A Matter of Trust: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 3)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  By the end of introductions, people all around were on their feet, Tyler included. Melanie got to her feet as well, clapping along with the crowd that was clearly ready for the game to start.

  It wasn’t too long before they got their wish. Though Melanie was pretty sure she’d never become a rapid fan of the sport, she enjoyed watching Tyler get into it. He certainly didn’t hold back his thoughts on certain plays and calls. She could only imagine how it would have been if they’d actually had seats next to Ryan and Gabe. She felt a bit bad that he likely would have enjoyed the game a bit more if he’d been with someone who was as enthusiastic about the game as he was.

  She quickly realized that even though the scoreboard said twelve minutes for the quarter, it took a lot longer than that to actually count down those minutes. At some point, the guy next to her left for a bit. Melanie relaxed a little without him right beside her.

  As the seconds ticked down to halftime, Tyler explained they had fifteen minutes before the second half started.

  “Do you want to go get something to eat or drink?” he said as the whistle blew to end the half.

  “I wouldn’t mind something to drink.”

  With a nod, Tyler got to his feet and stepped into the aisle. He angled his arm toward her. “Hang onto me so we don’t get separated.”

  Grateful, Melanie slid her hand between his arm and his side and gripped his arm just above his elbow. She could feel the muscle there work as he held his arm against his side so her hand wouldn’t slip away.

  “Just something to eat? Or can I interest you in popcorn? Nachos? A hotdog?”

  Melanie wrinkled her nose at the last option. “Popcorn would be fine.”

  With a nod, Tyler began to move them through the crowd of people. He seemed to know where he was going and soon they were in line at a concession stand. Though they’d agreed that he would pay for dinner since she’d paid for the tickets, Melanie wasn’t sure what to do about the snacks.

  Given the number of people milling around, Melanie was surprised at how quickly they made it to the front of the line. Tyler rattled off a few items then asked what she wanted to drink. After she had told him, she let go of his arm to reach into her boot to pull out the cash she’d slid in there earlier with her driver’s license since she hadn’t wanted to bother with a purse.

  “I’ve got it,” Tyler said as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

  Figuring it wasn’t the place to argue, Melanie just nodded and waited as he paid. She glanced around at the people standing at the concession with them. Her brows drew together when she noticed a young woman standing not too far from Tyler watching him, her gaze clearly appreciating what she was seeing.

  Melanie had to admit that Tyler looked good in his blue jeans, white button down shirt and black leather jacket, but it didn’t sit well with her that she was bothered that other women thought he did too. The urge to slide her hand back around his arm screamed of wanting to claim him as hers…which he wasn’t. And never would be.

  “Here you go.” Tyler handed her a drink and then stuck out his elbow again. He held the food he’d ordered in both his hands. Without hesitation, she took his arm and allowed him to lead them back to their seats. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at the woman who’d been eying him…but just barely.

  They were back to their seats with a couple of minutes to spare, according to the countdown clock on the scoreboard. Tyler let her go into the row first and reclaim her seat before he handed her the popcorn. As he sat down next to her, she looked at the food in his hands. Nachos. A hotdog. Pop.

  “I only eat this way when I’m at a game,” Tyler said, a sheepish expression on his face.

  She looked up to find him watching her. As she unscrewed the lid of the bottle of water he’d gotten her, Melanie lifted a brow at him but then grinned. “Hey, none of my business if you choose to ingest artificially flavored and colored food and drink. Besides,” she lifted the popcorn, “who am I to judge?”

  As they settled back in their seats, Tyler asked, “Are you enjoying your first NBA game?”

  “I am, surprisingly enough.”

  “You didn’t think you were going to enjoy it?” Tyler’s brow furrowed. “Why did you agree to come then?”

  “You’re a hard one to say no to, Tyler,” Melanie said with a smile. “And you presented a compelling argument for why I should attend with you.”

