The Widow's Bodyguard

by Karen Whiddon

“I don’t know anything about that,” Lori replied quickly. Too quickly. “I tried to stay out of Drew’s personal life as much as possible.”

  “I’m sure you did,” Eva said, even though she was anything but. “Except you worked for Drew for a long time. You know stuff.”

  Lori started, jumping slightly when the waitress appeared, asking if they wanted dessert. Both women declined and asked for separate checks.

  Eva tried to think of something to say, anything that might get Lori to open up. “I’d like to stop by Drew’s office after this,” she said, slightly gratified by Lori’s horrified expression.

  “Why?”

  “Because I can.” Eva sighed. “And judging by your reaction, you do have something you want to hide.”

  “I promised Drew...”

  “Promised him what?”

  Lori bit her lip. Instead of responding, she shook her head.

  “Okay, then.” Eva stood and grabbed her check. “I can follow you to Drew’s office, if you’re going that way. If not, I’ll just let myself in and poke around a little.”

  “You can follow me.” Lori jumped up so quickly she knocked her fork onto the floor. She hurried toward the cashier, paid and waited for Eva, tapping one high heel impatiently.

  “What are you driving?” Eva asked her once they got outside.

  “That white Volvo.” Lori pointed. “I’ll meet you there.”

  Which Eva took to mean Lori hoped to have enough time to hide a few things. Once again, Eva didn’t understand why.

  “Sounds good.” Hopping into her vehicle, Eva waved as she backed out of her spot, pulling out into the road before Lori even reached her car.

  Drew’s office wasn’t but a few blocks away, so Eva had already made it to the lobby before she spotted the white Volvo pull up. Briefly, she debated rushing upstairs. Instead she waited at the elevator for Lori to appear.

  The other woman hurried inside, slightly out of breath. “There you are!” she said brightly. “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for that I could help you find?”

  Eva gave her a sharp look. “Stop. I’m just trying to get some answers. Apparently, there is a lot about my husband that I didn’t know. A lot. I intend to get answers whether you help me or not.”

  Lori opened her mouth and then closed it.

  They rode the elevator up in silence, standing side by side. Once they reached the third floor, they exited. Eva waited while Lori unlocked the door to Drew’s suite of offices.

  Stepping inside, Eva stood, taking it all in. She’d been here only a few times over the course of her marriage and not recently. Drew had hired the same interior designer here that he’d used to decorate the house, so the reception area as well as his and Lori’s offices reminded her of his office at home. Elegant and masculine. It struck her as she stood there that Drew would never again come striding through that door. She felt it like a punch in the gut. She might not have loved the man, but he’d been part of her life for the last few years.

  Lori must have seen something on her face. “I’m sorry, Eva,” she said quietly. “I know it must be difficult.”

  “It definitely would be a lot easier if he hadn’t been involved in illegal money laundering and who knows what else,” Eva replied, her voice brisk. “And if as a result of him stealing money from criminals, I didn’t have someone calling me demanding I repay them. Or shooting up my house and trying to blow me up.”

  “Yikes.” Lori raised her hands up in the classic gesture of defeat. “You win. I’ll show you where he kept all his private, top-secret files. I know where he kept the key.”

  Finally, they were getting somewhere. Lori led the way into Drew’s office, opening his middle desk drawer and retrieving a full key ring. “It’s one of these,” she said, turning to the back wall and removing a large, framed picture that concealed a safe. Instead of a keypad, it had an inset lock.

  Lori began trying keys. Her fourth attempt turned out to be the right one. “Here we are,” she said, opening it. Once she had, she stepped back, allowing Eva to see the inside.

  Instead of stacks of cash, there were several large envelopes and folders, stuffed with papers. Eva moved forward, half-afraid of what she’d find.

  “I’ll leave you to it,” Lori told her, backing out and closing the door behind her.

  Eva transferred everything from the safe to the desktop, then she pulled up a chair.

  As she’d suspected, the first folder was full of financial records. Clearly, Drew maintained several bank accounts in the Cayman Islands. The recorded balance of them made her stomach churn. No way he could have amassed this much money so quickly. There was more than enough to pay back the missing three million dollars—assuming she could gain access to the accounts. From what she vaguely remembered reading about such things, doing so would be difficult, if not impossible if Drew hadn’t put her name on them. Judging by these records, he had not. She would have to go through the long, tedious court process before she could touch any of that money. There wasn’t enough time for that.

  Replacing the bank records in the envelope, she moved on to the next folder. When she slid it toward her, she realized an old-fashioned photo album was underneath.

  Intrigued, she decided to check that out first. It had to be old, since people rarely printed out photos these days, preferring to store them in the cloud or on CDs. As far as she knew, Drew hadn’t been any different. With the exception of their wedding pictures, which they kept in a glossy white album similar to this one. Maybe Drew had printed extras, though why he’d keep them in a safe, she couldn’t fathom.

  Slowly, she opened the album. An enlarged photograph of Drew decorated the first page. But instead of her, Drew had his arm around some man’s shoulders. Both of them beamed at the camera, eternally young and clearly, blissfully happy. Drew appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties at the time it was taken, which made it around ten years old.

