and turn over what you have. We can make more copies.”

  Click nods his head in agreement and, though none of us are happy with only one flash drive in hand, we hit the highway for New York. I look down at my clothes and take note of how much I’ve changed since the last time I was in the city. I’d be almost unrecognizable at this point. Gone are my designer clothes. I haven’t gotten a salon haircut in months and my nails are a mess. If I walked i
n for a mani and pedi at my old place now, they’d think I’d lost my mind.

  The day I boarded a plane for Clover, North Carolina, I never thought would change me so deeply. Not just physically but emotionally as well. I never thought it would, in turn, lead me to Tennessee. I look over at Click. I am not the person I was before I met him. It makes my heart happy and, though my smile confuses him, he smiles back.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jordan

  “We can stay at my apartment,” I say as I roll the stress out of my neck and try to stretch the ache out of my legs. Both Jonah and Click apparently have bladders the size of their whole bodies because the only stops we’ve made have been for gas, where they don’t tend to have clean facilities for civilized ladies like me. Call me a snob, but I prefer my toilet to have a toilet seat and my toilet paper not to be a damp roll in the corner of a dirty bathroom. Still, I kept my mouth shut; the last thing any of us needs right now is an argument. I balanced on one foot and used some tissues from the bottom of my purse. As Click always says: improvise, adapt, and overcome . . . pee accomplished.

  “You still have your apartment?” Click asks, sounding surprised although I thought for sure he already knew this. All the time we’ve spent together, all the talking we’ve done, there is clearly so much we haven’t covered.

  “Yes, I’m still paying rent on it. Now that I’m out of work I’ve had to stop the cleaning service from coming so it might not look great when we get there. It’s small too, but I think we can make-do.”

  “Why did you keep your apartment?” Click asks in a low voice. “Is it in case things don’t work out with us?” He is as uncomfortable and tired as I am, so I’m trying not to read too much into his tone.