by Rachel Dylan
Copyright
This ebook is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only.
This ebook may not be sold, shared, or given away.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Devoted Defender
Copyright © 2016 by Rachel Dylan
Ebook ISBN: 9781943772544
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
NYLA Publishing
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http://www.nyliterary.com
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:1
Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to the members of my wonderful street team for all of your support, encouragement, prayers, and feedback. It’s amazing to be on this journey with all of you.
I’d also like to thank Denise and Beth for your keen insights on this story.
As always, many thanks to my agent Sarah Younger and the Nancy Yost Literary Agency for your continued support.
Chapter One
Annie Thomas heard the sound of loud, male voices coming from the dining room of the Perry mansion. She’d left some recipe notes for a new soufflé in the kitchen yesterday. Even though she hadn’t wanted to go back to the house on her night off, now had seemed like the only good time to drop by and pick them up so she could experiment on the dessert. She had a key to the Perry mansion, and they trusted her to come and go as she pleased. Being the personal executive chef to one of the most elite families in Atlanta had some perks.
Mr. and Mrs. Perry were supposed to be out at a charity event for the evening. But it appeared she was mistaken. Her boss, Doc Perry, and another man whose voice she didn’t recognize were obviously arguing in the dining room. Something was wrong.
She paused, trying to determine what she should do. Move to another part of the house? Leave and go home? Call someone? Given her past, she couldn’t call the police. That much she was sure of.
As the voices got louder, she could hear clearly that there was a major disagreement brewing between the two men.
“We had a deal,” the deep male voice said. It was definitely not a member of the Perry family or their close friends. The Perrys did a lot of entertaining, but this wasn’t a familiar voice to her.
“Yes. But one made to be broken. That’s business,” Doc said. “Simple as that.”
Annie knew that Doc ran a highly successful business in addition to doing his philanthropic work. She couldn’t help herself and took another step closer to the dining room.
“Can I speak freely?” the man asked Doc.
“Yes. The staff has the night off and my wife is out at an event. So whatever you have to say, get it off your chest.”
“I don’t think you understand who you’re working with, Doc. No one breaks a deal with Tim Silva.”
What kind of deal could Doc have made with this guy Silva? She’d never heard the name before. A chill shot down her back. She resisted the urge to flee although she didn’t really know how much help she could be if a fight broke out between the two men.
“This is business. Tell Silva that it’s not personal, but I’m no longer satisfied with the arrangement. It served its purpose for a while, but I never agreed to take these latest shipments. It’s a change in the terms of what I was told to expect, so I’m ending things.”
Doc was the type of man who was used to giving orders and having people comply. She peeked around the corner into the dining room but didn’t recognize the man standing opposite to her boss. He wore a dark jacket with jeans and his blond hair was in a buzz cut. Given his size and build, he looked like he could’ve been a professional bodyguard. He towered over Doc.
“It’s a package deal when you work with Silva. You’re not done until he says you are. You understood that when you signed up, Doc. He gave you everything you needed. Now you need to help him.”
“That’s just not going to be possible. I’m walking away. As far as I’m concerned my relationship with Silva is over.”
The man took a step closer to Doc. “It’s not that simple.”
“Of course it is,” Doc shot back.
“Doc, the rumors aren’t that you’re looking to leave the business, but just the opposite. And what’s even more troubling is that you’re trying to move in on Silva’s business.”
“That’s absurd,” Doc answered quickly.
Too quickly. Annie had only known Doc Perry for six months, but it was evident to her that he was lying to the muscle-bound man. He looked the same way he did when he told Mrs. Perry that he hadn’t eaten bacon for breakfast when he actually had. It struck her that Doc was up to no good, which was totally out of character. But she didn’t know what she should do about it.
“You really expect me to believe you?” the man said. “I’m trying to give you an out here. Trying to help you. And you’re lying to me.”
“I told you. I’m done with Silva. That’s all you need to know.”
“I’m sorry, Doc. Are you certain that’s it? You’re finished?”
Doc nodded. “Yes, it is. I think you can see yourself out. We’re done here.”
Annie sucked in a breath as she saw the mystery man reach inside his dark leather jacket. Her world stopped as she watched the man pull out a gun, and, without hesitation, point and shoot her boss squarely in the head. The piercing sound of the gunshot reverberated throughout the ornate dining room.
Doc crumbled to the ground and bright, red blood flowed down the side of his face. Without thinking, she screamed. The blond man turned and looked—his blue eyes fixated on her, momentarily puzzled at her presence.
“Wait,” he yelled. Then he pointed his gun at her. She was in big trouble. Instinctively, she turned to run away.
“If you talk or you go to the cops, you’re a dead woman,” the man shouted. “I’ll hunt you down myself.”
