Healing Hearts 4: Mission to Love (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  Then they looked at Amelia. “I didn’t say a word,” Amelia said.

  April snickered. “She didn’t tell me. It wasn’t difficult to figure out that your specialties are beyond traditional military. You also were talking about the Quincy 5000 at Corporal’s one night, and then add in a few details that slipped here and there and I figured mercenaries or something like that. Anyway, your secret is safe with me.” She took a seat and then brought her glass of tea to her lips.

  “How would you know about the Quincy 5000? That’s not even public knowledge,” Watson asked.

  She gave a soft smile. “I have a few clients with connections, and two who are techies and get their hands on some awesome stuff. In fact, Mylo, a guy I know, was here a few months ago and set up the surround sound system as well as all the lighting and even the waterfalls and lights and, well, just about everything. I can do it all from my phone.” She then pulled out her cell phone, hit the button, and some dance music came on all around the pool area and patio as well as inside.

  “That is awesome,” Amelia blurted.

  “Look at this,” she said and stood up and walked by Fogerty. “Step forward just a hair.” When he did, she hit the button, and flames came up on the torches around the patio. “I can control everything from my phone or from the main pad on the wall right there in the kitchen or even from a remote. Mylo was here for a week. It was crazy.”

  “Mylo a boyfriend?” Dell asked, surprising her and apparently Amelia, as well.

  “Dell,” Amelia said as April turned everything off except the music and then sat down.

  “I’m curious,” he said and took a seat then a slug from his bottle of beer. Watson and Fogerty sat next to Amelia and could look at the view of the ocean and beach.

  “He is just a friend.”

  “I bumped into Caden the other day. He said he saw you jogging down by the marina. That’s like six or so miles from here at least,” Watson said.

  “I do that run several times a week. Different times of the day and sometimes at night. It depends on my mood and work schedule. It’s fourteen miles in total.” She took a forkful of chicken salad.

  “Fourteen miles? Holy crap. I don’t think I could run two miles,” Amelia said. She looked at her.

  “You have to build yourself up to doing it. I’ve been running for years. I do a lot of different activities to stay in shape. In fact, I kind of had an idea when you said you didn’t feel comfortable at the Y doing those self-defense classes.”

  “What idea is that?” Amelia asked.

  “I’ll show you after we’re done.”

  They talked about town and about the upcoming events as well as the boardwalk fair that was going on Sunday. There would even be fireworks in the evening on the beach.

  “I think we’re all going to go. Casey, North, Melina, Kai, and Afina, too.”

  “I think Ghost and Cosmo have a setup along the beach with stuff from Corporal’s as well as the local police department. Caden is in charge of a special opening ceremony event honoring fallen soldiers and first responders,” Dell told her.

  “That’s really nice. I’m certain Kai has things set for Guardians Hope as well?” she asked.

  “Definitely, so you have to come, too,” Amelia said.

  “I’ll see. I may be leaving for business next week, and I’m not sure of the details or when yet.”

  “Where to?” Dell asked her.

  “That all depends on the client. More than likely north,” she said, and then they started cleaning up from lunch.

  She looked at Amelia who gave her shoulder a nudge. “Are you okay that they’re here with me?” she asked.

  April squinted at her. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Amelia glanced that way.

  “I don’t know. I mean, you’re so independent and strong. I’m not feeling very strong at all,” Amelia admitted and then swallowed hard. April felt badly for her, and she really wanted to help her friend gain back some confidence and also to feel like a new life began for her.

  “You will get through this. Those three men adore you and are rocks for you. They’ll stand by your side as you gain back that courage and confidence.”

  “Sometimes I feel like I disappoint them. That’s why I pushed myself to go to that self-defense training and kickboxing class with Casey. She’s only been going for a couple of weeks, and I can see a change in her already.”

  “Well, what was it that freaked you out or made you feel like you couldn’t do it?”

  “Well, there were strangers there, men and women, and glass on one side of the room where people walking by can watch. The instructors were nice, but I think it was too fast-paced. Like maybe I needed one on one, but my men wouldn’t allow that, and I truly wouldn’t be comfortable with a strange man I didn’t know showing me things. I felt uneasy and panicked.”

  “Hmm, well, maybe you’re going about this all wrong. Maybe you need to ease into things in a more relaxed setting. I want to show you something.” She looked at the men who were standing by the pool and looking at the water. Dell was checking out one of the security cameras she had by the stairs leading toward the beach.

  “Guys, do you mind if I show Amelia something? We’ll be right at the building across from where you parked.”

  “Sure, we’ll give you guys some time to talk,” Watson said and gave Amelia a wink. Then Amelia and April headed through the kitchen and living room to the front door then out to the gym.

  * * * *

  “What do you think?” Dell asked Watson and Fogerty the second the front door closed.

  Watson whistled. “Caden will not handle things well. He’s already a mess.”

  “A mess? What do you mean?” Dell asked.

  “Caden keeps trying to talk to April, even walked up to her at the pier, and she blew him off. He gets the feeling like she’s hiding something.”

