Heart of a Hero (New Beginnings Book 4)

by Margaret Daley

  While Andy slipped on his sweatpants and jacket, she gathered her purse and started for the door. David loped toward her and caught up with her near the entrance into the gym. He pulled her to the side so people could leave.

  “You’re coming to the party, aren’t you?” His hand still cupped her elbow.

  The touch quickened her heartbeat. She tapped down her automatic reaction to him. She didn’t want to care about the man. She didn’t need to open herself up to heartache. The past week had dragged with endless nights. Lying awake in bed rehashing the whole weekend before, wanting David to tell her everything would be okay. She wanted her jogging partner back.

  “Because it’s at The Ultimate Pizzeria, it wouldn’t look good if I’m not there. I’ll even cut you a deal.” She tugged away from him.

  “Good. I want to tell you about what I’ve learned so far—” he leaned close so no one could hear him “—about what happened last weekend.”

  “Obviously you didn’t find anything to connect Joey to what he did to Andy, or he wouldn’t be on the team.” Disappointment toughened her voice to a raw whisper.

  “Not yet. But I do have something.” He stepped to the side to allow her to leave because Andy was approaching her. “See you in a little while.”

  What do you have? She wanted to shout that question at David’s retreating back, but she didn’t. The second she got a chance at The Ultimate Pizzeria, however, she would ask that very thing, then put the restaurant between them because when she was near him, she began to have hope for more, and his silence made it clear there wasn’t more.

  Chapter Seven

  “Mom, I’m gonna go play some video games. Okay?” Andy hopped up from his seat.

  “Sure.”

  Lisa watched him race away with several other teammates and wished he had stayed. When she had arrived at the restaurant, after she’d checked to make sure everything was running smoothly, she’d told Nathan who was working the cash register to give any team member and their family her discount. Then she’d placed her order and snagged herself and Andy a table for two. By the time David had entered and put in what he wanted to eat, she’d been safely seated. She’d needed time to regroup. If only she could erase her past.

  The second Andy disappeared into the game room, David slipped into the chair her son had vacated.

  “I didn’t realize how busy tonight would be. I won’t be able to stay long. I should help out in the back since I’m here.” His presence so close she could reach across the table and touch him—wanted to badly—brought all the self-berating this past week to the foreground. How different her life would have been if she’d never taken that first drug so long ago. Maybe then she would have had a chance at a normal life—with a man to love.

  “Why did you tell me about your drug problem?”

  His question threw her off kilter. “I—” she swallowed hard, “—I didn’t want any secrets between us. And I don’t have a problem now.”

  “Your drug problem was a secret?” Again, little emotion appeared on his face—all except a tic in his jaw as if he were clenching his teeth.

  “Well, not exactly. I certainly don’t go around advertising my past, but everyone connected with the refuge knows about it. They are the ones who helped me through it. Them and the Lord.”

  Both of his eyebrows rose. “The Lord?”

  “Yes, I went to a shelter connected with my church. Of course, at the time it wasn’t my church. Knowing the Lord was with me every step of the way helped me through some tough times when I wanted to slip back into old patterns.”

  “You don’t anymore?”

  Skepticism edged his question, and her heart bled at the sound. Lord, what do I say to this man to make him understand I’m not the same person I was four years ago? All she could be was honest. “A couple of years ago, I might have said yes, but no, there’s no appeal for me now. None. I’ve seen too many whose lives were destroyed because of drugs. Some of those were women I tried to help at the shelter your sister runs. They ended up going back to the same abusive situation. They didn’t have the support I did, or they didn’t want anyone to help them.”

  “Are you talking about God or the people at the refuge?”

  “Both, but mostly God. In the middle of the night He was the one I turned to when I was hurting and wanting a fix. He held me in His arms and wouldn’t let go.”

  David frowned. “So you’ve changed?”

  His cynicism cut deep, opening healed wounds. For so many years she had never felt she was worthy of love or anything good and lasting. Then she found the Lord’s love and knew that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t going to let this man take her back to that place. In fact, she was going to fight to change his mind. The second she thought that she wanted to snatch it back because that would mean she’d have to be around him to do that and that would only cause her more pain. Haven’t I had my quota yet? Lord, how much do I have to hurt before enough is enough?

  But no matter how much she tried to deny what God wanted her to do, she couldn’t. Okay, Lord, I’m in until the end whatever that may be. But I’m gonna need Your guidance.

  Calmness descended, and she relaxed again. “Yes, I have. If you have the courage, get to know me and you’ll see.”

  “Because you’re being honest with me, I’ll be honest with you. Your revelation has thrown me, to say the least. I thought we had something going with us, but to find out I didn’t really know you at all really makes me wary.” He kept his expression neutral, his voice void of emotions.

  “But the person I’ve been with you is me.” She tapped her chest. “This is me now. The person I told you about doesn’t exist anymore. Haven’t you done something you regretted and wished you could do over?”

  He flinched. Something flickered in his gaze but dissipated before she could read it. “Everyone has regrets, I’m sure.” He looked away for a long moment, then back into her eyes. “We’re gonna serve Thanksgiving dinner at the shelter, then have something at Kelli’s house later in the evening. She wants you and Andy to come for Thanksgiving. Will you reconsider?

