by Chloe Lang
“Our guys have big appetites, honey, and you’ve seen how much Gary can put away in one sitting.”
“No more than my two,” Jena said.
“And since Carrie’s two guys are coming, I want to make sure we don’t run out.”
“Mom, you’ve got to stop,” Carrie said with a laugh. “Like I told you before, I’ve only been on one date with Josh and Jacob.”
“I count that first horseback ride when you got to town and Jena had to go to TBK for the Trollinger issue as date one. Today was date two. Tonight is date three.”
Jena laughed. “Don’t even try, Carrie. Mom’s loves matchmaking.”
Carrie shrugged and turned to Janet. “What about you and Gary? When are we going to hear the wedding bells for you two?”
The woman blushed. “The pies are burning.”
“She’s good at changing the subject, too,” Jena said.
“I hope they aren’t ruined,” Janet said, bending down and opening the oven door.
“I’ve never eaten a burnt pie of yours in my life, Mom. Come on.” Jena shook her head. “See, Carrie? She did it to me again. Subject change master.”
Carrie grinned, slicing the homemade bread Janet had made earlier.
“Honey, how’s the search for Cindy Trollinger going?” Janet asked Jena. “Is she still in Denver?”
“She was. A security camera at one of the banks got her image. I was able to discover another alias Trollinger is using. Brenda Dunn.”
“If she’s that close, has the sheriff considered closing down the paintball games?” Janet sighed. “Who knows what more horrible things she’s capable of? But we do know she blames the entire town for her brother’s death and wants revenge.”
“Mom, Trollinger is no longer in Denver,” Jena said. “She boarded a plane in Chicago for London using her new alias just this morning. Sheriff Wolfe is part of Shannon’s Elite and is updated on all our findings. Even though Trollinger is out of the country, he still plans on beefing up security.”
“London?” Janet wiped off the counters. “That woman sure gets around, doesn’t she?”
“Who was her brother?” Carrie asked, seeing the concern in Jena and Janet’s eyes.
“Kip Lunceford,” Jena told her. “A criminal mastermind that once worked for TBK. He always hated the two brothers who started the company. A complete psychopath and egomaniac. He was responsible for so much heartache in our town. Lunceford worked with Russian mobsters, who ended up murdering Charlie Blake, one of Destiny’s deputy sheriffs, leaving Ashley, Charlie’s wife, to raise their two kids alone.”
“And don’t forget Shannon Day also lost her life,” Janet said. “The woman who your team is named after.”
Carrie thought there were similarities between this Lunceford man and Willie. Though Willie had never taken a life, as far as she knew, she had no doubt he would have no qualms killing if he thought it would benefit him. “And Lunceford’s sister is just as dangerous?”
Jena nodded. “Maybe more so.”
“What happened to Lunceford?” Carrie asked.
“Kip was finally killed here by Jaris Simmons after the bastard tried to run another of his deadly schemes.” Jena walked to the refrigerator. “That’s why Cindy Trollinger is after revenge.”
“But enough about that topic,” Janet said. “Today is about Carrie. This is a party.”
Carrie glanced at the clock on the wall. “Shall we start carrying the food to the backyard? I expect that Gary, Josh, and Jacob should be here any moment.” If Josh and Jacob show at all.
The doorbell rang.
“Are you psychic, Carrie?” Janet said, smiling.
“Hardly. I just knew we were running out of time.” Excitement rolled through her. They had come after all.
“We’ll have extra hands to help us,” Janet said, and then headed to the front door.
“Mom sure does love throwing parties. You’re lucky she didn’t invite the whole town, but don’t be surprised if that happens in the next few days.”
“I’m still getting my bearings, so I’m glad it’s just us tonight.”
Janet returned with Josh and Jacob, who were both carrying a bottle of wine.
Seeing them again made Carrie so happy. She couldn’t stop smiling. They looked so handsome.
They actually showed up.
“Hi Carrie.” Josh came over and gave her a sweet hug.
