Forgiving Love (The Soul Sisters Series Book 2)

by Victoria Johns

  He doesn’t move.

  “Fine.” I grab my keys and leave him in my apartment, shutting my door behind me.

  I get to the office and it’s very quiet because its early evening on Sunday and most sensible people are trying to squeeze the last dying seconds out of their weekend. I hear Steven’s voice in his office, so I don’t knock, I just head in.

  “Neely, thanks for coming in,” Steven says, “I’ll apologize now for getting you in on a Sunday evening, but things with the case you’re researching just got a little more complicated than we’ve been lead to believe”.

  “Hello Neely,” the sheriff addresses me, “Can you tell me exactly what was in the files that were removed from the trunk of your car?”

  “Removed? Choice word Sheriff. I’d use stolen. Anyway, they were details of land registry.”

  “Yes, so Steven has said, but I need specifics.”

  “Why? What’s going?” As I finish my question the front door buzzer goes, staff have access passes so we never need to use it and anyone that doesn’t is usually greeted by Sonny’s mom on reception.

  “I’ll get that,” Steven says and heads for the door, “That’ll be Special Agent Wilkes.”

  “Who?” But before I get my answer, Ross follows Steven through the door back into the office.

  WHAT. THE. FUCK.

  My mouth is hanging open and I am not even attempting to hide the shock on my face.

  “Neely,” he simply addresses me with an air of professionalism.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I’m laughing at the incredulous circus that my Sunday has become.

  “Good,” says the sheriff, “You two know each other, no need for introductions.”

  “No. Hang on a minute, I may know him as Ross, the Vans Ranch Foreman, but I still don’t understand what kind of special agent he is and why he’s interested in my stolen files.”

  This time Ross addresses me, “Neely, please understand that this conversation must remain confidential. It is vitally important that my cover remains in place.” He’s using a tone that isn’t ranch foreman, but more educated and official.

  “Clearly I am a professional here too,” I snap at him and his eyes flash.

  He needs to know that I am not happy about being played by him, but he takes a deep breath and continues, “I work for the ATF as an undercover agent. We’ve been aware that the Vans have been linked to some activity that has far reaching criminal connections, it crosses many government agencies and we believe that they can lead us to the bigger fish involved.”

  “What are they involved in?” I ask.

  “For your own safety, that is need to know. What I can tell you is that my original assignment was to identify any ties the Vans had to a more ruthless crime family. Part of that investigation means confirming how deep the Hales family and business are involved in it. I’m sorry for what must feel like an abuse of our friendship.”

  I snort at his comment but I don’t answer him, I don’t want Steven to know that I’ve been played by an agent who has used his hot guy status to get into my panties. I think back to all conversations and meetings, him appearing in the hallway whilst I was eaves dropping on Polly and Henry at the ranch BBQ, him asking questions about Chris, his clean, now obvious government issue Jeep and his illusive answers to our picnic question game. He was definitely after information from me.

  I can’t believe I’ve been played by a fucking guy again. What is the matter with me?

  Ross carries on his explanation of the situation, “As well as confirming or negating that the Hales are involved, I’ve been building a dossier on some of the Vans more dubious ranch employees. I was tailing one yesterday who I witnessed breaking into your car and removing some files from the trunk.”

  “WHAT?”

  “Exactly,” butts in Steven, “If he knew you’d taken files home from the office he must have been watching you, they know you’re preparing the legal information on this case. For that reason alone, you are no longer working on this case.”

  “Oh come on, you have to be shitting me?”

  “He is totally serious Neely,” confirms Ross, “If I’m right the Vans are just little fish in this ugly pool, by intercepting that information and not waiting for the case to be completed and presented, I can only assume whatever they are involved in is becoming desperate. So, back to my original question, what was in those files?”

  “Jesus. OK, not much really. I had details of all the true boundary lines between the Hales property and the Vans. I have copies of all the deed ownerships I’d requested for the natural reserves contained beneath the land too.”

  “What natural reserves contained beneath the land?” asks Steven.

  “Not sure yet, from the original plans, circa ninety years ago, when the property and land was first established by the Hales it seems there is a series of underground tunnels. They seem deep, but I would I think they also run under the Vans land too. My next move was to ascertain the start and finish position. I imagine they are old mine shafts. Where there are mine shafts, there must be something or there used to be, something to mine.”

  “Hang on, do you think there is gold or tin or what, oil maybe? Down there?” asks the sheriff.

  “I hadn’t got that far in the research yet, I was trying to establish ownership and access first. Figuring out what is down there is conjecture until someone other than the historical society gets back to me,” I say

  Steven seems to be on the edge of his seat when he asks the next question, “What have they said?”

  “So far nothing, but folk love tales and intrigue and all they can come up with are legends about smugglers tunnels. There could be absolutely nothing, just access routes that run somewhere, it could be as simple as the staff having direct access from one ranch to the next without having to negotiate lots of undulating fields and roaming cattle on horseback.”

