Gabriel (Guardian Defenders Book 1)

by Kris Michaels

  “This is the edge of nowhere. Just like you requested.” Brandi turned and pulled Anna into a hug. “I don't know why you're here. It's obvious you don't want to share, but I'm not buying the bullshit about writing a book.”

  Anna pulled away and wiped a tear from her eye. “I'm in trouble. Not legal trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble isn't legal trouble?”

  “I'm pregnant. The father... it's complicated.”

  “Ah, well this is hell-bent and an election from any medical help. You can go to New Castle, there's a doctor there. I'm sure he can point you in the right direction. Rex and I have been trying for years to have kids. Either he's shooting blanks, or I'm barren. His mom wants us to go do those fertility tests. I'm saying no. If the good Lord wants me to have a baby, He'll bless me with one. Until that time, we are the best damn aunt and uncle in the world. Rex's brother Ben has five. We have them over all the time. I could ask my sister-in-law about an OB if you want?”

  “No, that's okay. I'll get it all sorted. I just want to exist here and make as little of a ripple as possible.”

  “Well, honey, you came to the right place. If you did make a ripple, there is no one for almost thirty miles to see it splash.”

  Anna watched as her friend drove her smaller, newer truck down the gravel drive. Turning to look at the small house, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Well, little one, it’s just you and me, but we're safe.”

  Chapter 35

  Anna fed three dollars in quarters into the payphone.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, Jackie. I'm calling like I promised.”

  “Are you okay? I've been so worried.” Jackie’s voice held urgency.

  She cringed at the thought of causing her very pregnant friend distress. “I'm fine. I have a nice little home. I'm stocking up on supplies, and I have a truck. I even found an OB that I'll be seeing next week. How is your little one?” She knew diverting the focus of the conversation wouldn't last long, but she needed to know Jackie was doing okay.

  “We're fine. Where are you?”

  “Ah, I'm in the Midwest, well, northern Midwest.” Anna watched a family walk out of the KMart where she'd parked to start her shopping. She needed some expandable clothes and a couple items for the kitchen.

  “Won't you please tell me where you are so I can reach you if it is an emergency?” Jackie begged.

  Anna closed her eyes. “It's safer if you don't...” The line pinged and an automated voice telling her to add money stopped their conversation.

  “Anna, please, I know Gabriel wouldn't want you to be alone.”

  Anna shook her head even though Jackie couldn't see her. She glanced up at the sky, blinking hard to stop the flow of tears. “He's not the reason I'm doing this, Jackie. I can't tell you more. I'm sending you a letter you can give to him if he ever shows up in New Orleans, but only if he shows up. You have to promise you'll give it to him and only him. No one else can be present. Well, except for Deacon, but if anyone else is with him, the letter stays with you, and he goes about his life without me. Us.”

  “Anna, are you sure?”

  The beep and voice sounded again. “I'm trusting you with my life and the life of my unborn child, Jackie. Please, just make sure.”

  “I will. You know, I will.” Jackie’s quiet voice reached her.

  “Give your mountain of a husband a hug for me.” She hung up the phone and wiped her cheeks with her fingers. Pulling more coins out of her purse, she called her brother and parents, checking in and telling them she'd call when she could. As she got closer to her due date, she'd have to think of something to tell them, but for now, her traveling nurse story would work. She hung up the phone and pulled out her list. She had some power shopping to do.

  Anna Harriger was missing. The team had lost her on a Monday and filed the report immediately. She didn’t exit the hospital and after fourteen hours and all her colleagues had departed, Gabriel's men sent word.

  Craig narrowed his eyes and read the report he knew by heart. Her house was searched, but nothing was missing except her leatherworking tools. Her SUV was searched. Her purse, cell phone, and credit cards were found in the center console. The doctors and nurses were questioned, but none divulged any information on her disappearance. He smiled and tapped the report that he kept on his person. Harriger’s disappearance had been over a month ago, and he'd sat on the information. Gabriel’s directive to the surveillance team was notification of problems only, so Gabriel wasn't expecting to hear anything. Fucking perfect. It was a stroke of luck for him. The bitch had been removed from the situation.