“Hi.”
Jacob kissed her on the cheek. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.”
“Boys, help us carry this food out,” Janet said. “Gary should be here any minute, and we want to eat while everything is still hot.”
They all headed to the backyard, where the picnic table had already been set with the dishes and silverware. A sign hung from the branches of the tree above the table with writing that clearly was Kimmie’s. “Welcome home, Aunt Carrie.”
The little girl ran up to her with Happiness by her side. “Did you see what I wrote, Aunt Carrie? Daddy Matt helped me write it and Daddy Sean hung it in the tree for me.”
She bent down and gave her niece a hug. “Thank you, sweetheart. I love it.”
“And I love you,” Kimmie said before running back to the center of the lawn to play with her dog.
Carrie turned to Jena and Janet. “Did you all hear what Kimmie said to me?” She felt her eyes fill with happy tears. “She said she loved me. No one has ever said that to me before.”
Jena gave her a hug. “We all love you, Carrie. We love you very much.”
“Of course we love you,” Janet said. “We will never stop loving you. You’re our family. Forever.”
Josh put his arm around her. “Seems like you’ve found your home.”
Jacob squeezed her hand. “And you couldn’t have a better one, Carrie.”
“I believe you.” Needing to keep busy so as not to start sobbing, she said, “There’s more food inside, guys. Will you help me with it?”
“Absolutely.”
As Janet and Jena arranged the plates of food, Carrie walked back into the house with Josh and Jacob for the rest of the sides.
The doorbell rang.
“That’s got to be Gary, guys.” She walked into the entry and opened the door.
Gary stood there, carrying a dozen red roses.
“Oh Gary,” she said. “Janet is going to love them.”
“She’s definitely crazy about flowers. I make sure to bring her some at least once a week.”
“You better hurry up and give them to her,” Jacob said, moving next to Carrie. “Janet’s in a hurry to get the meal underway.”
When they went out the back door, Janet looked up. “Gary, you sentimental sweetheart.” She took the roses. “They are beautiful. Thank you, honey.”
When they kissed, Carrie knew these two were meant for one another. No doubt about it. She glanced over at Josh and Jacob, who had joined Matt and Sean at the grill.
“Everyone take a seat,” Janet said. “I’m going inside to get a vase and will be right back. These gorgeous roses that Gary brought me will be the centerpiece for our meal.”
As instructed, everyone moved to the table. Carrie sat down first. Josh and Jacob came next, sitting on either side of her. The rest settled down into their seats.
The laughter and joy around the table of delicious food was another first for her. It was almost surreal. She looked from face to face at her newfound family. Kimmie sat between Janet and Gary, who were looking at each other like two love-struck school kids. Jena sat between Matt and Sean, smiling broadly. She turned to Josh and then to Jacob. They put her at ease from the moment she’d met them, and now she was completely relaxed being with them.
This has been the most wonderful day of my life.
Janet stood. “Okay, who is ready for pie? We have apple and cherry.”
“And don’t forget that we made homemade ice cream to go with it, Mom,” Jena said.
She helped get the pie sliced and plated. Suddenly,
she thought about her red suitcase up in the closet. In her heart she knew they would all understand. Josh and Jacob had proven to Carrie that they already cared for her. Her brother Matt had the heart of a lion and would protect her no matter what. Sean, too, who was just as much like a brother to her as Matt, would always have her back. Jena had shown what lengths she would go to for those she cared about. She’d been the one who had found her. And Janet had asked her to call her “Mom.”
And Kimmie said she loved me.
Chapter Ten
Josh loved having his arm around Carrie, looking up at the first stars appearing in the sky. She sat between him and Jacob on her family’s front porch swing. There wasn’t any place in the world Josh would rather be than right here.
Jena and Janet had ordered him and Jacob to keep her out of the kitchen, saying they would handle the cleanup with their guys. It was Carrie’s party after all.
