“That son of a bitch,” Jerry exclaimed.
“Is there anything I can do?” Bradshah asked.
Aidan shook her head. “Thank you, sir, but I rather not give him an opportunity to try and tarnish the agency’s good name, too. I’d resign first.”
“I like your loyalty, Cassidy,” Bradshah said. “But if you change your mind, let me know. This agency is a lot tougher than Harold Cassidy.”
“I hope you never have to prove that, sir,” Aidan said, shaking his hand.
Chapter Five
“Hi, Yvonne, is Vicky in?” Aidan asked, strolling up to Yvonne’s desk.
“No, she’s in a meeting in the conference room, but she should be out in a few minutes, if you’d like to wait in her office.”
“I think I’d rather be out here where I can see the traffic coming and going,” Aidan replied.
“You seem pretty anxious for someone who just came back from her honeymoon. Was it that bad over there?” Yvonne asked.
“No, not at all,” Aidan responded. “It’s that bad here. It feels like things are speeding up and someone else is steering the car.”
“Interesting analogy. So, you’re not sure whether they’ll turn left or right?”
“Or whether they’ll plow into a brick wall.”
Yvonne gasped. “Aidan, you think Vicky is in danger again, don’t you?”
Aidan nodded, not taking her eyes off of the conference room door. “I do. Harold is certifiable, and I don’t know what he’ll do next. I have to be ready for him.”
The admin front door suddenly opened and Aidan instinctively put her hand on her pistol.
“Hey, Sam. Good to see you, too,” Aidan said, relaxing.
`“So, how was the honeymoon?” Samantha asked snidely.
Aidan didn’t want to hurt her feelings, knowing that Samantha was still upset over their breakup a few months ago. Samantha Jane Vincent, a Staff Sergeant in the Army, with thick blond hair, blue eyes, and sharp cheeks, wasn’t really in love with Aidan, but it was easier to carry a grudge than admit to that. Aidan thought her attitude was improving.
“Uh, it was great,” Aidan replied.
“Did you need something, Samantha?” Yvonne asked, much to Aidan’s relief.
Yvonne didn’t like Samantha. She knew what Samantha had been through – held hostage in Syria, giving birth in the desert while being hunted by ruthless locals – and had sympathy for her. Yvonne just didn’t like being around negative people, no matter the cause. Vicky, for all she had been through, which in a way, was very similar to Samantha’s life, chose to find the positive things in life and embrace them. Using that attitude, Vicky had managed to move past her pain, and become a well-respected, wealthy member of society. Life is a choice, and how you choose to live it is also a choice. Yvonne didn’t think that Samantha was making the right choices.
“Yeah, I was looking for Dakota,” Samantha said. “She’s not in her office and I thought maybe she was in here.”
“She’s in a meeting, but should be out in a few minutes, if you’d like to wait over there?” Yvonne pointed to the settee in the reception area of the admin suite.
Samantha shook her head. “No, that’s all right. I’ll catch up with her later.”
Samantha didn’t really need anything from Dakota, per se. She just liked to look at her before she started her day. Dakota was Native American, with high cheek bones, long, silky black hair, and large, round chocolate eyes. In a word, gorgeous. Samantha volunteered at the hospital as a way to appease the Army shrink, which in her case, was also the hospital’s chief psychologist. And she found that she enjoyed volunteering, except for the pink jacket she was forced to wear. Seeing Dakota first thing every day had become a sort of ritual, but in reality, it was Samantha’s way of calming herself for the day ahead. After watching her ex-fiancé leave on what should have been her own honeymoon, it was one sweet look from Dakota that soothed her anger, and filled her empty heart.
Dakota had set the boundaries early on, and that had been okay with Samantha. She wasn’t looking for love, at least that’s what she told herself. She knew that she wasn’t capable of it yet. But having a friend who was willing to support her through her struggles, meant everything to Samantha. Dakota’s friendship enabled Samantha to think about someone besides herself.