  An explosion rocked the ground under his feet. Craig stuffed the report back into his shirt, grabbed his M-16 and sprinted to the front of the tent.

  Another explosion knocked him off his feet. Searing heat split his side. Craig tried to push himself up, but his feet and legs refused to cooperate. He watched as the camp scrambled around him. His eyes sought out Gabriel. The man stood over another man in their team. The medic was working on the man, and Gabriel was returning fire. Shoulder launched rockets trailed above him. His people. Good. Craig let his head drop down, no longer able to hold it up. He watched the trail of rockets and heard the small arms fire. The staccato reports slowed.

  He saw boots approaching at a run. Gabriel's voice barking out commands filtered to him. He wasn't sure what the man was saying, but he'd follow Gabriel through the gates of hell. Craig coughed. A warm copper taste filled his mouth. The initial pain had numbed. He struggled to breathe. Fuck. He was dying. He didn't want to die. He and Gabriel were going to do great things together. As partners. Gabriel would understand that he’d never find anyone who would love him like he could.

  “Craig, hold on, buddy. Hold on.”

  He knew Gabriel cradled him, but he couldn't feel the warmth. God, he'd always wanted to feel Gabriel's arms around him. Why couldn't he feel it?

  “I...” He coughed again and choked on the blood that clogged his throat.

  “Don't talk. The medic's coming to work on you.” Gabriel's hand cupped his cheek when he tried to lower his gaze. “Eyes up here.”

  Craig tried to smile. He reached up to Gabriel's face. “I'm dying.”

  “No. No, we're going to get you help.” There were tears in Gabriel's eyes. Maybe...

  “I'm sorry. I did it because… I love you...” Craig coughed again and started shaking. He struggled to speak. His vision tunneled, and his hand dropped. He heard Gabriel shout his name. Craig struggled with crushing pressure on his chest. He couldn't breathe. His body jerked, and he tried to cough, to breathe... It wasn't supposed to end this way.

  Gabriel watched as the life drained out of his friend. He'd never forget the death rattle as Craig’s lungs released air he no longer needed. Craig's eyes remained open, still looking at him. Lifeless. He stared down Craig's body. The burly man had been damn near cut in half by a piece of shrapnel. The medic ran up to Craig and Gabriel. He shook his head. The medic planted a hand on his shoulder in sympathy before he sprinted forward to another fallen man.

  He reached down and closed his friend's eyes. A piece of white paper peaked out of Craig's shirt. Pristine against Craig's dust and blood-soaked shirt, it glinted in an obscene blaze of white over his heart. He pulled the papers out of Craig's shirt and placed them in his pocket for safekeeping. There had to be a reason the man carried them. He called over one of his men.

  “Sitrep.”

  “We've wiped them out. Five in total. It looks like they got tired of us tracking them and tried to make a last stand.” His man glanced down at Craig. “I'm sorry, sir.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Get another body bag. As soon as Doc stabilizes those with injuries, we are calling for an evac. Make sure you get photographs of the five we've been tracking. The CIA will want proof.”

  “Polaroids have already been taken. Do you want me to get Mr. McNair’s effects?”

  He nodded. He'd go through the duffle on the way back to the St
ates. He watched his men scramble around him and held his fallen brother until the body bag was spread on a stretcher in front of him. With reverence, he zipped the bag containing his friend.

  Gabriel stood and allowed himself a moment to reflect on the roads he and Craig had traveled together, only to end here in arid dirt of a third-world country. Craig had deserved better. He glanced to the west. Anna was waiting for him. This would be his last operation. It wasn't fair to her. He had men who could perform just as well as he could. He'd hold the reins and let the stallions that worked for him charge ahead. He'd move heaven and earth to give them every advantage possible, but he wouldn't be the one at the tip of the spear any longer.

