by Ivy Nelson
And just like that, the mood at the table shifted. This was a very real and serious problem. Adara took a deep breath and tried to put on a brave face.
“Sorry to be such a downer, everyone.”
“Stop that,” Michael said sternly. “We’re in this together. You’re not being a downer.”
His reprimanding tone was not appreciated. Before she could say as much, Darci quietly said, “He’s right, Adara. You’re going through a serious ordeal. We’re here for you.”
She offered a weak smile. “I appreciate it. I really do.” With her eyes closed she willed herself not to cry, but a tear managed to slip out and slide down her cheek anyway. The waiter came back with Michael’s card and she quickly brushed it away.
The two couples stood and began saying their goodbyes. “I’m going to call my buddy at Homeland and see if we can’t at least get your assets unfrozen,” Bradley said as he hugged her. “And don’t even think about trying to argue with me.”
She sighed. “I won’t. I promise. I just want this to be over.”
“I know. We’ll get you through this.”
At the restaurants entrance, the two couples went their separate ways.
“I’m sorry, Angel,” Michael said as they climbed into a cab. “I was doing my best to keep your mind off all of this for a while. It should have occurred to me sooner that Homeland might do something like this. It’s pretty standard protocol.”
She squeezed his hand. “It’s OK. It was a nice lunch. I appreciate the distraction.”
“Well, let’s get back to the room. I can think of a few more distractions.” He said with a grin.
“I’ll bet you can,” she said with a laugh as she settled against him for the ride back to the room.
Three days later, Adara found herself sitting in a courtroom, a judge looming over her and Tabitha Kelly standing to her left. They were at a hearing to determine whether Adara would be detained throughout the legal battle to keep her in the country.
“Your honor, my client has clear ties to the community. Her passport has already been seized, and she remains in the custody of Chief of Special Investigations, Michael Silas of the Metropolitan Police Department. We can assure you she will appear for all court dates. I think we can all agree this is an unusual situation and my client does not deserve to sit in a detention center.”
Adara tried not to fidget as she watched her attorney speak. The expression on the judge's face was unreadable. Tabitha had assured her that this was a fair judge and perhaps one of the best ones they could have gotten considering her circumstances. When the results of the independent DNA test had come back this morning, Adara was swiftly hauled in by ICE. Thankfully, they had been prepared and her attorney had worked hard to get them an initial hearing the same day so Adara didn’t have to spend the night in a detainment facility.
The judge flipped through the documents Tabitha Kelly handed him. “Very unusual indeed, Ms. Kelly. My only concern is that Miss Kent was originally picked up by Homeland Security while leaving the country.”
“At the time your honor, there was no question about my client’s citizenship. As far as she knew her parents were Ruth and Daniel Kent. Miss Kent had a legitimate passport and was traveling to Canada legally.”
It was a valid point even if the attorney wasn’t telling the whole story. It technically wasn’t a lie.
Judge Carr leaned back and folded his arms as he studied Adara. Then he scanned the courtroom, his eyes landing on Michael who was seated behind her a few rows back.
“Are you Chief Silas?”
Michael jumped to his feet. “Yes, your honor. Miss Kent is a material witness in an upcoming murder trial.”
“And you can guarantee she’ll be at all of her court appearances?”
“Yes, Sir,” Michael said with confidence. “Miss Kent will remain in my custody through the duration and is currently staying in a safe location.”
The judge seemed satisfied with this. “Alright then. I’m releasing the defendant into your custody again. My clerk will hand you a trial date on the way out.”
“Thank you, your honor,” Michael and her attorney said in unison. Adara felt too numb to say anything at all.
The court date they got landed exactly one week before the filing deadline to run for the at-large council seat. In her heart, she knew that dream was gone for now. But if she could ever get out of this mess, she promised herself she would run. Who was she kidding? There was no way she was getting out of this one. According to the law, she wasn’t actually a U.S. citizen. She couldn’t run for office. Even if they did let her stay and granted her documented alien status, she wouldn’t be eligible, and it would take years to become a legal citizen.
Beside her, Michael gripped her hand. It gave her comfort, but it also made her sad to think she would probably never see him again after this was all over. The thought made her withdraw her hand from his. She couldn’t keep doing this, it was time to back away. They were both going to get hurt. Might as well rip the band-aid off, right?
A glance at the tall man next to her told her he wasn’t happy that she had pulled away from him. But, to his credit, he didn’t push the issue. Technically they still had two days of their deal left, so he could have pushed. All Adara wanted right then was to go to the hotel and play with her dog. She had no idea what was going to happen to Hamilton if she got deported. Maybe Michael would keep him for her. It seemed unfair to ask.
At the hotel, Adara retreated to the bedroom saying she just needed to be alone. Again, Michael didn’t push her to spend time with him. He just said he was going to nap on the couch. Oddly, she found herself missing his gentle dominance. It was still there. He was just giving her space today, and she was grateful for that. It would make backing away like she needed to easier.
