“I never thought a DNA test would be so dangerous. As for my manager, I thought earlier today that it was time to find a new one. He hasn’t done anything to help with my career. After this next movie, I’m going to have to start looking for a new manager.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Daisy poked her head in. Neal and Aaron stood behind her. “Can we come in?”
“Yes,” Annabella whispered. I handed her a cup of water. Her voice was hoarse from screaming earlier.
“Wow. What does the other guy look like?” Neal joked. I flipped the fucker off.
Neal sat in the chair by the window, and Daisy sat on his lap. Aaron stood next to them with his hand resting on Neal’s shoulder.
“So with the person coming after Annabella dead, are you heading back to Ft. Lauderdale?” Aaron asked.
“Nope. I plan to stay out here. I might have to head back to Boston and talk with Addie about our mom. I know she said she had to head back to her family. She told her current family one of her cousins was sick and she was going to help them for a week.”
Annabella tapped the side of the bed. “How is she flying by herself? I thought she had agoraphobia?”
I couldn’t help but grind my teeth. “She’s taking medicine and works with a psychiatrist. According to her, Henry, her new husband, is why she changed. It wasn’t because of the two kids she left behind. I don’t know why Addie hasn’t kicked her out of her house. I don’t want anything to do with the bitch. But Addie’s going to need me there for her.”
“You’re going to have to go to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up your stuff. If I sent the private jet, would she get on it? We could all spend the weekend down in Ft. Lauderdale,” Aaron said.
Flying on the private jet would expose Addie to fewer people. If Annabella was spending the weekend in Ft. Lauderdale with me, my sister might get on the plane to meet her in person. “I plan to call her tonight. I will ask her if she feels up to going.”
We spent the next hour joking and laughing before Annabella fell asleep. Aaron pulled Daisy off Neal’s lap. Nate stretched his arms. “You guys are welcome to come stay at the house if you want. Even if you don’t come back on the plane with us, the house is yours to use,” Neal said as he stood from the chair.
“Thanks, but I think we’ll stay at the hotel until we find something.”
Aaron pulled Daisy into his arms, “You’re really staying out here?”
“I would go anywhere she wants me to. She’s never getting rid of me. I plan to find an apartment and open a division of Blackwood out here.”
Daisy came over and wrapped her arms around me. “I will never be able to tell you how much you and Sam rescuing me from my kidnapper five years ago means to me. I’m going to miss seeing you every day at Blackwood Security in Ft. Lauderdale. But my friend is getting a good man. Take care of her, John. She needs you.” Daisy kissed my cheek then grabbed Neal and Aaron’s hands and walked out the door.
The room was quiet after everyone left. I leaned back in the chair and watched Annabella sleep. I couldn’t help but wonder how I had fallen for someone so fast. I’d never expected to see myself in a relationship. Now all I could do was wonder what tomorrow would bring.
Annabella’s eyes fluttered open, and she tried to smile. “What are you thinking about so deep in thought?”
“I love you. I know it’s early. You don’t have to say anything back. I will be here for the long haul.”
Annabella reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I don’t have to wait. I feel the same way. I always laughed when I heard about people falling in love fast. But when it feels so right, why fight it?” She wiped a wayward tear away. “I love you, John.”
I’d fallen for her the second I walked into the sheriff’s station. She’d shown me so many times over the last week how genuine she was, and she was nothing like the tabloids made her out to be. She took time to talk to my sister whenever Addie called.
A couple of hours later, the doctor came and discharged Annabella.
19
John
Annabella fell asleep on the car ride to the hotel. “Beautiful, you need to get up. We’re at the hotel.”
She slowly stretched in the seat next to me. I handed the valet the keys to the car and rushed to Annabella’s side. “Anna, scoot over to the edge, and I can carry you inside.”
I thought she might not let me carry her, but she scooted to the edge so I could wrap my arms around her and pick her up. She nuzzled her face into my chest so no one could see who she was. The press hadn’t caught wind of what had happened yet, and we were trying to keep it from them if we could.
“You can put me down now,” she said once the door to the elevator closed.
I clicked the button for the top floor. “I want you close.”
She smiled. “I can stand close to you.”
“You’re stuck in my arms. I don’t know if I will ever let you out of them. You scared me.”
Annabella turned and kissed my neck then wrapped her arms around me and squeezed harder. “I promise not to have any more crazy stepmoms try to kill me.”
I didn’t answer her. The elevator door opened, and I headed straight for the room. I sat her down on the couch in the middle of the hotel room. “Do you want to take a shower?”
When Annabella nodded, I headed toward the bathroom connected to her room and started the shower to get the water nice and warm. We would need to rebandage her side. The bullet had grazed her, but luckily she hadn’t needed stitches.
I walked back to the living room. Annabella was staring out the window.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and grabbed my hand. We walked back through the bedroom to the master bath. I tugged her into my arms and kissed the top of her head before I worked the thin white T-shirt up her body. Blood coated the sleeve and the back of her shirt.
“Join me,” Annabella whispered as she worked my shirt over my head.
