“Bridget must have known.” His tone was harsh. “Why the hell didn’t she tell us?”
“She probably had no idea her friend was dangerously psychotic. People with mental illnesses can be very good at hiding their problems. Don’t make assumptions until you talk to your sister.”
He nodded. “When will they be here with Connor?”
“Within the hour. I called the minute I received the news.” Arden swallowed back her own tears. “I’m so very happy your son is safe and unharmed, but I hope you’ll both talk to a professional in the coming weeks. Counseling will help you cope with the trauma you’ve been through.”
Gina wiped her damp cheeks. “I’m definitely an emotional wreck, but right now I just want to hold my baby. Thank you, Arden. Please thank the whole team for what they do. If not for Counterstrike—” She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth.
“Don’t, hon. Don’t even think about it. Connor is coming home, and that’s all we need to focus on.” Lincoln met Arden’s gaze. “I can’t begin to thank you enough for rescuing my son, but I’ll be putting a sizable donation check in the mail. I want to pay it forward to someone else in need.”
“Thank you.” Arden’s smile shook a little. “I wish your family all the best.”
She disconnected and collapsed back against the couch cushions with her eyes closed, wishing with all her heart that she and Brody had had a similar happy ending. Tears leaked through her closed lids as she fought to get her emotions under control. Several minutes later, she wiped her face and sat up straight.
“Mr. Grant saved that baby?”
Arden turned quickly, pressing a hand to her chest. Bernice stood in the doorway, her eyes filled with some deep emotion she couldn’t quite interpret.
“Yes. They’ll be flying home tonight.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you to talk to those parents. It must have brought back a lot of painful memories.”
She could only nod. “I understand better now why Brody is so involved with Counterstrike. It was actually healing, knowing I played a small part in bringing their son home. I only wish—” She swallowed hard, the tight knot of tears burning in her throat.
“You wish there’d been someone who could have saved River.”
“Yes.” She took a few deep breaths. “Despite the danger he faces, I can’t begrudge Brody what he does. It would be beyond selfish.”
“Have you told him that?”
“Not yet, but I will.”
The housekeeper studied her for another minute. “Welcome home, Mrs. Grant. I guess you’ll be staying permanently this time.”
“Thank you, Bernice. I expect I will.”
“Oh, I came to tell you Mrs. Welch called the house phone when you didn’t answer your cell. She was going for a walk on the beach and wondered if you wanted to join her.”
“Some fresh air sounds wonderful. I’ll call her back. Thank you.”
With a nod, the housekeeper disappeared, the sound of her footsteps fading toward the kitchen.
Before she could pull out her phone, someone knocked on the front door. As Arden rose to her feet, Silas opened the door and spoke in a low voice. She hurried through the entry and smiled at Nicole.
“Bernice just gave me your message. I’d love to go for a walk. I need a big dose of sunshine.”
Silas stepped back as Nicole entered the house. “Great. It’s sunny, but the wind has turned chilly. You might want to wear something warmer than shorts.”
Arden glanced down at her bare legs. “I’ll go change and be right back.” She briefly touched Silas’s arm below the sleeve of his T-shirt as she passed him. “If you’ll be down on the beach, maybe you’ll want to grab a windbreaker.”
His lips turned upward slightly. “Oh, I’ll definitely be down there.”
“I figured. Thanks, Silas.”
“You bet. By the way, Brody texted me he should be home around midnight. Mission accomplished, I hope?”
“Yes. All good news this time.” Leaving them, she ran up the stairs and headed toward her room. After pulling on a pair of jeans and an oversized Honey Bee Mine logo sweatshirt, she returned to the entry where Nicole was waiting.
“That was quick. Ready to go?”
“You bet. I think my dogs are somewhere outside.”
Her friend smiled. “They had a squirrel treed when I came up the driveway, not that the squirrel seemed too concerned.”
“Sounds about right. The wildlife is perfectly safe from those two.”
They left the house through the back door, and the dogs ran across the lawn to greet them as they headed toward the steps leading down to the beach. Silas stood near the pool house, talking to Gene, and Arden waved as they walked by.
Nicole hooked her wind-blown hair behind one ear and gave her a curious look. “What was your cryptic conversation with Silas about earlier?”
Arden hesitated, not too certain what Brody had told his friends and neighbors about Counterstrike. “A work situation that took Brody out of town. He’ll be back tonight.”
“Any word from the police on that lunatic who broke into your house? Did they catch him yet?”
Stopping near the line of wet sand as breakers rolled up onto the beach, she shoved her hands into the roomy front pocket of her sweatshirt and squeezed her fingers together. “I’m afraid not.”
“That sucks.”
“Yes, it does.” She didn’t want to talk about Thanos. Didn’t want the insidious fear to creep back in. “Did Tim and the boys have fun on their camping trip?”
Nicole smiled. “They had a terrific time. How was the wedding? Did it give you any ideas? Hard not to feel romantic when love is in the air.”
“The wedding was beautiful.” She stared out at a seagull dipping and gliding over the waves. “Brody and I are . . . talking.” Inside the pocket, she splayed her fingers over her stomach. “We’re trying to work things out.”
