by Rebecca Deel
When they walked inside, Lily returned to the bedroom she shared with Remy. The other operative must be resting.
“Risa doesn’t have a weapons permit.”
“She could have bought a weapon off the street.”
“True, but I don’t see that. She hates guns and refused to handle them in the office. I also found out she had a terrible childhood.”
He remained silent while he reheated two plates of food. “Like yours?”
Veronica froze. “You researched me?”
“No.” He wouldn’t go behind her back except to save her life. “Observation, Vonnie. Will you tell me after we eat?”
Her eyebrow rose. “Why after?”
“Simple. You will stop eating and I don’t think you’ve gained an ounce since we left Mexico. The cartel didn’t feed you, did they?”
“I told you their hospitality was lacking.”
He climbed onto a stool at the breakfast bar and nudged one of the plates in her direction. “Talk to me about something fun while we eat. We’ll change to serious topics later.”
“What kind of fun topic?”
“Where is your favorite place to vacation?”
Immediately, her shoulders relaxed. “The beach. I’ve been to several, but my favorite is Orange Beach on the Gulf coast. There’s something special about that place. The sand is perfect, the breeze warm and sultry. There are several beachfront condos with kitchens and an amazing view of the ocean. The whole place is full of life and energy. By the time I leave there, I feel like I’ve been at a spa for a week. I’m relaxed and mellow, and best of all I can sleep at night.”
He grinned at her. “So you tolerate it?”
“Are you kidding? I’d live there if I was independently wealthy and wouldn’t become bored by the second week.” She paused. “Okay, maybe by the third week. Want to run away to Orange Beach with me?”
Startled, he stared at her, and noted the twinkle in her eyes. The lady was teasing him. Little did she know Adam would take her up on the offer in a second as long as they had matching wedding rings on their fingers. “Name the date and time and I’ll go with you.” He leaned over and kissed her before polishing off the rest of his meal.
“You’re next. Where is your favorite place to vacation, Adam?”
“The mountains.”
Veronica wrinkled her nose. “You mean one of those rustic hunting cabins in the middle of nowhere with trees for company and no indoor plumbing?”
“Ha. Not even close. I like comfortable beds, hot water, and more than one channel to watch on television. My preference is Gatlinburg. I stay in a chalet and enjoy all the amenities plus amazing food and museums. I also enjoy buying weird gifts for Claire.”
“Have you been there since she and Zane married?”
“Nope. I spent most of that time rehabbing from my injuries.” He tilted his head. “Want to run away with me to Gatlinburg?”
“Name the date and time. I think it would be fun.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” When he finished his meal, he was pleased to see Veronica’s plate was empty as well. Adam stacked the plates and utensils in the dishwasher.
He held out his hand. “Come with me.” He walked to the garden and found a secluded bench in the corner. The twilight was deepening swiftly toward night and the breeze had increased. The bench he chose had two high walls at their backs so neither of them would worry about someone sneaking up on them.
He draped his arm across her shoulders and hugged her to his side. “Tell me about your childhood, Vonnie.”
“It’s not pretty.”
Stalling. Figuring she might talk if he didn’t stare at her, Adam encouraged Veronica to lean her head against his shoulder. He watched the fountain in the center of the garden, letting her decide if she wanted to let him in this far. Man, he hoped so. He didn’t want secrets between them that weren’t work related. His ran his hand lightly up and down her arm, willing himself to be patient.
“I grew up in a small town,” she said after a while. “Three traffic lights and two stop signs the year I was born. We rated a few more of each by the time I entered high school. We had 10,000 people when I left at eighteen. On the outside, my family looked like the perfect American family. Big house, two cars, a dog, two kids, stay-at-home mom, and an important father. The appearance was deceptive. We were anything but perfect.” She dragged in a ragged breath.
“Take your time.”
She huddled closer.
Adam twisted and wrapped his other arm around Veronica, basically surrounding her. “I’ve got you, baby.”
