Devoted Defender

by Rachel Dylan

  “I’m here, Annie. How’re you feeling?”

  “I’m okay. What in the world happened?” She realized she needed to slow down her breathing, as she was about to hyperventilate. She couldn’t help but grab onto his arm to steady herself.

  “Are you lightheaded?”

  “Maybe a little.” Or a lot. The longer she stood the more uneasy she got. She didn’t want to show him all of her weakness, though. She would just have to tough this out like she had everything else.

  “I think you hit your head when I ran into the tree. I’m sorry, I didn’t see it until it was too late. The airbags came out, but the impact knocked you out. I need to get you to a hospital and get checked out.”

  “No. I’ll be fine. What happened to the person in the SUV?”

  “It was McCoy. He followed us out here. He and I got into a fight but he got away. I wasn’t going to shoot him while he was on the run. I pursued, but I didn’t want to leave you alone, so I circled back to get you.”

  “So you’re sure he’s gone?”

  “Yes, but we’re going to use his SUV to get out of here. My car isn’t in any condition to drive out of here since I smashed it into the tree.”

  “What do we do now?” Her mind felt like mush as she asked questions.

  “We get another car ASAP, because we don’t know if McCoy’s SUV has a tracking device on it. I’ll call Mac from the road and get his help. But we can’t stay here in the woods. I want to get back on the road right now.”

  “This is never going to end, is it?” She heard her voice crack as she asked. “Caleb, I’m afraid that I can’t handle all of this.” She was near the breaking point—both physically and emotionally. Her head pounded from the accident and that wasn’t helping.

  He wrapped his arms around her and brought her into a gentle embrace. “I’ve got you, Annie. Lean on me.”

  She fell into him and relied on his strength to hold her up. Caleb had kept her safe so far. But deep in her heart she was still afraid because she didn’t know if anyone could truly keep her safe.

  **

  Annie had tossed and turned, barely sleeping. When she did fall asleep, she had nightmares—a mix of the shooting from her past and the car accident. Which really wasn’t an accident at all. And it had left her with a major headache plus some other pain and soreness in her neck. But she’d refused to go to the hospital because it was all just too much. And she knew there was no way she was going to take any pain medication. Given her mother’s history of drug abuse, she refused to take any painkillers for fear of ending up like her mom. She’d rather face the pain than take that risk.

  She and Caleb were at an extended stay hotel with adjoining rooms in the middle of a South Georgia town. They had driven south from Atlanta and ended up there to try to get some much needed rest and to regroup.

  Caleb had even seemed a bit off after what had happened in the woods. She couldn’t expect him to be invincible. He wasn’t superman—he was just a man. He had his own weaknesses and emotional reactions just like she did. It was just that he was much better equipped than she was to maneuver through this dangerous maze. So when she could see that he had wavered a little last night, that’s when she knew they were in big trouble.

  When a loud knock sounded on her hotel room door, she jumped and immediately went on guard. Slowly she walked to the door taking careful steps with the soreness. She looked through the peephole. A woman with long blond hair and a dark haired man were on the other side. They must have the wrong room.

  “Caleb, are you in there?” the tall man asked.

  If the couple was asking for Caleb, then they couldn’t be sent by Silva, could they?

  “Who are you?” she asked without opening the door.

  “I’m FBI agent Gabe Marino and this is my wife Hope. Caleb’s brother called me to help. Can you please let us in?”

  Just then the adjoining door opened and Caleb walked through it. He’d obviously been in a deep sleep—his hair was tousled and there were dark circles under his eyes, only fueling her speculation that last night had bothered him almost as much as it had bothered her.

  “You can open it.” Caleb walked toward her, and she opened the door as he directed.

  Gabe and Hope walked in. Gabe wore a deep frown, but Hope looked her directly in the eyes and gave a warm smile. Hope then walked over to her and offered her hand. “I’m Hope. I hear that you’ve had quite a week.”