“Oh, here they come now,” Yvonne stated, pointing at the conference room door opening up.
Aidan’s heart swelled with happiness and pride when she saw Vicky walking toward her with a smile on her face. That’s my woman.
“Hey, kid. How was your meeting?” Aidan asked, following Vicky into her office and shutting the door.
“Unproductive, which is the worst kind,” Vicky replied, and then kissed Aidan on the lips.
“Well, I could say the same about that kiss,” Aidan teased.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just a bit distracted these days, I guess.”
“It’s because of Harold’s subpoena, isn’t it?” Aidan questioned.
“Can I lie and say it isn’t?” Vicky quipped.
“You’ve never lied to me before, don’t let Harold change that.”
Vicky shook her head. “In the immortal words of my lover and wife, “Oh, hell no!”
Aidan laughed heartedly. “That’s my girl.”
“I did call our lawyer,” Vicky added.
“I know, I was a jerk to her earlier, remember?”
“No, that was the health system attorney. I called my personal attorney to make sure that you had representation.”
“Vic, you shouldn’t be worrying about that. I told you, Harold’s just trying to distract us.”
“But to what end, Aidan? We’re not the ones on trial, he is.”
“Yes, but we’ve been called as witnesses, and if we are distracted on the stand, it helps him look better.”
Vicky shivered at the thought of being on the stand, watching him watch her.
“Hey, look at me, kid,” Aidan said, rubbing Vicky’s arm.
Vicky looked up at Aidan.
“I promise you, baby, Harold will never hurt you again. You can face him in court, and do you know why?”
Vicky shook her head.
“Because he is not your future. I am. And together we’ll get past this, and we’ll buy a home and raise a family, and through it all, you will be safe, I will make sure of it.”
Vicky’s eyes glinted through her tears. She shook her head. “I’m not afraid, honey. Well, not much, anyway. But you’re right. You are my future, and I won’t let anything get in the way of that.”
“Promise?” Aidan asked.
“With all my heart,” Vicky promised.
“Good, then I imagine you have a million other things to be distracted with, right?”
“Oh, yes. Which reminds me, I’ll be working late tonight. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Can you grab yourself something to eat on the way home?”
“I’m not going home. I haven’t had a chance to tell you, I’m all yours until after the trial. Bradshah said I had some time coming because of being on the job in Ireland.”
“Oh, Aidan. That’s wonderful.”
“So you won’t mind me being underfoot for a while?”
“Mind?” Vicky walked over to the door and locked it. “Of course I don’t mind,” she said as she walked over to the windows and closed the blinds. “I have thirty minutes until my next meeting and the fuse is lit. Would you mind putting it out for me?”
“Me, mind? Ah, hell no!” Aidan smirked, as she pulled off Vicky’s blazer, and hurriedly unbuttoned her blouse.
*
Yvonne heard someone walk in and she looked up from her computer. “Jerry? What are you doing here?”
“Can’t a fella just come by and bring his girl some flowers?” Jerry asked, pulling his hand from behind his back. He handed Yvonne a small rose bud.
“That is so sweet of you, thank you,” Yvonne said, taking the rose and smelling it.
“Just don’t tell Vicky that I stole it from the bush out front.”
Yvonne laughed. “Okay, bandito, why are you really here?”
“I need to see Aidan. I know she’s on leave again, but I’ve finally gotten a break in the case we were working on.”
“Oh, dear. Well, they are, um, busy at the moment, so why don’t you pull up a chair and visit with me?”
Jerry shook his head. “Busy?”
“Yes, busy.”
“Oh,” Jerry mumbled. “Oh…. busy. Okay, I’ll just pull up a chair then.”
Yvonne laughed at his antics as he brought a chair over and sat down beside her. “So, how is your mother? And when is she going back home?”
Now it was Jerry’s turn to laugh. “She’s fine, and soon, I hope.”
Not soon enough for me. Yvonne thought. “Oh, by the way, we’ve been invited to a party at Vicky and Aidan’s this Friday night, so don’t make any plans, okay?”
