The Book of Joshua II - Believe (The Gems & Gents Series 3)

by Iris Bolling

  “Who was involved in the investigation?” Gavin glared towards Brian.

  “You’re still alive. Clearly, it wasn’t me,” Brian replied sitting forward and glaring directly at Gavin.

  “Okay,” JD cut in, knowing there was no love lost between the two men. “Calvin, how many people were in the room during the investigation?”

  “Rossie and myself were the only two who handled anything connected with Gavin.” I spoke with Rossie earlier today. None of his files have been touched. He checked them himself.”

  “If it was no one from the inside,” Gavin spoke, “who else would have knowledge of the situation?”

  “What about the people working with Munford?” Calvin asked. “There was another man involved.”

  JD sat forward as he remembered the night Munford was killed. He was there, in Munford’s home, pointing a gun at the man, wanting desperately to kill him for having Brian shot. Samuel and Joshua Lassiter were there too. Joshua was talking him out of pulling the trigger when shots rained through the window. “Jonas Gary,” JD and Calvin said the name at the same time.

  “He got away,” Calvin said.

  “Where is he now?” Brian asked.

  “We never found him. It wouldn’t have mattered if we did, we had no evidence against him.”

  “How would he know about the investigation on me?” Gavin asked. “He wasn’t a part of your office,” he said to Calvin. “Therefore he wouldn't have been privy to that information.”

  “He’s right,” Calvin shook his head. “Only Rossie and myself knew all the details. Most of which we never even shared with you, JD.”

  “Did you talk with Jackie about the case?” Brian asked then looked at JD, “Or did you talk to Tracy?” He then looked at Gavin, “Or Carolyn?”

  “No, I never took the office home to Jackie,” Calvin replied.

  “I would never put Tracy in danger that way,” JD said. “Now, I talk to her about everything.”

  They all turned to Gavin. “If I remember correctly, things were very interesting between you and Carolyn back then,” Brian raised an eyebrow. “Is it possible you talked to her and she may have shared the information with one of her bed partners?”

  Gavin, now angry over the insult Brian had just slung at his wife, stood. “I will not dignify that with a response.” He turned to JD who had stood, “Let me know when you find the leak. You can reach me in the office or at home with my wife.” He emphasized the word wife as he looked at Brian. He shook JD’s hand. “Mr. President, Calvin,” he nodded to Brian, then left the room.

  JD and Calvin just stared at Brian.

  “What?”

  “Why did you go there?”

  “We all know how Carolyn was back then and so does he. She was sleeping with anything and everything that had a stick, including,” he looked at JD, “David Holt.”

  “David Holt,” Calvin questioned. “What does he have to do with this?”

  JD walked back around to his desk as he answered. “He approached JC at school.”

  “I thought he was in jail. Hell, I put him there myself.”

  “He’s out,” Brian replied as he pulled out his electronic pad. “According to our records, he was released on probation two months ago.”

  “Does James know?” Calvin asked.

  JD nodded, “I advised him to stay away from the man.”

  “Did you give that same advice to Douglas?” Brian smirked.

  “No,” JD looked up at Brian concerned. “Give him a heads up. And keep Holt away from my son.”

  ❖❖❖

  David stood on the side of the basketball court as he watched young boys shooting hoops. They looked pretty good. One or two looked like they had some skills. However, he wasn't interested in the basketball game. No, he was there to see one person, to render payback to the whole damn lot of them. He looked around trying to pick out the Secret Service agents he knew were there. The last thing he needed was to have a run in with one at this point in the game. No, his mission was a simple one today, get into the mind of JC Harrison, the President's son. He knew he had gotten to him at the school. He wondered if he told his father or better yet, his mother, about their little chat. Yep, the kid was their weakness. First born to the Harrison’s was his target. Because of James Brooks’ visit, Eleanor had become a little skittish. The boy was going to be his contingency plan if things did not go as anticipated with McClintock.

