“What are you doing here?”
Linda runs interference and explains everything before any other words between father and son can be exchanged. The pain in James Sr.’s eyes is so raw, it breaks my heart.
“Why didn’t they tell me? I had clearance for this kind of thing. Those goddamn assholes let me believe all these years that you were a …” He collapses in a chair and hangs his head in despair.
“Dad, stop. It’s okay. We’re all okay here.”
“No, it’s not okay, son. They hung you out there. They would’ve let you rot in an Iraqi prison and if you didn’t have such a great team of men behind you, you’d still be there.”
“But I’m not. I’m here. I’m the CEO of my own company because of it and I don’t need them anymore. It’s all good. We have to put it all behind us. And you have to promise me something. You can’t breathe a word of this to anyone. I don’t trust anyone in the government anymore. Tell me you understand this.”
James looks at Drex and nods. “I do. I know exactly what you’re saying here. And son, I’m so sorry for all those terrible things I said to you.”
The two men hug for a long time. I can’t stop the tears.
Then Drex looks at me and says, “We have to leave. Everyone thinks that we don’t have a relationship anymore. It wouldn’t surprise me if we’re being watched. There’s still a lot of stuff you don’t know, but I’d like for you to visit us in Denver. I want you to see my company.”
“I think we can arrange that,” James says.
“Good. Now we have to get out of here. But I’ll be in touch soon.” We hug and say goodbye.
Drex and I drive to the airport in Hilton Head where his jet is waiting. When we board, I ask, “Where to next?”
“Just a short hop over to Kiawah Island. We’re going to the Sanctuary for a few days for some R&R.”
“Sounds great.” I’ve always heard great things about the Sanctuary. “Are you okay?”
He gives me an incredibly sexy look and raises my hand to his lips, kissing it. “I don’t think I could possibly be any better. Thank you. For everything. I’m not sure how I ever functioned without you. And thank you for being the icebreaker with my mom. That was much more than I could’ve ever hoped for.”
“WHOA!” THAT’S THE only thing I can say when I get my first sighting of the Sanctuary. Kiawah Island is beautiful but this resort is something else. “I’m not sure I belong here. This is fancy, Drex.”
“Get used to it, Gem.” A valet opens my door and before he can help me out of the car, our bodyguards are right there, pushing him out of the way.
After we’re checked in and escorted to our suite, I’m a kid with a giant lollipop. I’m hopping all over the place, checking everything out. A fully stocked refrigerator offers a grand selection of wines and beers and food. The bathroom is amazing, a huge soaker tub sprawled in the corner.
“Hey, babe, how ’bout we put that tub to use?” he says.
“Only if you let me add the bubbles. I promise I won’t add so many this time.”
“I wasn’t complaining, if you recall.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“And, as I remember, you were pretty damn clean afterward.”
“Yep, squeaky clean.”
“All slippery inside and out,” he teases.
His lips are on mine and that’s it for me. I’m all his and he knows it.
“You like me slippery.”
“Oh, yeah, that I do.”
WE RETURN TO Denver rested and refreshed, though Drex is preoccupied on the flight back. My attempts at pulling him back to me fail, and I can’t figure out what has him like this. He’s keeping something from me, but refuses to admit it.
After an hour of this, I finally pull him out of his seat. “In the back, now.”
When were in the sleeping quarters, I see the creases between his eyes. My fingers move to massage them away.
“Don’t shut me out like this. It only makes me suspicious. You made a promise about this type of thing.”
He grabs my hand and kisses it. “I’m sorry. I’m thinking. There’s a leak in the company and I’m running through all the possibilities in my head. I’m usually dead-on with this shit, but I’ve been through it over and over a dozen or more times and come up empty.”
“A leak? Tell me.”
“I’m trying to find out how Aali Imaam knew I was CIA. There’s no way they could’ve found that out unless someone spoonfed them that info. So who was it? Alex Michaels said he didn’t do it. Leo says he knows nothing about it. All my stuff here is encrypted so even if they tapped into the system, they couldn’t figure it out. It had to come from within my organization. But who? I’ve had Huff working on it and he can’t figure it out.”
He’s not going to like this suggestion but I throw it out anyway. “Could it be Huff?”
“No. I’ve already discounted him, Blake, and everyone close to me.”
“It’s Jill. Or one of the girls. You think that info was released to Aali Imaam when?”
“Most likely right after your accident.”
“When was Jill hired?”
“Right before …” He looks at me and says, “Aw, fuck. Why didn’t I put two and two together?”
“Because she used that flirty shit to throw you off. And then she did that stuff with me to make it look like she was jealous. She had access to everything as your admin. She probably tapped your office too. Or maybe just got into your computer.”
“Fuck!”
He calls Huff right away and tells him to have his office swept for bugs.
“If I ever get my hands on that bitch …”
“What? You gonna kill her? Forget about her. Besides, who cares? Aali Imaam knows you work for the CIA. Big deal. You hate the CIA anyway. You don’t care what they think of you. You play by your own rules and do things the right way. Maybe now, those guys know you mean business.”
