29° (Twenty-Nine Degrees) (Twenty Nine Book 3)

by Nancy Pennick

  She made eye contact and smiled. “No, it’s okay. This part is just hard to tell. During my sophomore year of college Doug tracked me down on campus. I wasn’t dating anyone at the time and sparks flew like always.”

  My stomach rolled over at the thought. I tried to keep a positive expression, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

  “We went back to my apartment, made love and had the best couple weeks together. Then suddenly he told me he had to go. Doug was on three week leave, never mentioning it to me. He asked me to wait for him, and this time I agreed. After he left, I found out I was pregnant.”

  I let out a gasp of air. “Sorry, I never knew.”

  “How could you? Anyway, Doug and I are the only ones who knew until now. I called him as soon as I found out. He was thrilled and asked me to marry him. On his next leave we’d go to Vegas or something. I was thrilled, scared, confused all at the same time but agreed to everything. Two months later, I lost the baby. I never saw or heard Doug cry ever. But the sobs over the phone broke my heart. He still wanted to get married, but I took it as a sign that we should end things. Anyway, he said he’d be going overseas for eighteen months then would reenlist. I begged him not to do four more years, and I would wait. But Doug couldn’t agree to that. He wanted the military to be his career. It would always come first.”

  When she finished, Kim rummaged in her handbag for her keys. I wouldn’t get any more out of her. Besides, I was speechless after hearing her story. She rose from the chair and took my hand. “I’ll come back tomorrow morning, and we can go over my duties then.”

  I walked her to the door and watched her get into a little foreign sports car. As she drove away, I wished she was my sister-in-law instead of the Ice Princess. Life might have turned out differently if she stayed in the picture. Anger suddenly overtook me. Now I knew why he treated Colton so poorly. Doug longed for another child … one he lost long ago.

  * * * *

  I spotted a strange rental car in the Montgomery driveway as I pulled in. “They’re here!”

  I jumped from the Jeep and rushed to the door but didn’t get far. Ash had the door opened, arms outstretched. “It’s been the longest two weeks. I couldn’t wait to get here.” She stepped back to let me in the house after a long hug. Ryan stood behind her. “Hey.” Ashley nudged him. “Tell Allie about the tournament.”

  “We won.” Ryan smiled.

  “And?” Her eyes widened.

  “I got MVP.”

  “Most valuable player, can you believe it?” Ashley squealed.

  “She knows what MVP stands for, Mom.” Ryan sounded like a typical teenager embarrassed by his mother.

  “Ryan, that’s great!” I gave him a hug.

  “Hey,” Sean said as he came around the corner from the kitchen.

  “Sean McLeod, are you trying to scare me?” I placed my hand on my heart. “How’d you get here before me?”

  “That’s your last name?” Ashley pointed at him.

  He gave me a shrug and nodded at Ashley. I just shook my head, enjoying we were all in one place again.

  “Little one!” Nate called from the dining room. “Get in here. Dinner’s ready.”

  “Oh! I see you ordered my favorite pizza from Montoni’s. Thanks, Nate.” He looked good— healthy, tan and happy. “Looks like the honeymoon did you some good.” I playfully poked his stomach.

  “Hey! Watch it! I’m starving.” He laughed and wrapped his arm across my back. “Come on. Let’s eat.”

  We settled in around the dining room table. As we passed plates of food to each other, I said, “I’m happy to have my family back together.” I glanced around at the faces—Ashley, Nate and Ryan, Sean, Zak and Lucas. The only person missing was Tobias.

  Lucas nodded. “Yeah, it’s great to have everyone here. Sean’s been upgrading the place so we should have all the luxuries of home soon.”

  We lingered at the table, talking and laughing. Dessert would bring an end to the wonderful day. I made coffee after we took a short break, and Nate ordered his favorite Bella wines. Ashley cut thin slices of cheesecake, serving Zak first so we could put him to bed.

  “There’s more space in the great room for our meeting,” I said. “Why don’t we finish up in there? I can get Tobias on the screen while Lucas puts Zak down for the night.”

  “Tobias is a great guy,” Nate said as he opened the first bottle of wine.