She patted the bed and Hamilton scurried over and hopped up onto the plush comforter. He seemed to sense that she was having a bad day, so he curled his big body up into a ball and laid his head in her lap. She stroked his soft fur as tears began to fall. Today had been more than she could handle.
Being paraded into court like a criminal all for the misfortune of having a terrorist as a biological father was just too much. She curled up on the bed and the sweet dog wrapped his body around hers. As tears continued to fall, she drifted into a fitful sleep where she dreamed of life in a country she didn’t even know anything about.
11
♥♥♥
Michael stared at the closed bedroom door. She had been in there for a couple of hours, and he was positive she had been crying. Part of him wanted to barge in and demand that she talk to him. He could have, given that their week-long deal wasn’t quite up yet. But he got the impression that she needed some space. Giving it to her was the hard part. It seemed selfish of him to want to push their arrangement on her. An even more selfish part of him wanted to convince her to agree to extend the deal, but because of everything happening in her life at the moment he hadn’t made any moves to do that. He only hoped she wasn’t trying to pull completely away from him. That, he couldn’t let happen without doing something.
Watching Adara in the courtroom today had been heart wrenching. He had wanted so badly to squeeze her hand, something, anything, to show her she had his support, but that would have looked off to the judge. So, he’d had to sit stoically in the gallery watching as they determined whether this woman he cared about would be locked up or not. Thankfully, they had gotten a fair judge and she was now safely with him. For how long, he had no idea. The thought of her being deported was one he couldn’t bear. He prayed Carrie and Peter would be able to find something that would help their case and keep Adara in this country. She was American through and through. It didn’t matter what her DNA said. It was his job to keep her safe.
As he stared at the door again, his phone buzzed. He absentmindedly answered without looking at the screen. “Silas.”
“Get your ass into my office, now.”
He winced. It was
his boss, the chief of police. And he did not sound happy.
“Yes, Sir. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Next, he called Peter, and half an hour later a guard stood outside the hotel room.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. She’s sleeping so please don’t disturb her. And don’t let anyone but me enter this room.” The man nodded and assumed his position outside the door.
With heavy shoulders, he hailed a cab and tried not to stress during the short ride to the main precinct where the chief’s office was.
“Are you trying to ruin your career, Silas?” Chief Stanton did not waste any time with pleasantries when Michael arrived.
“No, Sir. Just doing my job.”
“Bullshit. You don’t need this girl for the Holden trial, and you know it.”
“Need is subjective, Sir. Technically, Miss Kent is on the list of potential witnesses for the prosecution. This trial has gotten national attention. I felt it would be better to keep her on hand. If she’s deported, she can’t be any help. Better to keep her here until the trial is over just in case.”
“I’m still calling bullshit. What is it about this girl, Silas? She’s got connections to terrorists for God’s sake. You just got promoted. Don’t make the mayor regret her decision. Why are you putting your career on the line?”
“Honestly, Sir? I care about this woman and it seems unfair what they are doing to her. I’m fully within the law here. She’s being housed in a secure location. She’ll show up for all of her hearings and I can swear on my badge that this woman is not a threat to national security.”
The chief eyed him carefully. “I hope you’re right. And I hope she’s worth it. The mayor is watching this closely and you don’t look good right now. You look like you’re risking your position here for a piece of ass.”
Michael winced. That was harsh of the chief. He stood tall and placed his hands behind his back. “If you ever feel I’ve crossed the line outside of the law, you can personally ask for my badge. Until then I’d like permission to carry on.”
Chief Stanton scowled. “Fine. But if this escalates further, you need to hand this woman over to Homeland and walk away immediately.”
Michael nearly laughed out loud. As if that would ever happen. Instead, he managed a solemn nod.
“Fine. Dismissed. I expect you at work tomorrow. No more of this vacation days crap. It doesn’t look good since you have a witness in your custody.”
He sighed. The chief was right about that. Now, he would have to ask his friends to take turns babysitting Adara. She would hate that, but she would just have to deal. There was no way he was leaving her alone during all of this. Not if they were being followed. He made his way down to a waiting cab and pulled out his phone. If he was going back to work, it might be better for them to move back to his house if it was safe. He pulled up Peter’s number.
“Do you think we can make my house safe? What’s the harm in removing the listening devices?”
“We wanted to see if we could track down where the bugs were transmitting to, but so far we’ve come up empty. I suppose it wouldn’t be harmful to take them down and post a security detail and surveillance team outside your place. I’ve got some free time this afternoon. I’ll make it work.”
“How much longer are the two of you in town?” Michael asked.
“Not sure. We’re toying with the idea of moving back. The assignment that took me to California is wrapped up and the office there is staffed with a good team. I can manage it remotely and make occasional trips when needed. At the very least, we’re here to see this through.” For that, Michael was grateful.
“Is Carrie any closer to finding anything useful?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. I kind of leave her alone when she’s on an assignment like this. She’s not quite so submissive when she’s in investigator mode. I’ve found that letting her be and refilling her coffee cup is the best way to save a few fights,” Peter said with a chuckle.
