by Elicia Hyder
Journey clicked the picture file open, and after a few seconds of loading, she was looking at David for the first time in five years. He looked, as usual, like a Ken doll with a crewcut. He wore a gray suit and a bright blue tie. His wife was equally as beautiful. She wore a simple white sundress and carried a small bouquet of pink flowers. She was fair skinned with long brown hair and a bright smile. Her hand was on his chest, and her hair was blowing in the breeze. They looked happy.
She was genuinely glad he was happy, but her happiness contained a familiar twinge of sadness. It was hard for her not to let her mind run wild with what would have been if she were the smiling girl next to him in the picture. She closed the email and sat back in her seat. Genna was pulling on the hem of her track pants.
She looked down at the baby and smiled. She lifted her into her arms. It was hard to wish her life had turned out any other way when she considered her family. She kissed Genna’s messy cheek and tickled her tummy. “I say we take a bath and get our jammies on before Daddy gets home, baby girl.”
“Ba ba ba ba ba,” Genna babbled while trying to shove a fistful of Journey’s ponytail into her mouth.
She shut down the computer, determined to leave David’s memory locked up the hard drive if even for just the night.
17
Zero Hope
Marcus had to work on his birthday that year, but it didn’t matter to him. The chief had given him excellent news twice in one day. The first was that he was being considered for a promotion, and the second was that the DEA had finally launched a full-scale manhunt for Brian Drake. They had confirmed evidence that he was directly involved with moving drugs in from the coast, through Emerson, and into Atlanta. It was one of the best birthdays Marcus had ever had.
Brian Drake had never been high on Marcus’s radar before, but since he had directly threatened Journey, Marcus had become a bit obsessed with finding him. Now that Brian’s capture could also really boost Marcus’s career, he was exceptionally motivated. However, his involvement in the manhunt would have to wait until Monday. It was his birthday, and his wife had a thing about birthdays.
As he was leaving the police station, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out to read the text message on the screen.
Happy birthday, man. Hope it’s a good one.
It was from David. They had spoken sporadically since David had resurfaced the month before. It made him feel better that Dave was including him in the conversation, rather than just chatting up his wife every few days. He knew Dave was a good guy, but Marcus had his pride—and a detailed knowledge about how in love David had once been with Journey. He trusted his old friend but only so far.
Marcus got into his car and drove the six miles to his house. When he pulled in, he found numerous cars in the driveway. He parked on the grass, and a small crowd gathered on his porch waving furiously. He laughed and parked in his yard.
“Happy birthday!” everyone cheered in unison when he got out.
Journey was standing in the front holding Genna. His in-laws, who were more like parents to him, were next to her. Kara and Justin were there, as well as Curtis and several other friends from the police department. He laughed and shook his head all the way to the porch. Journey came down and met him with a kiss and a beer. She had always loved birthdays more than anyone else he knew.
“Happy birthday,” she repeated.
He accepted the beer and kissed her again. “Thank you.”
He reached out for Genna, who was stretching her arms toward him. “Dada, dada, dada,” she repeated over and over. He kissed her head and climbed the steps.
“Thanks everyone,” he said, holding his beer in the air.
One by one, he greeted all of his friends and family. Journey was looking proud and accomplished knowing that she had surprised him. When they finally got inside, he grabbed her waist. “Didn’t you tell me the party was tomorrow? On Sunday because I had to go in and work on that case today?”
She laughed. “Yes. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“I’m only turning twenty-five. That isn’t some big milestone, you know?” he asked with a grin.
She shook her head. “Not true. You can finally rent a car.”
He laughed and pulled her close to him. “You’re crazy.”
“And you love me,” she said, kissing the tip of his nose. “How was work?”
“Fantastic,” he replied. “You’re gonna go nuts when you hear about it.”
“Well, tell me!” she insisted.
He shook his head and stepped away from her toward his father-in-law. “Poppie, can you hold your granddaughter for a moment?”
Randall nodded. “Of course I can,” he said, taking Genna from him.
Marcus turned toward the stereo and turned up the volume. Smooth by Rob Thomas and Santana was playing. He reached for his wife. “I’ll tell you, but not till you dance with me.”
“Now who’s crazy?” She laughed as he spun her around in front of their guests.
He pulled her close and put his hands on her hips. “Now, I know this is kind of hard for you, but move with the music.”
She playfully punched him in the shoulder. “You can’t dance either, Marcus Garrett.”
“Baby, my grandfather was from Morelia, Mexico.” He turned her around again. “Dancing is in my blood!”
Her face was beaming as he twirled her around the room. When the song ended, he dipped her far back toward the floor and kissed her. Everyone in the room clapped. His conservative mother-in-law even cheered. Truth be told, Marcus had no idea how to dance, but apparently he could fake it with the best of them. Journey couldn’t stop giggling.
“I love you, my wife.”
She draped her arms around his neck. “I love you too,” she said. “Now, tell me what I’m going to go nuts over.”