  Studying the picture, she wondered. She thought she knew most of Drew’s friends, even the ones he’d known since childhood. And she was familiar with his business associates. This man in the photo was none of these. She didn’t recognize him. That didn’t mean much—he could have been an old friend who’d dropped out of Drew’s life long before she entered it.

  Carefully, she removed the photo, hoping she might see names and a date written on the back. But the back was completely blank.

  Once she’d replaced the picture under the clear plastic, she turned the page. More photos of Drew and his friend, arm in arm, gazing into each other’s eyes, and finally, embracing. Love and adoration showed in both men’s expressions. Some of the pics were reminiscent of staged wedding photographs. It dawned on her that maybe, just maybe, this man wasn’t merely Drew’s platonic friend. Clearly, they were much, much more to each other.

  She got up, carrying the photo album, and walked to the door and out into the hall, making a beeline for Lori’s office, where Lori sat working on something at her desk. Eva slid the photo album across the desk. “Who is this?”

  Lori paled. “I’m not sure,” she hedged, swallowing hard.

  “Come on, Lori. Tell me.”

  Looking away, Lori appeared to be considering. When she finally met Eva’s gaze, resignation mingled with pity in her expression.

  “That’s Chris,” Lori said. “The man Drew truly loved.”

  Chapter 11

  Enjoying the familiar sense of camaraderie he felt hanging out with Raul and the other Brothers of Sin, Jesse squelched the occasional twinge of guilt. He liked this life, too much sometimes, and while he knew identifying too closely with the bad guys had long been a danger of a long-term, deep undercover assignment, it had actually gotten to the point where Raul and the other Brothers no longer felt like bad guys. That alone meant it was time to get out.

  But he also knew Raul’s men were
working toward something huge with the drug cartels, and though that information hadn’t yet been shared with him, it was only a matter of time. That bust, that huge freaking bust, would not only leave a large hole in the cartel’s delivery network, but might also net a few of the top players in the game. It would be the culmination of years of undercover work. If he could just hang in there.

  Pushing away his heavy thoughts, he left the other men and went inside to grab them all a beer. The house felt strangely silent and empty. He called for Eva, looking around the entire downstairs before deciding to check out the second floor. He noted no signs of forced entry and nothing to indicate a disturbance.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, he pushed back the awful sense of foreboding prickling at the back of his neck. “Eva?” he called. “Where are you?”

  Nothing but silence answered him.

  Damn it.

  Not finding her in any of the rooms, he ran downstairs and started to rush outside to get Raul. A folded slip of paper on the kitchen counter caught his eye. He snatched it up and read it, cursing under his breath. She’d gone to meet Lori for lunch. Alone.

  He stood still for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts and calm his racing heart. As far as he could tell, while Lori might be annoying, she wasn’t dangerous. But the fact that Eva had blithely gone into town, unprotected and exposed, worried the hell out of him.

  No way he could tell Raul though. The last thing Eva would want—or need—would be her father and her bodyguard roaring into town on their bikes. But he knew if anything happened to her while she was out there, it would be on him.

  He had to find her. Since she’d taken her car, and his bike was out, that left one possibility. Drew’s sleek and sporty Porsche still occupied one stall of the oversize, three-car garage. All he needed was to find a key.

  Rummaging around in the garage, he nearly jumped when his phone rang. Seeing Eva’s name on the caller ID brought an interesting combination of relief and rage.

  “Where are you?” he demanded when he answered, not even bothering to say hello.

  “I’m at Drew’s office downtown, with Lori,” she replied, her voice vibrating with barely suppressed excitement. “I found out who Chris is.”

  “Chris?” For a moment, he didn’t make the connection. “You mean the Chris that was on the prenup we found?”

  “Exactly!”

  Intrigued, he waited for her to explain. When she didn’t, he prodded her. “Well? Are you going to tell me who she is?”

  “That’s just it. Chris isn’t a ‘she.’ Chris is a man. And judging by the photo album I found, he and Drew were deeply in love.”

  It took a moment for her words to sink in. “Drew was gay?”

  “Apparently. Which explains a lot.” She didn’t elaborate, but he got the idea. “His parents are super religious, so I’m guessing that’s why he felt he had to keep it a secret.”

  “I get that,” he mused. “Plus, with his political aspirations...”

  They both fell silent. When Eva spoke again, a tinge of sadness colored her voice. “I had no idea he wasn’t living an authentic life. He always seemed so confident, so self-assured, as if he knew exactly what he wanted, where he was going, and how to get there. I wish he had told me the truth.”

  “Would knowing have made any difference in how you felt about him?” he asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

  “Yes, it would.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not sure if you realized this, but Drew and I were never close. I would have understood his complete and utter rejection of me much better if I’d known he was in love with someone else.”

  His heart squeezed. He hated to think of Eva being rejected, especially by the man she’d married.

  “Anyway,” she continued, her voice brisk, “I’ve got tons of paperwork to look through. I’m thinking I’ll just bring it home.”

  “When are you leaving?” The thought of her driving alone made him extremely nervous. “I’ll head up there and accompany you back.”

  “No need,” she answered quickly. “I’m about to bag all this stuff up and head home.”