The breeze was still warm, though the sun had set thirty minutes ago. He had enjoyed spending time with Carrie at her family’s barbeque. The more he got to know her, the more enamored he became. And their date today had blown him away completely. He’d never enjoyed anything as much as their picnic. Carrie was playful and adventurous. Smart and gorgeous. Genuine and caring. No woman had ever had such an impact on him before. The sex had been vanilla and yet so incredible. He loved every one of her curves and the feel of her silky skin.
He sensed she had a submissive streak inside her that he would love to dominate if given the chance, but they were just at the very beginning. Even though everything inside him wanted to dive in head first, he believed it was best to take this nice and slow with Carrie.
He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “I hope you enjoyed our date today.”
She squeezed back. “It was wonderful. Thank you.”
Jacob took her other hand. “Josh and I came up with another plan.”
She grinned, looking more beautiful than ever. “Oh you did, did you?”
“We did,” Josh said. “Did I tell you I’m a pilot?”
“You did. You work for TBK, besides helping out at your parent’s restaurant.”
“My bosses, Eric and Scott Knight, agreed to let me take the company plane tomorrow night. Carrie, what do you think about the three of us having dinner in Red River, New Mexico? There’s an incredible steakhouse there.”
“Oh that would be exciting. I’ve never been in a plane before.”
“Not only will you be in the plane, you’re going to sit next to the pilot.”
Jacob laughed. “Where does that leave me?”
“You’ll be our navigator, buddy.”
“I never navigated no planes before, mister,” Jacob said in a thick southern accent.
They all laughed.
“It’ll only take three minutes to learn,” he said. “You’ll be great.”
“It’s a date then,” Carrie said, giving them both kisses on the cheek.
They all leaned back in the swing and continued enjoying the evening. Tomorrow would be their second date, one of many more if he had his way. He wanted to spend as much time with Carrie as possible, and he was certain Jacob did also.
“Guys, I can’t tell you how different being here in Destiny is for me. It’s like another world.”
Even though they were having fun, he and Jacob could sense that there was more on her mind, more she was struggling with.
“Carrie, have you ever seen such a night in your life?” he asked, gazing into the heavens, hoping to ease her worries. “There are so many stars out here.”
“Only a few times,” she answered. “When I lived in Bronte, Texas, as a young girl, a sweet lady who had a porch very much like this one sat with me and taught me about the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt. Until now, it was the happiest time of my life. Mrs. Kearns and her husband owned a horse ranch. That’s where I learned to ride and love horses. But as usual, Willie snapped me up out of there.”
Josh recalled what she’d told him and Jacob on the horseback ride about the bastard preacher. He couldn’t imagine the hell she’d been through having grown up in the happy home of his parents, Hiro and Melissa Phong. But Jacob’s childhood had been very different, and no doubt he related to her past.
“Why did he keep moving you around?” Jacob obviously was in tune with her feelings, hoping to get her to open up more to them.
“Willie was a con artist. We only stayed in any one place for a short time so that he never got caught.”
Josh stroked her hair. “What kind of schemes, Carrie?”
“He was a thief.” She lowered her head as if she was in deep thought. Then after several seconds of silence, she lifted her head.
He could see the tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
She sighed. “I’m holding a secret that I need to tell someone.”
“You can trust us, sweetheart.”
Jacob squeezed her hand. “Whatever it is.”
“Ever since I left Willie, I’ve been carrying a red suitcase. Do you remember how worried I was about it on our first horse ride?” She closed her eyes. “This is harder than I thought.”
“Just say it,” Jacob urged.
“I just have to blurt it out. One. Two. Three.” Her eyes opened. “There’s two million dollars of stolen money in that suitcase. It’s upstairs in my closet.”
“Oh my God, Carrie,” Jacob said. “You’ve been lugging that around since you were sixteen?”
She nodded. “I took it when I escaped Willie. I swear I haven’t spent a dime of it. It’s all there. I just want to get it back to the rightful owners. I tried once, but that’s when Willie nearly caught me. I was scared and didn’t know what to do. I still don’t.”