Marcus’s smile widened. “Chief Branson pulled me into his office today and said they are considering giving me a promotion. It looks like you may be married to a Detective Sergeant soon.”
Her mouth fell open, and she clapped her hands together. “Are you serious? That’s awesome!” She hopped up and down in his arms. “Congratulations, honey!”
“Don’t get all excited yet. It’s just in the ‘talking’ phase at this point,” he said. “But Chief seemed really positive about it.”
Journey’s dad had overheard everything. “That’s really wonderful, Marcus.” He reached out and shook Marcus’s hand. “Congratulations, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Curtis joined their group. “What’s all the cheering out here about?” he asked.
Journey was still hanging off Marcus’s shoulders. “My man’s movin’ up again!”
Curtis bumped Marcus in the shoulder with the bottom of his beer bottle. “Are you serious? You’re getting promoted again? Tell me. Whose ass are you kissing?”
Marcus shook his head. “It’s not definite yet. And don’t say anything to the other guys.”
Curtis reached out to shake his hand. “Congrats man. You really do deserve it.”
Marcus felt really proud. Few people advanced through the ranks the way he had already. He loved being a police officer, but he also knew that he had gotten very lucky early in his career. “Typically they do big promotions at the beginning of the year,” he said. “So it might be as soon as January or February.”
Journey kissed his cheek. “That’s really awesome, babe.”
He smiled at her. “Thanks.”
By the time the party ended, Genna was starting to get fussy, as she usually did late in the evenings.
Marcus kissed her tiny fingers as he bounced her on his lap. “Why don’t you go get Genna ready for bed, and I will start cleaning up?” he asked.
Journey nodded and took Genna from his arms. She pointed at him. “No sneaking and eating more cake while I’m not looking, sergeant.”
He feigned offense. “You calling me fat, woman?”
“I don’t want to be mar
ried to a chunky detective!” she called as she went up the stairs.
He laughed and pulled a trash bag out from under the kitchen sink and began bagging up the trash. A very short while later, Journey reappeared in the kitchen with the baby monitor in her hand. “That was fast,” he said.
“She was falling asleep as I changed her diaper,” she said, laughing. She carried the cake from the table to the kitchen counter.
“All partied out. Reminds me of someone else I used to know,” he said, swatting at her backside with the dish towel.
She dodged away from him. “You hush your mouth,” she said.
“I got other news at work today, too,” he told her.
She stopped and looked over at him. “What is that?”
“The DEA is going after Brian Drake,” he said.
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
He nodded. “Yep,” he said, tying the garbage bag closed and carrying it toward the garage door. “They busted a couple of members of the Aryan Brotherhood in Atlanta for possession of a large amount of cocaine and heroin. One of them fingered Drake as part of the transport. I don’t know a lot of the details yet, but apparently they have enough evidence against him now to charge him with trafficking.”
Journey shuddered. “The Aryan Brotherhood? I’ve seen specials on television about them. That’s scary.”
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, they are no joke.”
“Are they here in Emerson?” she asked.
He shook his head. “We’ve got plenty of racists around here, but none are gang related that we know of.”
“That’s really strange,” she said. “Do they know where he is?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think anyone knows where he is. But they will put together a task force and go after him.”
“Do you think he’s here in town?” she added.
Marcus registered the look of sincere concern on her face. “I don’t think he’s anywhere near here,” he assured her. “We haven’t stopped looking for him just because his trail went cold. I promise, babe.”
“I know,” she said. “He just really creeps me out.”
“We will catch him,” he said confidently. “Are you still carrying your gun?”
She nodded but frowned as she covered the cake with its plastic dome lid. “Yeah. And I wish you would lock him up so I can put it back in the safe permanently where it belongs.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “You should really carry it regardless of whether Drake is in prison or out of it.”
“Speaking of Drakes and prison, any updates about Steven?” she asked. “He’s supposed to get out in eighty-five days.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You’re counting?”
“Yes,” she said.
He leaned against the counter and shook his head. He held a hand out toward her. “Come here,” he said.
She stepped into his arms. He pushed her bangs away from her golden eyes and studied her face carefully. She was genuinely worried. “Do you really think for one second that I would let anything bad on this earth ever happen to you?”
She dropped her head. “No.”
He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face back up. “Journey, look at me,” he insisted. Her eyes finally met his. “I would rain down fire on heaven for you if I had to. Nothing is going to get past me.”
She put her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I love you,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes. “I love you, too.”
· · ·
Journey woke up early the next morning and rolled over toward Marcus. He was lying on his back, still asleep. She stared at him, contemplating how she wanted to wake him up. She hadn’t lied. They were celebrating his birthday that day, and she had plans.
“Whatever it is you’re thinking about doing, knock it off,” he said without moving or opening his eyes.
She shoved his arm. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I was. But you’re staring at me contemplating evil things, and it woke me up,” he said, still not looking at her.
She cozied up next to his warm body. “How do you know I wasn’t contemplating nice things?”
