But in her head, she worried there might not be any turning back.
When Cheryl returned to work the next day, her boss explained that Hank had met with the grand jury, and they indicted the second-in-command boss.
“You can begin the motion and hearing phase. Let’s get it done as quickly as possible. The sooner we bring this guy to trial, the better.” Putnam walked to her door and turned to face her. “And you aren’t doing another case, against this gang, for a long time. He walked out, closing the door before she had a chance to reply.
To be honest, I’m glad he made the decision. These cases have been particularly wearing, and I’ve probably pushed my luck enough with them. There’ll be other cases I can handle. Heath may not be around to help me next time, especially if he retires.
She sat at her desk and stared at the pile of folders stacked on it. “I’d better get to work.” But for a minute, she stared out the window at the blue sky.
For the first time in my life, I’d rather be somewhere else.
Two Months Later
Cheryl checked the courtroom. The defense attorney was late. Judge Hayes would not be happy.
She thought of Heath as the courtroom filled. Every day she was in court, Heath or one of his team had sat in the courtroom until they left on a mission.
Since then, she’d seen a tall, strong man sitting midway down in the end aisle seat. Usually, the same one for two or three days, and then another one would take his place. Heath had told her a team just back from a mission had agreed to take his place. She wasn’t certain how they knew when she’d be in court, but suspected her boss kept them informed.
Heath had been away for three weeks. She missed him. After the first time they’d made love, she had moved into his room. Why not enjoy the benefits of having such a handsome, sexy husband while it lasted?
I’m lying to myself. Every time we are together, I fall more in love with him. What am I going to do when he comes home, and this trial ends?
They’d argued about her moving to the base housing while he was gone, but she finally relented. She hated to admit it, but she did feel safer.
As Cheryl had expected, Judge Hayes snapped at the defense attorney for holding up the court.
“I want this case finished. We will meet every day this next two weeks and get this part finished. The trial will start no later than one month from now.”
“Your Honor,” the defense attorney said. “This does not give me time to prepare a proper defense for my client.”
“Then it’s your fault for stalling. You’ve been late twice.”
“I explained the first time and will be glad to meet with you in your chambers and tell you what happened to hold me up today.”
“No more excuses. At this rate, I’ll be ninety before this is over.” Judge Hayes pounded his gavel hard.
Cheryl bit her lip to keep from smiling. She looked down and shuffled some papers.
“Are you ready, Miss… Oh, I forgot you got married. Are you ready, Mrs. Kenyon?”
“I am, Your Honor.”
“Good. Let’s begin.”
The hearing proceeded as usual until near the end. Suddenly, they heard shots.
“What the hell,” the Judge said as two men rushed inside the courtroom from the left side door.
The spectators screamed and shouted as each man shot one of the guards. The shorter gunman watched for any movement from the wounded guards, while the taller and more menacing intruder rushed toward Cheryl.
She turned and ran as two more shots rang out. She needn’t have worried. The Navy SEAL shot both of the intruders in rapid succession. When one of the assailants tried to raise his gun again, the SEAL shot his hand.
Cheryl glanced at Lucas Zaiden. He was watching her with an evil smile, and he mouthed the words, ‘until next time.’ His attorney saw what he was doing and dragged him toward an exit.
“If either of you tries anything else, my next shot will be to the heart,” the Navy SEAL said.
The courtroom had emptied, and more of the courthouse guards ran in. Two of them yelled, “Drop your gun,” to the SEAL.
“He saved us, you idiots,” Judge Hayes said from where he was getting up from hiding under his desk. “What the hell just happened? And who are you,” the old man demanded, looking at Cheryl’s protector. “Not to say I’m not glad you were here, but I’m surprised you got in with a gun.”
The guards hurried to do what they could for the wounded until the ambulance arrived. Cheryl found herself shaking. She sat and looked at the Judge just as the doors to the courtroom opened.
“May I request, Judge Hayes, that we take this to your office and let the medics, who have just arrived, take care of our wounded guards?”
He huffed in annoyance but relented. “You’re right. I suppose we’ll be safer and more comfortable in my chambers.”
Cheryl wanted to laugh but didn’t. It was the first time the Judge had ever admitted she was right. The SEAL walked over to her.
“I’m Alec Galen. Your husband and I are friends. I agreed to watch out for you. In fact, the whole team is his friend, so we’ve been taking turns, as you may have noticed.”
“I did, and I don’t know how I can ever thank you. Why didn’t those men shoot me first?”
“I expect they wanted to take you as a prisoner.”
Judge Hayes had run out of patience. “Come on, everyone, into my chambers.” He led the way down the hall.
Alec excused himself. “I’ll be there after I report what happened, to my Captain,” he explained to the Judge.
“Go ahead. Join us as soon as you can.”
Alec walked to the end of the hall before pulling out his cell. Then he punched his rapid dial.
“Hello, Captain Buchanan.”
“It happened. Two men stormed into the courtroom, wounded the guards and tried to grab Heath’s wife. I shot them, but they’ll live to stand trial.”
“Good. I received some information from our SEALs overseas. I had Shadow return to the base, and he’s embedded him in the group that’s after Cheryl. There are some suspicions about this group and the other one working together.”