I wrapped my arms around her, pulled her into my body, and gently kissed her lips. Her lip and eye were still swollen. I wanted to kill the dumb bitch again for hurting her. I pulled back and placed a kiss on her nose. “Get undressed, Beautiful.”
Annabella worked her jeans down her legs. I couldn’t hold back a growl when I saw the bruises on her legs. Her body was black and blue from top to bottom.
When she finished removing her jeans, I quickly discarded my jeans and boxers. I grabbed her hand and led her to the shower.
I pulled Annabella under the waterfall shower head. The water rained down on us. I kept her wrapped in my arms, not wanting to let her go. A sob broke out from her throat. I ran my hand up and down her back as she let out the frustration from the past couple of weeks.
I grabbed a washcloth and put some soap on it. I slowly worked to wipe the blood off her body. It was a mixture of hers and her dad’s. Her heart beat against my chest as I worked to get the blood off her arms. Our embrace wasn’t sexual. It was healing from the day of turmoil. I was desperate for her to be in my arms.
The sob that escaped Annabella was heart-wrenching. “I d-didn’t think you w-would find me.” I pulled back and ran the cloth down her chest. She whimpered under the touch.
“I will always come for you.” I turned her so her hair was under the spray. Then I grabbed the shampoo off the ledge and worked my fingers through her hair. She leaned her head forward and rested it on my chest. I rinsed the shampoo out and repeated the process with conditioner. I worked the lather up and down her body, stopping to kiss each bruise as I washed away the nightmare of the day. Once I washed and kissed every bruise on her body, I reached and turned off the water. A big, fluffy towel sat outside the shower, and I wrapped it around Annabella.
“Thank you,” she told me quietly.
I grabbed the other towel and tied it around my waist. Then I snatched a small towel off the shelf and helped dry Annabella’s hair. “Sit down on the toilet, and I will comb your hair.” When she gave me a puzzled look,
I said, “I had a twin sister I would do anything for. I know how to brush and braid a girl’s hair.”
I found Annabella’s brush on the counter and slowly ran it through her blond locks. Her hair was long and reminded me of the times I’d done Addie’s hair growing up. My heart hurt at the thought of Addie. She had been so excited to find our mother, and the woman didn’t really want anything to do with us.
“All done. Stay here.” I ran back to the bedroom and got one of my shirts from my bag. I came back and helped Annabella slip the shirt over her head. “You can finish up in here. I’ll be in the bedroom.” I left Annabella to brush her teeth.
I grabbed a pair of boxers from my bag and put them on before I climbed into bed and waited for her to come out. “Come here, Beautiful,” I said when she finally emerged.
She walked over and climbed into bed with me. I rolled on my back, and Annabella snuggled up next to me, lying her head on my chest. She slowly ran her hands along my ribs. “Can you believe my dad is alive?”
I pulled her in closer to me. “How do you feel about finding him?”
She let out a chuckle. “It would have been nice to find out about him when I opened the paperwork Nate printed off for me.”
“Do you think you’ll talk to Nate again?”
Annabella didn’t answer right away. “I will. I’m still mad at what he did. But we’ve been friends for years. In a few weeks, I will have lunch with him, and we can talk it out.”
“You’re a forgiving person. What do you think about coming back to Ft. Lauderdale for the weekend with me? We can try to get Addie to come too. Aaron mentioned we could send the jet to pick her up.”
“I would love to go, and I can’t wait to meet your sister.”
20
John
I reached down and picked up the chubby-cheeked baby tugging at my pants. Jessica and Brock’s little boy, Jared, was six months old. Annabella and I had flown into Ft. Lauderdale for the weekend to spend time with friends and stop at Club Sanctorum for a night.
Jared reached up and tugged on my hair. Annabella reached over and pulled the little boy from my arms then rocked him back and forth. I couldn’t believe we had been together for nine months already. She had just finished filming another movie and had a couple months off before the next one.
With her time off, she was helping me set up Blackwood Security in Los Angeles. We already had a list of clients who wanted to use our services, and we couldn’t wait to expand. But this weekend was about catching up with friends.
Brock leaned down and kissed his little boy on the head. “Your sister has been picking up more cases to help us out.”
Addie used work to deal with her anxiety. Our mom hadn’t reached back out to her or me since visiting nine months ago. “She does that when she’s stressed. Annabella and I are going to go visit her on Monday. I’m going to try and talk to her and see what’s going on.”
“Maybe we could send one of the guys up there and see if she falls for them,” Brock joked.
I barked out a laugh. “I think your days of playing matchmaker are done. Why don’t you worry about the business and stop meddling in people’s lives?”
Annabella reached over and squeezed my leg. “If it weren’t for Brock, we wouldn’t be together.”
“No, Nate is the one that started this. Brock used it to his advantage.”
My longtime friend and boss smiled, grabbed his baby, and walked back over to Jessica and sat down. We were at Aaron and Neal’s house in Ft. Lauderdale, sitting around the fire outside. It was nice to be around our friends. But I missed our home in Los Angeles. Annabella and Nate were on speaking terms. She hadn’t completely forgiven him for what he’d done, but he had put his foot down with his family and let it be known that Pedro would be his partner.