He kept screaming for her to stop, but there was no way she was going to. If she stopped, she’d be dead just like Doc. She didn’t look back as she ran through the kitchen, down the hall, and out the front door of the house. Gunshots rang out in the night. Was he trying to scare her off or kill her? It didn’t matter. Since she’d just planned on a short trip to pick up the recipe, she’d parked her car right out front on the street. That decision likely saved her life.
She had just witnessed a murder, but she willed herself to run faster. Her feet pounding the pavement until she reached her red Fiat and jumped into the driver’s seat.
Not wasting another moment, she started the engine and hit the gas. She pushed back the wave of nausea that threatened to overtake her. Doc had been shot point blank right in front of her eyes. The blond man clearly had no remorse. No, he was there to do a job. A kill mission.
What had Doc gotten into? It sounded like it was something illegal. She didn’t know whether the shipments referred to drugs or something else.
Suddenly she was very conflicted. Should she go to the police? And tell them what? She’d just witnessed a murder? A man she had never seen before was in the house and shot Doc Perry? One of the most well-known men in the fancy Atlanta suburb? What if they didn’t believe her? Given her past, she didn’t know if she could ever trust law enforcement again. Not when they’d abandoned her before. And even more, what abou
t the threats from the shooter? He said he would kill her if she went to the police. No, it wasn’t worth the risk right now.
Her eyes blurred with tears, but she gripped the wheel trying to focus on the dark road. She’d lost track of how long she’d been driving as she tried to pull herself together.
Suddenly headlights came up behind her, and she feared the worst. But when the large truck passed her and kept on going, she let out a sigh of relief. She was on edge and rightly so. Although just because that truck didn’t mean her any harm, didn’t mean she was safe. She still felt like she had a huge target on her back. She punched the gas going dangerously fast on the curvy back roads headed out of the Atlanta suburbs.
Dear Lord, please protect me.
She couldn’t go to her apartment. It was far too dangerous. Her mind raced with thoughts. She had her small purse and a bag in the trunk with a few things she hadn’t unpacked from her last trip to a culinary conference in Savannah. It wasn’t much, but it was going to have to do.
One thing was certain. She needed a plan. A place to hideout until she could figure out what was going on back in Atlanta.
She drove into the night until she saw a sign for a town called Maxwell. This is it, she thought. She’d stop here for the night and decide tomorrow what her next steps would be.
When the red and blue flashing lights came up behind her, her heart stopped. Had the police already tracked her down? Did they want to question her about Doc’s murder? No, that wouldn’t make any sense. The only person alive who knew she was at the house tonight would’ve been the killer. But that didn’t stop her from being worried.
She certainly couldn’t try to outrun the cops, so she pulled over to the side of the road and waited for the officer.
Rolling down her window, her pulse raced as she looked up into a pair of bright blue eyes.
“Ma’am, can I please see your license and registration?”
She pulled her identification out of her little pink purse and registration out of the glove box.
Instead of questioning the handsome dark haired officer as to why he pulled her over, she decided to stay quiet and see how he played it. She didn’t need to cause any more problems for herself.
He took a moment to look at her documentation. “Thank you, Ms. Thomas. Did you realize you were going sixty in a forty-five?”
She had gotten pulled over for speeding? Really? She let out a sigh of relief. This officer had no idea about the ordeal that she had been through tonight. He just wanted to give her a speeding ticket.
“I’m sorry, Officer. It’s late and I’m not familiar with the area.”
“What brings you to Maxwell?” He looked directly into her eyes.
She couldn’t exactly say that she was on the run because she’d just witnessed a murder and also been threatened by the shooter. There was no time for indecision. “I’m actually looking to maybe stay in Maxwell for a bit.”
“Really?” He quirked a curious eyebrow. “Where are you coming from?”
She didn’t want to provide the direct answer. At least not yet. “I’m looking to spend some time in a smaller town. I saw the signs for Maxwell and thought it would be perfect.” Well, that wasn’t exactly how it all went down, but it was close enough.
He leaned in further. “Because you’re new to this town, I’ll give you a warning this time around. But if I catch you speeding again, I’ll have to give you a ticket, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Officer.” She called as he headed back to his patrol car to do whatever paper work was necessary for the warning.
But when he came back to her window, he picked up right where they left off.
“You’re welcome. Now where are you headed?”
“Actually if you could point me in the direction of the nearest hotel, I’d be grateful.”
“The Maxwell Inn is just about a mile and a half down the road on your right. It’s not too luxurious, but it’s clean and comfortable.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“And, ma’am.”
“Yes?” Her heart pounded as she prepared for what he was going to say next.
“I’ll lead you there to make sure you find it. Just follow me.”
“Thank you.”