“That’s wonderful.” Nicole beamed at her. “You deserve to be happy, Arden. Maybe more than anyone I know.”
“We still have problems to work through.”
“You’re taking that first step, which is what matters. There’s no other way to get there than placing one foot in front of the other.”
“True.” Arden laughed at the dogs when Hero ran away with a clump of seaweed dangling from his mouth. Heidi gave chase. “At least we both know what we want.”
They continued down the beach, chatting idly. Silas stayed within shouting distance but didn’t intrude on her conversation with her friend.
“Does it bug you?”
“Huh” Arden frowned at Nicole. “What?”
“Having a glorified bodyguard?”
She let out a sigh. “Brody isn’t taking any chances with my safety.”
Nicole scanned the long strip of beach. “Hopefully they’ll find that man soon.”
“It can’t be fast enough to suit me.”
Reaching a rock outcropping extending into the water, they turned back and followed Hero and Heidi as they chased a pair of sandpipers. When they reached the steps leading to the house, Arden took her wet, sandy dogs up to the yard while Nicole continued onward toward her home. Silas hurried over to help her hose them down.
“They stink like seaweed, but they certainly had fun.”
“I’ll say. You won’t get the smell out without soap.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll run get some shampoo.” Arden jogged toward the house and entered through the back door. As she passed the kitchen, she stopped. “My goodness, Sabrina. You startled me.”
Their neighbor turned away from the counter and gave her a quick smile. “I asked Bernice if I could borrow a couple of batteries. My flashlight is dead, and I need something out of the deep closet under the stairs.”
“Oh. Why didn’t she just loan you a flashlight? There’s usually one in the bottom drawer.” She approached the other woman and bent to pull open a drawer. Removing the metal tube, she held it
out. “Here you go.”
Sabrina took it. “Thanks. I’ll bring it right back.”
“No rush.”
Footsteps sounded, and Bernice appeared holding a pack of D batteries. “They were in the utility closet for some reason. Usually, I—oh, hello, Mrs. Grant. Back from your walk?”
“I told Sabrina she can simply borrow a flashlight.”
“Well, sure.”
“I came inside to get shampoo. The dogs stink like rotten seaweed.”
Sabrina wrinkled her nose. “I don’t envy you the job of cleaning them. Have fun.” She left, and Arden headed upstairs. A quick glance out the window after she grabbed the shampoo from her shower made her pause.
Her neighbor stood on the lawn between their two houses, her cell pressed to her ear. Sabrina waved the hand holding the flashlight, apparently arguing with the caller. After a moment, she turned to face the ocean, shoulders stiff. Alone. Unhappy.
Pity for the woman filled her. Even though they’d never really been friends, they certainly had plenty in common. Both divorced. Both struggling to come to terms with their past. Except she’d always known Brody would be there for her if she needed him.
And for that, she was thankful.
Chapter Nineteen
Brody dropped his clothes on the bedside rug and slid between the sheets. When Arden turned toward him, he pulled her into his arms. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I don’t mind.”
He could barely keep his eyes open, so he didn’t bother trying. Instead, he buried his face in her sweet-smelling hair and held her close. “Love you.”
She responded, but he couldn’t process her words as he drifted into deep sleep . . .
The sun was shining through partially open blinds when he woke the next morning. Stretching, he reached out to touch Arden, only to let his hand flop against a cool sheet. After a moment, he opened his eyes a crack and glanced around the empty room. Not completely empty. One of the dogs lay beside the bed, stretched out across his dirty clothes. Heidi. He smiled slightly when she raised her head to look at him and thumped her tail.
“No offense, but not the greeting I was hoping for.”
Apparently, if he wanted to snuggle, he should have woken up before eight. But they’d flown out of California later than he’d expected after dealing with the authorities, and he’d needed a few solid hours of sleep if he wanted to be sharp-witted. Which he damn well did. Time to focus on nailing Thanos before something else came up to distract him from his main purpose.
He threw back the covers and stepped over the dog on his way to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he’d dressed and shaved and followed his nose to the kitchen where strawberry scones straight out of the oven tempted him almost as much as the woman sitting at the counter, sipping coffee and typing on her phone.
Arden glanced up and smiled. “You’re awake.”
He dropped a kiss on her lips, lingering for a few extra moments before heading over to the coffee pot to pour a mug full of dark brew. “Finally. I was wiped out last night.”
When her phone dinged, she read the text and frowned before pushing it aside. “At least the outcome was happy. Well, for everyone except the lunatic woman who took little Connor.”
“Cassidy Styles has some major issues, and they all sort of boiled up at once and tipped her over the edge. Apparently, her fiancé broke off their engagement a few months ago.”
Arden rolled her eyes. “Probably because she’d always been in love with Lincoln Saxe.”
“There is that.” Brody took a bite out of a scone and let it practically melt in his mouth. After a moment, he continued. “Her cat died, and then she was downsized out of her job at the company where she worked. Somewhere in the midst of all this, she convinced herself Lincoln and Connor belonged to her.”
“Hopefully she’ll get some serious mental help, but it doesn’t excuse the torture she put the Saxes through.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He took a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator. “Want breakfast?”
