A few minutes later, Marc came downstairs, the scent of bacon and coffee filling the cabin. With an appreciative kiss, they sat down to eat.
Nibbling a slice of bacon as Marc dug into his eggs with gusto, she reminded, “I’ll be going to Mountville today with the women.”
Stopping mid-bite, he frowned thoughtfully. Leaning back, his eyes moved between the door and her. Reaching underneath the collar of his shirt, he pulled out the silver chain with the St. Mark medallion dangling in his fingertips. Pulling it over his head, he said, “Come here, babe.”
Brows scrunched down, she nonetheless leaned forward, allowing him to slip it over her head. Looking down at the winged-lion pendant now resting between her breasts, she fingered it before gazing back up at him. “Why?”
“I hate leaving you but I’m the one who needs to be with Nick today as he interviews Fahdil. It’s personal now. It was my mission, my airplane, and my woman.”
“Marc, I wasn’t your woman when all this happened,” she reminded, her voice gentle.
He reached over and cupped the back of her head and said, “It doesn’t matter the timing. You are now and that makes it my battle.”
“That’s kind of scary,” she admitted, her gaze on the hard line of his jaw.
“Girl, with you I’m all sweet. But with anyone who tries to hurt you…I’m all kinds of scary.”
Not sure what to do with that pronouncement, she dropped her gaze back to the medallion, but before she could ask, he said, “There’s a tracer in the back of that. I know you’ll be with the women today, but I’ll still have Luke pick you up and drop you off.”
She started to interrupt, but he placed his finger on her lips and continued, “Not until we know exactly what’s going on. I want you safe. Can you do that for me?” Leaning forward again, he replaced his finger with his lips and the argument went out of her.
“It’s little enough for all you’re doing for me,” she agreed, taking another bite of bacon as she watched a beautiful smile cross his face.
A few minutes later as Marc was ready to leave, he reviewed the security panel by the front door. He left after another kiss, this one long, hard, and definitely swoon-worthy.
*
Two hours later, answering the knock on the door after being alerted that Luke was coming to pick her up, Kendall swung the front door open, greeting Luke and Charlie like old friends. Stepping outside, she was not offended when Luke double checked the security.
It did not take long to get to Bethany’s property and soon they drove under the wooden sign listing the Mountville Rental Cabins and Wedding Venue. Pulling into the driveway, Kendall felt the location was similar to getting to Jack’s property.
“Look familiar?” asked Charlie from the front seat. “Bethany’s place is right next to Jack’s property.”
“Oh, that’s convenient,” Kendall noted.
Luke laughed, adding, “That’s how they met. Bethany’s grandmother got lost, came crashing through Jack’s woods, which were alarmed, and we all went charging out to see who the intruder was. What we found was an older lady, who seemed confused, and then Bethany, who came barreling out of the woods like a mama lion. She and Jack squared off and it was quite a sight to see, the two of them go at it!”
“They were really angry with each other?” Kendall asked, her mind unable to reconcile the sweet, in-love couple she met yesterday with Luke’s description.
“Yes,” Luke confirmed, “but it didn’t take long for them to fall for each other.”
“From what I can tell, that’s happened with all the Saints,” Charlie quipped, winking at Luke.
Kendall was no longer listening as she peeked out the window, viewing the glorious woods on either side of the wide gravel drive. They parked in front of an older, large, two-story, wooden building alongside several other vehicles. Charlie leaned over to kiss Luke goodbye as Kendall stepped out of the SUV.
Opening the front door, they passed by the reception desk, hearing laughter coming from the back room. Walking into what appeared to be a living room, Kendall noted the gathering. All the women were present, along with a middle-aged woman who was sitting on one of the chairs with a note-pad in her hand.
Bethany cried out, “Come join us! Margery is just taking the last notes for Angel’s wedding reception.”
Kendall quickly learned that Margery and her husband were the live-in managers for Bethany’s business and Margery also served as a wedding planner. An afternoon tea was prepared, complete with sandwiches and small cakes. The group dove into the food and it did not take long for Kendall to feel right at home again.