  “If you say so.” He didn’t seem convinced as he turned his attention back to his food.

  Holding the bag of popcorn between her knees, she laid her hand on his arm and waited for him to look at her. “I’m glad I came. I don’t get out to stuff like this much. And coming with you has been fun. You’re the only friend I have that would go with me to something like this.”

  He stared at her for a moment, his blue gaze intent. “Well, we’ll have to make sure you get to do it again sometime.”

  The buzzer sounded and soon the game was underway once more. A couple of minutes later, the seats beside her that had been blessedly empty were filled once again. It quickly became apparent what they had used their time out of the arena for.

  “Hey, sweetheart. What’s your name?” Clearly the guy had imbibed some liquid courage while he’d been gone. He swayed in his seat toward her.

  Melanie pulled away, once again bumping into Tyler. He turned toward her and groaned when he saw the man making a nuisance of himself once again.

  “Back off, buddy. She’s with me,” Tyler said as he glared at the guy.

  “Really now.” The guy arched a brow. “Doesn’t seem to me you’re paying much attention to her. I was just trying to make sure she knew she was more interesting than some basketball game.”

  Tyler frowned as he looked from the man to Melanie and then back to him. “She’s not interested in your attention. Leave her alone.”

  “And if I don’t?” the man taunted him. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

  “Oh, I won’t have to do anything. She’s perfectly able to take care of herself. I’m just trying to save you the embarrassment of being beat up by a girl.”

  Melanie almost laughed at Tyler’s words. Clearly he’d been paying attention when she’d mentioned taking self-defense and weapons training. When the man shot her a questioning look, all Melanie did was smile.

  “Whatever,” he mumbled under his breath as he turned to his friend in the seat on the other side of him.

  “Switch seats with me,” Tyler said in a low voice. “He’s not drunk enough to try hitting on me.”

  That did make Melanie laugh. She got to her feet and stepped into the aisle so Tyler could get to her seat. The drunken man glared at the two of them as she sat down in the aisle seat.

  She leaned her head toward Tyler. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. I want to make sure you enjoy this game so you might consider coming to another one sometime.”

  A roar from the crowd drew Melanie’s attention, and she looked up at the scoreboard to see that the game was now tied. For the remainder of the game, Tyler seemed to make sure he divided his attention between her and the game. Did he think the guy’s comments about him not paying attention to her had bothered her? She hoped not, because that certainly hadn’t been the case.

  By the last few minutes of the game, Melanie was on her feet beside him as they cheered the home team on to victory. She was still grinning as they joined the crowd heading for the exits. Once again Tyler offered her his arm as they walked up the aisle and out of the arena. She didn’t let go until they were almost at the truck. Gabe and Ryan were already there, watching them as they approached.

  “Well, that was a game worth stopping in for,” Gabe said from the back seat as Tyler guided them out of the parking lot along with a ton of other cars.

  “When do you go home, Gabe?” Melanie asked.

  “Ryan and I are heading out tomorrow.”

  Melanie turned in her seat to face Ryan. “You’re going to Winnipeg?”


  He nodded. “It’s Canadian Thanksgiving, so I took Monday and Tuesday off.”

  “I decided to fly here from Hawaii and then drive up with Ryan,” Gabe said.

  “Will everyone in your family be there?”

  “Everyone except Kenton. NHL is in full swing now so he won’t be able to make it,” Gabe said. “Mom and Dad are disappointed. Kenton…not so much.”

  “He doesn’t like to spend time with your family?”

  Ryan and Gabe exchanged glances in the dimly lit cab of the truck then Ryan said, “He lives his life in a way that he knows Mom and Dad don’t approve of. The dumb thing is that they would just be happy to have him home for a bit. They know that he is aware of how they feel about his life. They’re not going to lecture him every time they see him. Kenton, however, seems to feel that they will.”

  “It’s the guilt talking,” Gabe said. “He knows better than to be doing what he is.”