  It took seven hours to get an evac out of the valley where they'd staged their stand against the terrorists they'd been tracking. Gabriel had lost three men today. He gathered together the personal effects of each. The first two men were like Craig. They had no immediate family. He would have the main office pull up their wills and insurance policies to make sure their last wishes were carried out. One of the men had a letter addressed to a woman in his pocket. It wasn't sealed. Gabriel closed his eyes. His man was in love, and the letter in his hands had the hope and dreams of a young man with his entire life in front of him. This letter, he'd deliver in person.

  He closed all the soldier’s personal effects in a small box. He did the same with the second man’s set of small trinkets, a watch, and a picture of two older people. From the inscription, it was a picture of this man's grandparents. Another trip would be made to make sure they were taken care of in their old age. He knew his man sent the lion's share of his money to his grandparents. Gabriel placed a hand on each box. “They'll never need for anything.” His promise to his men was his oath.

  He pulled Craig's belongings toward him. Three pictures. Gabriel recognized each setting. One was taken the day he opened Guardian Security. He and Craig stood closely, arms resting on each other’s shoulders and grinning. There was another taken at a bar in England. They'd gotten shitfaced after a particularly dicey mission. The third was a picture of them in the early days, standing together at a cocktail party. They were both in tuxedos and holding drinks. He was turned away from Craig, bent over and laughing at something an attractive woman appeared to be whispering in his ear. Craig was standing isolated, alone in a momentary gap of space, gazing at him. He stared for long minutes at the expression the camera had caught on Craig’s face.

  How had he missed this? All those years…McNair’s last words haunted him. Craig had told him he loved him before… but McNair had always been drunk. He’d assumed it was the love of one brother in arms for another—a business partner for a business partner. It had never entered his mind that… there’d never been any indication… He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired… just so fucking tired.

  He placed Craig's wallet, his watch, and the pictures into the small box. Remembering the papers he'd taken off Craig's body, he pulled them out of his pocket. He glanced at the pictures again before he unfolded the neatly squared paper. Gabriel blinked at the words and frowned. He looked at the date. No... no, no, no. His head whipped toward his communications specialist.

  “I need radio contact with our people. Now!”

  He stalked off the plane as soon as the gangway dropped at Andrews AFB. Five fucking days. Five, long, soul-sucking, days to get back to the States. He was buying a fleet of transport vehicles. Fuck waiting for the US Government. He'd never again have a team with dead waiting for transport. Never again. A black Bronco waited for him on the tarmac. He opened the passenger door and got in.

  “Ready?” Harvey asked.

  “Go.”

  “We went to work as soon as you called. This is what we know. The doctor she worked with came clean when we pressed him. He let her borrow his El Camino, and he told us where she left it. She told him she was going to live with her parents. My men staked out the parent's RV. She isn't with them. We didn't make contact. Wouldn't without your express direction. I believe the Doc doesn't know anything else, and my bullshit detector is pretty damn good. We scoured the small town where she left the vehicle. Since we knew the day she arrived, we were able to uncover the fact that she'd bought a car from a local dealership. In cash.”

  “Have you found her or the car?” Gabriel growled. His jaw was torqued as tight as he could get it. He fucking wanted to beat the shit out of something, anything. He felt so damn helpless.

  “Yeah, the car. Get this. She didn't transfer that car title into her name like she was supposed to, so when it was impounded, the dealership was notified. The car was found in a small town near the California border.

  “We had two teams scouring the town over the last forty-eight hours. Hotels, car dealerships. We found someone who thinks they remember her. An old man that sold her bus tickets identified her from a photograph. He said he remembered her because she bought five tickets.”

  “Five tickets?” Gabriel's head turned toward one of his newest employees.

  “Yes, sir. New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis. And no, he had no idea which bus she took, if she took any at all.”

  “Fuck me. Why in the hell would she run away?”

  “I think we should start with her family. I didn't talk to them per your request, but if I wanted to trail that coon, this old dawg would start in New Orleans.”

