Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set

by Elizabeth Bevarly

  Footsteps sounded down the hallway. Bonnie rose to her feet shortly before Kayla and the police officer entered the room.

  Kayla’s stubborn expression demonstrated the policeman had not been able to elicit any remorse from her. Bonnie looked from one to the other.

  “So far, the units patrolling the neighborhood have not spotted any persons of interest.”

  ‘I’m sure that’s because he spotted their cars first.”

  “If he shows up, you may call 911. We’ll be glad to come back out here.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kayla glared at the far wall.

  “Would you like me to take Kayla in for assault?”

  “No, of course not. She has band practice.”

  Officer Patton grinned. “I could take her to band practice for you.”

  Bonnie smiled. “That’s very tempting.”

  “What do you say, Kayla? Want to know what it feels like to ride in the back of a cruiser?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Do you have anything you want to say to your mother?”

  “I’m sorry for hitting you with my cell phone. It was an accident, and I didn’t mean to do it.”

  The defiant tone accompanying the words led Bonnie to believe her daughter wasn’t sincere. Still. At least she had acknowledged the injury. Bonnie suppressed the urge to touch her throbbing cheek. She waited for an apology for ditching band practice and sneaking her boyfriend in the house when she knew she wasn’t supposed to, but the words didn’t come.

  “Thank you, Officer Patton.” Bonnie shook his hand. “Let’s go, Kayla. If we hurry up, you can make the last forty minutes.”

  The girl turned around and headed down the hall.

  Bonnie and Officer Patton exchanged glances before they followed her.

  Kayla didn’t speak during the ride to band practice. Bonnie checked the air conditioner. The frigid air had little to do with the car, she knew. When she pulled into the parking lot next to the field, Kayla opened the door.

  “I’ll be here when you’re done,” Bonnie said.

  Kayla huffed but otherwise didn’t respond.

  Too bad, chickie. If I could trust you, I wouldn’t have to waste my time babysitting you.

  Her cell phone rang, caller ID stated it was a call from Bellini, Kentucky.

  Well, what do you know? The cell phone company acknowledges Bellini, Kentucky. Bonnie smiled and answered.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi. It’s Brandt. Everything okay?”

  “Not really, but everyone is where they are supposed to be right now, except for me.”

  “And where are you supposed to be?”

  “Work. You’re not still in my office, are you?”

  “No. Although, you didn’t log off your computer. I could have done all kinds of damage after you left.”

  “We both know you don’t need me logged in to get into the system.”

  “I did log you off, and you’re welcome.”

  Bonnie watched the teens on the field.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  She knew he wasn’t referring to her computer. “I think my daughter’s boyfriend has been sneaking in her room at night.”

  “Would you like me to take care of it?”

  The unexpected offer took Bonnie by surprise. “What are you going to do? Make him disappear?”

  “I’m a ninja. Not the Mafia. I can watch your house, and if he shows up, I can make sure he doesn’t get in.”

  “By doing what? Hurting him a little? Or a lot.” Even as Bonnie said it, she wasn’t so sure she was joking.

  “He’s a minor, right?”

  “Just barely.”

  “Do you trust me to keep him away from your daughter?”

  “You wouldn’t really hurt him, would you?”

  “I’m a professional. Physical confrontation means I’ve exhausted all other options.”

  Bonnie sighed. “I’m just so tired of having to keep watch every moment, you know?”

  He was silent for a moment. “I’ll keep watch tonight.”

  At a few minutes past midnight, a text came across on Bonnie’s cell phone.

  Bellini, Kentucky, again.

  Situation under control. Sleep well.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning, Kayla’s attitude hadn’t improved. She didn’t speak, didn’t eat breakfast, and went and sat in Bonnie’s car fifteen minutes before they usually left for school.

  Andy stood at the kitchen door and looked out of the window at the car parked in the carport. “How come she’s just sitting there?”

  “She’s waiting for all of us to get in the car and go to school.”

  He bit his Pop-Tart as he watched her. “You can forget me ever getting a girlfriend if they make you want to go to school,” Andy declared.

  Curtis came over and stood next to his brother. He waved to his sister.

  Andy laughed and turned to Bonnie. “She just put the sun cover on the windshield.”

  “Boys, get away from the window and finish getting ready.” Bonnie knew the ride was going to be tense enough without Kayla’s brothers irritating her more than she was already.

  When they settled in the car, Bonnie removed the sun shield without comment. She drove to the elementary school to drop the boys off. A light mist of rain began to fall.

  “Bye, Mom,” Andrew said as he climbed out of the car.

  “Put your hood on, honey. It’s raining. Love you, Andy. Have a good day.”

  Curtis unclicked his seatbelt but didn’t move. Bonnie watched him in her rearview mirror. His gaze rested on the back of his sister’s head.

  “Hope you have a good day, Kayla,” he said.

  She didn’t answer.

  Bonnie turned in her seat. “That’s sweet, Curtis. I’m sure Kayla appreciates it. Go on and get inside, okay?”

  His head dropped a little. “Okay, Mom.”

  “I love you. Have a good day. See you tonight.”

