Silver Shield Security Box Set

by Dee Bridgnorth

  “Hmm,” she took another drink from her glass. She held the carton of juice and tried to decide whether she would need more. After a brief pause, she decided against a second glass and put the carton back into the fridge.

  Ace was standing by the table and he gestured for her to join him. He waited for her to be seated before sitting down. Sierra placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands as she regarded him.

  “What?” He did not look up from his breakfast.

  He was such a mix of contrasts. Rough and extremely badass, he was also so gentle and such a gentleman. And that mixture was doing crazy things to her peace of mind. She could not tell him that, of course, so she just shook her head and reached for the pancakes.

  “You don’t have to wait on me, you know?” she said.

  “But it’s okay for you to wait on me?” He was referring to her cooking for him and she knew it.

  Sierra had no answer to his question so she gave a half-shrug. “Thank you.”

  “You are welcome. Now dig in.”

  Sierra glance at the clock in the kitchen and gasped. “Is that the time?”

  “What? Eleven fifty?”

  “Yes. Is that right?”

  Ace nodded. “It is.”

  She couldn’t believe that she’d slept so late. She was usually up very early in the morning. “Wow, I must have been more tired than I thought.”

  “Heard you tossing and turning last night.” Ace raised an eyebrow. “Dreaming about me, babe?”

  Sierra almost choked on what she was eating. “In your dreams,” she said with a frown. Ace chuckled in response.

  “I would be so lucky.”

  She looked at him and frowned. There was something different about him today. She could not explain it. Even when he laughed, it was different. It was as though the sadness that usually lived in his eyes had come out to play, swimming right on the surface, ready to spill out. The sadness was like a living, breathing thing in that room.

  “Ace, is everything alright?”

  “Sure.” He was not convincing.

  They finished eating and cleared the dishes. Sierra thought of the laundry that had piled up and decided that doing laundry was in order. She thought of asking Ace if he had any dirty clothes, but she remembered what Ray had said about her love suffocating him. She did not want to suffocate Ace.

  “Got anything planned for today?” Ace asked when they were done cleaning up.

  “Not really. I need to take care of my laundry and wash my hair.”

  “I need to be at the office. You’re coming with me.”

  Sierra frowned. “I just told you I had stuff to do.”

  “Can’t leave you alone.”

  What was he talking about?

  “This is my house. I’ll be okay here.” She did not want to argue with him, so she went on in a gentler tone. “Look, you guys have the place as secure as a military outpost. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

  “Sierra, these guys aren’t joking.”

  Like she didn’t know that. They had just blown up her car. “I’ll be okay.” She was damned if she was going to let anyone drive her out of her home. If she could not feel safe here, then what was the point in hiring a security agency?

  Ace ran a hand through his head and a few strands stood up. She felt a strong desire to smooth them back again and clenched her hand. She recognized his frustration though.

  “This guys are not playing around.”

  “Yes, I know, but—”

  “They got Victoria.”

  Sierra blinked once, twice, sure she’d heard wrong and Ace was not saying what she thought he was.

  “What are you saying, Ace?’

  She felt like the bottom had fallen away from her stomach. She pressed a hand there, sure there was a mix-up somewhere.

  “Last night, Victoria got hit.”

  Tears were streaming down her face. She swiped at them impatiently. Why was she crying? Nothing had happened. There was a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. Soon, Ace would tell her that he had made a terrible mistake.

  Ace put a hand on her shoulder. She had not seen him take a step. She pulled away from him. Why did he look so sad?

  “What are you saying, Ace?” she asked again.

  “Those shots before we left? One of them hit her. She didn’t make it.”

  Sierra felt the blood drain from her face. She kept moving back until her back touched the wall. Then she leaned on it for support. Air. She needed air. She dragged in a deep breath, but she was still short of air. She stumbled blindly into the living room, but didn’t make it to the sofa before she went down. She could not breathe. Why couldn’t she breathe?

  “C’mon, Sie, breathe.” Through the fog that was enveloping her brain, she heard Ace. “Gently now, take a deep breath…That’s it. Now let it out slowly.”

  She breathed in and out several more times until the constriction in her chest loosened and she did not feel like she was going to pass out.

  She heard deep, broken sobs and realized with shock that they are coming from her. She doubled over and began to weep. Her heart was breaking all over again and she could not seem to stop it. She did this. She could have stopped it, but she had to keep digging.

  “Oh God, what have I done?” she said between sobs. “It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault.” She held her head as she sobbed. Poor Vicky. And Vicky’s mom…oh god! Vicky was her only child. How would she bear the pain?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ace watched helplessly as she wailed. She was inconsolable. He sat down on the floor next to her and did the only thing he could. He lifted her up and placed her on his thighs, then wrapped his arms around her. She turned to him and placed her face in the crook of his neck. Her body shook as sobs continued to rack her.

  “This is not your fault, Sierra.” He held her tight and fought the lump in his throat.