  “Yeah. It’s been rough.”

  “Did Mac call you?” Caleb asked.

  “Yes,” Gabe responded. “Late last night as we were driving back up to Maxwell from Florida. You were on our way, so we wanted to stop by. I need to hear about everything that’s happened.”

  Annie’s head was still pounding, and she started rubbing her temples again. She needed coffee, like right now, or she wouldn’t make it. She walked to the kitchenette area and started making some coffee.

  Hope followed right behind her. “Why don’t you two guys go into Caleb’s room and catch up while Annie and I get to know each other,” Hope said.

  Once again, Hope gave her a sweet smile. It was like she somehow understood that Annie was near a breaking point.

  “Sure,” Gabe said. “We’ll be right next door if you need us.” The two men went into Caleb’s room leaving her alone with Hope.

  She let out a breath. “Thank you. I don’t think I could handle another recitation of all the awful things that have happened to me.”

  “I know you may find this hard to believe.” Hope’s brown eyes were filled with kindness. “But I can relate to what you’re going through because I had a very scary series of events happen to me when I came down to Maxwell a little over a year ago for a trial.”

  “Really?” She was a bit skeptical that anyone could really understand what the past few days had been like, but she was willing to listen.

  “Yes. I’m a lawyer. Now I work at a small law firm in Maxwell, but at the time, I was working for a big firm in New York.”

  “Please, have a seat while we wait on the coffee and tell me what happened,” Annie said.

  She took a seat and waited for Hope to explain.

  “It’s a long story. Basically, I was working on a case where the client was involved in some illegal activities. When I realized what was happening, I became a target. People I thought I could trust ended up trying to kill me. It shook me down to the core.” Hope paused. “I was physically attacked multiple times. If it hadn’t have been for Gabe, I wouldn’t be alive sitting here with you today. And Caleb also played a critical role in keeping me safe. I owe so much to him. So when we heard that the two of you were in trouble, there was no way we were just going to go home. Caleb was there when we needed him, and now we want to be there for him. And for you.”

  “I’m so sorry that you went through all of that.” Annie’s heart hurt for the woman sitting across the kitchen table from her.

  “It all worked out in the end. Including me falling in love with a wonderful man. But I had some real low points. And I imagine you might be having one of those valleys right now.”

  Hope’s openness and honesty put Annie at ease. “Thank you so much for sharing. You’re completely right. I feel like I’m really at the breaking point. After last night when we were run off the road, I hit my head and haven’t felt sturdy since then. And that doesn’t begin to explain all that has happened.”

  Hope reached out and took her hand. “I know it may not seem like it right now, but there is an end to all of this. God is still there beside you. He hasn’t abandoned you. And He won’t. You’re still here, aren’t you?”

  “I keep telling myself that but sometimes it’s hard to see that amidst all the danger. This experience has really tested my faith.”

  “You’ll persevere. I know it. You’re not alone and I’m sure Gabe and Caleb can come up with a plan. They work really well together. And of course, I’m not in law enforcement, but I can pitch in anyway that makes sense. Even if it�
�s just to be a shoulder to lean on.”

  “I’m glad you’re here. Although I’m sure this isn’t how you envisioned coming back to town after your honeymoon.”

  “We roll with the punches. Given Gabe’s job as an FBI agent, I know there are risks involved and I have to be ready for anything.”

  Annie hadn’t spent much time with women developing friendships, but this conversation with Hope was one of the most normal things that had happened to her in a while. “And what about you? How do you like being a lawyer?”

  Hope leaned in toward her. “I absolutely love it. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. And once I was able to work at the law firm in Maxwell, it really made my career complete. I get to do what I want to do, but I’m also not sacrificing my sanity working in New York City at a mega firm.”

  “That’s a big change from New York to Maxwell.”

  “Yeah, and let me tell you, at first I was totally against the idea of changing my life. I thought I was a city girl through and through and that Maxwell didn’t have anything for me. But boy, was I wrong. Sometimes exactly what you think you don’t want is really what you need. And that was the case for me.”