  But not you. His unsaid words pierced through the wall she was desperately trying to erect around her heart to protect herself from further pain. “Yes, we will,” she murmured, her mouth dry while her throat burned with unshed tears she wouldn’t dare release in front of him. He wants nothing to do with me. He’s gonna hurt me. You’re asking too much.

  “Great, Kelli will be pleased.” He started to rise.

  “What have you found out about Joey?” Lisa asked before he left.

  He paused and sat again, folding his arms on the table and scanning the area around them. “I talked with the principal at the middle school and found out she thinks there’s a ring of students selling prescription drugs, but she doesn’t know who or have any concrete evidence. They have done surprise searches but haven’t found any drugs on anyone.”

  “What did she say about Joey? Did she think he could be involved?”

  “He’s on a list of suspects she’s keeping an eye on. As I am at ball practice. Also, Roman had a talk with Ryan, and the boy said nothing happened, that Joey and his friends just wanted to know about various kids at the refuge. I’m assuming Andy didn’t say anything because you didn’t say.”

  “All I know is my son promised me he had nothing to do with taking drugs. He doesn’t know how he ended up taking an antidepressant. And he reemphasized Joey is bad news.”

  “Someone could have slipped it into a drink. It’s tasteless and colorless. It takes a while to have an effect, so it was probably right before he started playing the game. He said he had a sports drink beforehand. That’s probably how. What were he and Joey arguing about in the barn?”

  At least David sounded as if he now believed Andy didn’t intentionally take the drug. Thankfully revealing her past had caused him to rethink the conclusion he’d come to concerning her son. “He told Joey to leave his friends alone, that if he finds out he’s trying to
sell them anything he would tell, that Joey wouldn’t catch him off guard again like after practice. Then Andy grabbed Ryan and pulled him away from the group of boys.”

  David leaned forward, his lime-scented aftershave wafting to Lisa. “So Andy suspects something?”

  “He’s heard a few rumblings but really nothing else. Joey has always schemed to make money, according to my son.” Lisa took a drink of her ice water, his nearness causing her pulse to speed. When would his presence not affect her? She needed to get to that place soon.

  “What’s Joey’s brother like?”

  “He’s a good worker. Always on time. Does what he’s asked. And although he dropped out last spring, he’s been going to school this year to finish up.”

  “He’s had a few brushes with the law. Some of his friends who dropped out of school have gone on to do some time.”

  “Maybe Mitch is trying to change.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I like to believe the best until proven otherwise.”

  He grinned. “And I’m the opposite.”

  “Have you always felt that way?”

  David shook his head. “There was a time I believed as you.”

  “What happened?” If she were going to help him, she needed to get to know him, not just how he was now but also in the past.

  He lifted one shoulder. “My job. One of the hazards of being a cop.”

  “Hazards? That’s an interesting way to put it. It makes you sound like you regret being that way.”

  “There’s something to being an innocent.”

  “Because you know my background, you know I haven’t been that way in a long time.”

  “And yet you have that Pollyanna outlook.”

  “Yes, I believe in hope. I’m living proof people do change if they have a good reason to.”

  “You mean Andy—” David started, but Andy rushed up to the table and interrupted him.

  “Mom, there’s a problem in the game room.” Concern, mixed with urgency, vibrated from her son.

  “What’s wrong?” Lisa asked, rising.

  “I saw Joey give another kid something. That kid gave Joey some money in return. Then Joey headed toward the restroom after another boy from school went in. I started to follow Joey when his brother, Mitch, went into there, too. I think Joey has drugs on him, and he’s gonna make another exchange.”

  David surged to his feet. “I’ll take care of this.”

  He strode toward the men’s room. Lisa and Andy hurried after David. Would this be the break they were looking for? Lisa hoped so, but she hated to see Mitch involved. He was a good employee, and she preferred to think he was trying to make his life better as she had. He’d told her that once when they had been closing up together. She wanted to believe he wasn’t lying.

  Halfway across the open restaurant David spied a young boy slip out of the restroom, fear on his face. David hurried his pace, memorizing the child’s face so he could find him later.

  At the door he turned toward Lisa and Andy who were right behind him. “You both stay outside and make sure no one else comes in.”

  * * *

  David pushed the door open a few inches and reached toward his gun in his holster. But his hand shook so badly he didn’t think he could hold it. Sweat beaded his forehead. Joey was thirteen years old, just like the kid he’d killed because of a drug deal going down.

  Lord, if You’re listening, please don’t let there be a repeat.

  He continued inside the restroom without pulling his weapon. It might be a stupid move, but he couldn’t pass up the chance to catch Joey red-handed and possibly put an end to what he was doing. Easing through the doorway, he moved quietly toward the voices he heard around the corner.

  “Give them to me. You aren’t going to deal. You won’t make the same mistakes I did. You have a chance to make something of yourself.”

  Unless there was more than Joey and his older brother in here, Mitch must have said that because of the deeper pitch. David inched closer until he could get a glimpse of what was going on in the room by the teens’ reflections in the mirror mounted on the wall over the sinks.