“Yeah, but I can’t fly under the radar anymore.”
I snort. “Drex, since when have you ever flown under the radar?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Look at you. I mean, really. No one ever forgets you once they see you. How can they? Women drool all over you. Men envy the hell out of you.” I laugh. “I can’t imagine how you ever thought you could fly under the radar. Even that time you wore the blond wig and those perfectly nasty brown teeth, you had such a damn presence about you. You can’t hide that kind of thing. You’re completely unforgettable. When I first saw you and didn’t know your name, I dubbed you tall, dark, and mysterious. And even when I had my worst migraine, I fell in love with your sexy-as-hell eyes. You know something? The Special Forces needs women to handpick forgettable men, because if they keep picking ones like you, this country is fucked.”
He laughs. “Maybe I should pass this advice on to them.”
“Naw, knowing them, they wouldn’t listen.” I wink at him.
“Babe, I’ve been so remiss. How are your migraines?”
“I’m so much better, all because of you.”
He laughs. “It’s not all me. The drugs are partially responsible.”
“But Drex, you led me to Dr. Griffith. So it really is you. Sex and drugs.” I giggle. He looks at me with the funniest expression on his face.
TWO DAYS LATER, Huff lets us know that Drex’s desk, and computer were bugged. No wonder everyone and their brother knew about his supposedly covert activities with the CIA.
He’s so disgusted with himself. “Come on, Drex, it could’ve happened to anyone. Even Huff and Blake missed it.”
“Even so, I told Huff I want her apartment under surveillance … audio and video. I want to know who her connection is and why she’s doing it.”
It bothers me that he would go to such lengths to uncover this information, especially at this point in the game. “Why? Why go to all this trouble?”
His eyes laser into mine. “Gem, your mom died because of this shit. Jill
is a national security risk. We have to know who her connection is and she has to go to prison. This isn’t a vendetta. This is fucking war we’re fighting, babe.”
When stated like that, I realize it isn’t just me—countless lives are at stake in this mess and he’s absolutely right. “Go get her, Drex. Take the bitch down.”
THINGS HAVE SETTLED down and Drex and I have begun a search for a new place to live. We’re still staying at the corporate apartment, but we’ve decided it’s time to move on. Drex has tied up all the loose ends to my mom’s case and we are moving around town a bit more freely. We still use our large contingency of bodyguards, but now that I’ve gotten used to them, I don’t mind.
It’s mid-morning and we’re at work, looking at a new case, when Huff barges into Drex’s office unannounced.
“What is it, man?”
“Jill. She’s neck deep into Aali Imaam. She was sent here as a toddler with her aunt and uncle to become Americanized and to do exactly what she did. What we still haven’t connected yet is how she found you,” Huff says.
Drex rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Probably my high-profile cases.”
It’s time for me to pipe up. “Nope. That’s not it. Aali Imaam isn’t dumb. They were tracking you, Drex, ever since … well, you know. And when you came back to the States, they kept tracking you because they knew you’d end up working in this capacity somehow.”
“Why do you say that?” he asks.
Since Huff is in the room, I don’t want to go into too much depth about his service with the Black Ops, but he gets my drift. “They knew how committed you were to your country. It was no secret … your dad, West Point, your commission, the Special Forces, and then you get here and start DWInvestigations and immediately pick up military contracts. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out your connections if they were tracking you.”
Drex looks at Huff. “Do you have enough to take her down?”
“More than enough.”
“I’ll call Leo and let him know. We can take her out today. Nice work, Huff. Tell the guys to take some time off.”
“Thanks, Drex. I’ll let you know how it goes. Oh, and one other thing. I thought you’d want to know this. They caught those guys that were abducting the women in Austin.”
Drex’s head immediately snaps up. “Go on.”
“Your friend was right. It was human trafficking. They were sending them to Thailand. They’re trying to work with the government over there to get the missing girls back. Colt said it was the two guys that you suspected.”
My stomach flips because that could’ve been me. “Oh my gosh!”
Huff says, “You were lucky that night, Gemini.”
I nod because I can’t speak.
Drex says, “I wish I had done some damage to those fuckers that night.”
“Well, they’re going to prison now. They have enough evidence on them to keep them there for the rest of their lives,” Huff says. “Our men are on their way home.”
“Thanks for letting us know. I’ll give Colt a call later today,” Drex says.
When Huff is gone, Drex gives me an intense look. “You okay?”
I nod and say, “Yeah. I’m just thinking about how close I came to that.”
He picks up my hand and gives it a squeeze. Then he says, “I want you here.”
“I am here. Helloooo!”
“No. I mean I want you with us. At DWInvestigations. I know your dream job is to work as a marketing specialist for a mountain bike manufacturer, but I want you to work with us, Gem. You have a great head for this stuff. I love the way your mind works and you’re tenacious as all hell. I’ll make you a really great offer.” He gives me a sexy grin.
Whoa. This hits me out of nowhere. My wheels spin for a second and then I think, why not? It makes sense. I’m with him at the office all the time. I may as well be on the payroll. And what chance do I really have now of getting hired in marketing? I’ve been away from the biking scene for a year now.