“Barely engaged and already bossing me around,” Jerry teased.
“Oh, my goodness. You’re right. I’m so sorry. That was presumptuous of me,” Yvonne groveled.
“No, I was kidding, Y. I like that you feel comfortable enough to tell me what you want to do.”
“Well, in ten years I’ll remind you that you said that,” Yvonne cautioned him.
Jerry laughed. “I look forward to it.”
“Oh, and Vicky said to bring along your mother.”
“Okay, now you’re just being mean,” Jerry joked.
“It might be good for her to meet your friends. Maybe she’d learn to appreciate what you do if she and Aidan talked some.”
“True, she won’t be able to bully Aidan. Aidan will be polite, but she won’t put up with mother’s bullshit for long. You’re like Aidan in that way.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Absolutely. I like strong women, but not to my mother’s extent. Just because she’s worth millions doesn’t give her the right to dictate people’s lives. Especially ours.”
“I still think you should reconsider about the money, Jerry. I don’t want you to regret it when we’re old and gray and can’t afford a new pair of dentures.”
Jerry slapped his knee. “You are too funny. But don’t worry, I heard that sex was better without your teeth in.”
“Who’s having sex without their teeth in?” Aidan asked as she came out of Vicky’s office tucking her shirt in.
“Hopefully, not anyone in this room,” Yvonne replied.
Jerry jumped up from his chair. “Hey, Sarge, got a minute?”
“Give me just one second… Yvonne, can I get a print out of Vicky’s schedule, please?”
Yvonne nodded. “No problem. Do you want it daily, like the last time?”
“Yes, thanks. Oh, and would you email Paul Stewart, head of security, and let him know that I’m on the premises for a couple of weeks, and am carrying my weapon? I don’t want his security officers freaking out on me.”
“Smart move,” Yvonne said, pulling up her email.
“Oh, and let him know that I’ll come visit with him as soon as I can,” Aidan added. “Thanks, Yvonne.”
“Happy to help,” Yvonne responded.
Aidan turned to Jerry. “Let’s sit in the foyer so we don’t disturb your fiancée.”
“But I like disturbing her?” Jerry joked as they walked into the foyer.
*
Just as Vicky walked out of the bathroom, her cellphone rang. The caller ID told her it was her best friend, Joyce, calling from New York.
“Joyce, I’m so glad you called!” Vicky proclaimed before Joyce could get a word out. “How are your eyes? How’s Ellen? Are you both all right?”
“My beautiful wife has a bad case of cabin fever, but other than that, she’s doing fine. And my eyes are great, no problems. They finally let me back in the operating room today, and it was amazing, simply amazing. Even though I can see again, I could still hear things no one else could, and smell things that I had never smelt before.”
“Have you forgiven me for being the reason you went blind in the first place?” Vicky asked. She knew Joyce didn’t blame her, but she wanted her to know she felt a little bit guilty over it.
“Now why in the hell do I need to forgive you for something completely out of your control? You didn’t send a tornado to wreak havoc on Little Rock. Unless you’re that bitch, Mother Nature? I will never forgive her.”
“At least she waited until after my wedding,” Vicky said. “I’m just so sorry you caught a virus in your eyes simply because you were noble enough to help with the tornado victims.”
“Nothing noble about helping in a time of crisis. And you’re right, at least I got to see you get married first, and I’m very glad of that.”
“Me too!” Vicky exclaimed. “And poor Ellen. She managed to escape the tornado down here only to be hit by a drunk driver in New York.”
“I tell you what, Vicky, it was the worst day of my life. Worse than going blind even.”
“Really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?”
Joyce chuckled. “An understatement if ever there was one. So listen, I called to say thank you for the invitation to your party, but I’m not sure we’ll be able to make it.”
“Oh, I didn’t really expect you to fly down just for that. I know you’re both still recuperating,” Vicky said. “Besides, it’s just a party so I can hand out souvenirs all at one time. That and I needed a distraction from the upcoming trial a week from tomorrow.”