  “You met Tobias?” Surprised by the announcement, I felt bad for wanting to keep him all to myself.

  Nate looked up at me after he popped the cork. “Yeah, at Ryan’s game.”

  “He went to Ryan’s baseball game?” My voice went higher.

  Ashley placed her hand on my back. “Don’t be jealous. We’d never dream of stealing Tobias away from you.” I smirked as if to say I wasn’t jealous. “I went to check on him for you,” she said. “And that’s when I invited him. He needs to get out of the apartment more often. He does live in a museum, after all.” Ashley rolled her eyes and laughed. “He didn’t come until the last game of the tournament Thought you’d appreciate me checking in on him.”

  I took her hand. “Of course I do, thanks.”

  “That’s when I met Nathan, a fine young man,” Tobias said from the screen. He was seated at his kitchen table with a tiny cup of tea in hand. “Oolong.” He held it up as if to answer my question.

  “Hey, Tobias.” Nate strolled into the room. “Looks like we’re all here. Ryan’s in his room talking to that Gretchen girl who showed up at his games.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Our little boy is growing up fast, Ashley.” She giggled, and Nate sat on the floor in front of her.

  “I’d like to go first.” Ashley raised her hand. “This might sound terrible, but I have to say it.” She cleared her throat. “A lot of politicians lose elections because of a scandal or something brought up from their past. We should look into using it as one of our tactics during the campaign.”

  “We could create a false scandal or produce a real one,” I said. “I like your devious mind, Ash.”

  Tobias set his cup in the saucer. “A good idea but let’s not go there unless we need to.”

  “Okay but the best scandal always has something to do with sex, just remember that.” Ashley looked at the screen. “Please don’t think less of me, Tobias!” She covered her face with her hands.

  “Ashley, I would never think less of you. You are a true, devoted friend who’s trying to help another friend. Let’s shelf that idea for now and look at alternatives,” Tobias answered.

  “It’s my turn now.” I studied the group, knowing they were waiting to hear the big news. “Kimmie Wells, who wants to be known as Kim now, showed up and wants to work at headquarters.”

  “Yes,” Nate said as he pumped his fist.

  “And she’s hot.” Sean blushed, and we burst out laughing. “But I think you missed something, Allie. You didn’t pick up on her tone when she talked about Doug. I think she still cares for him.”

  “Don’t know how we could use that, but maybe ...” I looked straight at him. “Would you ask her out to make Doug jealous?” I thought he’d shoot me down, but his eyes lit up.

  “Maybe.”

  “Then get to know her and see what happens.”

  Sean looked good these days. He kept the weight off after the knee surgery and since I told him how handsome he looked while we were in Hawaii, he had more clean shaven days than not. He was always a big, broad shouldered, great-looking guy but even hotter now. Kim might agree to a date.

  “So your plan is to distract Doug by inviting her to work on the campaign?” Nate popped up from the floor and sat with Ashley on the sofa.

  “Yes, already done, and now that you’re here, I’ll designate you as the person who sends out the emails to voters.”

  “Won’t Doug be surprised to see me working on his campaign.” Nate sneered. “Hope he doesn’t think we’re up to something.”

  “Oh, he does, but I’ve prepared him for yo
ur arrival. Luckily he doesn’t know about Ryan.”

  “I warned Ryan over and over to stay away from the store.” Ashley sounded like a worried mom. “He’s just so curious about everything.” She gave Nate a look.

  “I’ll have another talk with him. He’s pretty wrapped up in other things at the moment. Let’s hope it’s a big enough distraction to keep him occupied.”

  “If it’s girls?” Lucas grinned. “I think it will be.”

  “I’ll volunteer to stay here with the boys for most days but would love to come into town at least one day a week,” Ashley said.

  “No problem, I’ll be around, too.” Lucas assured her. “I promised to give Ryan driving lessons while he’s here.”

  I looked at Tobias for approval. “Well?”

  “Sean is going to ask Kim on a date. Ryan gets driving lessons. Nathan’s in charge of emails. I think you have it under control, Allison.” He nodded and winked at me.

