With Honor

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  Startled, she lifted her chin and met familiar eyes through the dim foyer light. Bile rose, blocking her throat–taking her a long time before she could force the word through her mouth. “Dad?”

  “Jasmine,” he whispered her name.

  He had aged. His once jet-black hair was now gray. His smooth skin wrinkled. His body lean. For a dead man he was very much alive.

  “What? I…” Jasmine couldn’t believe her father was not only alive, but standing above her. “Is it really you?”

  He lowered his hand to help her up, but she only stared at the bony offering. He pulled back. “I didn’t mean to knock you down. I was only trying to keep you from leaving.”

  Jasmine pushed herself off the floor, still grappling with the idea that she wasn’t dreaming. “You’re supposed to be dead. You died a long time ago. I was at your funeral.”

  “You were at a fake funeral.” His voice was husky, his eyes moist. “That’s why the body was cremated.”

  If the house had came tumbling down, she wouldn’t have been more shocked. “Fake funeral?” she sputtered the words. “How could you? Why?”

  “I can explain–”

  “Explain? How in the world do you explain faking your death and leaving your child alone?”

  “You weren’t alone. You had your aunt.”

  “What?” She threw up her hands in frustration. “An aunt doesn’t replace a father.”

  “Let me explain. Please. Can we have a seat?”

  He backed up toward the couch and noticed that he had a limp. “You can sit, but I’ll stay standing.”

  Her father sat and stretched out his leg. He clasped his knee and she noticed the narrowing of his old eyes. “I didn’t want to leave you, Jasmine. Leaving was the hardest thing I had to do. Staying just wouldn’t have been fair and to take you along meant having you on the run too.”

  “On the run? From the law?” Was she hearing right?

  He shook his hand briskly. “There are so many things you don’t understand. How could I tell you? You were a small child and wouldn’t have understood. Your mother and I, we had such different plans for you. We tried to leave this lifestyle before it was too late–” He dropped his forehead into his palm and he became quiet.

  Jasmine couldn’t stand another moment. What was he saying? She fell into the chair and sighed. “What?”

  Time passed before he lifted his head and looked at her again. “Your mom and I were spies for the government. That’s how we met. We both were on a mission in the Middle East.” He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bounced. “She was on her last assignment when she was killed.”

  Jasmine laughed. This couldn’t be happening. “Killed? No. She ran away with a neighbor.”

  His harsh expression told her just how serious he was. “I’m sorry, Jasmine. I couldn’t tell you the truth.”

  “So you let me believe my mother abandoned me?”

  He shifted in the seat. “Letting you believe that was better than telling you the truth.”

  Her body went numb, but her mind ached. Everything she knew, everything she’d believed, was a lie. “Go on. Tell me what I need to know.”

  “After your mother died, I couldn’t stop. I was too wrapped up. During an assignment overseas, I ran into a document worth millions to the right people. I didn’t think anyone knew that I had found the treasure, but it didn’t take long before I had a handful of people looking for me.”

  “A document? Worth millions? And you just happened to bring it back into the States, no questions asked?” She scoffed.

  “The journal listed a history of espionage, murders, betrayal, wrong executions, all leading back to government officials. Knowing its value and capability of doom for many, I placed the document inside a worthless statue.”

  “A statue?” Then it struck her. “The replica Statue of Liberty?”

  “Yes.”

  “You put me in the middle?” The story made her sick.

  “My plans were to dispose of it immediately. Before I could, they’d found me. You were unsafe while I was still alive. I had to die so that you could live.” His voice faded.

  She felt the sting of tears, but held back. He didn’t deserve her tears. “Where does Shane Conner fall into this?”

  He hesitated. The wrinkles around his eyes grew deeper. “Conner was also a spy. I met him while he was on assignment in Costa Rica. I knew he could be trusted. I guess in a drunken stupor I decided I needed to air all of my guilt. So, I told him everything.” He chuckled, but his features remained harsh. “I guess we both had a moment where we wanted to be heroes. We devised a plan to get the document back into our hands and share it with the necessary officials.”

