by Nikki Rose
“You’ve been a little preoccupied.” I shot daggers at him and caught a glimpse of that girl lingering in the hallway.
“Damn it, Rach.” He hit the doorjamb with his open hand and made me jump. “Were you even planning on telling me?”
I took a deep breath. I refused to be weak at that moment. Steeling my nerves, I spoke firmly. “I planned to hear what you had to say when we went for coffee today then tell you after, but that didn’t happen.”
“Shit.” Anthony turned away from me and hit the doorjamb again.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be some obligation and neither will this baby. I can take care of us both.”
“What?” He spun back to face me. “No! I love you and I’m thrilled about the baby. I’m pissed at this situation and that you think I’d cheat on you.”
“Well, you have to admit that it doesn’t look good.” I motioned my hand toward the girl.
“I don’t care what it looks like. You know me better than that.”
“This is about me?” The girl’s tiny voice drew my attention and I got my first real good look at her. Her hair was stringy and ill-kept. She obviously hadn’t been eating well if her bony frame was any indication. She couldn’t have been fully out of her teens.
“It’s not about you. It’s about us,” Anthony answered her, but she wasn’t convinced. She pushed past him to me and sat on the side of the tub.
“He was helping me get away.”
“She knew Jess,” he added.
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to say.
“I found her pimp’s name in Jess’ apartment when I was investigating her murder. I called and scheduled an appointment with her, but it was just to ask questions. Nothing happened. The picture you saw? We were putting on a show for the guy she was working for so he wouldn’t suspect anything. I didn’t kiss her. I just made it look like it. I promise you that I’d never do that to you.”
“I believe you,” I whispered, feeling so embarrassed for jumping to conclusions.
“T—that’s the guy I worked for—caught me trying to run after Anthony helped me and he locked me up, so Anthony came to rescue me.”
“I only brought her here so she could get cleaned up before Ryan and Cody take her to the bus station so she can go home to her parents.”
“I feel so stupid.” I hid my face in my hands.
“Don’t. It looked bad. I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you what was going on sooner. I just didn’t want to keep dragging you into all my stuff.”
I stood, face-to-face with Anthony. “If we’re going to get married, it’s going to be our stuff. You can’t hide things from me. I need you to stop always trying to protect me.”
“Never. I’ll never stop protecting you, because without you I’d die. I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you. There have been too many close calls. I can’t lose you. But I will try to be more open about things.”
He slipped his strong arms around my waist and held me against him. If there had ever been a doubt in my mind that I was his, it was banished in that moment. I hugged him back, holding myself close until there wasn’t an inch of space between us.
“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” She stood gaping at us, which made us chuckle awkwardly.
I was grateful when Anthony spoke up. “We need to let you get cleaned up and get you out of here before T finds you.”
“You take a shower in here and I’ll see if I have something you can wear.” I offered her a small smile.
“Thank you so much. You two are amazing.” The gratefulness in her expression made my heart fall, knowing what she’d been through. I passed them and went into the bedroom to find her some clothes. Anthony came in a few minutes later.
“Rach?”
I turned around to see a pitiful, seeking look on his face. “We’re good,” I said and smiled my first full smile in over a week.
“You sure?” He wrapped his arms around my waist again and pulled me close.
“Absolutely.” I smiled reassuringly.
Anthony tenderly pressed his lips to my forehead. He let out a breath and grinned so big I thought his face might stick that way. “You’re really pregnant?”
I nodded nervously. “I’m really pregnant, but I meant what I said. I don’t want me or the baby to be an obligation you fe—”
He pressed his finger to my lips to cut me off. “I’m thrilled we’re having a baby.” He hugged me tight. “Oh no, am I squishing the baby? Oh wow, that’s my baby in there.” He put his hand on my stomach and smiled.
“I don’t think he or she is big enough to get squashed yet. The doctor said the baby is only about the size of a plum right now.”
“A plum? Really? That’s crazy.”
“Yeah. I never would have thought something that small could make me feel so sick.”
“You’ve been going through this all alone? Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”
“Sarah was a big help. I don’t think I’d have gotten through it without her. Speaking of… I should probably text her to let her know things are okay.”
“Okay, you do that while I check on Angela. Cody and Ryan are going to drive her to the bus stop one city over and wait with her until she’s on the bus and gone so T won’t find her again.”
“I’ll be right out.” I handed him a clean T-shirt and jeans for Angela.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent Sarah a quick text.
Everything’s good with Belle and Anthony. Will fill you in later.
So glad. I can’t wait to hear the full story!
Thanks again for everything. I couldn’t have done it all without you.
That’s what besties are for! Now, go have hot makeup sex!
I couldn’t help but laugh. That last text didn’t even require a response. I put my phone away and went back into the living room, where Anthony, Angela, Ryan and a new guy who I presumed was Cody stood at the front door.