  “I don’t like it. For all we know, that crazy guy could have you under surveillance.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she responded. “I’ll text you when I leave. Seriously, no need for you to come downtown.”

  Reluctantly, he agreed.

  Raul wandered in just as Jesse ended the call. “What’s up?” he asked. “You look like somebody died.”

  Rubbing his temple, Jesse grimaced. “I just got off the phone with Eva.”

  Raul glared. “Eva isn’t here? You’re her bodyguard. Why aren’t you with her?”

  “Because she left when we were all out on the patio talking. I had no idea until I found this note.” Jesse held out the slip of paper, waiting while Raul read it.

  “You should have gone after her.”

  “I thought about it,” Jesse conceded. “But since I had no idea where she went...”

  Raul glared at him. “You are supposed to be protecting her.”

  Something inside Jesse snapped. “Like you did when you encouraged her to marry Drew? Did you ever think about how hard it must have been for Eva to be in a loveless marriage? Especially when—” He stopped, choking on what he’d almost said.

  “Especially when what?” Raul demanded. “Finish what you were about to say.”

  Closing his eyes for a moment, Jesse bowed his head. “Especially when she knew how much I loved her.”

  “Loved?” Raul’s tone softened. “Past tense? Or do you still care about my daughter?”

  Undercover ATF agent Jesse warred with real-life Jesse. In the end, he went with the truth. “I love Eva. Always have, always will.”

  “Does she feel the same way?”

  Again, Jesse replied honestly. “I don’t know. I’d like to believe so. She did once.”

  “Then what are you waiting for? Where is she now? Is she still at lunch?”

  “No. She called me from Drew’s office downtown. Lori’s there with her. Eva’s going through Drew’s things.” Jesse waited, expecting Raul to demand he hop on his bike and head down there.

  Instead, Raul nodded. “Did she find anything interesting?”

  Though Jesse knew the older man meant about the missing money, he nodded. “She did. She found evidence that leads her to believe Drew might have been in love with someone else.”

  Raul crossed his arms, his multiple tattoos moving as his muscles did. “In love with who? That Chris person you two mentioned earlier?”

  “Exactly. Eva found a photo album of Drew and Chris. It meant so much to Drew that he kept it locked in his personal safe.”

  Judging by Raul’s deep frown, hearing this did not make him happy. “If he was in love with someone else, then why did he marry my daughter? He’s the one who asked me to set her up with him after seeing a photo of her. Was this other woman married or something?”

  Jesse took a deep breath. “That’s the thing. Chris isn’t a woman. Chris is a guy.”

  For the space of several heartbeats, Raul stared at him as if he thought Jesse might be joking.

  “I’m serious,” Jesse finally said.

  “Damn it.” He dragged his hands through his shaggy, gray hair. “But why? Why would he hide that? Why pretend to be something you’re not?”

  Hearing that, Jesse felt a pang. Though Raul didn’t know, Jesse was also doing exactly that, pretending to be a biker and a bodyguard, when he actually was undercover ATF.

  Jesse shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Hmmph.” Raul scratched his chin. “Are you going to fix things up between you and Eva?”

  “I’m damn sure going to try,” Jesse replied.

  Pinning him with his gaze, Raul narrowed his eyes. “I want my daughter happy, you understand?”
>
  “I do too.” Jesse meant it, with every fiber of his soul. “She belongs with me.”

  For the space of a heartbeat, Raul simply watched him. Finally, he nodded. “Then make it happen, man.” Raul’s phone rang. “I need to take this,” he said, frowning. “Excuse me.” And he wandered off, heading upstairs toward his temporary room.

  Jesse’s phone pinged, indicating a text. Eva, letting him know she was on her way home. His stomach clenched, aware he should be with her, keeping her safe. He’d have to make sure she understood the extent of the danger she’d opened herself up to by taking off alone like that.

  Outside, the other guys continued to talk, though it was getting close to time for two of them to begin their security shift.

  More than a little antsy, Jesse decided to keep busy until Eva got back. He’d always found cooking to be a great way to relieve stress, so he headed toward the kitchen to see what he could maybe rustle up for dinner.

  In the refrigerator he found Eva had thawed a large package of pork chops. Perfect. Whistling, he got busy prepping everything he’d need to make a delicious meal. He’d just finished getting everything ready when he heard the front door opening.

  Relieved, he let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. Safe. She was safe.

  “Hey there,” Eva said, walking into the kitchen and eyeing him and the food. “That looks amazing.”

  He let his gaze roam over her, unable to keep from wanting her as much as he wanted to breathe. He thought back to earlier, when he’d realized she wasn’t in the house and the awful, paralyzing fear he’d felt.

  “We need to talk,” he said, jamming his hands down into his pockets to keep from touching her.

  Raising her head, she eyed him. Absentmindedly, she tucked a silky strand of her hair behind one ear. “About what?”

  “You taking off like that. It’s not safe. I know you’re aware.”

  Slowly, she nodded. “I just needed some space.”

  Though she likely hadn’t intended them to, her words wounded him. “Don’t do that again.” He kept his tone curt. “If you don’t want to be with me, then grab one of the others.”