  She clasped her hands in her lap, gulping down a moan. “Shane came for the interview and because he had to get into my house to find the statue, he seduced me.”

  “The magazine you were working for had a huge promotional story, looking for bachelors. He signed up and was picked, which you know.” Her father’s eyes narrowed. “There wasn’t a plan for him to seduce you.” The older man gripped the arm of the couch until his knuckles were white. “That bastard.”

  Jasmine wanted to defend Shane by telling her father that she’d been seduced willingly, but those were intimate details she wished to keep to herself. “Is Shane dead?”

  Her father swallowed loudly. “Yes. If he weren’t, he would have made contact with me by now. A week after he disappeared, I received an envelope in the mail addressed from him. Inside were pictures of you, of us as a family. He’d written, In case I don’t make it, I thought you might like to have these. The trip was a failure.”

  “But why? If he didn’t find the document, why would someone kill him?”

  Her father shrugged a bony shoulder. “My guess is he told the wrong person. Not sure why. He understood how dangerous this situation is.”

  “And I’ve had this so-called dangerous document for over fifteen years? You just suddenly decided you needed to do the right thing?”

  He blinked solemn eyes. “I’m not a bad man, Jasmine. You don’t understand. This is a cutthroat life.”

  “Which you just happened to be involved in. Now my mother is dead, and Shane.” One tear slipped from the corner of her eye and she swiped it away.

  He scrubbed his chin. “I’m sorry, but no one in this business is innocent.”

  “You coming here, searching through my things, it’s a violation. Couldn’t you have asked for the statue?”

  “Not that easy. The less you know, the better.”

  Her mouth dropped open. She snapped it shut. “You mean I shouldn’t know that you’re still alive?”

  “Not at this time. Not when it isn’t safe,” he said.

  “Do you have more to tell me? I have the right to know everything.”

  “So much more that you don’t need to know.” His voice held an undertone that scared her.

  “You can take the statue and leave.” She attempted to keep the shaking from her voice, but it was impossible. Her father, a man she’d loved once, would leave again.

  “I can never stay. Not because I don’t want to.”

  The ring of her cell made her jump. Going to her purse, she took out her phone. She read the caller ID. An unidentified number. Was it the hospital?

  She clicked talk.

  “Jasmine? This is Peter, Shawn’s friend.”

  She remembered Shawn mentioning him. Fear made her pulse quicken. “Is Shawn okay?”

  “Yes, yes. He’s fine. I spoke with him earlier and he informed me that it’s possible that Shane was looking for something the night he spent with you. He is concerned and wanted me to check it out.”

  Jasmine tightened her grip on the phone. Hearing a stranger mention the night she’d spent with Shane made her cringe. She knew Shawn had his reasons for telling Peter, but her pregnancy was an intimate detail that was none of his business. “I…well, yes we did have that conversation.”

  “I can come by a
nd maybe come up with some further explanation.”

  “I can’t tonight. I’m tired,” she said.

  “I understand. I should at least stop over and check on your safety. Shawn is very worried and had asked me to drop by.”

  Jasmine glanced across the room at her father. He lifted a brow and she shrugged. “I’m fine, really.”

  “Shawn said you’d say that. As you probably know, Shawn is like a brother to me. If something happened to you I’d never forgive myself. Shawn would never forgive me.”

  She had a feeling Peter wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Stop by if you’d like, but I was heading to bed…”

  “No worry. I’ll just come by, check things out and be on my way.”

  Clicking off, she turned to her father. “That was a friend of Shawn’s, Peter. I guess Shawn is worried about my safety and asked Peter to drop by.”

  “How long will it take for him to get here?” Dad asked.

  “He’s on his way,” Jasmine answered.

  There was a second of silence. “Okay if I hide out in the bedroom?”