“Thank you for everything. And I’m really sorry I caused you two so much trouble,” Angela said, looking between me and Anthony.
“It’s all cleared up now. That’s what matters.”
“And thanks for the clothes. You guys are nicer than anyone else I’ve met out here. Oh, and I have something for you.” She turned from me to Anthony and pulled out a flash drive from her pocket.
“What’s this?” Anthony took it from her and studied it.
“I snuck it out when we ran. T usually keeps it locked away, but I learned where he kept the key. It has to be something important, the way he treats it. I thought maybe it could get you some answers or at least give you the proof you need to shut him down for good.”
“I’ll have my tech guys look it over. Thank you.”
“Be safe.” I smiled at her. All cleaned up without the dirt and heavy makeup, she looked even younger. She was just a kid lost in a very grown-up world. She was lucky to have crossed paths with someone like Anthony—someone who was willing to stop at nothing to save people who couldn’t save themselves. He really was my superhero.
Angela and the guys left, leaving us alone in the living room. Anthony plopped down on the couch and pulled me with him. “It has been a long day and it’s”—he looked at the clock and whined—“only five o’clock.”
“Rachel…” Belle called out from her room.
“I should check on her.”
“Let me.” He patted my thigh. “You rest.”
He walked down the hall. Everything in my life made sense again. Relief caused exhaustion to take over as I curled up and lay my head on the sofa pillow.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Anthony
With life back on track, I felt better than ever about things with Rachel. Wedding plans were back on. She insisted we could still get everything done, even with the lost week. Not only was I going to be marrying the love of my life and best friend in just a few days, but she was carrying my baby. The only thing that could make life better was
to catch whoever was responsible for Jess’ death. Otherwise, I feared the case would grow cold between the wedding and the upcoming holidays.
I needed to keep making headway on the case, so I drove toward headquarters to meet with my tech guy, who, after a long forty-eight hours, had been able to crack T’s encrypted flash drive. If he’d gone to that much trouble to hide whatever was on it, he obviously didn’t want anyone to see it—which meant that was exactly what I wanted to see.
I parked and raced up to the tech department. T had been free for way too long if he had anything to do with Jess’ murder, and my gut said he did. I wanted that guy locked up.
I came to the tech lab and knocked impatiently.
“It’s open.” I heard Jeffreys’ distracted voice from behind the door. The lanky guy was staring at the screens in front of him. A part of me wondered if he ever went home.
“Hey, Jeffreys, you said you had something for me?”
“Always straight to business with you still, huh? Oh well, at least you’re consistent.”
“I’m on a time crunch here, Jeffreys. The longer this takes, the longer a killer goes loose.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You are going to love me for what I found.”
“That good?”
“Only if you consider every business transaction, contact and even info on each girl this guy employs as good.”
“I’d say that’s damn good. Nice work.”
“You mentioned looking for a man by the name of Matt who was involved with Jess, right?”
“Yeah, you found him?”
“Mateo González, aka Matt. There’s a whole file on Jess and he’s in it.”
“A whole file on Jess? Can you open it? I want to see.”
“Can I open it?” Jeffreys scoffed and began typing and clicking away. “There… Scan through all you want.” He turned the screen so I could see it better.
Employee - Jessica ‘Jess’ Anne Harris
Handler - Mateo ‘Matt’ Caballero González
Weaknesses - Uppers, alcohol, six-year-old daughter, Isabelle ‘Belle’ Parker.
Special notes - Possible complication, Anthony Parker
“Caballero? Like Ian and Amidio Caballero? Shit. Everyone said Matt González. I never thought this was connected to Ian.”
“It looks like he was the one getting info on her. I wouldn’t put it past them to be the one who encouraged her drug use, too.”
“Jess had a lot of issues before he ever came around. He just knew how to exploit it. It looks like T was just the middleman used as a cover, but once this is all done, I’m taking him down too.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“Put in an order for extra security, and I want a team scheduled to take down Caballero’s compound and T’s operation as soon as I give the word.”
“You got it, man. I’ll put in the order for you now, since I’m already logged in.”
“Thanks. I gotta get going. I promised Rachel I’d meet her for dinner over at her dad’s house. My parents are going to be there and she just might kill me if I’m late, after everything we’ve been through lately.”
“You’ll take down an armed shooter but cower in fear over the anger of your woman?” Jeffreys laughed.
“You got that straight. Have you ever seen a woman angry—I mean truly angry?”
“Of course I have. That shit is terrifying, but I never expected the great Anthony Parker to show fear.”
“The great Anthony Parker?”
“Yeah. You’ve got quite the reputation around the office. You know I hear things. Between you and me, there’s a running bet for whether or not you’ll take over.”
“Take over?”
“Like I said, this stays between us. In a building full of top-secret agents, the guys don’t keep secrets very well. Rumor has it that the director has been talking with the uppers in Washington about a promotion, which would leave the director’s position open. Some of the guys think that you’re the man for the job.”