“First thing you need to do is tell Matt, Sean, and Jena, sweetheart,” Josh said, holding her close. “They’re CIA. They’ll be able to help you.”
“I’ve planned on telling them, but I haven’t found the right time.”
Matt walked out. “Jena sent me out to see if you three wanted anything to drink. We’ve got the kitchen cleaned up, and Kimmie put to bed. Mom and Gary left for an evening stroll. Sean just opened a bottle of scotch. We all are ready to relax, if you three would like to join us.”
Josh looked Carrie in the eyes. “Seems like the right time is now to tell them.”
“Yes it is,” she said. “Matt, after you pour the drinks can we all sit down. There’s something very important I need to tell you.”
* * * *
Glad to have Jacob and Josh next to her on the sofa, Carrie took a sip of the scotch that Sean had poured for everyone. It was liquid courage that she definitely needed right now.
Matt sat next to Jena on the matching sofa opposite theirs. Sean was in the chair by the fireplace.
She was nervous, but was so thankful she finally had this opportunity to come clean about the money.
“Okay, Carrie,” Matt said, looking her directly in the eyes. “I’m your big brother. You can tell me anything.”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. One. Two. Three. She opened her eyes. “There’s two million dollars of stolen money in my red suitcase.”
“Two million dollars of stolen money?” Matt looked shocked. “I know you’re not a thief. So where did you get that kind of money? Of course, Willie. Right?”
“Yes.”
Jena shook her head. “You’ve been carrying that money around for thirteen years?”
“Since she was sixteen,” Jacob said, putting his arm around her.
“It’s a very long story,” she said.
“Hold on, Carrie.” Sean stood. “Let me get the suitcase first and then you can finish telling us everything.” When he returned, he placed it on the coffee table. “It’s locked.”
She pulled out the chain with the key and unlocked it. She brought out the satchel and placed her Glock and the stacks of cash onto the table.
“Oh my God, Carrie,” Jena said. “You could’ve been killed for that kind of money.”
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“But at least she’s packing,” Sean said. “Definitely a member of this family.” He opened his coat and revealed his own gun.
“I know it was dangerous, Jena, but I was always very careful. No one ever knew what was in my suitcase.”
“Willie knew,” Matt said. “I can’t even let myself think of what would’ve happened if that bastard had found you.”
“He almost did. That’s why I’ve never been able to return the money to the rightful owners. He was always too close.” She told them about how she’d returned to Bronte, hoping to give back the fifty thousand dollars that belonged to the church Mrs. Kearns attended. “I spotted Willie at a rest stop on the highway into town. He had a full beard, and was wearing sunglass and a hat, but I recognized him despite the disguise. I knew he had come back to Bronte to get me. How he’d learned what I was planning, I don’t know. Maybe I told someone at the café I was working at. I just don’t remember. But I knew it wasn’t safe for me to go through with my plan. So I drove through Bronte without stopping and never returned.”
“How many churches did Willie steal from?” Jena asked.
“Hundreds. Always the small ones that were struggling.” She pulled out the list of the churches she’d kept for all these years. “Congregations with less than fifty members, usually elderly, but with clear title to their property. He would come in and offer to become their pastor for pennies. Matt, do you remember how charismatic he could be?”
“I sure do.”
“Once he won their trust he would convince the deacons to take out a loan, saying it would help revitalize the church and bring in new members. Once the money was deposited, Willie would pull it out of the bank and then he and I would move to the next town and next church.”
“Bastard hasn’t changed one bit,” Sean said, his face dark with anger. “Quite the scam.”
“I’ve been searching for Willie for years, Carrie,” Matt said. “This new information will help to bring that asshole to justice.”
“Honey,” Jena said, grabbing Matt’s arm. “The stuff I uncovered to find Carrie might also help. Black supported my every step in searching for your sister. I’m sure he’ll be more than glad to give us a hand on this, too.”