  David continued to survey the area, looking from one person to the next. He nodded knowingly, each time he recognized an agent. Branding his mind with their images. As he continued to survey the area, he noticed there were a number of agents around. He wondered why so many? The child of a President would have two maybe three agents on him. So far he had recognized at least five agents.

  “Excuse me,” a young girl’s voice rang out. “You’re blocking our view.”

  David turned and almost jumped out of his skin. A slim young girl, who looked to be the spitting image of someone he knew, stood behind him.

  “We are watching the game and you are standing in front of the guys.”

  David smiled and bowed slightly. “My apologies ladies,” he all but licked his lips at his good fortune. “Who might you be?”

  Jasmine blushed at the handsome man with the dimples. “I’m Jazzy, this is my cousin Jada.”

  “You know we are not supposed to talk to strangers, Jazzy,” Jada warned.

  David nodded. “She’s right,” he put his hands in his pockets to keep from rubbing them together. He could not believe his good luck. “I’m not really a stranger. I know your parents…all of them, I think. Let me see.” he pointed to Jasmine. “You must be Tracy’s daughter.” Then he looked at Jada and smiled, trying hard not to over play his hand by allowing his mouth to water. “You can only be Ashley’s daughter,” he managed not to smirk.

  “If you know our parents, why did you ask who we were?” Jazzy asked.

  “You’re as smart as you are pretty.”

  Jazzy blushed again. “Thank you. I know.”

  “Let’s go Jazzy,” Jada pulled at her cousin’s arm. “We can sit on the other bench.”

  “Jazzy,” JC called from the court. He threw the ball to his friend then walked swiftly towards where the girls stood.

  David watched as several agents attempted to detain JC, while others approached him. Two agents, gathered the girls behind them.

  “Just talking, gentlemen,” David held his hands up, “just talking.”

  “Jazzy and Jada, go to the car, now.”

  “I don’t want to go to the car,” Jazzy pouted.

  JC looked up at two of the agents, “Take them to the car, now.”

  “What’s going on JC?” His friends from the court started towards him.

  “Nothing, I’m good. I’ll be back in a minute. Calvin, you take the ball out.” The boys hesitated to make sure their friend was okay, then most of them turned back to the game. The one named, Elliott stood behind JC and watched.

  JC looked up at the remaining two agents. “Will you give me a minute, please?” The agents stepped away, but kept their eyes on him.

  JC took a step closer to David. They were matched in height, though David had a little more weight on him. “I don’t know your game Mr. Holt. What I do know is you are going to stay away from my sister.”

  “But she is so cute,” David smirked.

  “You’re an adult, she’s ten years old. Come near her again, and you will have me to deal with.”

  “You’re just like your father,” David laughed.

  “In some ways. In others I take more after my Uncle Al Day. You know the name.”

  David knew the name and the reputation. “We shall meet again young Mr. Harrison.” David turned, whistling as he walked away. “Have a good day gentlemen,” he saluted as he walked by the agents.

  “What was that about?” Elliott asked JC.

  JC never took his eyes off the man until he was in his car. “Nothing, j
ust an old friend of my parents.” Which was what his father had told him, in addition to stay away from him.

  “He didn’t look like a friend.”

  JC laughed at Elliott, “You are just like Uncle Brian, always looking for a fight.”

  “Yeah, and you are just like your dad, not taking people as a threat. You shouldn’t have even been talking to that man.”

  JC looked over his shoulder to the vehicle David now sat in. “No, he needs to know I’m not afraid of him.”

  “Are you going to tell your parents about him?”

  “No. They have enough to deal with.”

  Elliott watched his friend walk back to the court. He looked over at the vehicle the man was in. Elliott pulled out his phone and sent a text message with the license plate number to his father.