Kat Ross, Aaron’s sister-in-law, kicked her feet back. “You know, John, if you ever need an assassin, I’m always looking for jobs. Brock and Antonio don’t let me kill anymore.”
Her husband rolled his eyes. “Kat, I saw you drag a body across our lawn two days ago. Why do you have to feed the gators in the backyard?”
“Mommy, you fed the gators today,” Antonio, Jr. chimed in.
“See? This is why I need assignments in other states. Everyone is up in my business,” Kat grumbled and crossed her arms.
Antonio leaned over and pulled his wife into his arms.
Everyone laughed around the fire.
“I wish I could get my hands on Lily’s ex-husband,” Kat said. “He got out of jail last week, and we lost his trail.”
Lily used to live in the women’s shelter in Ft. Lauderdale. Her husband had gone after Kat and tried to kill her. Antonio and Kat had helped Lily escape to Houston, where she got a job working for Jacob Black, the owner of Pegasus Space.
Annabella leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder. “I love our life,” she whispered.
“I love you.” I leaned over and kissed her head. I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her.
THE END
Click here to pre-order the Lily’s book, Pursuing Phoenix.
Author Note’s
White Hat Security Series
Hacker Exposed
Royal Hacker
Misunderstood Hacker
Undercover Hacker
Hacker Revelation
Hacker Christmas
Hacker Salvation
Nova Satellite Security Series
(White Hat Security Spin Off)
Pursuing Phoenix - Sept 1, 2019
Immortal Dragon
The Dragon’s Psychic - July 9, 2019
The Dragon’s Human - Oct 2019
Montana Gold (Brotherhood Kindle World)
Grayson’s Angel
Noah’s Love
Bryson’s Treasure - Nov 2019
A Flipping Love Story (Badge of Honor World)
Unlocking Dreams
Unlocking Hope - Sept 10, 2019
Siblings of the Underworld
Hell’s Key (Part of the Shadows and Sorcery Box Set)
Hell’s Future - Aug 20, 2019
Visit linzibaxter.com for more information and release dates.
Join Linzi Baxter Newsletter at Newsletter
Grayson’s Angel - Preview
Kara Davidson clenched her teeth and considered ignoring the call. She glanced at the iPhone, wishing a different name had flashed across the screen. This was the seventh call in the same day. He wasn’t going stop until she answered. A mixture of remorse and anger churned in her gut. He was her last family member, and she should answer to find out what he wanted. The only reason he ever called was because he wanted something from her.
She took a few breaths to get her emotions under control. Then she gripped the steering wheel with one hand and clicked the hands-free button with the other. “Hello, Father.”
“Is this Ms. Davidson?” The voice on the other end was a woman with a scratchy voice, probably from too many years of smoking.
“Yes. May I ask why you have my dad’s phone?”
“This is Bozeman Health. We tried calling you from our main line many times, and you didn’t answer. Your father was admitted to the hospital this morning, and you are listed as next of kin.”
The only missed calls on her phone were from her dad’s number. This lady was mistaken if they called her from the hospital. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Can I speak to my father?”
“Mr. Davidson is in an induced coma. We feel it would be best if someone from his family came as soon as possible. The doctors are uncertain if he will make it.” There was a long pause on the other end of the phone before she continued. “When can I tell the doctor you’ll be here?”
“I will try to find a flight tomorrow.”
The hospital employee clicked the phone off before she could ask more questions regarding her father’s health. Kara would make it to Bozeman tomorrow to see her father. She would look at his chart herself and make up her own
mind. Kara tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and screamed, letting out the frustrations of the past five years.
After her mother died, Frank, her father, turned to booze and gambling to deal with his depression. He started to hit her during his drunken stupors. When her father didn’t look like he would change his ways, Kara packed up her life and moved to Denver, Colorado. She had watched one of her parents die in front of her eyes. She would not watch her father kill himself.
“Fuck,” she muttered as she shoved open the door of her MINI Cooper. After that call, she would spend her nice, long, relaxing weekend in Bozeman, Montana. Kara had spent the last six days working fifteen-hour shifts, so she could enjoy a much-needed long weekend getting caught up on the latest romance novels. Her father always had issues at the most inopportune moments.
The last time her father had called, he’d needed five grand for bail. He had started a bar fight and put the other man in the hospital. That wasn't the first time he had been arrested for the same crime, and the judge had set a high bail because of his many charges. Kara had been saving up for a house. To get her father out of jail, she’d had to take the money out of the savings she was planning to use for the down payment. Kara had nearly replenished her savings, and her father was in trouble again.
A twinge of guilt pricked her conscience. The lady had said he was in a coma. He might not make it out of whatever problem he’d gotten himself into this time, and there was no doubt in Kara’s mind whatsoever that getting hospitalized was her father’s own fault.
She would be going home for the first time in five years. Kara didn’t like going home because everything in Montana reminded her of her mother. When she was home, not a day went by when a scent or an action wouldn’t trigger those memories. In fact, just thinking of home triggered them.
Hacker Salvation: White Hat Security, Book 7 Page 14
