“How would you know what he likes? None of us are the same as we were back then. Things change, people change,” Jared said, sliding out of the front seat.
Frank shook his head at Jared’s attitude and hoisted his own bulk out of the car, pausing to open the back door for Maggie. He appreciated the view of her long, suit clad legs stepping out followed by a quick tantalizing peek down the front of her loosely buttoned shirt when she twisted her frame out of the car to stand eye to chin with him. Gazing into her knowing brown eyes, he acknowledged with a quirk of his lips, that yes, he had been looking.
“You think I don’t know that?” Adam told Jared as he exited the car, jolting Frank and Maggie apart.
They circled the car, intent on keeping the combatants apart. “In case you were wondering, I’ve changed too. I even had a real, grown up relationship, which I screwed up, by the way.” The sidelong look he sent to Mags, wasn’t missed by any of them. “Look, let’s get this over with and then you don’t have to see my ugly face for another five years if you want, okay?” Adam started across the street, grabbing onto Maggie’s hand. Jared’s voice stopped him.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what the hell’s the matter with me. I’m no better, actually, I’m worse. At least you had a solid reason for disappearing, I quit. I couldn’t deal, so I walked. If not for Frank dragging my sorry ass back from the edge, who knows, maybe we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Adam turned and looked his old friend straight in the eye. “I’m really fucking glad that’s the case. Who else would I get to fix my satellite T.V.?” There was a hushed silence.
“Screw you, dude, get with the times. It’s all about Netflix these days.” Jared grinned, and then all four broke out in laughter, slapping each other on the back in companionship.
It was then that the door opened. Nick stepped out onto the porch closely followed by a curious Sara.
“Frank, is there a problem?” he asked, obviously not noticing who was standing beside Jared.
“Depends on how you want to look at, bro,” Adam answered as he stepped forward. “Do you believe in ghosts?”
* * *
It’s a damn good thing Sara’s palm supported the small of his back because otherwise Nick would have folded like a wet blanket. He rubbed hard at his eyes, sure they were misleading him. Slowly, almost like an old man, he worked his way down the stairs through the afternoon shadows caused by the stirred-up clouds streaking across the sky, until he stood sneaker to Ferragamo loafer with his past.
It looked solid and real but…heart pounding, praying his hand didn’t slide right through, Nick stretched out to push the apparition, shocked to meet up with flesh and bone.
“Hey, man, don’t mess with the threads. You know how fussy I am about my clothes.” The spirit grinned. “It’s me, Nick. No one else could look this good, right?”
Holy shit. It’s him. Adam’s alive!
Foregoing explanations, he grabbed on and squeezed the living shit out of him, so fricken glad to see his friend alive unashamed tears rolled down his face.
“Nick, are you okay? What’s going on? Who is this?” Sara’s worried voice coming from right behind him finally allowed him to loosen his constrictor hold and take a step back. He swiped his cheeks with the palm of one hand while keeping a tight grip on his friend’s elbow, just in case.
Sending her a reassuring look, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders to draw her forward. “You’re not going to believe this, I hardly believe it myself, but this sorry looking son-of-a-bitch is someone I used to call my best friend. Mind you that was before he went and got himself shot, and supposedly killed, right, buddy?”
Now that he’d had a moment to digest the mind-boggling turn of events, Nick took note of some of the changes the years had wrought. Adam had always been the quieter, more reflective of the two of them, but now Nick could see a new maturity to his face. A hardness which had not been apparent in the young idealistic man who was sure they were going over there to make a difference. Yeah, right. Staring into his brown eyes, Nick could see whatever Adam had been through in the past years, had not been easy on his friend.
“You look great, Nick. I’ve missed you, pal. I can’t tell you how many times I started to call before realizing I couldn’t. And before you get all bent out of shape, how about introducing me to your friend?” Adam smiled, and it was the charismatic quirk of the lips Nick remembered so well. He really was alive.