“So, I hear you met Jack when you crashed onto his property,” Kendall mentioned, licking the icing from the cake off her lips.
Bethany laughed while nodding. “Oh, yeah. Jack and I had a real hate-to-love relationship.” Looking around the room, she smiled as she added, “But then, everyone here has their own story to tell. Ladies, why don’t you fill Kendall in?”
“My grandmother was being rooked by a scam artist and Jude caught him.” Grinning, Sabrina said, “We’d dated before that, but it was during that time that we fell in love.”
“Bart and I were thrown together by the FBI to find a kidnapped child,” Faith explained, a gentle smile on her face.
“Chad and I worked together for the ATF, but it wasn’t until I began working for a munitions plant where there were problems that he and I got together,” Dani said.
“My dog brought us together,” Grace smiled. Shrugging slightly, she continued, “I was in an accident and had amnesia. Blaise found me and, with the Saints’ help discovering who was after me, we fell in love.”
Kendall shook her head, amazed at the stories she was hearing. She looked over at Evie and said, “I know you worked in California when you met Patrick.”
Nodding, Evie agreed, “Yes, and there was a theft ring going on between my company and his Army base. He got involved with me as we tried to figure out what was happening.”
Charlie was sitting next to Kendall and said, “You know that Luke and I were brought together by a love of cyber mystery-solving.”
Tossing her colorful hair over her shoulder, Angel said, “Monty came to my rescue when members of my former sorority were being killed.”
Miriam, sitting on the floor with her plate in her lap, replied, “I was a Red Cross nurse working in Mexico when I was kidnapped—”
The gasp from Kendall interrupted Miriam. “Seriously?”
Nodding, Miriam replied, “Yes…it was awful, but Cam came to rescue me. We spent days escaping through the jungle until Marc could pick us up.” She smiled softly toward Kendall and said, “That’s why I have a particular soft spot for Marc and I’m so glad he’s found you.”
By the time the women had all given their recounting of meeting their Saint, Kendall leaned back in her seat, not knowing what to say. Is this where I am with Marc? Is that why I feel so at home here? Before she had time to ponder her inner questions further, Bethany stood and called out, “Let’s take a walk to the gazebo!”
As they meandered along the gravel road that wound around the small lake in the center of the property, Kendall’s gaze roamed constantly over the beauty. Thick woods filled with evergreens, lush and green, peaking through the leafless oaks and maples. They passed small, A-frame, rental cabins and a pier jutting out onto the lake.
The cloudless sky allowed the sun to warm them slightly as they walked around the lake. “Bethany, this is gorgeous!” Kendall enthused.
Bethany, walking nearby, turned and smiled, pride evident on her face. “Thanks! My grandparents bought this land and had the idea of vacation rentals. They built the cabins themselves and lived in the first one as they built the others. Then they built the main reception building.”
“Did you grow up here?”
“Only during the summers, but a few years ago, after my grandfather died, my grandmother needed help. So I came back and now I run it as a rental and weddi
ng venue.”
Miriam grinned, “And so far all the Saints who are married had their ceremonies or receptions here!”
The conversations flowed but Kendall continued the walk in silence as she viewed the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background with the cool, crisp air filling her lungs. Inhaling deeply, she could smell the cedars and pines. Feeling a touch on her arm, her eyes flew open as she startled, seeing Faith standing next to her.
“Are you all right?” Faith asked, her soft voice floating through the air.
Smiling, Kendall nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just…I’m…” laughing, she said, “I don’t know what I am!” They walked in silence for a moment before Kendall spoke again. “This area is so beautiful, but what I can’t understand is how at home I feel.” Faith said nothing, allowing Kendall to continue her thoughts. “My parents had moved around some but, once my dad landed in Louisiana, we stayed. But honestly, I never felt there the way I do here.”
“Is it the place or the people?” Faith queried.