  “What exactly has he done?” Melanie couldn’t help but ask.

  “He’s a big partier. Never has a girlfriend for longer than a month.”

  “Let’s not forget his brushes with the law,” Gabe added. “Nothing he’s been arrested for, but I’m sure that’s only because of who he is. One day he’s going to regret living his life like this. He’s not going to be playing hockey forever. Especially since he’s already had one serious concussion.”

  Melanie decided that she was going to do a search on Kenton Callaghan when she got on to her laptop later. Listening to his brothers talk about him had definitely made her curious about the man. She also found it curious that Ryan hadn’t even let Tyler know that Kenton was his brother. As far as she knew, Ryan and Tyler were close, so that was a bit surprising. Of course, the whole evening had been full of surprises.

  Back at Tyler’s, Ryan said goodnight to her and dragged Gabe to his side of the duplex. Once they were gone, Tyler turned to her.

  “I had a great time. Thank you for the birthday present.”

  “I really enjoyed myself too. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

  “Consider it a date.” Tyler paused then said, “Uh…no, not a date. Um…you know, an appointment. Wait…”

  Melanie laid her hand on his arm, trying not to laugh at his flustered attempts to backpedal. “I know what you mean. No worries. I’m not considering it a date. Just two friends hanging out, having some fun.”

  “Exactly.” Tyler nodded his head vigorously. “That’s what I meant.”

  “On that note, I’m going to head for home. Have a good night.”

  “You too.” Tyler held the keys out to her. “Thanks for letting me drive her.”

  Not wanting it to turn awkward, Melanie snatched the keys from him. “Her, eh? Well, I guess she is a bit too pretty to be a boy.” She rounded the front of the truck, giving the hood a pat then opened the door.

  With a quick movement, she slid behind the wheel and started it up. The headlights showed Tyler still standing in his driveway, his hands in his pockets watching as she backed out. She gave a final wave, not sure he could see her, and then accelerated away.

  CHAPTER NINE

  STACI’S PREGNANT,” Eric McKinley announced to the group gathered for their regular Tuesday morning meetings.

  As everyone offered their congratulations, Melanie looked at the broad smile on Eric McKinley’s face. His joy over the news was unquestionable. What would it be like, she wondered, to know that a little person was growing inside of her? A person who carried part of her and part of the man she loved? A little boy or girl who was the physical manifestation of the love between the parents? Although, as her thoughts went to the circumstances of Tyler’s birth, she realized that not all pregnancies were the result of a happy union.

  As Marcus called the meeting to order, Melanie gave Adrianne a sideways glance. Her sister sat with her head bent, her lower lip caught between her teeth. Her heart ached for Adrianne. She wasn’t sure why Adrianne wasn’t able to find a guy who she could get serious with. Her sister was cute and fun to be around—as long as she wasn’t in a mood after their mom got to her—and she did a lot of good with her work.

  Her mind wasn’t on the meeting until she heard Tyler’s name mentioned. Perking up, she turned her attention to Marcus.

  “I’ve been working with Tyler Harris to see if he can find any connection between people that Alex and I feel might have something against BlackThorpe and might be instigating the attacks we’ve had over the past year.” Marcus stared down at the file in front of him, his brow furrowed. “He couldn’t find anything to link Ben Stevenson or Patrick O’Neal, at least through their phone records. And he went back over the past two years. I realize they could have used burner phones to communicate, but with those records and the background checks into the men, it just doesn’t seem likely that they are working together against us. Ben, who has a wife and three kids, has an established career as a police officer in California. I feel confident saying he isn’t involved.”

  “What about O’Neal?” Justin asked.

  Marcus shook his head. “He’s a bit more suspect. He hasn’t held down a job for more than a couple of years and in amongst all the calls on his phone are a few that Tyler says were made to burner cells. That makes him a little more suspicious. What we can’t figure out is who he’s working with. Not to disparage the man, but he wasn’t one to do much of the dirty work. I really don’t think that if he’s behind these attacks that he’s acting alone.”