“Me? As director?” I scoffed.
“Laugh all you want, but in my opinion, you’d make a damn good one.”
“I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
“From what I heard, there should be some sort of decision made by the end of next week.”
“Let’s just hope the new director isn’t someone from outside the agency. Those guys don’t understand what we do here and take months to get acclimated.”
“Another good reason for it to be you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I laughed and brushed him off. “I better get out of here. Thanks for taking your Sunday to look into that stuff for me.”
“No problem, bossman. You have fun with the little lady.”
“Always do.” I smirked at him and left.
* * * *
Rachel
Anthony was already fifteen minutes late and I was getting anxious. He’d gone into work to look into T’s flash drive. We knew it could have information to lead to Jess’ murderer, and the sooner we found out who had killed her, the sooner we could focus on moving past it. It made me nervous to think of a murderer still out there, one who quite possibly knew about or even had come into contact with Belle when she was with Jess. I doubted Belle would be in danger, since it was probably more to do with Jess’ drug habit than anything, but after all we’d been through, one could never be too careful.
This dinner couldn’t have come at a better time. Anthony and I had decided it would be the perfect opportunity to tell our parents about the baby. I just wished he’d hurry up and get there. I’d already had to make up an excuse not to have a glass of wine yet, but the secret was already getting ready to burst from my lips at the next opportunity. I couldn’t wait to share the good news with our families.
“So, honey, what do you think of all the work your old man has put into the remodel?”
“It’s amazing. I just hate that you didn’t do it sooner, so we all could have enjoyed it before you sell it.” When I’d walked into the backyard, I almost hadn’t recognized it. The paver patio was nearly twice the size it had been. There was a covered area with outdoor seating, a stone fireplace and a full outdoor kitchen. I’d always wanted one of those fireplaces, ever since I’d seen one on the home and garden network with my mom.
“I know. And I’m sorry I didn’t do it sooner. Maybe one day you’ll build something like this at your own house. Have you and Anthony thought about moving from that tiny apartment to something a little bigger once you get married?”
“We haven’t really discussed it. I mean, I know he wants to give Belle a home with a backyard and a swing and all that one day, but with the wedding happening so fast and him constantly being sent off for work, we haven’t really had the time to talk about all that. It would be nice to have something like this one day, though.”
“A backyard would be nice for Belle,” Tony added.
“Oh, did I send you the picture of Belle from the other day when she was helping me weed out all the dead annuals from my garden?” Liz changed the subject.
“No, do you have it with you?”
“It’s on my phone.” She pulled it out and scrolled through until she found the picture and offered me the phone across the outdoor coffee table.
I looked down at the picture of Belle with dirt smudges all over her face and her eyes crossed to look at the smudges on her nose. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She was so freaking adorable. I felt lucky to be a part of her life. The memory of her asking me to be her mom when she was sick a few days before made me tear up. I blamed those damn hormones.
I handed the phone back and pulled my blanket tighter around my shoulders. The fireplace was so nice but the chill in the air still reached me, causing a shiver.
Tony’s loud, booming voice broke the quiet and made me jump. “There he is. It’s about time, son.”
“Sorry I’m late. I had to check in at the office.” Anthony waved and hurried over to me.
�
�Everything okay?” I looked at him, trying to get a read on things, since I was the only one who knew what was going on with the flash drive.
“For the most part.” He gave me a look that said ‘we’ll talk about it later’ before turning his attention elsewhere. “Trevor, I see you’ve done a lot of work on this place since we were here last.”
“Yeah, actually I was just telling everyone that I’m thinking of selling the place and thought this would be a good selling incentive for the right buyer.”
Anthony sat down beside me and pulled me into the crook of his arm. I loved the way his body instantly warmed mine.
“Dad decides to put in my dream fireplace just in time to sell.” I chuckled, but there was a part of me that was sad he was thinking of selling. This had been my childhood home, and while it was the place where I’d lost my mom, it was also filled with good memories of the life we’d had together.
“When do you plan on putting the place on the market?” Anthony took the glass my dad offered him and had a sip, pulling me closer.
“Actually, I’ve already got one buyer interested.”
“Already?” I stiffened. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this place. Talking about selling and actually having an interested buyer were two very different things.
“It’s actually the perfect time. Mrs. Greenridge down the street is moving to a retirement community since her husband passed last year. Her place is half the size, and I really don’t need so much space for just me. I’d be in the same neighborhood, the same street for that matter. It should make moving pretty easy.”
Hearing my dad so serious about selling gave me a rush of panic. My eyes stung with tears I wouldn’t let escape. Stupid hormones. Anthony must have sensed my mood shift because he pulled me tight against him and ran his hand along my arm to comfort me.
“Any idea when you’ll know something?”
“Well, I know he’s interested. He just needs to talk it over with the wife.”