Kendall smiled widely, her face shining as she replied, “Honestly? Both!” Now that they were at the gazebo, the women stopped, enjoying the view once more. Kendall breathed in deeply, the view sinking into her being.
Walking back to the main cabin, the women’s conversations revolved around weddings, babies, and careers. And Kendall found she did not mind the topics at all.
Chapter 30
Estelle and Cliff stood at the hotel’s reception desk as they checked out. The elevator doors opened and they were soon joined by Will and Karen.
Looking at her watch, Estelle said, “Where is Fahdil? We have a tight schedule to get to the airport and the receptionist already said there was an accident on the highway.”
“I think he’s still in his room,” Karen replied.
“Well, he’s on his own if he misses the flight,” Estelle bit out, moving to grab her bag, leaving Will and Karen rolling their eyes behind her back.
*
“Dr. Mahdi? Agent Nick Stone.” Nick stood in the doorway of Fahdil’s hotel room and flashed his FBI badge. Marc noted the doctor’s viewing it warily before turning his gaze up to him, recognition in his eyes.
“Mr. Jenkins, you’re with the FBI too?”
Marc replied, “No, sir. When you saw me with Kendall, I was just as introduced: with a security company hired to see to her and her father’s safe journey.”
“Doctor, we need to talk to you about Tariq Mustafa,” Nick cut in, getting right to the point.
“Tariq?” Fahdil repeated, his voice first surprised and then confused. “Is there something wrong? Is he all right?” Eyes wide, he looked between the men standing at his hotel door.
“We have no information about his condition, sir, but we do need to talk to you. Is there somewhere we can meet privately?”
Fahdil opened his mouth but closed it quickly. Glancing back into his hotel room, he nodded toward the table by the window. “We can meet in here if it’s acceptable.”
Nick, Marc, and Chad stepped inside and followed Fahdil to the table where the morning’s coffee service sat. Marc introduced Chad as they took their seats. Offering to pour coffee, Fahdil’s hands fluttered nervously when they politely refused. Finally, taking a seat himself, his eyes moved quickly amongst the three men as they settled. His expression wary, he said, “Some of my co-workers have already checked out of the hotel. I have a plane to catch in a few hours—”
“Doctor, we will try to make this as succinct as possible.”
Without mincing words, Marc began. “Dr. Mahdi, you know I was originally contracted to escort Kenneth Rhodes and then, as things progressed, it became Kendall Rhodes. With everything that happened, we were uncertain which of the two was the original intended victim and now the FBI is looking to see who sabotaged my plane.”
Fahdil nervously stared at Marc, his mouth working, a protest building. “And you suspect my son, Tariq?”
“We know that he has been recently studying at the University of Alaska. Were you aware that he did not return to his classes this semester?”
“Did…did not return? I don’t understand.”
“He stayed in Alaska, but moved out of the dorm and withdrew from the university,” Marc continued, his gaze carefully assessing the man in front of him.
Licking his lips, Fahdil shook his head slowly. “That can’t be. I…I talk to him. He tells me how his classes are going.”
“All which can be pretenses,” Chad added.
“But why? Why would he pretend to still be at the university if he’s not? Why stay up there?” Fahdil’s voice grew louder, his chest heaving with each breath.
“That’s what we were hoping you could tell us,” Nick said, pulling a folder out of his briefcase and placing it on the table.
Fahdil’s gaze dropped to the file, eyes wide as though afraid of its contents. He said nothing, but clasped his hands together on top of the table, his knuckles white.
Nick opened the folder, pulled out a photograph of several young men and pushed it over to Fahdil. “Do you recognize any of these people?”
“That’s Tariq,” Fahdil answered as his gaze roved over the picture, “but I don’t know the others. I never met any of his friends from Alaska.” He lifted his eyes back to Nick, his brows drawn down.
“Those other men are suspected terrorists in a growing cell in Alaska,” came the reply. “They recruit from universities.”