  “Tobias!” He could be so frustrating at times. He wouldn’t tell us what to do and chose instead to watch us flop around like fish out of water. “Okay, everyone. I guess it’s time for us to get our sea legs and jump into the ocean. We have to get used to swimming with the sharks. Good luck to us all.”

  * * * *

  I opened the store early to set up for the day. I sent Sean on an errand and was alone when Doug arrived. I expected him to show up eventually, but it gave me a sick feeling when I saw him.

  “I’m glad I caught you alone, sister dear. Sit down, we need to talk,” he said with a growl.

  “Well, hello to you, too. If you came to apologize for being a bully and a terrible brother, I’ll listen. Otherwise forget it.” I backed away, not able to trust him. Grateful for my chip, I put in a call to Sean.

  “No need to call your goon.” Doug sneered.

  “I’m not …”

  “I know about the chip in your wrist. We’ll have it, too, one day.” Doug pulled out a folding chair and sat down. “There, feel better now?” He held his hands in the air. “Do you want to frisk me, too?”

  “No,” I said with a huff and plopped down a few chairs away from him.

  “Look, Allison, maybe I didn’t handle things correctly—”

  “Maybe?” I interrupted.

  “Sorry. There I said it. Does that make it better?” He flashed a smile, showing his white, straight teeth, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  Doug would never trust me if I didn’t accept his apology. His cologne drifted my way, dancing up my nostrils, reminding me of all the bad interactions I had with him. The scent seemed to take over the room, and I rubbed my nose. “Yeah, I guess it makes it better. Now what do you want? I’m busy.”

  “You’ve heard of the Cuban missile crisis, haven’t you? I’m sure you learned about it in school.”

  What? He wants to talk about something that happened in another century? “Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?”

  “It was the closest the world even came to a nuclear war, Allison. The Soviet Union began constructing nuclear weapons in Cuba, only ninety miles away from Florida. Do you realize how close that is to our border?”

  “Yes, if I recall my history lesson, the Russians were behind in the arms race and knew their missiles would never reach the United States. So they built a base in Cuba. They could reach the U. S. with their bombs from there, if ever there was a need. Do you want to have a debate about recent history? I’m not stupid, Doug, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “I never said you were. In fact, I think quite the opposite.” He rubbed his chin. “Think, Allison. That event scared the world even though the crisis was averted. How long before it happens again? The threat of nuclear war is always there. I don’t want that, and I’m sure you don’t.”

  “No, I don’t.” We’ve had this discussion before, Doug, when I was in high school.

  “Well then, help me. Talk to Lucas and the other Niners. They could help design the ultimate antidote to this deadly weapon. I know it’s possible. The Niners in my unit don’t have enough manpower. They’ve come up with a few formulas, but it’s never enough. We could neutralize nuclear weapons, once and for all. The STF needs more Niner power.”

  So Doug hadn’t let go of the need for more Niners on his team. He was determined to find the solution to this threat. How did running for office help him? “Don’t you think if the Niners had the answer, they’d share it with the world?”

  “I don’t know. Would they? You tell me. It would make them quite powerful if they kept the knowledge to themselves. They could rule the planet.” He shrugged. “But the United States could save the world with this discovery. Maybe the Niners don’t want to give up that power to our country.”

  “So why not just expose them? Tell the world about the Niners.”

  “Ah,” Doug said, and tapped his fingers on the table. “There’s the dilemma. The average person wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of information. Most people are out for themselves. They’d ask, ‘What can these Niners do for me?’ The men would never be accepted into normal society. Someone would always want something from them. Isn’t that why they’ve stayed hidden away for centuries?”

  I opened my mouth to answer, to defend the Niners, but Doug was right.

  “I care enough about them to keep their secrets. They can go about their business, but I’d like some help. Maybe you can talk to your husband about it.”

  Doug stood and took a few steps toward me. I jumped from my seat but not in time. He took me by both arms, digging his thumbs into my flesh, and shook me. My bottom row of teeth hit the top. “Think about it, please. As your brother, I’m pleading with you.” His grip grew tighter.