How ironic that Sheridan, of all people, would bring first Sara, and then all of his team, together. Even though he’d been deployed with other units, including the one he’d lost, these guys were the ones he’d connected with. His brothers. A couple of months ago he’d been getting by, day by day. Now he knew exactly what he’d been missing and vowed never to go back to that empty existence again.
Sara stepped forward, holding out her hand in greeting. “I’m Sara Reed. Nick’s been a little remiss in telling me about his friends. I know Frank and Jared were his teammates. I assume from this reunion you were also?” He dipped his head in acknowledgement so she continued, “I’m guessing you would be the DEA we are expecting?”
Adam shook her hand. “That would be correct. I’m Adam O’Connor, and this is my partner, Magdalena Holt. We are very familiar with your husband, ma’am. Maggie and I have been actively involved in this case for close to six years now.”
“And why is that, Mr. O’Connor? Is my Ex-husband that smart, or are you just that inept?”
Jared let out a whoop of laughter. “You go, girl.”
“Sara…” Nick couldn’t believe that his guarded, inhibited, beautiful love had soundly criticized a Special Forces operative as if he were a naughty child.
“No, it’s okay,” This from the stunning Ms. Holt as she stepped forward. “We understand your frustration, and you’re absolutely right. This case should have been wrapped up long ago, and it would have been, except your ex has some high-powered friends. Every time we’d get anywhere close to an arrest, bad Intel would come through to block us. Believe me, we’re every bit as frustrated as you.”
Nick noticed the neighbors eyeing their little entourage and decided to move things indoors. “The file Sara has can change all that, let’s go in and she can show you what she has.”
Nearing the front gate, he saw Tess staring out her kitchen window, her brow pinched with worry. He lifted his hand in a reassuring wave and Sara, catching the motion, looked over. “I don’t want her upset, I’m just going to run over and let her know what’s happening. I’ll be right back.” She reached up and gave him a too swift peck on the lips before angling off toward Tess’s front door.
Nick caught up to Adam who’d stopped to watch her enter the neighbor’s home. “Never mind, get your own, she’s mine.”
Adam turned with a quick smile. “Where have I heard that before? You never could hold onto your women once I showed up.”
They both grinned at the blatant falsehood. Nick snapped his arm around Adam’s thickened shoulders and placed him in a headlock, before letting go with a light shove. “Whatever you need to think to help you sleep at night, buddy. As I remember it, you took the ones I left behind.”
Man, it was good to have him back. He’d talked to Adam after he died. Little day to day things, had he noticed the babe in the mess tent? Or why the hell couldn’t they have been deployed to Siberia instead of all this sand and heat? And after they’d told him what Adam had done to die—why did the asshole have to go and be a hero?
His chest tightened, “I can’t believe you’re here. That was the worst night of my life.”
Adam’s throat bobbed in response. “Yeah, it wasn’t a real highlight for me either, pal. If I’d known they were going to tell you guys I died, I sure as hell wouldn’t have let them. By the time I found out what they’d done it was too late, it was a done deal. My family had been informed already. Shit, I even had a funeral service, how weird is that? They already had new identification for
me, a new life.”
He looked to where Frank and Jared were conversing with Maggie in the shadows of the old tree in Sara’s yard. “I only agreed to help the DEA out in the first place because Sheridan was rubbing me the wrong way. They’d already tagged him, but at that time, he was low man on the totem pole. They were after the leader. We still are.”
“And what about those caught in the middle? It pisses me off to think both you and the fricken DEA let that fucker get away while you went hunting the big fish. Sara shouldn’t have had to pay the price for some asshole’s decision to let Sheridan walk.” Nick growled.
“Frank mentioned things were bad between Sheridan and his wife. If we’d known we would have stepped in, man, you need to believe that. We want the head of the syndicate but not at the cost of women and children. Never.”
While Nick was angry they hadn’t done something to protect Jessica and Sara long ago, he did understand. What went on behind closed doors often stayed behind closed doors. “I get it. I wish you had let us know what you were involved in though. Maybe we could have helped catch the S.O.B instead of watching you go down. You should have trusted us to have your back. Instead you had to go and play the super-hero. Worked out well for you, didn’t it?”