“While on the outside, the house looked beautiful, the inside was ugly. Oh, not the furniture or the decorations. My father would never allow his home to be anything but a showplace that might have graced the cover of a magazine. Inside that house, though, was a war zone. Dad was a gentleman to the outside world. Inside our home, he was a tyrant. Everything had to be to his exacting standards. Of course, that was impossible. No one could meet his standards.”
He already knew where this conversation was headed based on Veronica’s back, but made himself ask the question anyway. “And when you didn’t meet the standard?”
“He punished the offender without remorse.” A mirthless laugh escaped. “He never has an ounce of regret because the punishment is justified in his mind.”
Adam forced his body to remain relaxed while inside he was anything but relaxed. No one had the right to do that. “Your father beat you with his belt, didn’t he?”
She tensed.
“I noticed the scars when you showed Forrest and Crosby the whip marks. They were too far away to see the old scars.”
“Dad is very fond of his belt.”
When Adam met the man, he’d make certain Veronica’s father understood if he ever touched his daughter again in anger, he would answer to Adam. He took care of those he loved and now that number included Veronica Miles. “What about your brother?”
“Charles left as soon as he turned 18, six years before me. He joined the military and never returned. Dad keeps up with his career, proud of his true American hero son. That’s all he talks about.”
“What about you? You’re with the DEA. That’s cause for bragging rights as well.”
A snort from the woman in his arms. “Chandler Miles has nothing but disdain for law enforcement, all branches.”
“Including you?”
“Especially me. Because I’m with the DEA, I must be on the take or enjoy killing people. He said I would never amount to anything good.”
Fury rolled through Adam. “What does your father do?”
“He’s a judge.”
“But he doesn’t like law enforcement?”
“He says we’re all corrupt thugs.”
“On what does he base his opinion?”
“The cops in my hometown are in his hip pocket. Flash a little green their direction and they overlook anything, even a 911 call from a terrified, sobbing 13-year-old who didn’t clean her room to her father’s specifications and bled from his latest beating.”
Veronica’s words cut into Adam’s heart.
“The responding officers didn’t bother to check on me, just clapped him on the shoulder like a good buddy and stuck out their hands for cash to look the other way. After my father finished the second round of punishment, I couldn’t attend school for a week.”
He tightened his grip on the woman in his arms. How could a father do that to his child? “Is he still living?”
“He’s too ornery to die.”
“Do you ever go home?”
Veronica’s head lifted from his shoulder. “Sometimes, but only for a few hours and always when he’s at work. My mother won’t leave him. Now that he doesn’t have me or Charles for a punching bag, he’s turned on her.”
“Next time you go home, I’m going with you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “People will notice if he disappears.”
“Who said anything about h
im disappearing? I’m going with you, Vonnie.”
“What if we’re not dating anymore?”
He hoped to have his ring on her finger by that time. “I still want to go. No matter what happens between us, we’ll still be friends and you need someone at your back if you run into your father. Will you let me be your backup?”
“Not necessary, but it’s fine if you come with me.”
Excellent. He’d research Chandler Miles before meeting him. They had spent enough time thinking about Veronica’s past. It was time to deal with the host of problems in the present. “We need to talk to Risa Shoemaker.” Adam had a feeling Risa was the key to everything.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
When Veronica and Adam returned to the suite, Remy and Lily were waiting for them. “Zane called,” Remy said. “He invited us to their suite for coffee and information. Claire mentioned something about ice cream.”
Adam shook his head. “My sister has a serious weakness for sweets.” How she managed to stay healthy was a mystery, but she was rarely sick.
“Oh, ice cream.” Lily smiled. “What are we waiting for?”
With a chuckle, Remy clasped his wife’s hand and led her to the door.
The four of them walked downstairs to the first floor where Adam knocked on the door to the Murphy suite. A moment later, Zane opened the door and moved back for them to enter.