  “Same with Aqua and Simon, but if she even invites them here, they are going to go nuts over the tech stuff she is into. Obviously she’s super smart. She ran through the controls like nothing, and these cameras are high-tech. I almost missed them,” Dell added.

  “Banking and finance can definitely put you in touch with some big shots. How long do you think it will be before Caden or his brothers dig deeper?” Watson asked.

  “Not long at all. They’ve never had a woman on their radar before. April won’t know what hit her once they go Navy Seal,” Fogerty said, and Watson chuckled.

  “I like her. I think she would be a good fit for them, but they won’t like the whole traveling thing for business,” Dell said.

  “Or the guys who hook her up with tech stuff for her home,” Watson added.

  “Yeah, this should be interesting to see it go down. Do you think she’ll go to the event Sunday?” Dell asked.

  “Maybe, but Amelia mentioned everyone hanging out at Corporal’s Friday night.”

  “Should be interesting to see what goes down,” Watson said.

  “I’m not too sure about that,” Fogerty added, and they chuckled and looked at the view, giving Amelia and April some time to talk privately.

  “She’s a good friend to Amelia, and obviously Amelia feels comfortable talking with her. I wonder what she wanted to show Amelia,” Dell said. One look at his brothers and he could tell they were curious, as well.

  * * * *

  “Oh my goodness, April, this is incredible,” Amelia said, taking in the sight of the full gym and training center. April had every kind of machine, weights, an area of mats to spar, gloves, dummies, and so many things.

  “I love to work out and train. It helps with stress and, well, prepares me in case someone was to try something. I know several forms and am always learning more.”

  “This is so impressive. How long have you been doing this kind of stuff?”

  “For years. Pretty much since I was young. I was thinking that perhaps, if you are interested, you could come here and we could train together. I could introduce
you to the basics, or we could do yoga to help relax you, and even traditional working out or whatever until you felt comfortable to try more.”

  The sound of the door opening alerted them to the guys coming in. April saw their eyes widen as they came into the building.

  “Holy shit,” Fogerty said, and April chuckled.

  “This is some personal gym. You know how to use all this stuff?” Fogerty asked, immediately looking at the mats and the sparring equipment.

  “Some might be for show,” she lied and didn’t make eye contact with him. She could tell that their minds were spinning, and they had questions. April knew she was taking a chance here, but Amelia was such a sweet woman and a good friend. April didn’t have any family, so she felt compelled to help Amelia out any way she could.

  “I was thinking that if Amelia wanted to come by here and work out with me a couple of times a week to get comfortable with training, then we could work it out.”

  “You know self-defense?” Watson asked, eying her over.

  “I know multiple forms of martial arts, and dab in a bit of different things, but after speaking with Amelia, I was thinking that she needs to ease into things. You know, a more calming setting, and beginning with some simple relaxation techniques.” She walked over to the wall and pressed a button. The one wall began to rise, exposing the glass and a perfect view of the beach and ocean.

  “Oh God,” Amelia said stepping closer.

  April smiled. “Gator put this in for me. He owns a solar company in California. Watch this.” She then pressed another button, and the glass slid to the left, opening up all the way to bring the outdoors in.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled. “This is a great spot to begin every morning before working out or training.” She looked at Amelia, who had tears in her eyes. April squinted with concern, but then Amelia hugged her arm and reached out for Fogerty to take her hand since he was closest. April locked gazes with a very stern and concerned-looking Fogerty, but then his eyes went to Amelia and she saw the love, the affection he had for her.

  “What do you think, Fogerty?” Amelia asked him as Watson and Dell joined them.

  April looked at the men. “One of you can hang out in the house or anywhere nearby you want to while she’s here. We’ll work out a schedule around my work and anything you and Amelia have going on. We can start slow.” She smiled at Amelia.

  “April, I don’t know what to say. This is so unexpected, so amazing.”

  “I have this place, this home, and I’m alone. You’re my friend, and I felt that you could maybe use such things, such a spot to help kickstart your new life. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, and you have three amazing, handsome, capable men who love you so much that I feel it. You deserve to be happy, and to not feel any pain anymore,” she said to her, and Amelia had tears in her eyes. April didn’t want to get emotional. She stepped away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Well, maybe pain from sore muscles after working out.” She winked. Amelia laughed and so did the guys, but she saw their expressions and hoped they didn’t push for more answers about her life.

  “I want to do it,” Amelia said.

  “Awesome. We can start after my trip, unless you want to start tomorrow morning.”

  “Could we? Start tomorrow morning?” Amelia asked.

  “Definitely.”

  April smiled, and then they planned the time and what they would start with. She felt great about this idea and hoped that Amelia would benefit in a positive way.

  Chapter Four

  “I want to be sure that we can take what was sent to us from our inside people and investigate properly. These people seem to be many steps ahead of us. Just as we think we have a connection, a link, it disappears or our informant does,” Mike stated over the phone.

  “Mike, we’re set to get the intel needed with your okay. It’s going to be tricky, but I do have three people I trust in Syria now and they have access to gather intel. If you can get the locations, then I’ll get confirmation on what’s being shipped to where and from where,” Pierre told him.