  Annie couldn’t help but ask her about Silva. “I guess you don’t have any experience with the Silva crime organization?”

  “No. I don’t practice criminal law. But that type of thing is right up Gabe’s alley at the FBI. That’s specifically the kind of work he does. It’s good that we’re back now and can assist Caleb.”

  “Maybe he’ll be able to help us then.”

  “Definitely. Gabe values his friendship with Caleb. There’s no place he’d rather be right now.”

  “Thanks for saying that.” Hope seemed so sincere. Like she actually cared about what Annie had to say and understood some of the struggles that she was going through. And as much as it surprised Annie, she was glad to be proven wrong about Hope being able to empathize with her.

  “I hear that you’re a chef. I can’t cook a thing.” Hope laughed.

  “I’m sure I could teach you a few simple dishes. It’s all about having fresh ingredients and then knowing how to season.” It would be fun to actually cook with someone who wasn’t an experienced chef.

  Hope lifted up her hand. “You don’t understand. I’m the world’s worst cook.”

  “You have more important things to do—like being a lawyer.”

  “No. What you do is important, too. And it takes a lot of skill. I’ve always admired people who had cooking abilities. I just happen to have none.”

  “Well, I’d love to cook with you sometime. Just give it a shot.”

  “That’s a deal.”

  “I would think that being an attorney is very exciting.”

  Hope grinned. “It’s not as glamorous as it looks on TV. There’s a lot of grunt work. But I enjoy going to trial. That’s my favorite part, though it doesn’t happen as much as I would like.”

  Annie poured them each a cup of coffee and realized that her head was no longer hurting as bad as it had been.

  **

  “Talk to me, Caleb.” Gabe’s dark eyes were focused on him.

  “What else do you want to know?” He felt like Gabe was about to conduct an interrogation. And he couldn’t blame him. He knew the entire situation seemed sketchy.

  “I know we’ve been through the facts, but I need to know what’s going on in your head, and how you’re dealing with all of this, because I’ve got some serious concerns about you going on the run with Annie. I don’t think you’re fully aware what you’re up against. And one man versus the Silva network doesn’t sound like very good odds to me.”

  “This wasn’t my plan by choice. More like a necessity. After the shooting at my house, I knew I had to get Annie out of there. I had no idea that we would be followed. I’m trying to juggle multiple balls in the air right now, but my primary focus has to be on keeping Annie safe. Which means I can’t really investigate what is going on with Silva and why he seems to have this unhealthy obsession with Annie.”

  Gabe nodded. “There has to be a missing piece here. Yeah, Silva wants to get rid of Annie because she was a witness to a hit that he ordered, and heard an incriminating conversation, but there has to be something deeper. Guys like Silva don’t put this much effort into something like this. We’ve got to dig deeper and figure out what else is going on.”

  “Given the most recent events, I tend to agree with you. Normally we’d have the FBI working that angle. Put her in protective custody. But with the intel that we have that someone in the FBI is on Silva’s payroll, I just couldn’t take that chance. Not with Annie’s life.”

  “I don’t want to overstep here, but you and I have been friends for many years.”

  “Uh oh. What is it?” Caleb asked, although he had a good idea where this conversation was going.

  “Is there something going on between you and Annie?” Caleb paused. “But before you answer, I’m the last one to cast judgment on you, given what happened between me and Hope. I just want to make sure that you’re thinking clearly. That’s all. I remember all too well what it was like to make decisions in the heat of the moment based on my heart and not my head.”

  He was close enough with Caleb that he could be honest. “There isn’t anything between us. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested. I realize, though, that this isn’t the best time to try to start a relationship. And beyond that, there are some issues that we’d have to deal with. Things I really don’t feel like it’s my place to go into. Not to mention my own hang-ups.”