  “Get my plane fueled.”

  Harvey pointed to the west. “That's where we're heading. Daisy told me to bring your suitcase, and there is a briefcase full of paper dragons for you to slay on the way to the Big Easy. Her words, not mine.”

  “That woman is amazing.”

  “I agree.”

  Gabriel sent a look of inquiry Harvey's way. The man's neck turned red, and he shrugged. “What? She is.”

  “She’s married.”

  “Don’t I know it. I always find the good ones too late.”

  He leaned back in the seat. Fuck, he was exhausted, but Harvey was right. If Nathan didn't know anything, maybe Jackie would have heard from Anna. They were thick as thieves. He closed his eyes. Why? Anna, what are you doing? Why are you running away? Who are you running from?

  Gabriel entered the Longline apartment and went to the room where he last saw her. Her perfume was still on the bathroom counter, and the yellow dress hung in the closet. He looked through the apartment, trying to understand why she would want to disappear, or who would have taken her. The people his men had talked to said she wasn't under duress or with anyone. There was no ransom, no demands. He was going fucking insane.

  He checked the little apartment Deacon had sold him one more time, but there was nothing. He needed to talk to Jackie, Deacon, and Nathan. He called the penthouse. “Jacqueline, this is Gabriel. May I come up and talk with you?”

  “I have been waiting for your call. Please come up.”

  The maid who greeted him as he exited the elevator led him to the master bedroom. Jackie was eight months pregnant and confined to bed. Both she and Deacon were waiting for him when he followed the maid into the bedroom. She patted the side of the bed and extended her hand to him. He hesitated but took her hand.

  “Thank you for calling, Gabriel. I need to tell you what I know.”

  “I don’t understand. What would cause her to run from me instead of running to me?”

  “She sent me this. She told me to give it to you, but only if you were alone. Is anyone here with you?”

  He frowned and shook his head. “Who would be with me?”

  Jackie shrugged. “I don't know.” She picked up two envelopes and handed them to him.

  My Precious David,

  I don't know how to write this. The words are difficult, but I know your life is bigger than yourself and more than us. You are meant for more than me. The small-town person I am will only slow you down. I love you more than you could possibly understand, and because of that love, I am, of my own free will, leaving. My reasons and rationale are not important.
You are. Your business and your legacy will impact the world. I know you will change it for the better. I will pray for you every day. Please know, everything I am doing is to protect you and what is yours.

  I love you,

  Anna

  His pain and confusion ate at him like a fast-growing cancer. It would kill him as surely as a bullet. What could she be trying to protect him from? What had happened to make her run? Who had she talked to? What had they said? Why had she left? He opened the other small envelope and five polaroid pictures fell from the confines. He dropped the pictures as if they were molten lava.

  No, no… no! He picked up one. His hand trembled as he pinched the corner of the white border. Each picture detailed exactly why she'd run away. He could tell she had taken the pictures herself. The angles told that story. Someone had beaten her. Severely. The imprint of a toe of a shoe or boot was a purple, vivid mark on her ribs. Her face was bruised along the jawline, and the marks carried down her throat. The final picture filled him with uncontrolled rage. A handprint on her upper arm stood out in livid purple, and it was a signature. He had seen that bruise before. Craig had done this to Anna. Dear God, what else had he done to her? His world reeled around him. Gabriel would have killed him on the spot if he had not died in his arms less than a week ago. Craig's dying words, “I did it because… I love you...”

  Gabriel thought he was talking about work, but the month-old report, the pictures, Anna running away without telling anyone...

  He finally looked at Jackie and Deacon. “It was Craig. She was running from Craig McNair. He did this to her.” He handed them the polaroids. “I would have protected her. I would have killed him for hurting her. She knew I could protect her. Why didn’t she come to me?” He didn't bother to try to disguise the anguish and remorse that slammed into him like a sidewinder missile.

  “May I read the note?” Jackie asked quietly.