  A part of Jasmine wanted to ask him to leave, but another part, the more emotional part, wanted him to stay longer. In the end, she went with her emotions. “Yes.”

  “I’ll be there until the friend leaves.” Her father disappeared just as the phone rang again.

  Shawn’s cell number came up. “Shawn? Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m okay. I’m calling to check on you.” His voice was rough. She wondered if he’d been sleeping.

  A knock sounded at the door.

  “Shawn, I’m okay. Peter is here now at the door. He said you asked him to check out what Shane was looking for the night at my apartment but I hope you’ll understand that I’m not up to it tonight.” A louder knock made her jump. “The man is impatient. I’ll call you back.”

  “Pete?” Shawn said.

  “Yes, he’s here…” Another knock came. “I’ve got to go.” She clicked off.

  Jasmine opened the door and greeted Peter with an edgy smile. He smiled back and seemed friendly; however, she needed to get rid of him ASAP. “Thanks for coming, but I assure you I’m okay.” She opened the door only halfway and hoped he got the hint.

  “I wouldn’t have been able to get through the day unless I was certain.”

  He took a step forward, but Jasmine didn’t budge. “Well, I’ll tell Shawn when I speak to him that you stopped and checked things out. In fact, I’m getting ready to call him now.”

  Peter wore ABU’s, and he stuck his hands deep into his pockets. Nervous? “Shawn has feelings for you. I think it’s fitting we get to know one another over a cup of coffee.”

  Her patience thinned. There was no time for this. She didn’t want to be rude, but she also couldn’t allow anyone to know she wasn’t alone. This could get ugly. “I’d love to, but another time. I’m very tired. I was at the hospital all night–”

  Her cell rang. Shawn again. “Sorry, I better take this. Shawn must need something important.”

  “Don’t answer that.”

  She couldn’t understand what Peter meant. “Why?”

  Peter moved and whipped out a gun hidden in the waist of his pants. “Because I don’t have time for this shit.”

  Jasmine started to slam the door, but Peter’s foot stopped it. Her phone dropped. Peter pushed her backward and shoved his way through the door. She stepped on her phone and it snapped. She couldn’t hold him back any longer. The door came flying open, knocking her against the wall.

  Now inside, he banged the door shut. He smoothed his trembling hand over his hair, keeping the gun pointed at her chest.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked.

  He cackled and it made goose bumps rise on her skin. His eyes took on a dishonest appearance, dark and slanted. “I’m sure you’re smart enough to put the pieces together.”

  “I have no idea what you mean…”

  “Don’t play dumb with me,” he snapped.

  Terror clawed through her as she instinctively placed her hand over her stomach. Her baby’s safety took precedence as she realized that Peter was psychotic, and the danger tripled because he had a weapon. She lowered her gaze to the gun, noticing how shaky he was. He brought his hand down against his thigh and she saw the red, raw spot on his fingers. Burns! She knew then what he meant. “You set the fire to the hangar,” she said in shock.

  “Smart woman,” he sneered.

  “What do you want with me?”

  “The same thing Shane wanted.” His eyes fell over her in latent meaning. She shivered in disgust. “Too bad I don’t have the time for that. I want what he was looking for that night.”

  “I have no clue what he was looking for. If I did, I would have told Shawn.”

  His smirk spread from ear to ear. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I need to. You don’t amuse me like you do Shawn.”

  She needed more time. Did her father know what danger she was in? “How did you know about the night I spent with Shane? Shawn didn’t tell you.”

  The gun lowered only slightly. “Shane and I were both given the assignment to find your father after he was spotted by an agent. We were working together as a team until Shane must have grown a soft spot for the old man. He heard his stories about espionage and betrayal and fell for the bullshit. The two of them cooked up a scheme. I couldn’t allow that to happen. Shane needed taking care of for his betrayal.”

  She kept her composure. “But why Shawn?”

  “You stupid bitch. The fire was meant for you, and killing Shawn would have been an added safety measure.” He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. The gun wobbled. “This problem would have been taken care of if you’d been inside the building too.”