Seeing Fahdil about to contest, Marc jumped in, tapping his finger on the image of Tariq. “And he was positively identified by an FBI agent as one of the two men who sabotaged my plane.”
“No!” Fahdil said vehemently, pushing back in his chair, his face a mask of disbelief.
“Yes,” Marc growled, “and there’s more.” Gaining a nod from Nick, he continued, “We have traced a bank account in your name to Tariq. The account is in your name, but not your social security number. It appears he used fake identification to set it up but the money you’ve been sending to him ends up in this account. And, what’s more…he then transfers it to another man.” Tapping his finger on one of the people in the photograph, he said, “This man right here. One that is on the FBI’s top list of persons of interest as a possible terrorist.”
Blinking as he looked at the copies of bank receipts, Fahdil stared wordlessly for a moment. Finally coming out of his trance, his voice broken, he said, “I…don’t know what to say. He…Tariq was always a good boy…from a good home. We took him in when he came to America. Never…never would I have thought of this.” Closing his eyes as a tear slid down his cheek, he shook his head in agony. “This will devastate my wife…we think of him as a son.”
Nick added, “Dr. Mahdi, we have also found cyber evidence that he had hacked into your NCBRT account, the assumption being that he was looking for your research and perhaps did not find what he was ordered to find.”
Marc observed as Fahdil swallowed deeply, a slow expression of understanding coming over his face.
“Last fall, during a break when he was home visiting, he had a lot of questions about my work. I was flattered,” Fahdil explained begging for understanding. “I thought perhaps he wanted to go into the sciences and possibly research. Of course,” he quickly qualified, “I did not tell him anything that was secure, but gave him basic information.” With a grimace, he added, “Tariq had more questions and I told him that Dr. Rhodes was the one with all the data.” As though understanding was falling all around, his voice became strident as he said, “We had a party and I introduced him to Kendall and Kenneth.”
Covering his face in his hands, his shoulders shook as he said, “What have I done?”
Nick stood after a moment and said, “Dr. Mahdi, considering what you’ve told us, I’ll need you to come to the FBI headquarters with me. We need to get your official statement.” Seeing the older man’s wide eyed face, he added, “You’re not under suspicion at this time, but you have had contact with a known terrorist and are a person of intere
st. You may certainly obtain legal council if you wish.”
“And Tariq?” Fahdil inquired.
“All of this has been turned over to the FBI in Alaska and in Louisiana. They will find him and detain him since it is their jurisdiction.”
His brow furrowed, Fahdil said suddenly, “Can I call my wife? She’s been unwell and I do not want her upset when they come looking for Tariq!”
“I’m sorry, doctor, but we cannot take the chance that he’ll flee.”
His face downcast, Fahdil followed Nick out of the room.
A few minutes later Marc and Chad climbed back into their SUV and began the trip homeward. As Chad drove, Marc leaned back in the seat, his mind on thoughts of Kendall back in his home. Grinning, he realized once more that the image did not bother him.
*
“Stay here.”
Kendall, standing behind Luke, looked over at Charlie who just smiled as she shrugged.
“You know, Luke…you could actually say ‘please’,” Charlie quipped, earning a slight scowl from him.
Stepping inside Marc’s house, Luke turned back to Kendall and said, “Please.”
Unable to stop her snort of laughter, she stayed on the front porch as Luke continued through the house, searching as he went. Walking back to the front, where Charlie and Kendall had not entered, he reported, “All clear.”
Somber, after watching the activity, Kendall said, “It seems so remote that someone wants to harm me and that they would follow me here.”
“You can never be too sure,” Luke replied, as Charlie nodded.
“Do you want me to stay until Marc gets home?”
“Nah, but thanks anyway,” Kendall answered. “I’ve…I’ve got some thinking to do and I do it best alone.”
Nodding her understanding, Charlie embraced Kendall tightly and whispered, “Only you can decide what you want in life and whether or not change is right.”
Surviving Love: Saints Protection & Investigations Page 24