“How much do I tell the Judge?”
“Say her husband feared the gang might try to get back at his wife for the previous trial, and for her work on this case. Keep it as simple as possible.”
“Will do.”
Alec knocked on the door and heard the Judge say to come in. Two armed guards were inside.
The Judge stood. “I’d like to shake your hand. I’m impressed with the way you handled matters. You saved all our lives. The first guard is more badly injured, but I had a call, and they’re both expected to live. I’m glad you didn’t kill the thugs. Now we can put them behind bars, too.”
“No thanks needed. It’s my job. Mrs. Kenyon’s husband is a good friend of my teammates and me. While he’s gone, we’ve been watching over her.”
Judge Hayes turned his head toward Cheryl. “See what I mean? A woman needs a good, strong man. You did very well to marry that Navy man.”
“Thank you. I think I did, too.”
He looked shocked that she had agreed with him. “From now on we’ll have all the doors guarded by two men and have four in the courtroom.”
“It doesn’t hurt to be careful, but I’m taking Mrs. Kenyon back to the base until we figure out how they got through those doors. Someone had to let them into the courthouse with their guns.”
Judge Hayes sat up straight and puffed his chest out. “Are you insinuating that one of our own helped them?”
“Yes, sir, I am. I have no doubt. They had inside help.”
The Judge snapped at Alec. “I find that hard to believe.”
Cheryl watched the Judge’s face. He’d paled. I wonder why? He can’t be involved. But she glanced at Alec and saw him staring hard at the older man.
“Right now, I need to take Mrs. Kenyon to the Navy base. So, if you will excuse us…” He nodded to th
e Judge.
“Might as well. I’m going home myself. My old body has been shaken up. I need to rest. There won’t be any hearings until next week at the earliest.”
“Thank you, Judge,” Cheryl said. Alec walked to her side.
“May I assist you? I saw you shaking earlier.”
“I’m not feeling as weak as before. But perhaps if you’d walk by my side. Just in case I embarrass myself, and my knees buckle.”
“No problem. I’d be glad to.”
Chapter 12
Cheryl’s shoulders didn’t relax until they were on the base. She looked around and asked Alec, “Are you taking me somewhere besides my temporary home?”
“Yes, ma’am. Captain Buchanan wishes to speak with you.”
“Heath isn’t hurt, is he?” Her heart jumped into her throat, and she gasped, fearing to hear the worst.
“No, no, I’m sorry I frightened you. It’s about today, not Heath.”
She took a deep breath and unclenched her hands. “My nerves are on edge. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I wish I’d worded it better.” He smiled at her. “We all respect and like your husband. I’d be upset too if he were hurt. Did he tell you he was on our team before going to Jackson’s?”
“He mentioned it before he left. He told me not to worry, you all would keep me safe.” Cheryl reached over and touched Alec’s arm. “And you did. Thank you so much.”
“Glad I was there.” He turned into a parking lot in front of a long building and then got out and went around the car to open her door.
Captain Buchanan stood in the large entry room. He came right over and took her hand. “Are you, all right?”
“Thanks to Alec, yes. A bit shaky is all.”
“Most women would have fainted. Alec said you turned and ran.”
“I did. Since the armed men didn’t shoot me right off, I was afraid, as Alec confirmed, that they wanted me as a prisoner.”
“Thanks, Senior Petty Officer, Galen. I’ll take Mrs. Kenyon to my office. You can join your team. I’ll call you to take her to her house after we finish talking.”
They saluted, and Alec waved at Cheryl as he walked going out the door.
“He was wonderful today. Fast and efficient and he saved the guards’ lives as well as mine.”
“All of our men are well-trained.” He opened a door at the end. “Come in and have a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee? I have my own coffee pot, so it’s not as bad as the coffee out in the main area.”
“If my hands don’t shake too much, I’d like a cup.”
“Sugar?”
“Yes, and today I’ll have two teaspoons.”
The Captain laughed. He fixed Cheryl’s cup and handed it to her. Then he poured himself a cup before sitting across from Cheryl.
“I have something I need to tell you. You can’t tell anyone, not the wives, no other military man, no one. Can I trust you? It’s unusual that I find myself in these circumstances.”
“I promise I won’t say a word to anyone.”
“How do you like your new pet?” he asked changing the subject.
“Heath surprised me when he brought the black Lab home just before he left. I’ve never had a dog, but I love him. Zane’s so responsive to me, and he gets in front of me if I’m talking to someone. I feel protected.”
“Had you thought about taking him to court with you?”
“I did, but I knew the judge I have in this case would tell me to get him out of there.”
“I see.”
“And I recognized the men who were sent to protect me. Once you’ve seen a SEAL, it’s easier to spot one. They all sat straight, alert, and never took their eyes off the front of the courtroom. Which also helped me know I was safe.”
“Well, I’m going to trust you with our plans. Jackson’s group has found out some interesting information while waiting for orders to take down their target.” He leaned forward. “We think the gang you’re dealing with may be doing more than just the ordinary racketeering and stealing identities.