“Oh, shit. I forgot about that. Hold on a sec.”
Vicky could hear Joyce talking to someone, and imagined it was Ellen.
“Okay, Ellen and I will definitely be at your party then, because we also had planned to be there during the trial.”
“What? No. There’s no need for you to be there, Joyce. I have to testify, yes, but that takes what, an hour or two at the most?”
“You were willing to leave your honeymoon and fly to New York to take care of me. Of course I’ll be there to support you. Besides, I’m suddenly curious to see what you brought me from Ireland.”
“Oh, I think you’ll love it. Handmade and very sheik,” Vicky teased.
“A T-shirt with a leprechaun on the front?”
Vicky laughed. “No, my fashion sense is much more evolved than that.”
“Vicky, speaking of fashion, Ellen asked me to invite you and Aidan to fashion week in September.”
“Absolutely. Tell her that I would love to go! Oh, but um, Aidan would probably prefer something with sports in it.”
“No problem, the Yankees have home games that week and I have season tickets.”
Vicky laughed. “That’s why Ellen invited me, isn’t it?”
“Yep. She knows me too well,” Joyce replied.
*
Aidan and Jerry sat down in the small guest area in the admin offices.
“I’ve got Malachy’s statement and I thought you’d want to read it,” Jerry said, pulling out his mini-pad and handing it to her.
Aidan swiped through several screens and shook her head. “There’s not much here.”
“He didn’t really know much more than what he told you earlier,” Jerry explained.
Aidan looked at the mini-pad again. “There’s no names, no address, not even a damn phone number.”
“Malachy said he was blindfolded and didn’t know where they were at. For all he knows he could have been here in the city. They took his phone away from him and gave him a burner phone, then gave him a wad of money and sent him to Ireland to buy drugs. He was on the return trip when you intercepted him.”
Perturbed, Aidan asked, “They stripped him of anything that could tell him where he was and who he was with, is that it?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Jerry responded.
“Okay, so the most we got from the deal, was that they, whoever they are, are going to strike again, somewhere here in the city.”
“I’m pretty sur
e it’s the same group that tried to bomb the hospital,” Jerry expounded.
“I think so too. They seem to really want to make their claim here, in Arkansas. And I think I know why…” Aidan said, lost in thought.
“Uh, do you mind sharing it with the rest of the class?” Jerry asked.
“Yeah, well, I’m not sure how to say this without sounding completely narcissistic.”
“You’re the least narcissistic person I know, Sarge.”
“Thanks for that, but I think the reason they’re still targeting Arkansas is because of me.”
“Okay, yeah, that is pretty egotistical of you,” Jerry said.
Aidan laughed. “I told you so. And I’m probably just overthinking it.”
“Well, you have been a thorn in their side lately. You thwarted the first attack, killing their lead man. Then you caught a major player in Ireland, which I’m sure, pissed them off even more. So they’ve come back to Arkansas to what… let you know they’re not done yet?”
“I think that’s it exactly, Jerry. I think that this time, it’s about revenge. We caught a break the first time because they were sloppy. And in Ireland, I had the help of two governments, and a good deal of luck as well.”
“So, what’s their next move?”
Aidan shook her head. “No one knows and that makes them extremely dangerous.”
Chapter Six
Yvonne tapped on Vicky’s office door, and opened it when she heard, come in. “Vicky, Prosecuting Attorney Meghan Tisdale is here to see you.”
“Thank you, Yvonne,” Vicky said. “Please make sure we’re not disturbed.”
“Of course,” Yvonne replied and shut the door as she left.
“Can I get you a drink, Ms. Tisdale?” Vicky asked, walking over to the mini-fridge and pulling out a diet soda.
“Coffee, black, if you have some,” Meghan replied. She walked over to the small conference table and sat her portfolio down.
I Won't Remember You (Aidan & Vicky Book 6) Page 6