He walked back to his car. Would running away to Maxwell bring her the relief she needed or just make matters worse?
**
The next day, Chief of Police Caleb Winters walked a few blocks from the station down to Pa’s Diner to grab his usual lunch. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with the woman he’d pulled over last night. She’d been on his mind the rest of the evening and this morning.
There was something about the look in her hazel eyes that made him think there had to be more to her story. Yeah, she’d been speeding, but when he stopped her, there had been fear in her eyes. Was she in some sort of trouble? Regardless, he felt the pretty brunette was hiding something. Maybe he was always on alert because of his time in the military.
He had run her license and registration, and they had checked out. But why was this woman in Maxwell? People didn’t just drop into a town like Maxwell. If she were up to no good, he’d figure it out. And if she were in some type of trouble, then he’d be there to help her. His family always told him he was a fixer. From a young age, he wanted to solve people’s problems. And it wasn’t just people, as he was reminded often. That’s why he currently had two dogs at his house that had been dropped off as strays at the station. He refused to take them to the pound where they likely would’ve been put down.
Pa’s Diner was one of the busiest restaurants in town. The all-day breakfast and late night diner had something for everyone. Including his weakness—a greasy BLT. He figured one day he would have to stop eating them for lunch, but it wasn’t that day yet.
He walked into Pa’s, which was just off the town square, and took a seat on one of the barstools.
Jen Spencer walked over with a smile. “Your regular, Caleb?”
He’d known Jen since elementary school. The sweet, single mom worked the day shift at Pa’s while her daughter was in school.
“Yeah, Jen. That’d be great.”
“We’ll have to see how it tastes today. We have a new cook working that just started this morning. You know Joan’s back surgery has her down and out for a bit and we haven’t found a good replacement yet. Just different people here and there helping out.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” How hard was it to make a BLT? He could even make one, and that wasn’t saying much, given his culinary skills. He was great with a grill, but that was about it.
He drank a gulp of sweet tea and waited for his lunch to arrive. He scrolled through his phone but there were no pressing messages. Sometimes he wondered how it would be to work in a larger city with much more action. But he loved Maxwell. His family and his entire life was this town.
After the big trial last year that had embroiled Wakefield Corporation, one of the towns biggest companies, he had welcomed a period of calm. He trusted that God would let him know if he was supposed to search out something else. And for now, he felt he was in the right place.
A few minutes later, Jen came back and set his food down in front of him. “What is this?” he asked.
“That’s your BLT.” Jen smiled.
He looked down at the sandwich that didn’t look anything like his normal BLT—which was usually smashed down dark toasted bread with tomatoes oozing out the sides along with the bacon strips.
“Give it a taste and let me know what you think,” Jen said.
He was hungry so he didn’t let the fancy looking presentation deter him. He picked up the sandwich and took a big bite. There was a cheese on it that had a strong flavor, and the tomato had been fried. There was also some kind of sauce. He was a creature of habit, so he didn’t want to love it. But man, it tasted good. “Wow,” he said. “This thing is amazing. I don’t know that I’d call it a BLT, but whatever it is, it’s awesome.
What kind of cheese is this? And the sauce?”
Jen patted his shoulder. “Let me bring out our new cook and you can ask her.”
He glanced down at his phone and when he looked back up he was staring into Annie’s hazel eyes.
“Ms. Thomas,” he said.
“You two know each other?” Jen asked.
Annie cocked her head to the side. “The officer pulled me over last night when I got into town.”
Jen laughed. “This isn’t just any old officer. This is our chief of police, Caleb Winters.”
A flicker of worry shot through Annie’s eyes before she smiled.
“As long as you abide by the speed limit, you won’t have any problems from me.”
“We were fortunate that Mary Ann at the Inn sent her our way first thing this morning, and we put Annie right to work.” Jen smiled and then turned around. “Gotta go do coffee refills.” Jen walked away to serve other customers, leaving the two of them alone.
“I didn’t want to say anything in front of Jen,” he said. “But are you sure you’re okay?”
She placed her hand on her right hip. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“That wasn’t really an answer. But people don’t just pop up into our small town in the middle of the night like you did. It’s unusual. So if you do need anything, I want you to know you can count on me.”
“I know it may not be the norm, and I’m not from around here, but I want to be. Isn’t that all that matters?”
Could he get through to her? “Well, if you’re in some kind of trouble, please let me help you. It’s what I do for a living.”
“You didn’t mention that you were the chief of police. What were you doing on patrol?”
“It’s a small town. We all play various roles here. We don’t have a big enough police force to pick and choose assignments. So I do what has to be done.” He paused. “But you’re still avoiding my question. Is there something wrong?”
“Don’t worry about me. I promise I’m not going to cause this town any trouble.”