Michael laughed. Carrie was spunky. He could only imagine that got stronger when she was in the zone. “Smart man,” he responded. “I’m almost back to the room. Let me know when my place is clear.”
“You got it brother.”
They ended their call and Michael made his way into the lobby and to the bank of elevators. Peter’s security guard was still in place when he arrived at their door.
“Welcome back, Chief Silas. All is quiet here.”
“Very good. Thank you for staying.”
He slipped the key card into the slot and pushed open the door. The sound that greeted him had him bolting to the closed bedroom door.
“Adara? Angel, what’s wrong?” The sobs continued. When she didn’t respond, he placed his hand on the door handle. “I’m coming in, Angel.” Pushing the handle down, he shoved the door open. Adara was curled into a ball, gut wrenching sobs wracked her body. Hamilton her dog sat on the bed next to her looking very concerned, giving the occasional whimper of his own.
Michael sat on the bed and pulled the crying girl into his lap, patting the dogs head as he did. “It’s OK boy. I’ve got her. She’ll be OK.”
He stroked her hair as the sobs continued. “Let it out, Angel,” he murmured. After several minutes the sobs subsided. Little shudders still shook her as she sat curled up in his lap.
“I’m sorry,” she managed to say through hiccups.
“Don’t be. You’re under a lot of pressure. I’m here though.”
Her head pressed into his chest for a moment before she looked up at him. “Where did you go?”
“I got called into the chief’s office. They just wanted to make sure I was clear on the rules regarding custody of a witness. The chief isn’t stupid. He knows I care about you. His concern is my career and the optics of one of his chiefs skirting the line. But he isn’t a bastard. He understands it’s a complicated situation.”
“I hope I didn’t get you into trouble.”
“Not at all, Angel. And even if I got in trouble, it wouldn’t be your fault. I’m doing all of this of my own free will. Why the tears? Did something happen?”
Shaking her head, she took a deep, shuddering breath. “Not exactly. I mean other than everything. Nothing new. I’ve just been thinking, and this is really hard. I need to say something you’re not going to like.”
That couldn’t possibly be good, he thought. He willed himself to listen, but he didn’t bother keeping the frown off his face. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. “Go ahead.”
“Look. It’s obvious this case isn’t going well. It’s a very real possibility that I won’t survive this. I’m likely to be deported.” As if gathering strength, she paused and closed her eyes. “I don’t think we should be… sexually involved anymore. If there’s another officer you could hand me over to during the trial, I think that would be best for both of us.”
He should have known her head would go there. It occurred to him to pull her over his lap and spank the hell out of her. His hand flexed as he thought about it. But something told him that would be the wrong response here. Instead, he scowled deeper and used one hand to lift her chin to meet his gaze.
“I’m so tempted to paddle your ass right now, Angel. Let’s get one thing clear though. If you don’t want to be romantically involved with me anymore, I’m not going to be the bastard that pressures you over that. I’ll tell you I think your excuse is bullshit, but I’ll respect it. Even if we do still have two days of our deal left.” Her face jerked in his hand as she tried to turn away. He tightened his grip on her chin. “I said I would respect it. However, if you think for one second I’m handing you over to another officer, you’re fucking insane, Adara. You’re with me until this is over. Is that clear?” She squirmed under his intense gaze and he knew that his ‘Dom’ glare was having its desired effect. If he weren’t so pissed, he might have grinned.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. With his free hand, he placed his index finger on her lips.
“I’
m not done yet. This may not go the way we want it to. You’re right about that. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to just roll over and give up. I’m surprised at you, Adara. You’re a fighter. I know this is overwhelming, but I’m here, and if you would let me, I can keep you centered.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You want me to play more of your kinky sex games?”
“Frankly? Yes.” His honest answer surprised her into silence, and she seemed to consider it.
Then she said, “It just seems like we’re setting ourselves up for heartbreak. No, I think it’s best for us to just be friends.”
He tried not to growl in frustration. They were so good together and she knew it. The only right thing to do though was agree and respect the boundaries she was setting.
“Fine. But enough about me handing you over to anyone else, clear?”
She closed her eyes. “Fair enough. I’m sorry, Michael. I really am. I just need to protect my heart in all of this. If I get any more attached to you and then get booted out of the country and never see you again, I’ll die of a broken heart.”
He understood exactly how she felt. Except, he was already attached to her. Shifting to just friends was going to be hard enough, but if he never got to see her again? He was going to go insane. Whatever it took to keep her in this country, he had to do it. For a moment, he entertained the thought of suggesting they get married to increase her odds of staying in the country, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t go for it. Not to mention they could both go to jail for a stunt like that. No, they had to beat this in court.
In an attempt to change subjects and relieve some of the awkward tension, he told her about needing to go back to work.
“We’ll move back to my place. You can have the guest room. Peter is clearing it now, and we’ll be setting up surveillance and security teams around the clock.”
“What am I going to do all day?”
“You’ll have to stay inside or in the backyard, Angel. I know you’ll hate it, but it has to be this way.”