  The man would kill her no matter what she did. She could read his cold expression. Her knees shook, but she didn’t waver. “As far as I’m concerned, you can go straight to hell.”

  “I’ll meet you there.” He lifted the hand holding the gun, bringing the nuzzle to her head…

  “Put the gun down.”

  The voice came from behind Jasmine. Peter pulled away, but kept the gun steady. The look of horror that spread across Peter’s face made Jasmine shudder.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Peter said in a low tone.

  “Same reason you are, but with different intent. Is this what you’re looking for?” Her father moved into Jasmine’s line of peripheral vision, holding the statue up for Peter’s investigation. As he reached out, her dad pulled back. “Not so fast. Let my daughter go and you can have what you came for.” Her dad’s voice was smooth. He showed no physical signs of fear or concern.

  Peter laughed. “If you haven’t noticed, Sinclaire, I’m the one holding the gun. I make the rules.”

  Dad withdrew a pistol from the waist of his pants, and before Peter could blink an eye the gun was aimed at him.

  Jasmine whimpered.

  “Rules change,” Dad said.

  Peter didn’t seem alarmed that his leverage lowered. “Only problem is, Sinclaire, I don’t give a shit about her and the baby, but I’m sure you do.”

  Dad’s composure dropped, but his wall quickly went back into place. “One of us will be walking out of here alive, and I’m promising it will be Jasmine. I’ll blow your brains to smithereens before you can pull that trigger, because you’re right, I do care.”

  Jasmine couldn’t hold her tears any longer. They slipped silently down her cheeks. All she wanted was to make it out alive so that she could love her unborn child. Her child deserved life.

  “Catch this.” Dad threw the statue up in the air, causing Peter to follow the movement with his eyes. When he lost his bearings, his gun left its target.

  “Don’t move!” The shout penetrated the room.

  Before Jasmine could identify who was yelling, a gun blast shattered the air. Blood splattered from Peter’s chest, turning his green ABU crimson.

  Peter dropped his weapon and
went falling back to the floor. She jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. Turning, she looked into Shawn’s pale face. She fell into his chest, sobbing.

  “All is okay, sweetheart. I’m here. I’m here.” He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

  “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “Sweetheart, I need to make sure Pete is dead.”

  Jasmine pulled away and watched as Shawn bent next to Peter, who lay eerily still.

  Shawn felt the man’s neck. “He’s gone.” There was sadness to Shawn’s tone and Jasmine understood why. Peter had been a long time friend and his betrayal cut deeply.

  * * * *

  Shawn stood up and blocked Pete’s dead body from Jasmine’s view. He went to her and grasped her shoulders lightly. “Are you okay?” Her eyes were red and swollen and she was shaking.

  She looked up and his heart almost broke in two. If anything would have happened to her, he could never have recovered. “I…I’m fine, but how did you know?”

  “I couldn’t reach Pete, and I didn’t ask him to come here. It all made sense to me. He had betrayed Shane, and me.” He swallowed back emotion. “I’m sorry. I came as quick as I could.” Movement made him look at the older man standing a few feet away.

  “Shawn, this is Jonathon Sinclaire, my father.”

  Her father. He’d guessed as much from the conversation he’d overheard when he came in through the back door.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much for saving my daughter’s life.” Jonathon’s eyes were moist and his bottom lip quivered.

  “You’re supposed to be dead,” Shawn said.

  “Long story,” Jonathon sighed.

  “One I’d like to hear.”

  “Right now you got a dead man lying in your floor. That’s my cue to leave. No one can know I’m alive. I trust you’ll understand.” Jonathon’s tears cleared and his expression turned blank.

  Shawn nodded. He looked back at Jasmine. “You’ll fill me in?”

  “I’ll tell you everything.”

  Shawn looked back, but Jonathon was long gone.

  Chapter 21

  “Are you sure this is where you want to be while you’re pregnant?”