  She raised red-rimmed eyes to him. “Am I cursed?”

  “No, how can you say that?”

  “Why do people around me die?”

  He knew what she meant. He asked himself the same question often. It was why he refused to let anyone in anymore. Seeing how she was going to pieces, he could not believe she still thought love was a good thing.

  “They should have hit me instead.”

  Over his dead body. He saw a graphic picture of Sierra’s bloodied body on the floor. He called on his years of self-discipline to push back the nausea that suddenly threatened to overwhelm him. His visceral reaction to that image triggered warning signals in some part of his mind. He would have to examine his reaction later.

  “Don’t say that, Sie.”

  “You don’t get it. Vi was so full of life. She had so much to live for. And to get killed, and for nothing? The guy I was supposed to meet didn’t even turn up.” She shook her head. “Just before we left…” Her voice trailed off and she stared off into space.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She looked at him and he could not read the expression on her face. She stood up and walked away, as though in a daze.

  Confused and a little bit worried, Ace followed.

  He found her in her room riffling through her stuff.

  “Sierra, tell me what’s going on.”

  She picked up the cat suit from the night before and shook it out. Once, twice, then discarded it. Next she moved to her nightstand. She picked up a book then set it back down. Pulled open a drawer, closed it back. Lifted the clock and placed it back. It was clear she was searching for something.

  Ace leaned against the door and watched her. He used the time to look around her room. He loved how neat and organized everything was. Much like the rest of her house. There was no piece of clothing in sight, except the cat suit she’d just dropped on her bed. The bed itself was neatly made. He glanced at her nightstand. The books were neatly stacked one on top of the other. The floor was clean. Just standing in her room brought a feeling of calm and peace.

&
nbsp; Sierra moved to the dressing table and after a few minutes came towards him with something in her hand.

  “What’s that?”

  “Vi gave it to me just before we went out the fire escape.”

  He remembered the other woman pressing something into Sierra’s hand just before she left them. He stretched out his hand and took what looked like a piece of clothing from her. On closer inspection, he discovered that it was a label, like the type that was often found inside clothing. The dark square had been neatly cut. He turned it around and saw the silvery grey embroidery.

  Ace froze.

  He felt the blood drain from his head and stumbled back in shock. Instantly, he was back there. He heard the sound of explosives. The acrid smell of burning rubber and flesh filled his nostrils. Heard the rapid gunshots and the look of utter shock and horror as the bullets hit their mark and tore through the body armor plates that should have offered protection.

  Ace clenched his fist against the rage and pain that were trying to destroy him once again. He closed his eyes, but it was futile as he watched them go down. He began to tremble, the emotions racking his inner being.

  “Ace.” He heard Sierra’s voice call his name but was powerless to answer her. Then he felt her arms around him. She held on to him and rested her head on his chest.

  He had no idea how long they stood that way, but slowly everything faded and he was back in Sierra’s room. His breathing stopped coming in labored gasps and he felt the tension slowly seep out of his body as the trembling stopped.

  Ace was battered. He rested his head on Sierra’s head, drawing strength from her touch.

  When he felt he could stand on his own, he pulled back. She took a step back.

  “What happed, Ace?”

  He shook his head. He didn’t know how to answer her. But he knew he had to show the label to the others. He shook his head again. “HQ.” His voice came out sounding hoarse, like he’d been screaming for a long time.

  “What?”

  “Silver Shield office. Will explain.”

  She nodded slowly. “I’ll just freshen up.”

  She walked to her closet, opened it, pulled out a floral dress and what looked like a grey wraparound sweater, then walked into the bathroom without a word.

  After a brief pause, Ace turned and walked out of her room. He needed to get to HQ. He did not know why Victoria had that label or what it had to do with Sierra’s senator. But everything just got much more personal for him.

  **

  Sierra looked around the table. Ace sat with his head in his hands. The other man whom Ace introduced as Rusty Rosabelle also sat at the table. He had been their getaway driver the night before. He sat staring into space, a blank look on his face. But it was Emily who caught and arrested Sierra’s attention. She sat at the head of the table and stared at the tiny black square, which lay on the table between them.

  Emily had her hands on the table. Her face, like her knuckles, were white. The strong, capable woman Sierra met the first time she came to that office was gone and in her place sat a woman who looked so fragile, Sierra feared she would break at any moment.

  She stared at all the faces on that table. They all looked devastated. Like they were reliving some of the worst experiences of their lives. She had no idea what was going on. Somewhere in the background a phone rang. Then was silent. Still, no one moved or said anything.

  She glanced at the black square. What secrets did it hold? Why did it affect these people this way? What significance did it have? She had so many questions, but she held her peace. Just remembering the way Ace had fallen apart at her apartment made her know that they were dealing with something strange and terrible.

  Finally, Emily spoke, her voice broken. “How?” She pointed to the label before them.

  Rusty bit his lips. He placed both hands on his head then brought them down again. They hung limply from his side.

  Ace shifted in his seat. “Victoria, the hostess from The Den.”