“Wow, not pulling any punches hey, buddy? I fucked up, I admit it, but I’ve also paid the price for five long years, so cut me a break.”
They stood silent for a couple of moments, each lost in painful reflection, then Adam grinned and changed the subject. “She’s feisty.” He nodded to where Sara had disappeared.
Nick’s chest swelled with pride. “She’s getting stronger every day. It’s not been an easy road, as you can imagine. I can’t conceive what she must have gone through with that prick, all I know is he’s not going to get anywhere near her ever again. That’s a heads up to you. I know you want him, and the rest of the ring, but Sara is not your pawn, understand?”
Adam stared hard at Nick before breaking into a slow smile. “You’re hooked. I never thought to see the day when a woman brought the great Nickolaus Kelley low, damn. Guess you owe me fifty, hey pal?”
Nick’s lips twisted at the reminder. Funny, he’d thought that very same thing not so many hours ago. It was the easiest cash he would ever part with. Both because it was true, he was hooked, and because Adam was standing right fricken here asking for it. Who would have thought? Slapping him on the back, he guided his friend into Sara’s home.
* * *
Sara wasn’t sure how to explain the men, and woman, Tess had watched enter her house. After only Jessica and herself for the last eighteen months, it was hard enough for her to reconcile the fact they weren’t alone in this anymore, much less trying to explain it to her new friends. She’d hoped when they moved here her previous life would be behind them, that they could shed it like an old skin, instead Tom continued to be an albatross around her neck.
Which was the main reason she’d come over to Tess’s house. If Nick knew what she planned, he’d step in, endangering himself and his friends. She couldn’t allow that. Tom was her problem. When he’d taken Fiona and hurt her, he had broken the final straw. Years of oppression and manipulation fought to free themselves from her body like live entities.
Nick wasn’t aware of it, but she’d made copies of the infamous file. She was going to use that to trap Tom and get Fiona back, without risk to Nick. If she failed, he would still have the original copies and could then turn them over to the authorities. She’d also filled in the necessary paperwork so that if, God forbid, something happened to her, there would be a record of why and her wishes that Jessica stay with Annie. Though she prayed it wouldn’t come to that.
“Honey child, I’m getting the feeling you didn’t come completely clean with me about what kind of trouble you’re in. Now you sit yourself down, Grace is on her way over and we’re going to figure this out,” Tess said the moment she walked through the door.
Feeling rather like a chastised child, Sara sat.
“Okay then, while we wait you can tell me about those very nice looking young men Nick seemed to know rather well.”
“He does know them. They all worked together when he was in the Marines. The one I met today, they all apparently thought had died.” Tess sucked in a shocked breath. “I know, right? It’s a long story, I don’t know all the details yet. Did you notice the tall sandy haired guy standing by the hulk? You’ll never guess who that is, it’s Grace’s son!”
Tess clapped her hands together and brought them to her chest. “Oh my good Lord, Jared is back. I thought he looked familiar but it’s been so many years. Has Grace seen him yet? She’s going to be over the moon. It broke her heart when that boy left like that. He’s not been back in probably eight years or so. Life is too short for those kinds of misunderstandings. I hope the two of them can work things out now.”
Sara hoped for Grace’s sake they could too. She couldn’t imagine anything keeping her away from Jessica. Except maybe death. The reality of what she stood to lose should she fail hit her, firming her resolve to end this. Her years of subjugation were over. She was her own woman, and it was time Tom learned that.
With a quick knock, Grace came breezing into the little kitchen, a pan of freshly baked cinnamon buns in her hands. “I hear we have ourselves a state of emergency, so I brought reserve sustenance. Okay, Sara Sunshine, tell us all about it, and then we’ll figure out how we’re going to fix it.”
Quick tears sprang to her eyes. These two scarcely knew her, but had taken her and Jess under their wings and treated them like family almost since day one. She thanked God every day for bringing her here to Tidal Falls.