  “Do you sense another impending attack?” Eric tapped the notepad in front of him with his pen.

  Melanie didn’t really like the look that Marcus and Alex exchanged. She’d be having a conversation with her brother at home later.

  “While the last attack was a major one since it injured both Alex and me,” Marcus began, “we don’t believe that was his endgame. He needs for us to know that it’s him. We have a few big things in the works that he might try to sabotage.”

  “Is the fundraiser at risk?” Adrianne asked, her expression all business now.

  “We don’t know,” Alex answered instead of Marcus this time. “But it’s definitely a possibility. It’s our highest profile event of the year.”

  Marcus nodded. “We’re going to tighten security significantly. Anyone we hire to work the event will have to be vetted from the coat check person to the chef who’s in charge of the food.” He paused. “I realize it will make more work for you, Adrianne, and I’m sorry for that, but safety is paramount. If you need extra people to help you, just let me know, and I’ll make it happen.”

  “What else is at risk?” Given Justin’s role in security, Melanie wasn’t surprised he was asking for more details. The last attack had occurred under his watch, and she knew it still chafed him even though he’d been injured along with Alex and Marcus.

  Again Alex and Marcus exchanged a look. For the first time, Melanie wondered if they were concerned about the people in the meeting with them. Were they questioning the loyalty of those they’d handpicked to be part of the management team? That thought didn’t sit well with Melanie at all. Her gaze circled the room, and she knew there was no way anyone present would betray them in that way. Surely Alex and Marcus knew that.

  “We have two huge defense contracts that we’ve bid on,” Alex said. “Obviously any sign that we’re having issues with our own security or that data stored with us is not secure would jeopardize our chances at winning those bids.”

  “I want each of you to double and triple check the security you have in place. We’re going to high alert until the bids have been decided.” Marcus turned to Trent Hause, who was in charge of the company’s network security. “I want someone monitoring the network twenty-four seven. If there is another hacking attempt, I want to know about it immediately and not wait for the alarm to trigger.”

  Trent nodded. “I’ll put three guys on an eight-hour rotation.”

  “Melanie.”

  She looked from Trent to Marcus when he said her
name.

  “We’re going to need to tighten security at the Center. I know you prefer to keep things low-key out there, but we can’t have any part of the company vulnerable to an attack.”

  Marcus was right, she didn’t like the people staying at the Center, or the friends and family who came to visit, to have to jump through extra security hoops. “What are you thinking of putting in place?”

  “You’ll need to call a meeting with all the staff and residents. If you’d prefer, Alex or I can come speak with them. Basically, we’d outline the new protocols which will include producing photo ID before entering the grounds. We will also ask each resident to provide a list of approved visitors that we will then vet.”

  Thankfully, Melanie knew that most the residents would understand the increased security given that they were all ex-military. It would be a bit of a hassle, but she didn’t want to take a chance with the safety of any of her staff or the people residing at the Center for the purpose of receiving help.

  “I’ll set up a meeting and let you know.”

  Melanie made some notes as the meeting began to wind down. When Marcus finally dismissed them, she followed Adrianne out of the conference room.

  “You doing okay?” she asked as they walked side by side down the hallway to the elevators.

  “Yeah.” Adrianne glanced at her. “Why?”

  “Just seemed like maybe Eric’s announcement caught you off-guard.”

  Adrianne let out a sigh as she pressed the button to call the elevator. “I’m happy for him and Staci. You know how it is. Or maybe you don’t because you don’t seem to care about getting married or having kids.”

  “You’re right. That’s not really something I’m anxious to do, but I know it’s different for you.”

  As they stepped into the empty elevator car, Adrianne said, “And why is that? Is it because of what happened with you know…the kidnapping?”

  Melanie jabbed at the button for the floor where Adrianne’s office was. “I guess that might be part of it.”