  A new plan began to formulate in David’s mind as he walked away. At first he only planned to mess with JC’s mind a little. Tell him the truth about his mother. Since James Brooks invaded his territory, his game plan had to be altered. Why not have a little fun at his expense? Tracy and Ashley’s daughters would put the icing on the cake. He snickered to himself. Yes, this new plan is going to be bittersweet. The one two punch, was coming. Payback for Ashley accusing him of rape when he was in college, and messing up his professional football career, and last but not least, for that damn meddling, Tracy. As for James Brooks, well, after spending the last ten years of his life in prison this was the perfect way, to make them all pay.

  David sat in his car, pulled up the Internet and began to do a little research into the database of the Secret Service department. There was a blog post that only agents had access to. It’s amazing how small details could become dangerous. The inquiry revealed a bit of information regarding the Harrison children that David could definitely use. It seems that Jasmine, they called her Jazzy, that's so cute he thought, had a way of manipulating her Secret Service agents. To combat that problem, the Harrisons decided to switch off agents weekly. Hmm, how convenient, was his last thought as he pulled away.

  ❖❖❖

  Gavin waited until he and Carolyn were in the car before he spoke. “Interesting conversation took place in the Oval Office.”

  “All I want to know, is JD going to have your back?”

  “I’m certain he will.”

  “Did he say that?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  Carolyn exhaled. “That’s good to hear. Now all we have to do is squash this hearing crap. I spoke with Tracy to ensure JD holds up his end.”

  Gavin watched out the window as the vehicle drove from the White House to his office. It was hard reliving those days when his wife couldn’t keep her legs closed. She wasn’t, technically, his wife at that time, but in his heart Carolyn Roth was his wife. He’d loved her from the first moment he saw her with JD Harrison. Looking back, damn if she wasn’t right. She said that JD was going to be Governor of Virginia and probably President one day. And here we are, President Jeffrey Harrison. Back then he was jealous of JD. He had it all. The women, the politicians, even the people in the streets loved him. Most of all, he had Carolyn. Then Tracy came along. She was their savior, his and JD’s. From the moment Tracy came on the scene, JD began to disregard Carolyn and that gave him a way in. He knew the only reason she was with him was because of his political ambitions. Carolyn wanted to be First Lady of Virginia. To have that she had to marry him, for JD was no longer an option. He knew her reasons and accepted them. He thought those days were behind him. He was wrong. Now he had to deal with another memory, David Holt.

  “Carolyn.”

  “Yes, darling?”

  “Did you ever discuss the Munford case with David Holt when you were sleeping with him?”

  Chapter Nine

  Atlanta, GA

  The trip to Joshua’s home in Quantico, Virginia did not go as smoothly as they all had hoped. Ned was still dark. That concerned everyone. However, they did not have the time to figure out what was happening with Ned. When he was able to contact them, he would. Which meant they had to use other means to acquire transportation without giving the government any indication of their location. Roc had personnel she’d used a time or two whenever she had to travel under the radar. Joshua did not feel comfortable with that.

  “I don’t trust people I don’t know. I don’t know you therefore your people are out.”

  “Understandable,” Roc calmly replied to the illogical thinking of the man. If she or her people were the ones who wanted him dead, he would be dead. “The alternative would be we remain here until you are able to travel on your own.”

  “Are you deaf woman? No,” Joshua yelled. “I need to leave here, now.”

  His raised voice may have affected others, but Roc did not flinch. One of her most valuable assets was her ability to keep her cool.

  Samuel was another story. “Joshua, we don’t talk to women like that. Especially one, who by the looks of things, just saved your life. ”Where is my fun loving little brother?”

  “He grew up, Sammy. Became a part of the real world.”

  “In the real world my brothers, all of them, were taught manners. We do not raise our voice at women. We treat women the same way we treat our mother. And I know damn well you would not raise your voice at her.”

  Joshua turned on Samuel. “Who are you, her keeper?”

  “No, but I am your brother,” Samuel took a step towards Joshua, “and will become your keeper if you don’t settle down.”

  “Samuel,” Roc, stepped between them, touching his chest and looked up into his eyes. “It’s okay. I can handle this. Why don’t you go upstairs, prepare us a decent meal before we hit the road.”