  “Sorry Neely, let’s just go back a step, did you say legends about tunnels that may or may not have been used for smuggling in the past?” asks Ross.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s it. That’s why Henry wants the Hales land, unobserved access, free roaming domain and unlimited storage space, a criminal organization’s idea of heaven. Steven, I need to know the layout, route, start and end point and exit and entry access points to those tunnels. Like yesterday,” says Ross directly.

  “Certainly Agent Wilkes, I will get you those.”

  “But I can do that,” I tell the room.

  “Absolutely not,” Steven tells me with a pointed finger, “You are off this Neely. In fact, from this moment on you are on a minimum of a week’s paid vacation time.”

  “What! I don’t want that, I can help, you know I can,” I counter his insane instruction.

  “Neely please,” the sheriff says, “Let Agent Wilkes do his job, we’ve already had to draft in outside resources to keep an eye on Chris and his property, and we just don’t have the resources to do the same with you. You’ve already been followed, staying away from this case and this office will help us keep you safe.”

  “OK,” I know he’s right and arguing isn’t going to get me anywhere, but just because I’m not here doesn’t mean I can’t participate on the side lines. In fact if the bad guys think I’m on vacation they’ll leave me alone and I’ll be able to carry on my research from a distance.

  “That was far too easy,” mutters Ross, “Neely, I mean this, you do not want to be involved in this. Please stay out of it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’ve said I will. Can I go now?”

  “Certainly, thanks for coming in again, please remember this conversation and your agreement to do as you’ve been asked,” says Steven with a finality that tells me I’m being excused.

  “See you in a week then people,” and on that I back out of the door. No one follows me so I pull it too and loiter to see if I can hear what they’re discussing.

  “Goodbye Neely,” shouts Steven.

  “Alrig
ht alright,” I shout back and actually do leave this time.

  Today has taken an unexpected turn, but at least some of the suspicious thoughts of mine have been answered. Henry hasn’t approached Chris directly for the land because he knows he won’t sell it.

  Henry is also involved in something illegal, it’s unbelievable, the guy is a pillar of our community and has been for years. So many people look up to him, the results of this whole case could be devastating for Hawkstown.

  Henry’s insistence that Polly get together with Chris would have been a more legal way to bind the two properties and land masses. Clearly, that idea, the easier option for him has gone awry because as cute as Polly is, she hasn’t been able to manipulate Chris.

  I wonder who he’s involved with and I wonder if those underground tunnels are really the answer. A huge part of me is relieved that Chris isn’t involved and is being watched, as much I hate the guy right now I wouldn’t want him to lose his land, home and be in any danger.

  I have to get to the bottom of this though, and it seems like a week’s “fakeation” is the perfect cover to investigate under the radar and keep my mind off my personal dramas.

  I’m still angry at Ross, he’s used me and it’s sad because I liked the guy. I feel relief that I haven’t slept with him, but I will make it known that I do not appreciate being used in his investigation. The last part of the puzzle clicks into place, Jonas. I suspect he knows that Ross is undercover. Although I don’t have specific details I know Jonas operates and works within some government agencies and the military. I also know that the bloke is locked up tighter than Fort Knox, he won’t tell me anything but maybe I can get him to keep a closer eye on Chris. They’re friends and he has the skills to do that I’m sure.

  I feel revived that I have some plans and ideas in play:-

  Continue my research work to gather material, in secret and go somewhere on my own out of sight to do it.

  Drop enough hits for Jonas to protect Chris.

  Bollock Dolly for her timely intrusion. I can now agree it was for the best but she’ll be expecting it. I need to keep up appearances.

  Forget Chris and what happened this morning.

  *****

  Chris

  “What the fuck is wrong with you man? I said man up and sort things out, not man up and sort her out.”

  “Jesus Jonas, I don't know. She was all angry and naked and wet. I just lost my head,” I tell him.

  “Yeah, you’ve lost your head by letting your other head take over. Has nothing I’ve said hit home? Did you honestly learn nothing from my monumental fuck ups with Dalton?” He asks, “Don’t answer that, just pull it together,” he finishes.

  From the other side of the room I hear a chuckle, Dolly is in their kitchen area and I thought we were having our guy chat quietly, clearly we weren’t.

  “Oh great Jonas, Dolly knows?”

  “Of course she knows, I don’t keep secrets from my wife and if it wasn’t for my woman, your girl would have been experiencing her own style of riding lesson.”

  “OK. OK. Let’s not go there again,” I plead.

  Jonas’s home phone rings and none of them make a move to get it, the answering machine kicks and after Dolly has told them to leave a message, we all turn in the direction of it when we hear Neely’s voice.

  “Dolly dices with death, today’s special rhyming nickname for you. Seriously, following me on my date. Low. Anyway, I’ve had another epic fail in my plan to avoid Chris this afternoon so I’m taking off for a few days. I’m going to pop and stay with my folks, get some space. I’ll be in touch when I’ve forgiven you sister.” The machine clunks off and we all remain silent for a few seconds.