  He slide across the seat. “Love you, too, Mom. Love you, Kayla.”

  No response from his sister. He closed the door and walked toward the building dragging his backpack along the walkway. Bonnie resisted the urge to roll the window down and tell him to put it on before it got wet. A teacher who stood near the door motioned to him and spoke. She must have said what Bonnie had been thinking because Curtis picked up the backpack.

  Bonnie shifted the car into drive, checked over her shoulder, and pulled into traffic. “You know, Kayla. I know you’re angry and upset, but I wish you would not take it out on your brothers. They don’t have anything to do with this.”

  “Yeah? They didn’t have you sleeping in their room on the floor.”

  “I just wanted to be sure you were okay.”

  “I’m not okay. I need privacy. Why can’t you give me my space?”

  “Because you’re not making good choices right now.”

  “Why don’t you call the cops again. Have me arrested.”

  “I could have had you arrested yesterday, but I didn’t.”

  “What do you want? A medal? I’ll nominate you for mother of the year for taking away my phone, not letting me see my boyfriend, and invading my privacy.”

  “You’re having sex with him, aren’t you?”

  “That’s none of your business!”

  “Yes, it is. I’m your mother, and you are too young to be dating Rex, and you’re definitely too young to be having sex. Is he using condoms, at least?”

  “Quit trying to act like you know what’s going on, Mom. Things aren’t like they were when you were my age.”

  “Yeah, back when I was your age, it was a disgrace to get pregnant in your teens. People actually got married before they had kids. What a horrible practice.”

  “I’m not pregnant! But the way you talk, you want me to be.”

  “I don’t want you to be. Girls who have babies in their teens have—”

  “Would you spare me the lecture just
once? I heard it all yesterday from the cop.” Her voice had softened. If she were still yelling, Bonnie wouldn’t have felt so uneasy as she pulled the car into the driveway of the high school. “Maybe I should start riding the bus.”

  Bonnie didn’t reply, although several comebacks flew through her mind. All of them adding pressure and heat to the simmering volcano between mother and daughter.

  Bonnie drove the path toward the entrance. Her foot pressed the brake when the car arrived at the portico.

  “I hope you have a good day. I love you, Kayla.”

  Her daughter left the car without a word.

  Bonnie arrived at work, her thoughts still swirling with what to do about Kayla. This wasn’t going to end well, and no matter what, Bonnie seemed powerless to stop it.

  When she walked by Charles Brewer’s office, he called her inside. He leaned back against his desk with his arms crossed.

  “What’s wrong?” She asked.

  “Field assignment.” He picked up a folder and handed it to her. “Vivian says there’s a car waiting for you at the east entrance.”

  “A car? Why can’t I drive myself?”

  He shrugged.

  “How long will I be gone? I’ve got kids to pick up at five. Maybe sooner.”

  He shrugged again.

  Bonnie opened the folder.

  Benjamin and Associates, Bellini, Kentucky. “Okay. Thanks, Mr. Brewer.”

  Bonnie turned and walked out of his office, taking her cell phone and calling the number that Brandt had called and texted her from yesterday.

  “Good morning. How’s Mama doing today?”

  Brandt’s question caused Bonnie’s skin to tingle. For the first time since she awoke, the burden of motherhood lightened. “Apparently, I’m going to be nominated for mother of the year, but I think she was being sarcastic when she said it.”

  “Teenagers do sarcasm well, don’t they?”

  “Masters of it. You know why I’m calling, right?”

  “Tell me.”

  “Vivian is sending me to Bellini, Kentucky, today. At your request, I’m sure.”

  “I’m sure, although you’re handling the assignment better than I anticipated.”

  “You kept that hoodlum out of my house last night. I owe you. I need to be back by four o’clock. Can you make sure that happens?”

  “We’ll have to cross state lines.”

  “You said it was in Kentucky.”

  “Yeah, but the closest airport is in Ohio. Flying is the fastest way there and back. If you agree to fly, I can have you back by four.”

  Bonnie had been walking to elevator. She paused midstride.

  “Bonnie?” Brandt asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Will you trust me to make sure the mother of your children arrives back safely today at the appointed time?”

  Don’t do it. A voice cautioned her. He’s shown himself to be a liar.

  But my daughter slept in her bedroom last night without anyone bothering her except me.

  “Okay.”

  ****

  “Ready?”

  Brandt sat back on a leather seat in the back of a small, but plush airplane. Bonnie had plowed him with questions about whose it was. Not his. How he was able to borrow it and a pilot at a moment’s notice. Favor from a friend. If he had planned for them to fly all along. Yes, but plan B had been to drive the Spyder if she wasn’t willing to cross the ten miles into Ohio.

  Bonnie felt the vibrations of the plane’s engine through the seat. The plane taxied down the runway and was soon in the air. Bonnie watched out the window at the overcast sky and the rain hitting the port window. She craned her head, looking down for the Ohio River or any other landmark, but the clouds occluded everything.

  “You’re very clever. Now I have no way of knowing if we are still in Kentucky or where Bellini is.”

  Brandt smiled. “It’s all about keeping to your timeline. Ninja swear.” He held up his hand in what might have been a pledge.