  Samuel looked down at her. She always had a special way of looking at a man to get him to do whatever she wanted. Roc, never raised her voice, or said a cruel word. She didn’t have to. He nodded, stared at Joshua, then left the room.

  Joshua watched the two then remembered her statement. They knew each other as well as a wife knows a husband. He smirked.

  “I think your brother is very happy to see you alive. When was the last time you spoke to him?”

  Joshua frowned at her. “Who are you now, the family counselor?”

  Roc ignored his dig. She opened a dresser drawer and pulled out black sweat pants and a top. “I’ll help you get dressed while we decide what’s the best way to get you home.” She walked over to the bed where he sat on the side. “Would you like something for the pain before I try to move you?”

  “No. I don’t want anything from you.” He snatched the clothes from her hand. “I can dress myself.”

  Roc took one step back. She learned a long time ago, not to approach a wounded animal. Joshua was injured in more ways than physical, she could see that now. According to Samuel, they had a very close family. Why did it seem Joshua was on the outskirts of that? To help with the healing process, she needed to know. “You realize, your connections will be on a government watch list. Trying to use any of them could cause,” Joshua dropped his pajama pants to the floor revealing his naked body, stopping her mid-sentence, “problems.”

  Joshua grinned at her reaction to his physical appearance. “Impressive, isn’t it.”

  Roc looked up to his face. Despite the arrogant statement, she knew his knees were about to buckle. Her first instinct was to let it happen after that remark. However, the medic in her would not allow him to cause further injury to himself. She put her hand around his waist, and used the other to pick up the sweat pants. Try as she might, she could not ignore the part of his anatomy that was now lodged between her breasts. “Lean over my back,” she said in the calmest voice she could manage.

  “I can do this,” he said with less conviction than before.

  Roc never acknowledged his statement. She bent down low enough for him to raise a leg into the pants, and then the other. She pulled the pants up over his butt, covering his private parts. Unfortunately, her memory was very good. The sight of him would not be leaving her soon
. She checked to ensure the bandage around his waist was tight, then sat him back on the bed. “Let’s get your shirt on.”

  He reached to take the shirt, but she pulled it away. “We’re going to put one arm in at a time.” She placed one arm in, then the other and pulled the sweatshirt down over his head. She heard him grunt at the action. “It’s going to be a minute before you can lift that arm. Let’s get you a pair of shoes. What size are you?”

  “Twelve,” he stated as the pain throbbed in his back.

  Men and their pride, Roc shook her head. “I’ll be right back.”

  Joshua lay back on the bed. He couldn’t understand why he was angry with her, but he was. The fact that they sent the woman he lost the commander slot to, ate away at him. The fact that his back hurt like hell, ate away at him and to make matters worse, Sammy was seeing him at his weakest. That ate away at him. He could take any other member of his family seeing him this way, but not Sammy.

  Roc walked back into the room and knew he was in pain. She placed the shoes next to the bed. Prepared a needle for him and did not ask if he needed something for pain. She cleaned an area on his arm, then inserted the needle into a vein. She walked to the door and turned out the light.

  “Thank you,” the deep somber voice of Joshua was barely above a whisper.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied then walked out of the room.

  Upstairs she secured the area and walked into the kitchen.

  “Is he asleep?” Samuel asked from the stove where he was in his element. Cooking was one of his favorite pastimes.

  “Probably,” she picked up one of the pot tops from the stove and inhaled the scent, then smiled. “I gave him a heavy dose of morphine.” She put the top back then picked up another. Samuel hit her with the wooden spoon in his hand. “Ouch.”

  “Stay out until I’m finished.”

  “Do you do that to your wife?”

  “No, I don’t have to. Cynthia is content to stay in her seat until I serve her dinner. Unlike you, who has no patience when it comes to food.”

  “Hey, I like to eat, what can I say,” she replied as she sat at the table. “So, Absolute is your brother? Is covert operations the family business?”