  Gabe took a step forward. “I would never ask you to divulge things that Annie told you in confidence. But this is a highly dangerous situation and everyone needs to be fully engaged. Silva’s organization is powerful, and as a man, Tim Silva is ruthless. And his business partners are equally as threatening. It wouldn’t be safe to go further south into Florida because his cousin covers Florida, and he’s just as bad. If Silva is taking this drastic of action, he has spread the word to all of his network partners.”

  “So what do you suggest?”

  “Hunkering down in a safe house would be my best suggestion.”

  “Except we don’t have a safe house that’s actually safe.”

  “We can find one. I have a friend at the DEA. They would have an interest in this situation, given Silva’s drug operations. I’ll put in a call and see what I can do.”

  Caleb let out a breath. This was the best news he’d had in a while. “Thanks, man. I don’t know how to thank you. My back was really up against the wall.”

  “You had my back when I needed it. I’m happy to return the favor.”

  **

  Annie watched as Caleb and Gabe walked back into her room. The men joined them in the kitchen. Caleb actually seemed much more relaxed than before. Maybe the talk with Gabe had been productive.

  “I made coffee, if you guys would like any,” she said.

  “That would be great.” Caleb took her up on her offer and poured himself and Gabe a cup.

  “So, anything we need to know about?” Annie asked. She was anxious to hear about what the men had discussed, especially if they had developed a way out of this entire mess.

  “Gabe actually has a contact at the Drug Enforcement Agency. He’s going to talk to him about trying to secure a safe house for us.”

  “Really?” Annie asked. This was great news and totally unexpected. A safe house was exactly what they needed.

  “Yeah. We talked about it, and I think it’s better to hide out than to try to outrun these guys,” Caleb said.

  “I’ll call my DEA contact right away. Hope, why don’t you come with me while I go make these calls in Caleb’s room.”

  “If you need anything, just let me know.” Hope squeezed her hand, and the kind act brought her a moment of comfort. She hoped that she would get to spend more time with this woman. The idea of having a friend appealed to her more right now than it ever had.

  Hope and Gabe
went into Caleb’s room, leaving her alone with Caleb. Unexpectedly, he pulled her up out of her seat and wrapped his arms around her.

  “I promise you that we’ll figure this out,” he said, his voice calm and soothing.

  As he held her tightly in his arms, she realized just how much she had come to depend on him. An unlikely ally in this fight. A fight that didn’t seem to have an end as each moment brought another challenge and another deadly threat.

  “Caleb, I’m sorry that I’m not stronger about all of this.”

  “There’s no need for you to apologize, Annie, because what you fail to see is that you are beyond strong. You’ve kept it together from day one. From the moment you had the presence of mind to get out of Doc Perry’s house and avoid being taken by McCoy, you’ve been fighting back each step of the way. You’ve shown that no matter what the challenge, you’ll rise to the occasion.”

  “I don’t see myself like that.” She couldn’t believe that he saw her that way, because inside, she felt full of fear.

  “Well, that’s the way I see you.”

  She continued to hold onto Caleb, though she knew a million different reasons that she shouldn’t lean on him so much. But at that moment, none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that he was there by her side when she needed him the most. That he continued to put his life on the line for her—a woman he’d only known a short time.

  As she looked up into his big blue eyes, she gained strength from him. When he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, she felt shaky again—but this time in a good way. Like she was floating on a cloud. The spark was undeniable, unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

  Was this what it was like to really have feelings for someone?

  When he pulled back from the kiss, the stubble on his chin tickled her cheek. She didn’t want this moment to end.

  Caleb took a step back from her just as Gabe and Hope walked back into the room.

  “We’re a go on the safe house,” he said. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Chapter Seven

  Caleb hadn’t been thinking when he had kissed Annie. It just happened. And he had been worried about her reaction. But when he had opened his eyes and locked onto hers, there was no mistaking that she had felt something there, too. Something that neither of them seemed to think was a good idea, but that hadn’t stopped him from acting.