“Adam!” Claire’s black hair flew behind her as she raced across the living room and threw herself into his arms. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Sis, it’s only been a week since you saw me last.” Nevertheless, he hugged his sister tight. “You okay?”
“Never better.” She beamed at him. “Please, sit down. I’ll call room service in a minute and have them send ice cream. Any preferences?”
Once Claire called in their choices, she sat in the recliner, Zane by her side in his chair. “You must be Veronica. I’m Claire, Adam’s sister. Thank you for helping us find Adam last year.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
“You have information for us, Z?” Remy asked.
“I do have some information about your case and something more personal.” He paused, glanced at Claire. “It’s your news, baby.”
“Ours,” she corrected.
Adam tensed. What was going on?
“I’ll sit on the patio for a few minutes,” Veronica said as she stood.
“Stay, please,” Claire said. When Veronica sat again, Claire’s smile widened. “We wanted you to be the first to know Zane and I are going to have a baby.”
Lily jumped up and rushed over to hug Claire. “Oh, man, I get to be an aunt. Congratulations, Claire.” Next, she leaned over and kissed Zane’s cheek. “You’ll be a great father, Z. I’m happy for you both.”
Remy bussed Claire’s cheek and clapped Zane on the shoulder. “We get dibs on babysitting.”
“You may be sorry you volunteered.”
“Not a chance. When is the little Murphy due?”
“End of November.”
As the buzz of conversation flowed around him, Adam crouched beside Claire and hugged her. He couldn’t believe his baby sister was going to have a child of her own. Oh, man. He so wished Nana could have lived long enough to hold her great-grandchild. She would have loved that. “Congratulations, sis. If it’s a girl, I’ll make plans with Z to scare off suitors until she’s thirty.”
Claire laughed, hugging him tight. “No, thanks. Zane will be plenty scary with that big, bad Navy SEAL thing he has going.”
“Marines are more scary than frog boys.”
“I heard that,” Zane groused.
A short while later, someone knocked on the door. As one, all except Claire drew weapons. Lily and Veronica stepped in front of Claire. Adam signaled Zane to stay where he was. He went to the door with Remy and checked the security peephole. Bellhop uniform and a cart with several dishes of ice cream.
He motioned for Remy to stand to the side and opened the door.
“You ordered ice cream?”
Out of sight of the bellhop, Adam slid his weapon into his holster and grabbed his wallet. “That’s right.” He pulled out a tip. “Thanks.” The bellhop left and Adam rolled the cart into the suite.
Once the dessert dishes were empty, Claire poured coffee from the carafe for everyone else. She chose bottled water for herself.
“What information do you have for us, Z?” Adam threaded his fingers through Veronica’s.
“I dug into Risa Shoemaker’s background.” Zane proceeded to give a concise report, most of it Adam already knew from the information Veronica told him.
“Her finances?”
“No big deposits in her account and nothing to indicate she’s living beyond her means.”
Veronica frowned. “So it’s not her.”
“The electronic footprints say the saboteur is definitely her,” Zane said. “I can’t find a motive. Have you two knocked heads about anything?”
“Are you kidding? I’m barely in the office more than a day or two a month, if that. The only communication I have with her beyond that is email, and that’s rare. I don’t know what I did to make her mad.”
“Maybe you didn’t,” Claire said.
“Then why would she sabotage me?”
“Maybe it’s someone in her circle of friends or family.”
“Someone who accessed the office when she was there,” Remy said. “What do you know about her family?”
“I doubt she’s had contact with them, not after the way she grew up.”
“A boyfriend or husband?”
Veronica shrugged. “I don’t know. I spoke to her a minute about generalities each time we talked. Dane was anxious to debrief me or send me to another assignment.”
“Did you run across the name of a boyfriend or husband?” Adam asked Zane.
“No husband, but she’s in a new dating relationship with Raul Escobar.”
“Wonder if he has ties to Lilah Collins or her father.”