He laughed. “Because you are incapable of nice things before ten in the morning.” He opened one eye, just to be sure.
“That’s not…” She stopped herself when he turned his full gaze on her with a warning in eyes. “OK, that’s not always completely true.”
He closed his eyes again. “Yes it is. So, wake me up at ten. It’s my birthday and my day off.”
“Your birthday was yesterday,” she reminded him.
“Same thing,” he insisted. “We celebrate your birthday for like a month. I can have an extra day to sleep in.”
She nudged him again. “Not today, you can’t.”
He groaned. “Woman, sometimes I don’t know why I agreed to marry you.”
Her mouth fell open. “You agreed to marry me?”
He was straining not to laugh or open his eyes again. She poked him hard in the ribs, which he absolutely hated. It worked. He scrambled away so fast that he nearly fell off the bed. Exasperated, he rolled over and looked at her. His face was inches from hers. “What do you want?”
She smiled and admired how blue his eyes were in stark contrast to his black hair and tan face. “You never told me your great-grandfather was Hispanic.”
“Did you really wake me up to have a talk about my family tree?” he asked, propping his head up with his arm.
She scooted closer to him in the bed. “No. We have to get up and get moving.”
He groaned and pulled the pillow over his face. “No…”
She pulled the pillow away from him and leaned over him. “Yes.”
He rolled, tackling her onto her side of the bed. “I don’t want to,” he said, pinning her hands against the pillows above her head.
“We have to have Genna to my mom’s by nine,” she said.
He raised a curious eyebrow. “Why?”
She couldn’t keep a secret any longer. “Because I have two tickets to the Atlanta-New England game today and kickoff is at one o’clock.”
His mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”
She laughed.
He sat up and grasped her sides. “If you're lying to me, I’m going to tickle you until you wet the bed.”
She squirmed. “I’m not lying! The tickets are in my nightstand! Don’t tickle me.”
He leaned over and opened her drawer. He pulled out an envelope and then inspected the tickets inside. “Holy crap. These are really good seats.”
She laughed again. “I know. It’s a good thing you’re getting promoted. You’ll be receiving a hefty credit card bill to pay off soon.”
She stared up at him. Knowing he loved football almost as much as he loved her and Genna, she wondered momentarily if he was going to cry.
“You’re the best wife ever.”
She smiled. “I know.”
Within an hour they had dropped off the baby at her parents’ house and were on the interstate toward Atlanta. She grinned over at him from the passenger’s seat. “So, you were really surprised? You really didn’t know?”
He nodded. “I really didn’t know. How would I?”
“You could be like me and check the transaction history on the…” her voice trailed off when Marcus’s eyes shot toward her and she realized what she was telling him. She felt her cheeks flush, and she covered her mouth with her hands.
“Do you check the credit card statements when I buy you gifts?” he questioned.
She dropped her face into her hands. “No,” she said and her voice cracked.
He gasped. “You're a horrible liar! That’s absolutely terrible!”
She grabbed for his arm, smiling wildly. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
He laughed. “Oh, I’m not mad. I just know to pay cash from now on!”
She put her feet up on the dashboard, though she knew it drove Marcus crazy. Metallica cam
e on the radio, and she turned up the volume.
“Have you heard from Dave recently?” he asked.
She smiled knowing Metallica had similar memories for Marcus as well. “Not in a few days,” she answered truthfully.
“He sent me a happy birthday text yesterday,” he said.
She nodded. “That’s nice of him. You text David?” she asked surprised. “You don’t even text message me.”
He gave her a smirk. “You wouldn’t answer if I did.”
She just laughed.
“Do you know if he’s still planning on coming home for the holidays?” he asked.
Journey didn’t know for sure. “He hasn’t mentioned it in a while, but he seemed pretty sure of it the last time I heard from him.”
“He’s a Ranger. His off time could probably change really suddenly,” he pointed out.
She nodded. “True. But he said he wasn’t scheduled to be deployed until after Christmas. He said it was pretty certain that he would be in the U.S. because they were putting together a mission for January.”
“He told you all that?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Marcus shrugged his shoulders. “You just seem to know a lot of information, that’s all. What do you guys talk about?”
“Everything,” she said. “Well, almost everything.”
Marcus went quiet. She noticed he was staring at the road, lost in thought. She finally leaned forward a little and looked at him directly. “Does it bother you that I talk to him?”
Marcus gave a half-laugh, almost as if to say 'duh'.
After another moment he looked over at her with serious concern. “Should I be worried?” he asked.
She had asked herself, a few times since getting back into contact with David, how she would feel if it were Marcus who had rekindled a relationship with a girl he had once been so close to. She knew he was being a much more understanding and tolerant spouse than she could ever be. However, she had resolved to not let things get inappropriate with David again and to keep the conversation limited.
She answered confidently. “No. I love you, Marcus. And I wouldn’t cheat on you with anyone. Not even David.” She thought for a moment. “And if you’re even a little bit uncomfortable, I won’t talk to him anymore. I’ll cut it off.”