  “Doug, you’re hurting me.” Flashbacks of Doug grabbing me throughout the years shot through my mind. I’d have black and purple bruises on my arms or legs for weeks afterward. If these turn into bruises, I had no idea what Lucas might do.

  “Doug? What are you doing? Let her go.” Kim leaned against the entrance door, her backside holding it open. She was loaded down with bags. “Allie, I bought coffee, muffins and bagels. We’re ready for the day.”

  Doug released me, and his jaw dropped.

  “Doug.” I poked him. “Say hello to Kim.”

  “Kimmie?” he whispered, never taking his eyes off her, and I had my answer.

  “Are you okay?” Kim asked. “Are the campaign manager and candidate having an argument?” She looked at me then at Doug as she approached.

  “No, I was getting passionate about American safety like I always do.” Doug smiled a smile I’d never seen, filled with love and kindness. I swear I saw a sparkle in those gray blue eyes. “Right, sis?”

  “Yeah, sure, Doug. Look, I’ve got things to do. You two catch up.” I wondered where Sean was during the initial confrontation.

  Kim placed the bags on a nearby table. “I ran into a man named Sean at the store. He said he worked here, too, and helped me shop.”

  “You’re working here?” Doug looked stunned.

  “Yes, fulltime.”

  “I made her my assistant,” I said. “I can’t go on campaign stops, Doug. I have to stay here. You’ll need help.”

  “Absolutely.” Doug quickly gave his consent. He only had eyes for the dark-haired beauty standing between us. “Thanks, Kimmie.”

  “It’s Kimberly Watson. But you can call me Kim.” She gazed straight into Doug’s eyes, and I thought they had a moment. I hoped he’d go in for a kiss but realized I would be a witness. Tobias told me to stand in the light, but boy, was it hard. If I learned anything this morning, it was that I was right. Kim could be used against Doug. I just prayed she’d find a way to forgive me.

  Chapter Nine

  Things had gone well, too well, I feared, for three weeks. Kim had gone on a four-city campaign bus tour with Doug. He acted like a different person when she was around and became distracted, just as I hoped. Katrina shot daggers at me every chance she got, but I had no regrets. Try and
take my baby and that was what you got.

  Ashley snapped candid pictures whenever she had the chance, hoping to get a good picture of Doug and Kim together. She took an innocent shot of them at a rally here in town. The crowd chanted Doug’s name over and over, and Kim had to lean in to hear him. Doug placed his hand on her back, moving closer to talk into her ear, but it looked like he was coming in for a kiss.

  Kim had become a good friend, and I didn’t want to hurt her. Guilt overtook me at times, but I reminded myself that Kim would be affected by Doug’s evil deeds, too. She’d begun to spend more time with Sean as the weeks went by and they’d gone out to dinner once. If only she didn’t have a connection to Doug, I’d tell him to go for it.

  “Al?”

  A familiar voice made me look up from my computer. A man wearing a military uniform, stood in the doorway.

  “It’s me, Josh Reed.”

  I flew from my seat. “Josh! It’s so good to see you.” I threw my arms around him. My old high school boyfriend brought back good memories, even though he'd cheated on me at the end. But I could let bygones be bygones. Besides, we'd been friends for years before we dated.

  He held me back and studied my face. “You look good, Allison Sanders. Still my beautiful girl.”

  “It’s Allison Montgomery now, Josh. So I’m not your beautiful girl.” I teased.

  “Oh,” he said as he removed his Army cap exposing his sandy blonde hair. “Lucas. I’m not surprised you two found your way back to each other. Care to tell me how that happened?”

  “Long story. Come. Sit.” I tugged on his arm. “Tell me what’s going on with you. I see you enlisted. How long have you been in the Army?”

  “It’s all because of your brother, Al. I admire his loyalty and dedication.”

  I refrained from rolling my eyes. “So you’re here to help?”

  “For a few weeks, yeah. I’m on leave.” He glanced around the store. “Looks like you’re up and running. What can I do?”

  “Let me think about it, and I’ll let you know.”

  “Sure. Is Doug around?”

  “He’s on the campaign trail, but I expect him back this evening.”