“Let’s find out.” Zane grabbed his laptop from the pocket at the back of his chair.
While he typed on his computer keyboard, Adam turned to his sister. “Where are your bodyguards?”
“The Zoo Crew is spread around the hotel. Eli and Jon are at dinner with their wives. They left two minutes before you arrived and should be back soon.”
Good. He wanted Zane to have backup, especially now that his sister was carrying Adam’s niece or nephew. He had never pictured himself as an uncle. He’d get some ideas from Remy, an uncle many times over. The Doucet brothers had several children each, which made Aiden and Marie Doucet, Remy’s parents, very happy.
“Got it.” Gaze glued to his screen, Zane said, “Raul Escobar is a very common name, but there is one on the list of Peter Collins’ employees. His name appears again in connection to Lilah.”
“We need to know everything about this guy.”
“I’ll have Jon give me a hand.”
Excellent. Jon Smith, a world class sniper, was also as skilled with a computer as Zane.
A knock was followed by the sound of a key card unlocking the suite door. Jon Smith and Eli Wolfe walked in.
“Where are your better halves?” Remy asked.
“On their way to my house for the night,” Eli said. “Brenna and Dana are watching sappy movies and eating popcorn without us.”
“I see you’re broken up about that.”
“If it was a John Wayne film fest, I would be miffed. Don’t tell Brenna, but missing a romance movie doesn’t bother me.”
“Anything new?” Jon asked Adam.
“Veronica Miles, this is Eli Wolfe and Jon Smith.” Adam said. “Veronica’s problems are coming from Risa Shoemaker, Carver’s assistant. Risa has no motive for setting up Vonnie, but she has a new boyfriend with ties to Peter Collins and his daughter.”
Jon turned to Zane. “What do you need, Z?”
“An extra pair of hands.”
“I’ll get m
y computer.”
“Guess I have the watch, then.” Eli walked to the French doors.
“Want some company?” Remy asked.
“Sure. I’m ready for more humorous stories about your nieces and nephews.”
Remy and Lily followed the SEAL to the patio. While Jon waited for his computer to boot up, he glanced at Veronica. “You healing all right?” he asked, his voice soft.
Adam tightened his grip on Veronica’s hand. The SEAL zeroed in on what mattered most, Vonnie’s recovery. He wasn’t surprised. Jon had been captured by a human trafficking organization, then beaten and drugged repeatedly before Eli found him. It took the sniper months to recover from the ordeal. Rumors floated around Fortress that he still hadn’t fully recovered and that was the reason he and Eli were selective in their missions.
Adam wasn’t convinced. From observing Jon’s interaction with his wife, Dana, he thought the sniper’s reluctance to be parted from his wife had more to do with her recovery from a similar ordeal rather than for his own sake.
“I’m recovering,” Veronica said. “Dr. Sorensen and Adam have helped me stay on track.”
A nod, then to Zane, “What’s this clown’s name?”
“Raul Escobar.”
“I need to know everything you can find about this guy,” Adam said. “Either he’s the culprit behind Vonnie’s problems or he turned Risa against her.”
He nodded. “Z, you want me to take the financial side or the personal side?”
“Personal. I’m already working on his financial accounts.”
While they worked at their keyboards, Adam encouraged Claire to talk about her wedding photo shoots. Before long, Veronica was laughing at her funny bridezilla stories.
“Sounds like they’re insane,” Jon commented without looking up from his work.
“Sometimes I think they might be.” Claire smiled. “Most of the time, though, it’s a product of serious pre-wedding stress. When I meet with them after the wedding to choose their photo packages, they’re like different people.”
“Raul Escobar is no choir boy,” Jon said. “He’s suspected of killing several people, but the cops either couldn’t pin anything on him or they didn’t bother to try. I’d say Collins made the problems disappear with a hefty bribe. According to what I’ve seen, he was one of Collins’ key people.”