  “What the fuck?” I say, turning to face Dolly, “She’s avoiding me, that’s her plan? Well fuck that,” I snap.

  “No Chris, leave her be, give her a couple of days and we’ll go drag her back. She won’t do anything stupid, this is Neely we’re talking about,” says Dolly.

  “Really? Yeah, well, we’ll see about that.” I pin her with a look that reminds me I thought the same about her last year before we found her in a crazy place. “Right, catch you guys later, I say and leave them to it.

  I have to get my shit together. I can’t keep fucking up like this, at this rate Neely and I will not even have any form of friendship left to try and salvage.

  I pull out my phone and send her a text.

  Me: Sorry

  It’s lame, inadequate and doesn’t cover nearly enough of what I’m feeling, but it’s the best I can do because I refuse to tell her how I really feel about her, by text.

  When I man up enough to tell her I love her, it has to be face to face.

  Chapter Ten

  I made a sneaky trip back into the office later that night and forwarded any relevant emails from my works account to my personal email address, that way I would be able to access them from my own laptop. I also knew that Steven would be using all the reference manuals from our office library and physical copies of documents that I’ve also been sent. Lucky for me, I have a key to his office for emergencies, so in a moment of crazy decision making, I let myself in and photocopied anything that I figured I would need.

  I also made a note of the reference titles that I have been using so that I can look them up using the electronic reference library all qualified Paralegals have access to. It’s a system you earn access to once you become a member of the Institute of Paralegals and it enables all practices to have access to the same reference material. If you don’t work for a high profit making firm the print copies of these titles are expensive and keeping them up to date when new amendments are released makes it just that little bit harder.

  I’d brought a huge tote bag with me, so I could carry the stuff back to my apartment, no way was I making the mistake of leaving anything in my car again.

  Just as I was putting the key in the door for my apartment, Ross opened his. It was obvious he had been waiting for me to come home.

  “Neely can we talk?”

  I don’t turn to look at him when I say, “We are aren’t we?”

  “No, I mean, can I explain myself?”

  I’d already fallen out with one guy who I hadn’t heard out after a previous night of disaster and I didn’t have it in me to go through it again. My gut tells me it’s wise to keep this one on side, especially as I am planning to poke around in his business, something I’ve clearly been told to leave alone.

  “Sure,” I respond, as I open my apartment door and indicate him to follow me in, “Just let me dump this bag.”

  “No problem, looks heavy, want some help?”

  “No! I can manage,” and I rush to get rid of it by swerving him and heading to my bedroom.

  “I hope you took what I said in the office today seriously, you’re going to leave this alone aren’t you?”

  He is totally on to me. “Of course I’m going to stay with my folks and let the country air soothe me for a while. Get some space and perspective on recent events.”

  I stop and look at him after I’ve dumped my bags indicating he should say what he came to say. “Game time,” he says “My question first, do you need perspective from me?”

  “I’ll defer and let you answer,” I tell him.

  “I think I am one of the reasons,” I nod in confirmation and he continues, “I’m sorry for how things turned out, by the time we’d become friendly and I realized I really liked you, it was too late. I then made the connection that you were Chris’s friend and the local paralegal that was working the case and doing the research for the Vans.”

  “Thank you, I appreciate your honesty. My question then, this can’t go anywhere can it?”

  Ross shrugs with a telling look on his face, “I’ll let you take that answer for me.”

  “No. I don’t think it can right now can it?” and he nods in agreement.

  “OK Neely, my last question, can we move past this? I need you to know that any feelings I had for you we
re not to help me in my case, I really did like you. There are parts of my body that just do not lie. Can we still be friends?”

  “I pick the one time option of choosing two ways to respond.” I lean into him and give him a hug, which he seems relieved at and then provide an answer, “I also need to be honest. As much as I liked you, I did decide to be all neighborly when I thought you could help me with my research, but once things took a more interesting turn I totally forgot about my game plan.”

  He laughs at me, “Good to know, I would hate to leave here being liked less than a bunch of shitty legal documents. I’ll leave you to get ready for your vacation, keep in touch whilst you’re gone, friend and I mean regularly.”

  “Will do neighbor, night Ross.” Strangely I don’t feel bad about things not going forward with Ross, he’s an agent with the ATF, and I have no real idea about him. He’ll also probably be reassigned somewhere else after he has finished his case at the Vans, it was definitely better to stop it now before it became more awkward or compromised his work. We obviously had chemistry but I’ll take my mom’s advice and go with fate intervening.

  It wasn’t meant to be, time to move on.

  I let mom and dad know that I was coming to stay for a few days, they’ve got a converted out house on the property for visitors. It’s fully renovated and finished as a self contained unit and is mainly used by my grandparents when they come to stay with us. Not long after we moved here Gran and Gramps Prince came to visit and ended up in the main house with us. It didn’t take long before everyone realized visits would be more pleasant if people got some space as well, those early visits when we were contained under one roof are the only real times I think I’ve seen my mom lose it. It wasn’t long before she insisted that dad made the necessary conversion before they came to stay with us again.