  Sierra stood up then and walked to the window. She could not seem to stop the flow of tears, so she gave them her back and wiped her face. She shivered with awareness, feeling Ace’s eyes on her.

  “How did she get this?” Rusty asked.

  “Must have something to do with Sierra’s investigation of the senator.” Ace replied.

  She felt three sets of eyes on her. But she had no answer for them. She knew that somehow, whatever secrets that square black piece carried, it would lead her back to the senator. Why else had Vi given it to her? Just then it hit her that her rendezvous that night must have been with Vi. Victoria had been the person she was going to meet and she’d had no idea.

  She placed a hand on her mouth in shock.

  “Senator James Hugh Coleman…There is something about that name…”

  Sierra turned and looked at them. “He is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Ace hit the table with his fist.

  Rusty grabbed his tablet and tapped it a few times. He looked up, his face etched with grief. Sierra wanted to reach out and comfort him. She walked to the table and placed her hands on the chair she vacated only a few moments ago.

  “Six years ago,” he said waving his tablet. “He was on that committee six years ago.”

  Emily jumped up from her seat with a stream of swear words, some of which Sierra had never heard before.

  Things were spinning out of control. Her life had become one epic mass of chaos and there was nothing she could do about it. She knew there was a connection between the senator and that piece of black cloth on the table, but she had no idea what it was.

  “What is going on?” She was tired of being in the dark.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ace and the other two shared a glance. Something passed between them. After a pause, Emily nodded then stalked off to the window on the other side of the room. She stood with her back to them.

  “That label…” he let out a breath and got on his feet. He walked to one end of the table and walked back again. Sierra kept her eyes trained on him. “Out on the warfront, we were issued new gear, approved by that committee. The body armor plate carriers had that label.”

  She nodded, still struggling to understand.

  “Body armor plates are supposed to stop bullets from penetrating.”

  Okay, she got that. But she felt like she was still missing something.

  “They failed.” His voice was hoarse and she saw moisture in his eyes. “They failed, Sierra.”

  She sat still and processed what he was trying to tell her. If the body armor plates were supposed to stop bullets and they didn’t, that meant that many people lost their lives. Soldiers, sailors, airmen…all those who were issued the body armor plate carriers that particular year.

  She opened her mouth in shock as the reality hit her. “They were substandard?”

  He nodded. “They were recalled. They were to set up a panel of inquiry. Several months passed and we didn’t hear anything about it again.”

  A sudden thought crossed her mind. She turned to look at Rusty. “Did you say this was six years ago?”

  He nodded.

  Sierra reached for the chair and sank down into it. Six years ago. That was when Ricky died. Could Senator Coleman be responsible for her brother’s death? Was that why her father was investigating him? A moan escaped her from deep inside her throat.

  “Sierra, what’s up?” Ace asked.

  She looked up at him. She felt numb. “That’s the year I lost my brother.”

  He came towards her and drew up a seat close to hers.

  Rusty also stood up from his seat and came to Sierra. He went down on his haunches in before her, shocked surprise on his face. “Newman…Was Ricky Newman your brother?”

  Sierra nodded.

  Rusty shook his head in disbelief. “You’re Newman’s sister? Sie?”

  She nodded again.

  Rusty st
ood up and patted her. “He was a great guy.”

  She understood that he had known her brother, but she did not have the strength left to ask questions. She would track him down later for a chat. For now, she just wanted to crawl under her blanket and stay there till next year. Or the year after. The next five years would be good, come to think of it.

  Just the thought that her brother had died a needless death made her want to howl. She did not know how much more pain she could take before she became completely broken.

  “What kind of bastard would do something like that?” she finally asked. She known all along that he had something to do with her father’s death, but this was too much.

  Rusty walked back to where he left his tablet. After a few minutes he found something. “The company was founded by Lewis Costa Natale and sold to the Sentry Group about ten years ago.”

  Sierra became agitated. Natale? This was an even bigger mess than she’d imagined. “Rusty, can you check the relation to Slim Johnny Natale?”

  Rusty tapped some more. “Grandfather.”

  “Shit!”

  This was the connection she’d been looking for. It was exactly the breakthrough she needed to put the senator’s sorry ass behind bars for decades. She felt a flicker of excitement, but then ruthlessly suppressed it. She was not going to risk any more lives. These people were ruthless and would stop at nothing. It was time to let sleeping dogs lie.

  Emily walked back to the conference table. “It’s time to call the cops, Sierra.”

  Sierra shook her head. She did not trust the cops. “I can’t do that.”

  Emily’s face hardened. “I don’t see that you have much of a choice.”

  Sierra narrowed her eyes. She did not like to be intimidated. She lifted her chin and stated clearly, “I am not calling the cops.”

  The other woman got mad. “Hell, how many more people have to die before you realize that this is much bigger than you are?”

  Sierra was tired. “Hey, lady, back off!”

  “Don’t you get it? You are in way over your damn head.”