  “The problem is that we’re not a hundred percent sure if this is taking place in Syria. You got the intel and information like I did. I need more on those businessmen, and then we can assign men to them and have them go in to gather more.”

  “Okay, she’ll work on that, and we’ll be in touch. Remember to not push too much. There are others working on things because of the men lost a year ago.”

  “I hear you. Wish they would be willing to work together, instead of holding out.”

  “Holding out because of our commanders and the decisions they made to pull everyone out immediately. It’s not with any of us,” Pierre said.

  “Well, April did kind of piss them off a bit, so maybe they’re still pissed at her,” Mike said and chuckled.

  “She saved lives, and her own. Those Seals would have died if she hadn’t reacted like she did. The colonel knows that, and so does his team. I think their need to avenge their friends’ murders are on their minds, plus there’s still the connection to that bombing at the military base. It very well could have been the same group we’re tracking down,” Pierre added.

  “They respect April, or maybe they just have the hots for her like every guy that meets her,” Mike teased.

  “I’d watch that with her tonight. She said you’re going as friends.”

  “I know, and she is a great friend. I respect her and care about her. We’re going to bring closure to the agents and the soldiers that were killed because of these men. No doubt in my mind.”

  “Okay, keep me posted, and enjoy the evening.”

  “Oh, I plan on it,” he said, and Pierre chuckled.

  “You don’t have a chance with her. You know that, right?”

  “You mean because of those Seals and the chief?”

  “Exactly. She’s denying it. I think they would be good for her and a relationship would bring some normalcy to her life.”

  “Not sure she could do it for the simple fact that I don’t think she’s done working for the agency, even after we get Rosen Armique.”

  “You’re right. No way. I’ll take care of things on this end, and get the men on the team ready. Talk to you over the weekend.”

  * * * *

  Caden Farmer was all decked out in a black suit and black tie. He didn’t do tuxedos unless necessary. He leaned against the bar set up in the main lounge area where a large crowd of people stood around talking and preparing for the event. There were numerous tables set up for donations as well as to buy tickets for hundreds of items being auctioned. He already declined several pushy women looking for some fun tonight, and he glanced at his watch, thinking he could stand another thirty minutes tops before he snuck out the side door and headed to Corporal’s.

  He took another sip from his bottle of Bud Light, and his eyes caught sight of the backside of one sexy blonde. Holy shit, she was exceptional from the back. The dark, slinky black dress hugged her hips and ass, and her entire back was exposed, appearing like the only thing holding up the sexy dress was the one thin string on her neck. Her hair was pulled up in some intricate style, and when she slightly turned, greeting a few men he didn’t know but who were definitely eating her up with their eyes, he realized who it was. He saw the outline of her full, large breasts, and as she turned he felt his heart skip a beat. “April,” he whispered.

  Her arms were toned and defined, indicating she worked out. He knew that though, had seen her jogging several early mornings through town. He had wanted to follow her, make sure she safely got home, because men looked at her and it bothered him. Even now as he watched her, he could see the men licking their lips, and then Mike Waters, a special agent who had been part of the investigation with Cavanaugh, came up behind her. He slid his arm around her waist, and she turned, looked up, and the man smiled wide. He whispered to her, kissed her cheek, and she smiled and then laughed at whatever he said. Caden continued to watch her and then immediately
saw another man and a woman, semi-attractive, not as gorgeous and eye-turning as April, approach them. Mike acted possessive of April, kept her close as it appeared he introduced the woman and the man. The woman had daggers in her eyes as she gave April the once over, and April smiled, then turned into Mike’s arms, had her palm on his chest, and gave a sexy pose. From where Caden watched, he zeroed in on the high cut of the dress on her thigh along with the side profile of her breast again. The woman was a centerfold model and could even win a Miss Fitness contest with the definition like she had.

  He had no idea she was seeing Mike. Could she really be seeing him? He couldn’t help but wonder as a sour taste filled his mouth. He put the beer down and couldn’t believe how damn jealous he felt. He and his brothers talked about her. About her saying she didn’t date because of work and traveling. Then he bumped into Watson in town this morning after coming back from April’s house. Watson told him how impressive the beach home was, and also how much April was doing for Amelia. It just added to her appeal and also made him have a thousand questions for her. Then he watched the woman and man walk away. Mike gave April a wink, and then they began to walk around the event. Caden watched, growing more and more jealous until he just couldn’t stay away.

  * * * *

  “That was so awesome. Cynthia looked shocked, and her boyfriend, holy shit, he actually licked his lips looking at you. Which, by the way, you are so hot. I swear I wish you would consider the friends with benefits thing.” He stroked her back.

  “You’re an idiot. We talked about this.” She looked at her watch. “An hour then I’m out, unless your pouty ex-girlfriend makes her boyfriend leave. What did you say he does for a living?”

  “Real estate tycoon.”

  “You mean you didn’t check him out?”

  “What do you think?” he asked and made a funny face like she was silly for asking that question.

  She chuckled. “You like her that much?”