“No. I ate a scone. I’m good.” She leaned one elbow on the counter. “Ellie texted me. She and the girls need to go home for a couple of days. I was going to call Jim to see if he could feed the animals, but—”
“You’d rather go back to Vermont and feed them yourself?”
“Could we?”
He thought about his half-formed plan to draw out Thanos, using himself as bait. Which meant she might be safer if she wasn’t anywhere near him. “I could send Silas with you.”
“Oh.” She ran her finger around the rim of her cup. “Crap, I forgot about the cell service problem at my cabin. If Counterstrike gets an emergency call—”
“If we have any new clients, we’ll handle them. You’ll only be gone for a couple of days, right?”
She nodded. “Do you want me to scramble some eggs for you?” She pointed at the stack of mail on the counter. “Maybe you should sort through that mess while I cook. It looks like Bernice has been piling it up for days.”
“My bills mostly auto-pay, so it’s probably just junk.”
He bent to pull out a skillet. “I’ll fry a couple of eggs, and you can weed through the mail.”
“Sure.” She sorted while he melted butter in the pan.
“Lots of requests for charitable contributions.”
“Toss them. All our donations are made through the Grant Foundation.”
“You were working on setting up a foundation when River—” She pressed her lips together. “You’re right. Mostly junk. Except this. It looks like a card or an invitation.”
He glanced at the blue envelope she held as he cracked eggs into the pan. “Who’s it from?”
“No return address. Or stamp. It just has our names on it.”
The hair on the back of his neck prickled. “Drop it!”
The envelope hit the counter with a slap. Arden stared at him with wide eyes.
He turned off the burner beneath the eggs and walked over to study the envelope. Mr. and Mrs. Brody Grant had been printed in block letters with black ink. Based on the shape and size, it appeared to be a card.
“What’s wrong?”
“If there’s no postage, someone hand delivered it, maybe stuck it into the mailbox.”
“One of the neighbors having a block party or something like that? Although it’s strange anyone would include Mrs. Grant on an invitation.”
Ripping off a paper towel, he held the envelope by the corner and slit it open with a paring knife. A sympathy card slid out onto the counter. Sorry for your loss was emblazoned across the front. Gingerly, he opened the card, using the towel.
Not that sorry. Your son was scared when he died. Your wife will be, too.
Brody quickly shut the card, but not before Arden had seen what was written.
Her face crumpled. “Noooo.”
Rounding the counter, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “Bastard. I’ll kill him. This ends now.”
“Thanos?” The cry was ripped from her. “Is that card from Thanos?”
“I’m certain it is.” He held her tighter as her whole body quaked.
“He was one of the monsters who took River? You knew this whole time and didn’t tell me?”
“I only recently suspected. I didn’t have proof. Now I do.” He forced himself to keep it together when all he wanted was to slam his fist into something. To shout and curse. But that wouldn’t help Arden. It would only make her pain greater.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement and tensed. Bernice paused for a moment in the kitchen doorway before backing away and disappearing from sight. He pressed a kiss to Arden’s hair as she cried.
“I can’t be here right now. I just can’t.”
“We’ll go to Vermont.” He closed his eyes. Arden’s needs came before his urgent desire to stop Thanos. To look him in the eyes and put a bullet through his brain.
“You said—”
“I’ll go with you
. I want us to be together right now. Not just for you. For me, too.”
“I’ll pack the few things I need.” She wiped her face on her sleeve, sounding slightly calmer. “You should eat before we leave.”
His stomach rolled at the thought of the half-cooked eggs congealing in the pan. “We’ll take off whenever you’re ready.”
She slid off the stool and left the room, her shoulders stiff and her back straight. He knew how much effort it took for her not to crumble. Knew she’d probably break down again the second she was alone. His heart ached as he pulled out his phone and called Patch.
“What’s up?” His friend didn’t bother with a greeting.
“I’m going to Vermont with Arden for a couple of days. You’ll have to manage without me if anything goes down.”
“What happened?”
Brody took a deep breath. “That bastard Thanos left a note at my house. A very personal note. Arden needs me right now.”
“What we need to do is find that freak.”
“I want to set up a sting. Draw him out. If he thinks I’m vulnerable . . .”
“He’d jump at the chance. What did you have in mind?”
“Someplace he’ll feel he has the upper hand. Maybe on his home turf or a location where he has connections.”
“I’ll talk to Luna. We’ll dig into his past to see if anything stands out other than Queens. Best not to attract trouble where there’ll be a lot of bystanders.”
“Agreed. Thanks, Patch.”
“Focus on taking care of Arden. And yourself.”
“I will. I’ll be in touch.” He disconnected and rubbed his temples where an ache had taken hold. After a minute, he picked up his phone again and called his contact at the FBI.
The man let out a sigh. “Let me guess. You need another favor.”
Brody smiled slightly. “I’m overnighting you a card. Can you check it and the envelope for prints and run them through your database? Maybe there’s DNA if the idiot licked the envelope. I know who sent it, but having proof would be nice in the event of a trial. Not that I plan for this bastard to stand trial.”
Imminent Danger (A Counterstrike Novel Book 3) Page 22