  “Leave me alone. This isn’t your business.” Joey stood with his hands straight at his sides, his fingers clutching a plastic baggie with a lot of different pills in it. “Since when do you care what I do? You’re always too busy for me.”

  “I’m trying to support us. That takes money.”

  Joey shook the bag of drugs in his brother’s face. “This is money. Easy money.”

  “Dad’s gone. It’s just you and me now.” Mitch pushed his brother’s hand away from him. “It’s wrong. I’ve seen my friends all go to jail because of drugs. I’m not gonna see you end up there, too.”

  David took a deep breath and turned the corner. “And neither am I.”

  Joey’s eyes widened. Then suddenly he whirled and slammed open a stall door. David surged forward, but Mitch beat him to Joey. He yanked his little brother back into the main room and wrenched the baggie from his grip.

  Mitch’s gaze lit upon the holster clipped on David’s belt under his jacket. “You a cop?”

  “Yup.”

  Mitch thrust his little brother behind him. “These were mine.” He held the assortment of pills, jiggling them in the baggie. “He was trying to stop me from using them.”

  “Son, I heard enough to know that’s not true. You were trying to stop him from selling these.” David took the plastic bag from Mitch. “So quit trying to protect him. He needs help.”

  “Help?” Mitch snarled. “No one offered me any. I had to do it all on my own.”

  “Well, Joey’s got me,” David said as he flipped open his cell to call the police station. Amazed by what he’d said, he thought about taking back his declaration. But he couldn’t. Maybe this was what he was supposed to do. He wasn’t sure anymore. Something was missing from his life.

  * * *

  The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, David climbed from his Jeep, several squad cars parked in the lot next to The Ultimate Pizzeria. Quickly striding toward the entrance, he tamped down his worry and concern, trying to wear his professional facade while in reality all he wanted to do was burst through the doors and scoop Lisa into his arms to make sure she wasn’t harmed in any way. When the robbery had been reported, there hadn’t been a mention of anyone being hurt. But what if Lisa was? He could have made it to the restaurant before an ambulance, having broken a few speeding laws on his way to the crime.

  Inside the pizzeria he surveyed the scene before him. The uniforms had the witnesses cordoned off in one room to the left. One police officer stood at the entrance and nodded toward him when he entered the place.

  On his way to the two cops standing by the cash register, David veered toward the room where about a dozen witnesses were and peered in. Where was Lisa? Drawing in a fortifying breath, he continued his trek toward the officers at the counter. Maybe she wasn’t at work when the robbery went down.

  Behind David his partner came into the restaurant and hurried to catch up with him.

  “What fire was lit under your tail?” he asked David. “The robbery had already gone down. You’d think you were trying to race here to stop it.”

  David glanced at the older man. “I know someone who works here.”

  “Is she here?”

  “She?”

  “Yes, from the look on your face it has to be a woman who has you all concerned.”

  “Don’t know if she is, I just got here.”

  His partner took out his pad and pen. “I’ll take care of this. You start interviewing the witnesses.”

  At the counter David asked the officer nearest him, “Where’s the manager on duty?”

  The cop jerked his thumb toward the back. “She’s retrieving the surveillance footage for us. Tim is back there with her. All the cameras feed into a computer in her office.”

  David strode through the kitchen. She was okay. His breathing returned to normal until he stood
in the doorway and saw Lisa giving the evidence to the police officer, her hands shaking so badly she nearly dropped a thumb drive. An ashen cast to her skin heightened her huge blue eyes and the look of fear in them.

  “That covers the last hour.”

  Her quavering voice penetrated the hard shell he’d cocooned his emotions concerning Lisa in.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Tim said, his attention resting on David at the same time Lisa’s swept to him.

  “I’ll take it from here, officer. Give that video footage to my partner out in the main room.”

  When the man left, Lisa crumbled into her chair at her desk, her arms hanging listlessly. In her lap she laced her fingers together so tightly the knuckles whitened. The urge to hold her inundated him. He stayed in the entrance into the office, fighting the need, remembering all that had happened in the past ten days. An eternity to him. He’d missed her laughter, smile and yet how could they pick up where they had left off before her confession?

  The pounding of his heartbeat in his ears mimicked the ticking of a clock as time passed, neither of them saying a word, making a move.

  Finally, she lifted her gaze to his. “Do you have any questions for me?”

  The crack in her voice at the end of the question further opened the rift in his protective shell. He took a step toward her and opened his mouth, but no words would come.

  “I was at the counter when the—three masked men—came into…” Her voice ground to halt. She swallowed several times. “Into the rest…”

  Tears brimmed in her eyes, and his emotions poured out of the fissure. He knelt by her and took her hand. “I’m so sorry, Lisa.”

  “One waved a gun in my face. Had me back away from the cash register while the other stuffed the bag with the money. I tried to tell him we didn’t have much money. The one with the gun just shouted at me to shut up. I thought…” The rush of her words stopped as tears flowed down her cheeks. “I thought he was going to shoot me.”

  David pulled her to her feet and sheltered her against him. “Shh. You don’t have to say anything. I can get your statement later.”