  “What happened last night?” Bonnie had wondered since his text to her shortly after midnight.

  “A boy approached the house. I discouraged him from entering, and he left.”

  “Discouraged how?”

  “Well, the thing about ninja work is you want to intercede without being detected. If it appeared to this kid that the bushes underneath your daughter’s window tripped him and he got tangled up in their branches, then that’s what happened. If then, on his second attempt, he thought a neighborhood dog might have come by and threatened him so that he ran away, then got picked up by a police cruiser, well, that was fortunate timing.”

  Bonnie pumped her fist in celebration. “Yes! Now, there’s a police report of him in the vicinity. That’s wonderful.”

  Brandt nodded. “They didn’t keep him, but they did make a report, and he didn’t attempt it again.”

  “Did you watch the house all night?”

  “I told you I would keep watch last night. I stayed until dawn, the end of my shift.”

  “You’ve been up all night?”

  “Comes with the territory. Ninjas tend to function best at night. Darkness is our ally.”

  “I stayed in her room all night. I didn’t hear anything.”

  “Not even a seventeen-year-old whimpering at the growls of a canine?”

  Bonnie laughed. “I could kiss you.”

  Brandt’s head crooked as he studied her, his eyes darkened a shade. “All right.”

  The unexpected comment caused her heart to skitter. He was kidding, right? She shook her head, and his hand reached over toward hers. With one finger, he trailed a line from her fingertip of her middle finger to her wrist. Then he nudged her hand over his and held it. In a fluid movement, he slid from the chair beside her and knelt in front of her.

  “I didn’t mean that I would…ummm,” Bonnie whispered, then lost what she was about to say when he brought her fingers to his lips and kissed the end of each one.

  “So you mean that you wouldn’t?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Could you, would you on a plane? In the air, In the rain?” His eyes were mesmerizing. Bonnie closed her own attempting to break the spell. She pulled her hand away.

  “You’re not serious.” Finding some sanity, she opened her eyes and glared at him. “What is this? You’re trying to seduce me with Dr. Seuss?”

  “You’re a mom. I’m trying to appeal to you on a level you can relate to.”

  Bonnie gave him her best Mom-means-business look.

  “All right, how about this?” He pursed his lips and began to whistle a tune.

  My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.

  In spite of herself, she smiled, but the exasperation hadn’t left her. “Clever, but it’s not going to work.”

  “I have never known a woman to play so hard to get.”

  “I’m not playing at all. Don’t you know that yet?”

  “So, I keep hearing.” He sat back on his haunches.

  “I’m too old for this, Brandt.”

  “You’re not too old. You’re just afraid.”

  “Maybe so.” She looked out the window. “I’ve got responsibilities. Kids.”

  “A mortgage.”

  “Yes. I live in the real world. I have to be a grown up.”

  “What if for a couple of hours you just…not be a grown up. Play a little bit. Have a little bit of fun.”

  “With you.”

  “Yes, with me.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve never been good at being whimsical. You’ll have your fun, make me fall in love with you, then stomp all over my heart, and disappear into the night. I want someone who wants to settle down with me. Be a dad to my kids. Will help me clean up the kitchen and cuddle with me at night.” She looked down at him. “Isn’t that disgusting?”

  “Yes. Really disgusting.” He reached forward and ran his fingers along her legs, tucking his fingers under knees. “It will be hard to be a dad to your ki
ds when you haven’t let me meet them.” He tugged.

  “Have you even been around kids? What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

  “I’m going to pull you on my lap, so you can disgust me some more with your domestic fantasies.”

  “I’m not having sex with you, and I don’t want to be part of the Mile High Club.”

  Brandt laughed. “Who said anything about the Mile High Club? You offered to kiss me in gratitude for my night watch, and I accepted.”

  “Fine.” She slid forward, settling her legs on either side of him, and saw the tactical mistake immediately. He was all muscle in his perfectly fitted suit, his scent nudging at her senses, dosing her with his ninja Zen. She wavered for a moment, considering his lips curving in a relaxed smile, strong jaw, and the sparkle in his eyes, before shoring up her resolve.

  “Lay one on me. Worthy of a night of no sleep.”

  Bonnie tilted forward and pecked his cheek. Then leaned back and smiled at him. “How’s that?”

  “Lips.”

  “No.”

  “Come on. Reach back into that Mommy brain of yours and find your whimsy. I know it’s in there.”

  She shook her head. “Not there.” She was lying. The urge to be playful unfurled, nipped at her like a puppy. She focused on his short hair, and reached her fingers up, feeling it against his scalp. “How’d you get your hair to grow out so quick after pilfering through my trash?”

  “That’s my fake bald cap. Impressed?”

  “Yeah.”

  “When it’s daytime, I have to work harder to hide.”

  “You didn’t do it very well. I noticed you immediately.”

  Something sparked in his eyes. “That’s what I like about you. You see me. You’re the only person who has ever found me. You’re the only person who has noticed me when I’ve been working. I thought I was losing my touch, but it’s not me. It’s you.”

  “It wasn’t that hard,” she insisted. Her fingers ran along his hairline behind his ears and to the nape of his neck.