“Have I mentioned how much I love you guys? I don’t know what I would have done without your friendship these last months.”
“Oh honey, you’ve been every bit as special to us. We hate to see you under all this stress, let us help you, Sara.” Both women rushed to hug her and the warmth and love she felt flowing between them gave her the strength to explain everything to them, including the guilt she had carried for so long now.
“As you already know my marriage was a mistake. I think maybe the fact I’d spent my childhood in and out of foster homes made me hope for someone for me, to give me the safe and secure home I’d never had. And I thought for a while Tom was that man. In the beginning everything was perfect, he treated me like a princess, we were happy. Then I became pregnant and he changed. He became possessive, cutting my friends and my art out of my life. Then he began to drink, and turned mean.” She picked at the still warm cinnamon bun between her fingers. The crumbs falling to the table were like her dream of a happy marriage.
“One day a call snuck through security. It was one of my old friends. She invited me out for lunch. We spent the day shopping and had so much fun. It was late when I returned home. Tom was angrier than I’d ever seen him. He freaked, and accused me of horrible things. Then he hit me.” She shuddered in remembrance. “I thought that was the end of it, but instead he followed us to our room and raped me.” There, she’d said it aloud, surprised by how freeing it felt to admit.
After a moment of shocked silence Tess said, “It’s a good thing that son-of-a-bitch is nowhere near here, I’d shoot him.”
Grace disagreed, “I wish he was here, I always wanted to try a Lorena Bobbitt.”
A startled, laugh escaped Sara’s throat, “I had no idea you ladies were so blood-thirsty.”
“Only when it’s necessary, dear,” Tess replied as she poured them each a cup of steaming tea into delicate porcelain cups.
“Well I appreciate it, but I’m okay now. It only happened the once, after that he never touched me again.” She didn’t see the need to upset them further by telling them about all the belittling times until she escaped.
“I found out he’d created liaisons with people from a Mexican Cartel. He’s a U.S. attorney, they paid him well to keep them out of the jail system. In addition, he was transporting drugs, guns and who knew what else for them.
” She smiled half-heartedly at the tsking sounds coming from her friends. “I found out he’d made a file detailing all of his transactions, including dates and names. An opportunity arose and I took the file, grabbed Jessica, and ran.
“Good for you, I hope they slam the book on the SOB.” Grace said, rocking forward and bumping the table, sloshing the tea.
Sara reached across and grasped her hand. “My friend Fiona, she helped by giving us a vehicle and cash, we couldn’t have made it without her. Now, somehow Tom found out and kidnapped her. He’s threatening to hurt her if I don’t return to him with the file, and I know he will. I have to help her.”
“Of course you do, but not alone. What about Nick? I’m sure he would want to help.” Tess insisted.
“Yes, he would, and that’s just it, Tess, I can’t let him. If he was hurt because of me, I couldn’t handle it. Besides, like I said before, this is something I need to do for me. Please tell me you understand?” She used her free, slightly sticky hand, to catch Tess’s as she went to walk away in frustration.
“We do understand, but we can’t let you do this alone. So if not them, you’re going to have to accept our help. Do you understand?” Tess’s gaze speared her own, willing her to agree.
Overwhelmed at their generosity, she answered in the only way she could. “Yes, ma’am.”
Grace heaved a relieved sigh, “Okay then, this is what I propose we do. I just happen to have the perfect venue for this little exchange, Grits and Grace.” And at Sara’s instant denial, “No really, it’s perfect. It’s public, downtown, and our own domain; we’ll have the upper hand.”
“Grace, you’ve had that restaurant for twenty years, are you sure you want to take that chance?” Tess looked as worried as Sara felt.
“Darn rights. It’ll be fun.” Grace squeezed out a smile.
“Fun, that’s it, now I know you’ve gone and smoked something funny. It’s going to be dangerous, that’s what it’ll be. I think we’d better hedge our bets. I’m going to call Jack. Remember, Sara, I told you about him. He’s the Chief of Police, he’ll know what to do.”
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