“That sounds reasonable. On one condition. I swear to God, if you ever order me around, I’ll cut your balls off so fast you won’t know what hit you.”
“You got it. I value my balls greatly. No ordering you around. So it’s a deal, then?”
I stick out my hand to shake on it, but he grabs it and yanks me so hard, I fly into his arms.
“We’re way past shaking hands. I think a kiss and a fuck are more like it. And if you think you’re going to HR over this, you can forget about it. I’m putting this into your employment contract.”
“I’m cool with that. But shut up. You’re wasting time.”
And that’s one thing my guy doesn’t ever do … waste time. He knows exactly what I like and how I like it and he demonstrates that to me today, again and again. Yeah, I think I’m going to love working at DWInvestigations. And I know the pay will be right. Oh yeah, will it ever be!
THE TEXAS AIR is hot and still as we walk through the cemetery. When we reach her grave, I stare at the words on the headstone. Michelle Sheridan. How strange. That small chunk of granite should shout to the world what a courageous woman my mother was. That she was a true patriot and gave up her freedom and eventually her life to save this country. She risked everything she had because she believed in freedom and because the lives of so many meant more to her than her love for one man.
As I think about this, I turn and look at the man who stands next to me and wonder if I would have the backbone to give him up so easily.
He knows me so well. His arm tightens around my waist and he hugs me to his side, giving me the strength I need for this visit. This is something I’ve thought about for a while but haven’t had the courage to do. After my mom died, I left here and haven’t returned. It was simply too painful. But with Drex by my side, I know he’ll help me get through this.
“You ready?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I bend down and place the small flag into the ground next to her headstone. I want the world to know that she was the bravest woman I’ve ever known and that she died for something meaningful; she died for her country.
“I love you, Mom. Thanks for being the best mom you could possibly be. Thank you for doing what you did. Because if you hadn’t, so many people would’ve died. Because of you, they didn’t. You’re a true hero, Mom. And I miss you more than anything.”
When I finish, tears rush freely down my cheeks as I blow her a kiss. Drex holds me close as we walk back to our car.
“You know, this information will only be kept secret for so long. Then they have to reveal it. The world will know the truth one day.”
“It won’t matter because it can’t bring her back.”
“No, but she deserves the honor, Gem.”
“She wouldn’t care a thing about that. She only ever cared about doing what was right.”
He stops and turns to face me. “I understand. You’re just like her, you know. In everything you do. You always think about what the right thing to do is.”
Then his lips find mine.
“Thanks for bringing me,” I tell him.
His hand wraps around mine. “You ready to go home?”
“I’m always home when I’m with you.”
A.M. Hargrove lives in South Carolina with her husband and family. After spending years in the corporate world, she now enjoys writing fiction while she is fully caffeinated. She also thinks coffee and chocolate should be added to the USDA food groups. Oh, and ice cream too!
Other books by A.M Hargrove include Tragically Flawed, Exquisite Betrayal, Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge, Kissing Fire, The GUARDIANS OF VESTURON Series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, Beginnings and reEMERGENT) and Dark Waltz (A Praestani Novel).
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If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. Thank you!
Post-Concussion Syndrome has gained a great deal of exposure in the news recently, particularly with regard to professional athletes. Though I’m not a professional athlete, I’ve had the misfortune of having to deal with this syndrome myself. After a skiing accident two years ago (and yes, I was wearing a helmet), I suffered a severe concussion, which subsequently developed into post-concussion syndrome. The migraines were initially severe enough to send me to the hospital with complete loss of memory. Multiple tests were run, (the same that were written for Gemini) but the headaches were absolutely debilitating. Fortunately, I was sent to a wonderful neurologist who set me on the right track to recovery. Two years later, however, I still experience migraines, though they are with much less frequency. If you or your children engage in any activities where a head injury could take place, please take care to protect yourselves. Don’t take a concussion lightly. They can have unpleasant and even dangerous long-term effects.
Thank you, Henry, for being second to my MacBook during the writing of Tragic Desires. It was a crazy train, I know, but the ride is over … well maybe. *wink*
This book would not be anything close to what it is without the diligence of my editor, Jennifer Sommersby Young. All I can say is what would I do without you? (Don’t answer that please!)
Thank you Beta Readers! You came through for me on the spur of the moment, even during the busy holiday season. I love you ladies to Venus and back! Megan Bracken-Bagley, Heather Carver, Kathryn Grimes, Alana Rock, Andrea Stafford, Terri Thomas and Kristie Wittenberg.
I’d love to acknowledge my street team here, not only for all their help in shouting out my stuff, but for all the fun times we have on FB! You ladies totally ROCK! XOXO
So many people have entered my life since I began this thing called writing, but the thing that touches me the most are the relationships and friends I’ve made in the past two years. It would be impossible to name everyone here so I will just say thank you to everyone. I’m amazed every day at what meaningful friendships I’ve made over this and I can only hope that one day I get to meet each one of you in person.
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