“I’ve had Shadow return. He’s working undercover with the ones after you. With his long hair and a few temporary tattoos, he was able to infiltrate the group and get them to accept him.
“I expect the rest of our guys to be back soon. But first, they must finish their mission and round up the men at their headquarters located deep in the forest. We’ve been trying to find them and had more luck this time.
“If this gang is involved, as we think, with the overseas group, then both raids will be done simultaneously. Just in different places. We want you to stay here and be safe. Once it’s over, Blaze will take you home and life ought to be less complicated.”
“Wow. You’re going to get the bad guys all at once. I applaud you and your men. I’ll stay here on the base. Don’t worry about me, especially since I have Zane.”
“Fine. Blaze said you were stubborn, but that wasn’t difficult at all,” the Captain said.
“My stubbornness has been scared out of me. At least for now.”
“I’ll call Alec and have him take you to your base house.”
Once Alec came and left with her, Buchanan punched in Shadow’s number.
“Bruno here,” Shadow answered in the name they’d given him for this mission.
“Can you talk?”
“Honey, I’ve told you not to call me. I know, I miss you, too. I’ll head outside. We can talk for a few minutes.”
The two men standing by Shadow laughed. “Is your nose tied to a woman, Bruno?” the short, husky guy asked.
“Naw, but she’s a good piece of ass.” Shadow groaned inwardly. He hated the language necessary to keep these creeps believing in his disguise.
Once outside, he strolled to the corner. “Sorry about the language, Captain.”
“You sound very realistic. If you find out if this gang is in the middle of a sex trade deal, then find out where the women are held and let me know. I’ll need to notify the FBI of our plans as soon as we know our suspicions are correct. If all right with them, we’ll plan to coordinate both attacks here and abroad.
“Wolf and Alec’s teams will head to wherever the women are, but they’ll stay far enough away to be out of sight until the action starts.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We’ll need to strike at the same time. These guys are getting antsy. Tonight, I’m hoping to find out what they are up to.”
“Did you get the tracker from Tex put into your shoe?”
“Just before I joined the gang.”
“Good. In case you don’t have a chance to call, we’ll be watching the tracker closely. Be careful, Shadow. This group isn’t going down easily or quietly.”
“Okay, honey. No more calls. I’ll call you in a few days.” Shadow heard his boss chuckle as he clicked off his cell.
Murphy, the tall, thin gang member who had taken over being in charge, frowned at him. “No more calls until we get this next job finished. The guys have brought the last three pieces of the load. I’m ready to send two guys with the last cargo to the boatyard.” He walked Shadow back inside the dimly lit building.
“Is the cargo being shipped out soon?”
“Yes. I heard from the main boss. He wants the inventory sent out tomorrow morning. He said if anyone’s trying to catch us, they’ll be watching more closely after dark.”
“Smart thinking.”
“He ought to be. He’s a higher up in San Diego’s elite.”
“Wow. That guy must be rich.”
“Yeah, because of us.” Shadow glanced around the building. In the darker end, he saw three women huddled together. Two of them shook with fear. The third looked defiantly at her captors and said a few words no lady would normally use.
Shadow grinned. “That one has a mouth.”
“She’ll be taught better before being put up for sale. Or we might find a buyer who’d rather do the lessons himself,” Murphy said and gave the woman an evil smile.
Shadow’s ne
rves tightened. He held himself stiffly. He longed to teach Murphy a few hurtful lessons. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm himself.
When he glanced at the feisty woman, she was studying him. He almost tossed the lunch he’d had at the thought of what would happen to her if their plan didn’t work.
“I think she likes you,” Murphy drawled. “Want to have her for the night? We need two guards to stay and protect the container full of women. Whoever does can have his pick.”
Shadow gave her a once over and jumped back theatrically when she spit in his direction. “Oh, yes. I’d enjoy taming that hothead,” Shadow said.
“All right, go with Otto to the pier. You two will load the women into the container, and you can take turns going inside after dark.” Murphy shrugged. “I’ll tell Otto the feisty one is yours.”
“Thanks. Sounds like fun.” Now how in the hell am I going to get in touch with Captain Buchanan and stop Otto from raping any of the other women? I’ll look for a chance to create a diversion. Hopefully, they won’t decide to leave more of us.
Cheryl fed Zane and tried to relax watching her favorite show. It wasn’t working. When her cell phone rang, she jumped. She ran to where she’d left it on the dining room table.
“Hello,” she spoke loud when she heard static. “Who is this?”
“Heath or Blaze, if you prefer.”
“Heath! I didn’t know you’d be home yet.”
“I’m not. I’m trying to talk the boss into letting me come back sooner. I haven’t succeeded, but he let me call. He explained you’d had a bad day. It won’t be long before this is all over. Can’t wait to see you and Zane. How’s he doing?”
“Great. Zane follows me everywhere and sleeps by the bed.”
“Good. I must hang up, honey. Keep locked up safe.”
“I will, and you be careful.” A dial tone buzzed in her ear. She glanced down at Zane. “The call was too short but better than nothing, and he asked about you,” she said, leaning down to rub Zane’s head. The Labrador ran in circles for a moment. “I do believe you understand me.”
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